Nothing can light up your world more beautifully than skylights – quite literally! Skylights are a stylish and elegant addition to the house. They allow natural light to flow indoors, bringing life to every corner and enhancing the appeal of your rooms. This is an aesthetic addition to bring a natural view of day and night to the house and make even a tiny room look bigger and spacious.
However, without maintenance, skylights can become dirty and cloudy, blocking the daylight. This asks for a labor-intensive and tiresome cleaning process. Fortunately, our detailed step-by-step guide shows you how to clean skylights, so they look as good as new. This guide will also help to make your job a lot easier so you can enjoy your dazzling skylight window.
We will walk you through the process and shed light on the pain points, providing tips for maximum efficiency in the process. We will also share links to the products and articles that worked for us, so you could give them a try as well!
Unlike regular windows, skylights are made of acrylic, polycarbonate, laminated safety glass or different types of plastics. One has to be extremely careful while cleaning them. They require different cleaning products and techniques than the rest of the windows of your house. The use of ammonia, alcohol, or petroleum-based glass cleaners can irreversibly damage the surface of skylights.
It is recommended that only mild soapy water or vinegar with water is used for cleaning the surface of skylights. If your house has hard running water, preferably use distilled water to avoid mineral deposits on the surface.
Skylights are usually installed on elevated spaces like rooftops that are out of reach. Taking safety precautions is vital because cleaning and inspecting skylights can be dangerous. It requires you to continuously look upwards while working, which increases the risk of you losing balance and falling.
Here are some tips on how to ensure your safety:
The process will be easier when you have assembled all the items beforehand. You will require a one-gallon bucket of warm water, clean rags or cloths, dish soap or white vinegar, and most importantly, cellulose sponges. Sponges from ARCLIBER are found to be sturdier than average sponges and clean tough specks of dirt without leaving scratches.
If you plan on using a long pole for cleaning, you can tie a rag at the end of it with a rope. However, it will be easier, safer, and more efficient to use a long mop. You can check out DocaPole Cleaning Kit for an extension rod mop to have an adjustable length required to reach the top.
Cover all the furniture and carpet under the skylight with a large cloth or plastic tarp to avoid damage and stains. Move the small items to another room.
Start by removing loose dust, debris, and cobwebs by the long dry mop. Once all the excess dirt and debris is swiped away, move on to step 4.
If you are doing the spring-cleaning, it might be a great idea to clean other furniture pieces in your house. For instance, you can check our selection of the best vacuums under $500 that will impress you with their performance.
Step 4: Gentle WashFill a bucket of water with warm water. You can either add a mild dish soap until the water becomes foamy or a few drops of vinegar. For tough dirt and grease stains, especially in kitchen skylights, vinegar works better.
After you have made sure all the tough grime is cleaned, throw away the soapy water, rinse the bucket and fill it with clean, cool water. You can wash the same cellulose sponge and use it again or soak a new one in the water. Wring it out and wipe the soap off the surface of the skylight. You can do it by hand or with the help of a long mop. You might need to repeat this process a few times to ensure the surface is free of any soapy residue.
Use a clean, dry long mop or a clean towel secured at the end of a long rod to rub against the surface and absorb all the water. This process may be repeated until the skylight surface is perfectly dry.
Make sure that you use a clean, unused mop. Otherwise, the surface will become dirtier.
Once you have cleaned the interior, you have to make sure no dirt or stains show through from the outside. The exteriors are usually cleaned by rain, but if they require some effort, follow the below steps:
There you go! Now you know the safest and the most effective method of cleaning skylights like a champ. It is true that cleaning the skylights is not a job for the timid, but the good news is that skylights don’t require regular maintenance!
You can follow our guide and tips on how to clean acrylic skylights to clean yours once or twice a year, and you are good to go. We have equipped you with the secret sauce of achieving that perfect unobstructed view of skylights, so you have nothing to fear!
Be sure to share your thoughts with us, and comment on what worked for you.
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