Skylight Cleaning: How to Keep Light Shining Through

Skylight Cleaning: How to Keep Light Shining Through
Posted on Friday, December 30th 2022

Skylights are incredible features in a home, especially when they’re shiny and streak-free! Here are some tips on keeping your skylights clean and enjoying the abundance of natural light in your home.

A few notes in advance

Before you go ahead with cleaning your skylight, here are a few tips to keep in mind, as there are some more unusual elements to this cleaning job than regular window cleaning:

Safety. Skylights are going to be on the roof and in steep locations. Be sure you’re comfortable working at that height and that your equipment is appropriate so you can reach the skylight easily and in a steady manner.
Window inspection. While you’re cleaning, be diligent in inspecting the window frame, flashing and seals. The main issue with skylights is leaking, so be sure to look for anything that might cause a problem in the future.
Best results. If you have multiple skylights or panes to clean, start at the top and work your way down. Choose an overcast type of day to minimize the likelihood of streaks.

Tools you need for skylight cleaning

Gather the cleaning items you’ll need in advance for cleaning the skylight. You will need a bucket with lukewarm water and add a few drops of dish soap. If you have glass skylights, you also need glass cleaner in addition to the bucket of soapy water. For tools, bring a soft-bristle scrub brush, a microfiber rag (or two) and a squeegee.

Be careful transporting these items up the ladder and make more than one trip if necessary.

The cleaning process

Once you have moved all your cleaning supplies to the roof, proceed in the following steps:

Step 1: Remove any debris, such as leaves and twigs, from the skylight and the surrounding area.
Step 2: Using the soft-bristle brush and soapy water, scrub the skylight. Be sure to include the frame and surrounding area as well as the glass. You may need to address trouble spots a bit longer, but be gentle so as not to cause any damage to the seals or flashing.
Step 3: Remove the dirty water from the windowpane with a squeegee. Dry the surrounding area with a soft cloth. You may need to repeat this step more than once to ensure the window is fully cleaned. When drying the area around the window, check for any damage.
Step 4: For glass skylights, spray with a glass cleaner and wipe dry with paper towel.

How often should you perform skylight cleaning?

The goal of skylights is to increase the natural light that enters your home or business, and that happens more easily with clean skylights. We recommend skylight cleaning at least twice a year, but it’s not uncommon that we clean them more often. For commercial properties, cleaning is often performed six times a year with a regular window washing schedule. For homes, the frequency of cleaning can depend

on a few factors:

How much debris accumulates naturally from your yard.
How close you live to the ocean. Saltwater can create foggy skylights that require cleaning more frequently.
If you’re hosting a special event or preparing your home for sale, you may wish to clean the skylights for maximum appeal of the home.

Although the skylights deal with the outdoor elements every day, they can still become damaged easily with abrasive cleaning products and tools. Never use a knife or sharp object to clean the skylights or frames; instead, apply lukewarm, soapy water with a soft bristle brush and lightly scrub, even if you have to do it several times.

The cost to clean skylights

Often people will call a professional service to clean skylights due to their location on the property. A few factors contribute to the cleaning cost.

Composition. Prices can vary based on whether the skylight is glass or plastic and whether it has inserts that require removal.
Inside-outside. Do you want the inside and outside of the skylight cleaned or just the outside?
Accessibility. If the skylight is more than two stories high, the cost can be higher.

At Fish Window Cleaning, we recommend getting an estimate to have the best idea of the cost of your skylight cleaning.

Call Fish Window Cleaning for skylights and more

Fish Window Cleaning has been a trusted professional service by hundreds of thousands of property owners across the U.S. In addition to skylights, our services include interior and exterior window cleaning, storm windows, screens, mirrors, chandeliers, gutters, sills and ceiling fans.

For residential and commercial (1-3 stories) skylight and window washing services, contact us for a free estimate.

Fish Window Cleaning Blog