January 2021 - My Window Washing Blog

If you’re like most homeowners, each year you compile a spring cleaning list near the end of winter. However, one area that’s often neglected is the outside of our homes. If you’re looking to boost your curb appeal, you can’t let anything slip through the cracks. This year, make sure you take care of the exterior of your home and your property as well as everything inside your house.

Not sure where to begin? We’re here to help. Keep reading for a quick exterior home cleaning checklist.

Keep the Grass Cut Short

One of the first rules of keeping up your curb appeal is learning basic yard care tips. An unkempt yard with long grass and weeds growing everywhere presents the idea that you don’t care. That, or you’re too lazy to mow the yard.

However, mowing the yard once every week to two weeks is a simple exterior home cleaning chore with spectacular results. A well-trimmed lawn looks neat, clean, and inviting. It also helps cut down on unwanted pests.

Trim All Vegetation

While you’ve got your tool shed open, you should also take care of all the other vegetation on your property. Weeds, bushes, trees, and other plant life should not be allowed to grow helter-skelter.

First, no vegetation should be touching your house. Tree limbs can damage your house while other plants can provide pathways for insects and other pests to get on and into your home.

Take Care of the Roof and Gutters

Whether you’re trying to sell your house or just make sure it’s in great condition, you need to check the roof and gutters. Clogged gutters can lead to all sorts of problems, like water damage, negative drainage, and more. If you don’t feel safe getting up on a ladder to clean gutters, hire some professionals to do it for you.

While you’re at it, it might be a good idea to have your roof inspected for damages. Additionally, though moss and other plant life growing on your roof have a certain aesthetic appeal, it’s really bad for the integrity and longevity of your roof. Make sure your roof is completely clean and free of vegetation.

Consider Adding a Fresh Coat of Paint

Depending on how old your home is and the condition of your exterior paint, it may be time for a fresh coat. If you have faded, peeling, cracking, or chipping paint, repainting will help protect the integrity of the home. It will also be vital if you plan to sell it.

Take this exterior home cleaning chore as an excuse to give your home a fresh, new look. If your siding is damaged from hail, wind, and other elements, it might be a good time to invest in new repairs/replacements.

Wash the Exterior

Alternatively, if your exterior paint is still in good condition, a good power washing might be all your home needs. We recommend going with a professional power washing service, however, to avoid accidentally damaging your home. Many homeowners attempt to save money on their outside home cleaning and end up causing damage with DIY power washing.

Accentuate Your Front Porch

Nothing adds charm and character to a home quite like a warm and inviting front porch. Start your outside spring cleaning project by restaining or replacing worn-out decking. If not, just give it a good power-washing.

Then, repaint your front door with a vibrant, stand-out color-pop that fits with the rest of your color scheme. It may also be a good idea to replace the door hardware. This includes the handle, knocker, and deadbolt.

Lastly, consider updating your house numbers with something more artistic or decorative. You can also add a more traditional touch with a classic mailbox mounted on the home near your front door.

Get Your Windows Cleaned

Don’t forget about your windows on your exterior home cleaning checklist. Having a beautifully cleaned house will lose its appeal if your windows are left smudged, smeared, dusty, or otherwise filthy.

If you have a taller home with multiple stories, you may feel uncomfortable getting up on a ladder to clean your windows. If so, think about hiring a professional window cleaning service to get the job done for you. Most people don’t realize how dirty their windows are until they get them cleaned.

Clear Sidewalks, Walkways, and Driveways

Pathways and driveways were created to make our lives more convenient.

They keep your shoes clean while walking up to the front door. They keep you from tripping over debris in the yard. And they help you avoid things like mud, water, snow, and ice.

If you haven’t kept your sidewalks, pathways, and driveway clean, now is the time. There shouldn’t be overgrown vegetation creeping onto these paths. Nor should there be any clutter, garbage, yard furniture, or toys.

Create an Appealing Outdoor Living Area

One thing most homeowners don’t take advantage of enough is outdoor living space. Your porch, patio, deck, and yard are all extensions of your home. Make them feel warmer and more inviting by adding outdoor furniture, like a table and chairs for dining outside.

You can also incorporate a grill, a porch swing, a backyard fire pit, and more. Ultimately, it depends on what your purpose is for this exterior home cleaning. Either way, you’ll add curb appeal and improve your quality of life at home.

Add More Plants

Though one of your biggest struggles as a homeowner will be keeping the grass mowed, the weeds pulled, and the trees trimmed, adding more plants is never a bad idea. For example, plant flowers along the walkway leading to your front door.

You can also use potted plants to keep things easier and cleaner. If you really want to connect with nature, plant a vegetable garden.

Planting fruits and vegetables in your own yard and watching them grow is incredibly rewarding. Not only that, but the image of a full garden warms the heart and makes people appreciate life. Be warned, however, that taking care of a garden takes a lot of work and dedication.

Need Help With Your Exterior Home Cleaning?

What kind of homeowner are you? Are you the type that enjoys home maintenance and exterior home cleaning? If not, don’t feel bad, there’s nothing that says owning a home means you have to like doing chores.

Whatever camp you find yourself in, know that you don’t have to do everything yourself. If you’re looking for help with your spring cleaning list, we’ve got your back. We specialize in gutter cleaning, window cleaning, and power washing, contact us today to see what we can do for you.

Like many local businesses or franchises, few window cleaning companies can dedicate themselves to a single service: cleaning windows. This is particularly true in smaller communities and suburbs.

While there probably will always be a demand for window-cleaning services in large cities, where some buildings have thousands of windows. Cleaning the windows of tall structures like skyscrapers calls for special hoists and workers who love heights.

There is still a fair amount of window-cleaning demand among homeowners in neighborhoods with one and two-story homes, though. Not everyone likes to DIY. But many window-cleaners have chosen to expand their array of services.

Let’s find out why—and what some of those services are.

1. Power Washing

Besides window cleaners, lots of businesses seeking add-on lines have jumped on the power washing bandwagon. This includes professional house painters, handyman operations, landscaping companies, and various others.

Power washing uses high-power water jets to expedite the removal of dirt, grime, bird droppings, tree sap, and other substances from a home’s exterior. It’s often used by people with lots of trees or putting their houses on the market.

You should be careful not to have power-washing done too frequently, though. It can be hard on any home but especially those with old and fragile siding.

But if you’re giving your siding a rest, you can always have your deck power-washed during the interval. Decks need regular cleaning too.

2. Gutter Cleaning

Gutter cleaning is another popular add-on for many types of businesses. Although some homeowners prefer to clean their own gutters, it’s a risky and unpleasant job. For one thing, many amateurs suffer injuries from falling off ladders.

For another, you could run into electrical wiring or sharp edges. Or, your clothing could catch on something jutting out from the gutter. Plus, gutter cleaning can expose you to germs left by nesting birds, rodents, or insects.

Leave gutter cleaning to a professional like a roofer, painter, or outdoor window cleaner who can use some of their window-cleaning tools. They’re the ones with the proper equipment, insurance, and training.

3. Window Tinting and Film

Window tinting dates to the 1960s, when window films were first developed. Window tints and other window film types remain popular today—especially with windows that get heavy sun exposure.

Although placing window film might seem like an easy DIY project, it takes practice to get it right. That means no wrinkles, misaligned edges, or dirt underneath. What a stroke of luck that those who clean your windows also install the tinting film!

There are different types of window film for specific uses (solar, storm, break-in protection, energy efficiency, and some meant mainly to be decorative. Be sure to select the right type of film for your intended use.

Better yet, hire the best window cleaner you can find to do this delicate work.

4. Mirror Cleaning

Are you surprised to see mirror cleaning on a list of add-on jobs for window-cleaning businesses? You shouldn’t be. After all, window-cleaning supplies clean glass. And glass is what mirrors are made of.

The difference window-cleaning professionals bring to this job is never getting the proverbial “seven years of bad luck from breaking a mirror. What makes them so lucky? They know how to handle glass, of course.

5. Cleaning Window Screens and Storm Windows

It has to be a remarkably meticulous homeowner who remembers to clean the screens and storms during routine window cleanings. It’s a dirty and tedious task for sure. But if you don’t do it, your windows will continue to look filthy.

Just think of all the dust, insect carcasses, pollen, and other debris that lands in or on these necessary windowing layers. And since they cover the main windowpane, you have a compelling reason to think of them before going near that.

What a helpful service, though, to have your screens and storm windows cleaned by the same people who clean your regular windows~

6. Cleaning Light Fixtures

Speaking of outdoor window cleaning: how many people do you think forget to clean their outside light fixtures most of the time? We have no idea what this number is, but we’ll bet it’s a high one.

And if you have a window-cleaning crew working indoors, they might be able to help with your inside light fixtures. Especially those that are hard to reach without a ladder.

You seldom see it up close, but both indoor and outdoor light bulbs can collect all kinds of dirt, dust, grease, dead insects, etc.

7. Cleaning Chandeliers and Ceiling Fans

If you find it challenging to clean light fixtures, chandeliers and ceiling fans are at least as hard to reach and tedious to clean. They hang from the ceiling, so a ladder is needed to reach them. Plus, they’re fragile and move around.

The small, intricate parts on these light fixtures collect dulling dust, cobwebs, and grime. There are also a lot of nooks and crannies to clean individually.

Why Some Window Cleaning Services Should Build Out

When businesses want to expand, they should think creatively and focus on extending the services they already offer. Doing this saves time, cost, labor, and employee training time.

For example, if the company already cleans the insides of windows, it’s a few steps away to get to other home features that are fragile and require climbing on a ladder.

Most homeowners find tasks like these annoying, and some can’t do them because of their health. And if it’s an add on, you wouldn’t need to pay for another service call.

So why not spend a little more and have the experts do it the next time they clean your windows?

Hooray! You Can See Daylight Again!

Window cleaning is something people tend to put off, making excuses like “they’ll just get dirty again,” “I don’t want to get my clothes dirty today,” or “it looks like it might rain later.”

Don’t keep putting it off, though. At My Window Washing, we’ll take care of your windows and more without you needing to lift a hand. And you’ll feel so much better when you once again have a clear view of the world outside.

So if you live in or around Chicago and need window-cleaning services, call us today. We’re your Chicagoland window-cleaning solution!

Month: January 2021

Adding Curb Appeal: The Ultimate Exterior Home Cleaning Checklist