Cleaning Glass with Steel? How to Clean Your Windows with Steel Wool

Windows are exposed constantly to outside elements and traces of our indoor living. On one hand, there’s rain, snow, wind bringing debris and dust, insects, animals, and so on. On the other hand, you have steam from cooking, dust, and sometimes sticky fingers of curious kids. These factors can lead to grime, films, and oils that can get hard to remove.

Regularly cleaning your windows is crucial to ensure that they stay in good condition for a long time to come and to let in all that wonderful natural light from outside. If you have a difficult mission cleaning extra grimy windows, maybe it’s time you tried using something a little different to clean your windows. In this blog, we examine how you can use steel wool to attain pristine windows.

What is Glass-Rated Steel Wool?

You can safely use steel wool to clean windows and glass. However, only glass-rated steel wool will suffice for such purposes. Glass-rated steel wool is extra fine and it can remove stubborn deposits, oils, and debris efficiently without needing water or detergents to work. The strong metal wires that steel wool is made of will dislodge the dirt and scrape it off with little effort.

Before you pick up a ball of steel wool you had lying around in your kitchen drawer, here are three reasons why it’s crucial to get glass-rated steel wool for your window cleaning job:

• Anything coarser than the finest grade of steel wool which is marked #0000, can scratch your windows.
• Removing lime (mineral deposits) from windows with steel wool is less messy than soaking them in vinegar or other lime-removing solution. 
• Fine grade steel wool will not only prevent any scratching but can repair existent scratches and polish the glass.

When to Replace Your Steel Wool Pads

Even when choosing the right grade of steel wool, it’s important to only use scrubs that are in good condition. Overused, rusty, or damaged steel wool will no longer maintain its properties and might scratch the windows. Replace your steel wool cleaning pads when you notice grime build-up, rust, or ruffled wires on them.

While you can use steel wool on dry windows, you can increase its effectiveness by first soaking your windows in a soapy water solution. Use detergents that are safe for glass and don’t leave an oily film. Mild detergent, diluted with water, will emulsify and prep the glass for scrubbing with the steel wool. Use warm water to dislodge the dirt more easily.

Where the Steel Meets the Glass

Removing dirt from your windows and other glass panels doesn’t have to be a difficult job. Choosing the right tools can leave them sparkling clean, with no scratches and streaks. Fine steel wool marked with the #0000 grade is perfectly safe and a useful tool in your window cleaning kit.

Get your glass-rated steel wool pads and other window cleaning supplies from Window Cleaning Online today!