DIY GUIDE · CLEANING · CHECKED OCTOBER 2026
How to clean your windows yourself
A morning for a typical house. £15–£45 in kit, most of which lasts years.
The squeegee method, frames and drainage slots, and the reach where a ladder takes over.
- Every step, start to finish
- Checked October 2026 — sources at the end
- Honest about when to call a pro
FIRST, THE HONEST ANSWER
Do it yourself, or get a cleaner?
Do it yourself if…
- The outside panes you want to clean are on the ground floor, or the upstairs sashes tilt or swing into the room
- You are happy working from a stepladder indoors, below its top three steps, for high fanlights
- The glass is ordinary float or toughened glass and the frames are uPVC, painted timber or powder-coated aluminium
- You have a dry, overcast day or a shaded side of the house to work on
Get a pro if…
- Outside panes above the ground floor that open outwards or not at all — a ladder at that height is work at height
- A conservatory roof, a glass canopy or a lean-to that you would have to lean over or climb onto
- Leaded lights, stained glass, old cylinder glass or a film-coated pane you are unsure about
- Windows whose sashes are stiff, painted shut or rotten — forcing them open to clean breaks them
Safety first
- Clean upstairs outside panes only from inside the room, through a sash designed to tilt or swing in. Never sit on a sill or lean out to reach.
- HSE's guidance to window cleaners starts with avoiding height: clean from inside or use a water-fed pole from the ground before anyone reaches for a ladder.
- On a stepladder indoors, keep off the top three steps unless there is a proper handhold, face the window and do not lean out to the side.
- If a leaning ladder is ever used at ground-floor height, set it one out for every four up and do not rest it against the glass itself.
- Never mix cleaning products. A bleach-based mould spray on a frame followed by an ammonia glass cleaner gives off harmful gas.
- Take off rings and watches; window makers warn that a stone or a metal edge scratches glass.
Stop here: Outside glass above the ground floor
Reaching first-floor glass from a ladder is work at height. HSE tells window cleaning businesses to avoid it wherever they can — cleaning from inside or using a water-fed pole from the ground — and to plan any ladder work with the right equipment under the Work at Height Regulations 2005, which apply in England, Wales and Scotland, with equivalent regulations in Northern Ireland. For a householder there is no plan that makes leaning out of a window or climbing an extension ladder with a bucket safe. Use a pole from the ground, or hire someone equipped for it. How to hire a window cleaner →
| MATERIAL | COVERAGE | FOR THIS JOB |
|---|---|---|
| Washing-up liquid | A small squeeze per bucket | A few drops is enough; more smears |
| Glass cleaner spray (optional) | For a final polish on inside panes | One bottle does many cleans |
| Spare squeegee rubber | Cut to your channel length | Swap when the edge rounds |
How long the windows will take
Time = number of panes × minutes per pane, inside and out. A typical three-bedroom semi has about 24 panes; at 3 minutes a side for glass that is 24 × 2 × 3 = 144 minutes, so about two and a half hours, plus frames and tracks on the first clean.
The first clean is always the slowest. Kept up every couple of months, panes go much faster because nothing is baked on.
A 25–35 cm channel suits most domestic panes; a narrower one is easier for small Georgian-bar panes. What matters most is the rubber. A clean, straight, unnicked edge leaves glass dry; a rounded or nicked one leaves a line on every pass. Buy spare rubbers and swap when the edge stops being sharp.
A strip washer — a T-bar with a fabric sleeve — holds water and spreads it evenly, and you can scrub fly marks with its edge. A large sponge works for a few windows but drips more and leaves edges dry. Whichever you use, wring it so it is wet but not streaming.
Warm water with a small squeeze of washing-up liquid. One frame maker’s care guide uses warm soapy water for frames and glass, then a household glass cleaner if you want it. More soap is not better: excess leaves a film that smears as it dries. If the water feels slippery between your fingers, that is enough.
A lint-free microfibre cloth for the edges and corners that the squeegee misses, and a second dry one for the sills. Keep window cloths separate from kitchen cloths; grease from a used cloth is what makes glass smear.
Some newer windows have a coating on the outside face that breaks down dirt and lets rain rinse it away. Glass makers advise rinsing these with clean water rather than scrubbing and never using abrasives or blades. If your windows came with a care leaflet naming a coating, follow it before anything here.
A pole that pumps water to a soft brush lets you clean outside upstairs glass from the ground with no ladder. It works best with purified water, which dries spot-free; with tap water you will need to rinse and leave spots in hard-water areas. For a single house they are expensive but they are the safest way to reach first-floor glass.
THE PART THAT DECIDES THE FINISH
Preparing the window — by what you are cleaning
Each pane, frame and sill wants a slightly different approach. Find yours and do the prep before the bucket comes out.
Ordinary glass, lightly dirty
Most windows most of the time.
- Dust the frame and the top of the sash first with a dry brush so grit does not drop into the wet glass
- Check the squeegee rubber against the light for nicks and replace it if you see any
- Choose a shaded side or an overcast hour; sun dries soap before you can pull it off
- Lay an old towel on the inside sill to catch the drips
Glass with fly spots, sap or bird droppings
Outside panes and south-facing glass.
- Soak the marks with the applicator and leave them wet for a minute or two before scrubbing
- Scrub with the fabric edge of the applicator or a non-scratch pad, never a scourer
- Rinse droppings off with plain water first so you are not grinding grit into the glass
- On coated or self-cleaning glass, soak and rinse only
uPVC or foiled frames
Most homes built or re-glazed since the 1980s.
- Wash with warm soapy water and a clean cloth; check the cloth has no grit trapped in it
- Avoid solvents, thinners, cream cleaners and scouring pads
- Work from the top rail down so dirty water runs over unwashed frame
- Rinse with a clean damp cloth and dry so the frame does not spot
Painted timber frames
Older houses and sash windows.
- Look for flaking paint or soft wood before you wet it — water gets into open joints
- Wash with a wrung-out cloth, not a dripping one, and dry straight away
- Do not scrape paint off the glass edge with a blade on old glass; it chips the putty and can crack the pane
- Note bare or soft areas for repainting; that is a decorating job, not a cleaning one
Sills, tracks and drainage slots
Every window, usually forgotten.
- Open the sash and vacuum loose debris out of the frame rebate
- Find the drainage slots along the bottom of the outer frame and clear them with a pipe cleaner or a soft brush
- Wipe the rebate clean with a damp cloth; the frame maker says these channels must be kept clear
- Pour a little water into the rebate and check it drains out of the slots, not into the room
Upstairs windows that tilt or swing in
Tilt-and-turn and easy-clean casements.
- Read the maker's instructions for your hinge; easy-clean hinges usually need a button pressed top and bottom
- Clear the sill inside so the sash can open fully without catching
- Keep a hand on the sash as it moves — it is heavy once released
- Clean the outside face from inside the room with the sash open into the room, never by leaning out through a normal opening
THE JOB
How to clean a window, in order
Clear, dust and plan the order
15 minMove ornaments, plants and blinds out of the way and lay a towel on each inside sill. Go round the house once with a dry brush and the vacuum, taking cobwebs, dead flies and loose grit off frames and out of the tracks. Decide your route: inside panes first if the outside will be done on a different day, top floor down, and leave any sunny side of the house until it is in shade.
- Grit on the frame is what scratches glass when the squeegee drags it
- Pull roller blinds fully up and tie curtains back
- Fill the bucket last, so the water is warm when you start
Mistake to avoid: Starting on a sunny pane. The soap dries in streaks before you reach the bottom of the glass.
Wash the frames and drainage slots first
20 minOpen each window, vacuum the rebate and clear the drainage slots along the bottom of the outer frame with a pipe cleaner. Wash frames with a cloth wrung out in warm soapy water, top rail first. Doing frames before glass means any drips land on glass you have not cleaned yet, not on glass you have just finished. Dry the frames with a clean cloth.
- The frame maker warns against solvents and thinners on uPVC; soap and water is enough
- Pour a cup of water into a cleared rebate and watch it leave through the slots
- Leave the hinges and locks for the last step, after the glass
Mistake to avoid: Leaving the drainage slots blocked. Rain then fills the frame rebate and finds its way onto the inside sill.
Load the applicator and wet the glass
1 minDip the strip washer, lift it and squeeze about half the water out against the bucket edge. Wet the whole pane from the top down in overlapping strokes so there are no dry patches. Pay extra attention to the corners and the edge along the frame, where dirt collects. On marked glass, wet it twice and wait a minute.
- Wet enough to glide, not so wet that it runs down your sleeve
- Scrub stubborn spots with the applicator's edge
- Work one pane at a time so it does not dry before you squeegee
Mistake to avoid: Wetting three panes at once. By the third the soap has started to dry and the squeegee leaves a line.
Cut a dry edge along the top
1 minTilt the squeegee so only the corner of the rubber touches the glass and run it across the top of the pane hard against the frame. This makes a dry strip for the full stroke to start in. Wipe the rubber with your cloth.
- Start the top strip from the corner furthest from your hand
- On small panes, a dry edge down one side does the same job
- Wipe the rubber after every single stroke
Mistake to avoid: Starting the main stroke on wet glass at the very top. The first stroke always leaves a line where it began.
Pull the squeegee in overlapping strokes
2 minStart in the dry strip at the top, tilt the squeegee towards you with the whole rubber in contact, and pull straight down in one steady, firm stroke. Stop a hand's width above the bottom of the pane. Wipe the rubber, move along so the next stroke overlaps the last by a few centimetres, and repeat. The frame maker’s care guide finishes glass with a squeegee working top to bottom, which is this stroke.
- Steady pressure along the whole blade — uneven pressure leaves thin lines
- Overlap every stroke; the edges of a stroke are where water hides
- Finish each stroke with the blade still on the glass, then lift
Mistake to avoid: Pressing harder at one end. The light end skates over the water and leaves a stripe down the pane.
Take off the bottom water and dry the edges
1 minTurn the squeegee sideways and pull it along the bottom of the pane in one stroke to clear the band you left. Then run a folded microfibre cloth round all four edges of the glass, pressing into the corner with a finger. Dab, do not rub, any drop that appears.
- Fold the cloth into a pad; a loose cloth drags dirt back on
- Swap to a dry cloth as soon as the first is damp
- A drop that runs from the frame means the frame was wet, not the glass
Mistake to avoid: Wiping the whole pane with a cloth to remove a streak. You re-spread the soap film. Re-wet that pane and squeegee it again instead.
Do the upstairs outside panes from inside
10 minOn tilt-and-turn and easy-clean windows, open the sash into the room as the maker describes. Wet and squeegee the outside face with the sash held steady, working the same way as before. On sashes that only open outwards, clean what you can reach without leaning and leave the rest — that pane is for a pole from the ground or a window cleaner.
- Support the sash with one hand; do not let it swing on its hinges
- Close and lock the sash before moving on, so it is not left loose in a breeze
- If you need to put a knee on the sill, you are reaching too far
Mistake to avoid: Leaning out of an open casement to reach the far side of the outside pane. That is the fall this guide exists to stop.
Ground-floor outside panes
5 minWork outside from the ground, or from a hop-up where a pane is just out of reach. Change the water when it turns grey, because outside glass carries more grit. If you use a stepladder outside, stand it on firm, level paving facing the window and stay below the top three steps.
- Fresh water for the outside — grey water leaves grit on the glass
- Rinse sap and fly marks with plain water before washing
- A water-fed pole from the ground is the better tool for anything you cannot reach comfortably
Mistake to avoid: Resting a ladder against the glass. It cracks panes, especially in a cold spell, and it slides on wet glass.
Oil the hinges and locks
10 minWith the frames clean and dry, put a drop of light machine oil on each hinge pivot and on the locking points, then open and close the sash a few times to work it in. Wipe off any excess, which collects dust. The frame maker suggests doing this at least twice a year.
- A drop, not a squirt — excess oil runs onto the frame and stains it
- Use a non-acidic mineral oil, not a solvent spray
- Note any sash that drops or binds; hinges can be adjusted, but not by forcing
Mistake to avoid: Spraying a solvent lubricant across the hinge. It strips the grease the hinge needs and can mark the uPVC.
Clean and store the kit
10 minRinse the applicator sleeve and wash it with your cloths on a warm cycle without fabric conditioner, which leaves a film that smears the next clean. Rinse the squeegee and stand it rubber-up to dry so the edge is not bent. Empty the bucket down an inside sink or toilet rather than a gully in the street.
- Fabric conditioner on window cloths is a common cause of smears
- Store spare rubbers flat
- Note which windows took longest — they need doing more often
Mistake to avoid: Leaving the squeegee lying on its blade. A bent rubber leaves a line on every stroke next time.
The mistakes that leave streaks or break glass
- Too much washing-up liquid — the film shows as smears when the glass dries
- Working in direct sun, so the water dries before it is removed
- A worn or nicked squeegee rubber, which leaves a line on every stroke
- Leaning out of windows or resting a ladder on glass to reach the outside
Stop here and get a window cleaner
- An outside pane above the ground floor cannot be reached from inside the room through a tilt or easy-clean sash
- The only way to reach the glass is over a conservatory or canopy roof
- The glass is leaded, stained, antique or film-coated and you are not sure what is safe on it
- A sash is stuck, dropped or rotten and will not open as designed
| WHAT YOU SEE | WHY, AND THE FIX |
|---|---|
| Streaks all over the glass once it dries | Too much detergent or a dirty cloth. Use a few drops of washing-up liquid per bucket, wash cloths without fabric conditioner, and squeegee rather than wiping. |
| A single line down the glass on every stroke | A nick or a rounded edge on the squeegee rubber. Replace the rubber, or turn it round if your channel allows. |
| Smears that only show in low sun | A film left by a cloth or by over-wiping. Re-wet the pane, squeegee it, and finish only the edges with a dry microfibre. |
| Water spots on outside glass | Hard tap water drying on the glass, often from a pole or hose rinse. Squeegee the pane dry, or use purified water in a pole system. |
| Water gathers on the inside sill after rain | The drainage slots in the bottom of the frame are blocked. Clear them with a pipe cleaner and check water drains out of them. |
| Fine scratches visible in sunlight | Grit dragged across the glass, a metal blade on toughened glass, or a ring. They cannot be cleaned off; prevent them by dusting first and keeping blades off coated and toughened glass. |
| Black spots in the corners of the frame or on the seals | Mould from condensation. Clean with a mould spray suited to uPVC, rinse, and ventilate the room more — never follow it with an ammonia glass cleaner. |
| The sash is stiff or will not close tightly after cleaning | Grit left in the track or a dry hinge. Vacuum the track, wipe it, oil the pivots lightly and work the sash a few times. |
WHAT YOU SAVE
What it costs to do it yourself
| Squeegee | £2–£20 |
|---|---|
| Strip washer or applicator | £6–£12 |
| Microfibre cloths | £4–£7 |
| Washing-up liquid and a bucket you already have | £0 |
| Total, hand kit | £15–£45 |
| Water-fed pole kit for upstairs glass from the ground (optional) | £41–£90 |
| DIY total | £15–£45 |
Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.
The hand kit lasts years with spare rubbers. A water-fed pole is the one purchase that brings upstairs glass safely within reach, and it costs about as much as a few professional visits.
RATHER NOT?
Window cleaners near you, with prices shown
The ones who cover your area, nearest first, with one score from every review. No account needed to look.
Or post the job free and let them come to you.
Close sashes once the rebates are dry so seals do not stay damp against the frame.
Applicator sleeve and cloths in the washing machine without conditioner; squeegee rinsed and stored rubber-up.
Empty plastic spray and detergent bottles go in your council recycling collection. Anything left over that you no longer want, especially strong cleaners, goes to the household waste recycling centre rather than down a drain.
Outside glass every two or three months, inside panes when you notice them, frames and drainage slots twice a year with the hinge oiling.
Cleaning your windows: questions people ask
Warm water with a few drops of washing-up liquid, a strip washer and a squeegee with a sharp rubber. Commercial glass cleaners are fine for inside panes but are not what makes the difference — technique and a clean blade are.
Use less soap, work in shade, wipe the squeegee after every stroke, overlap the strokes and finish the edges with a dry folded microfibre cloth. Replace the rubber when it leaves a line.
If they tilt or swing into the room, yes — that is what tilt-and-turn and easy-clean hinges are for. Ordinary outward-opening casements are not safe to clean by leaning out.
Not for upstairs glass. HSE's advice to window cleaners is to avoid work at height by cleaning from inside or using a water-fed pole. For a householder the ladder belongs on the ground floor only, if at all.
The Locufy UK price guide puts window cleaning at £12–£70 per visit, typically £30. A semi with easy access and no conservatory sits near the typical figure; a large house with a conservatory roof nears the top.
Warm soapy water and a clean, grit-free cloth. The frame maker warns that solvents, thinners and some polishes discolour uPVC and foiled frames and weaken the surface.
MORE GUIDES
More DIY guides
Sources — checked October 2026
- HSE — working at height whilst window cleaning
- HSE — types of ladder and using them safely: stepladders and the top three steps
- HSE — safe use of cleaning substances (CAIS22): never mix cleaning substances
- REHAU — windows and doors operation and maintenance guide: frames, glass, drainage, lubrication
- Spectus — tilt and turn window aftercare: glass and lubrication
- West Sussex County Council — how to dispose of cleaning products
- B&Q — price check: window squeegees and applicators, October 2026
- B&Q — price check: microfibre cloths, October 2026
- B&Q — price check: water-fed poles, October 2026