Clean windows aren’t just nice to look through. Our experts in the Good Housekeeping Institute’s Home Improvement & Outdoor Lab say they will also help keep your energy costs in check this heating season. Homeowners in the Northeast who heat with oil have the most to gain from the cleaning task, since their heating bills are expected to jump more than 20%, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. But everyone will save a few bucks, while improving their view of the fall foliage, falling winter snow, and other cold-weather sights.
How do clean windows save energy?
In more ways than one, actually. For starters, dirty windows reduce the amount of sunlight streaming into the home, which in turn lowers the solar heat gain throughout the day. Cleaning the windows might only increase that heat gain by a degree or two, but that will add up over the course of the winter, especially if you’re good about closing curtains and blinds after the sun goes down, containing all the heat that built up during the day. Clean windows will also allow more natural light into the home, so you won’t have to use as much artificial light, lowering your electric bill.
If your home has windows with low-emissivity (low-E) coatings, keeping them clean will help improve their energy efficiency. Low-E glass traps heat during cold weather by reflecting long-wave infrared thermal energy back inside your home while still letting sunlight pass through. Dirt and grime on the windows degrade the low-E coatings, reducing their efficacy and increasing the demands on your home’s heating system. As with solar heat gain, the savings are small, but even a dollar a day works out to a couple hundred bucks over the course of the heating season.
Pro tips for clean windows
Follow this advice from our experts in the Good Housekeeping Institute’s Home Care & Cleaning Lab for clean, streak-free windows.
- Check the weather. When it comes to cleaning your windows, it’s best to wait for a cloudy day. If you clean them on a bright, sunny day, the cleaner is likely to dry onto the hot windows before you get to wipe it off, leaving hard-to-remove streaks.
- Clean around the frames first. You need to get rid of the dirt and dust from the frames; otherwise they will turn into a goopy mess when you spray your cleaner onto the windows. Use a handheld vacuum or the dust attachment on your vacuum cleaner. If the screens are grimy, pop them out and use a soft brush and hot, sudsy water to get them clean.
- Reach for a microfiber cloth. Some people like drying windows with newspaper, but for shiny, streak-free results, our experts say you're better off using reusable microfiber cloths, since they’re super absorbent and washable. Squeegees get the job done, too, but the dripping water ends up making a mess on floors.
Having written thousands of product reviews and how-to articles on all aspects of home ownership, from routine maintenance to major renovations, Dan (he/him) brings more than 20 years of industry experience to his role as the director of the Home Improvement & Outdoor Lab at the Good Housekeeping Institute. A one-time roofer and a serial remodeler, Dan can often be found keeping house at his restored Brooklyn brownstone, where he lives with his wife and kids.
