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Just moved into a new 2nd floor apartment that is all windows. It's so bright and cheerful,but now I really notice the dust and streaks on the outside glass. They are old windows, with chains in the side channels, not the new kind that tilt in for cleaning.

I really would like to clean them, but I can't lean out far enough to reach the whole window surface without doing a header into the driveway below. A squeegee with a 2 or 3 foot long handle might work but where to find one? As I said, it's an apartment and I don't have a tall enough ladder to try to clean them from the outside with a telescoping pole and squeegee.

Can anyone help? Thanks.

Several years ago, at Lowe's I found a squeegee with a threaded handle that can be screwed onto an extension handle like those used for paint rollers. It's a wide squeegee with a narrow rubber blade that looks like the wiper blade on a car. At the same time I bought a gadget about the same size and shape that has a fabric cover to wash the window. If you follow the wash immediately with the squeegee, it cleans windows very well.

I found a squeegee twist, extension pole with the window cleaning accessories at a local Menards, home store. But one that will work with a paint roller (suggested by Speckled-Cat-2) should be fine with the squeegee/window mop too.

If you are near a truck stop, they sell long handled squeegees for the truck windshields.

If you are on the second floor a 2 or 3 foot squeegee won't help.

I have the same kind of windows on my old house and for the upstairs, the best I can do is to get the window cleaner (from Windex) that fastens on to a garden hose. The hose rinses the window, you then use the soap in the container (dial on top to adjust to different functions), then rinse again.

The only way to do a really thorough job is to take the windows off their ropes (or chains in your case) which would allow the window to swing to the inside and then could be cleaned like the inside part. this is a major job and we usually only do this to repair a sash cord or to paint the outside of the window.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: lady of shallot,

We have high windows on our mountain home, and the extension pole I use is 5 foot compressed, and about 9 foot extended. With the addition of a step ladder I can get up pretty high.

Great suggestions, everyone.

Lady of Shallot: do you know I haven't been able to find that Windex in the green bottle that screws onto the end of your garden hose to clean the exterior windows. I used it years ago and it worked great, then went to purchase it and the store wasn't carrying it anymore, they had some other system that was more expensive.

Windex -outdoor hose end

You could also contact the Windex web site and ask who might carry it in your area, if you want to purchase it locally rather than on line?

quote:

I haven't been able to find that Windex in the green bottle that screws onto the end of your garden hose to clean the exterior windows

I didn't know that. I just kept the old container and use Dawn d.w. soap in it. That is what a professional window cleaner told me to use.

If you can't find an extension pole in a HD or Lowes, go to a janitorial supply store. Most will allow anyone to purchase from them. I have poles that will actually go three stories high. It is possible to do the windows from the inside. Takes a little patience. You pull them both down and do the outside of the outside window. Then pull the inside window up just about half way and do the top of that window on the outside. Then pull them both up and pull in the inside window down about half way and do the bottom of that window. I am a window cleaner and I do it all the time.

Or you can do what your grandparents did... use a ladder.