Sitting Areas by Windows: Balancing Comfort and Airiness

Australia is certainly known for its high volume of sunshine hours each year, and so your home design can make use of this abundance of natural lighting. Perhaps you're considering installing a skylight to make the most of this wonderful sunlight. Since skylights are essentially rooftop windows, you need to keep them clean much in the same way as you would a regular window. The job is infinitely easier if you have the right tools. There are four main things you need to know when it comes to keeping your new skylight clean.

Cleaning the Interior

An extendable squeegee style of mop is the easiest way to clean the interior side of the skylight. This means that you won't even need a stepladder for this stage. You should use a diluted cleaning solution designed specifically for windows. The mop only needs a small amount of moisture to be effective, so wring it into the bucket before cleaning the skylight. This ensures that no liquid falls onto you as you are rubbing the mop head against the skylight.

Cleaning the Exterior

Rain should keep the exterior of the skylight clean enough, but it might be prudent to hose it occasionally if there hasn't been any rain. Once a month will be sufficient. This stops dirt and debris from accumulating on the skylight. If there is a buildup of dirt and debris, the rainfall might not be sufficient to wash this away, and you will need to use your garden hose. Please take necessary safety precautions and ensure that you have a secure footing before you operate a garden hose on your rooftop.

Leaf Removal

If your skylight is positioned in a way that allows leaves to accumulate on the exterior of the glass, these will need to be removed as soon as possible. As the leaves begin to decompose, they can leave a small amount of residue on the glass, which will result in a stain. Water might not be enough to remove these leaf stains, but a non-scratch scouring pad will do the job. The trick is to remove them before they have a chance to begin the decomposition process so that you don't need to do any extra work.

Dusting the Skylight

You will need to remove dust from the internal frames of the skylight but only you have a skylight that can be opened. Position a stepladder in the appropriate place and open the skylight. Use an electrostatic duster that will attract and hold dust without you necessarily having to get into every nook and cranny. The frequency of this job will depend on how much dust is ordinarily found in your home, but it doesn't need to be a regular occurrence. Like hosing the exterior of the skylight, once a month should be sufficient.