If you have skylights installed you’ll know that they are a fantastic way to brighten your home without electricity. Natural light provides many benefits such as improved concentration and better sleep that artificial light from bulbs simply cannot replicate. Although modern skylights with low e argon filled glass units offer insulation and UV protection when clean, they will let less light through as they become quite dirty over time. It only takes a little planning and effort to clean skylights. Here we’ll look at why they become dirty and how to clean them.

Well-Designed Skylights Will Require Less Cleaning

Part of the reason why your skylights are so dirty may lie in the design. Modern designs where the screen mounts flush with the top of the main frame will avoid creating a trap for leaves. Self-Venting skylights use electric motors and remote controls to raise and lower the top. The best models have rain sensors that close the skylight when it rains. This can dramatically decrease the amount of cleaning the skylights require as it prevents dirt-attracting moisture for entering inside and around the seals. Contact a contractor in your area about the latest skylights on offer.

How To Clean The Inner Surface

Even with manual skylights, the inner surface shouldn’t be that dirty but dust and grease can still build up over time. The easiest way to clean the interior surface of a skylight is to use a ladder to reach up as high as you can. Move furniture from underneath the skylight and then use a telescopic window cleaner to reach the glass. These have a foam or cloth bar on one side to clean with and then a squeegee on the other to wipe off excess water. Simply spray glass cleaner onto the foam or cloth side, wipe down the glass, then dry the glass with the squeegee.

How To Clean The Outer Surface

Getting on top of a roof is simply too risky for the majority of homeowners to consider. There are serious safety issues when it comes to going up onto a tiled roof such as the risk of slipping or falling and also of damaging the roof material. If your skylight is on a low, first-floor roof, you may wish to try to clean it by standing on a ladder and using the telescopic window cleaner just as you did on the internal surface.

Find A Professional Cleaning Service

To stay safe, you could contact one of two professionals to help you. The most common contractor would be a window cleaning professional. They will certainly have the tools and experience to get your skylight glass nice and clean. The second contractor would be a roofing company. You may not know that roofing firms offer roof-cleaning services using pressure washers. They will not only clean the glass of your skylight, they will clean the surrounding frame, the seals and the sides, which may have dead leaves or other debris. A clean roof will dramatically improve the look of your home and a full roof clean is the most cost effective way of ensuring that your skylights are clean and clear.