Do you know how to clean a skylight? If not, the good news is that it is an easy task to accomplish. All you need is some soap, water and a cleaning solution that works well on glass. Depending on how your house is situated, you may not need to climb on the roof to do any of the cleaning. Let’s take a closer look at what you need to clean your home’s skylights.
How Often Should You Clean Your Skylight?
At a minimum, skylights should be cleaned twice a year. This ensures that they let in the maximum possible light while also giving the homeowner a chance to check the glass for any damage. It should take about 30 minutes to do a thorough cleaning, which means that they can be done after you get home from work, on your lunch break if you work at home or quickly on a Saturday afternoon.
Cleaning May Be Easier If It Rains Often
If you have ever left your car outside during a rain storm, you may have noticed that a lot of the grime, dirt and pollen is washed off of the surface. The same thing is often true when you have a skylight exposed to the rain. It will wash away a lot of the dirt and other material that may accumulate on it. Therefore, you may be able to get away with cleaning a skylight or skylights once a year, according to Door and Window. However, it is always a good idea to check regularly for damage to keep them looking good and lasting for many years to come.
How to Clean the Underside of a Skylight
For the most part, cleaning the underside of a skylight is a lot like cleaning any other window in your home. You may need a ladder to reach it depending on the height of the ceiling, but there is generally no need to climb onto the roof. To clean the underside glass, simply take a clean cloth and wipe the glass to remove dust and cobwebs. You may also want to use a window cleaning solution to remove any clouding that may have taken place since the last time that the skylight was cleaned. Make sure that any solution that you use will not leave streaks or any other marks on the glass.
How to Clean the Top of the Skylight
Cleaning the top of the skylight may be slightly more difficult because you may have to climb on the roof to clean it. If you don’t feel comfortable going up on the roof yourself, you can call a friend, relative or a professional to do the job for you. For those who do go up on the roof, make sure that you walk on as little of its surface as possible and make sure that you have water with you as it can be exceptionally hot up there even on a relatively cool day. Once you are on the roof, all you need to do is wash the glass like you did with the underside of the skylight. Again, make sure that you are using a clean cloth and and a cleaning solution that will not leave streaks or scratch the glass.
What Should Be Done About Damage to the Glass?
If you notice that there is damage to the skylight’s glass, you should take care of it as soon as possible. Small cracks may be filled in with liquid scratch remover, but if the scratch or crack is readily visible, the glass may need to be replaced or repaired by a professional.
Failure to repair broken glass could leak to it breaking and falling through the ceiling into the home. Depending on whether you should have known about the damage, you may void your warranty by not remedying the situation.
While you may be able to replace the glass by yourself, you are putting yourself at a higher risk of injury due to performing a repair job on the roof. Make sure that you are using a harness or another piece of safety equipment to ensure that you don’t slip or fall while performing the repair.
If you have a skylight, you need to make sure you stick to a regular maintenance schedule to keep it functional for years to come. Neglecting to clean it twice a year may cause the window to cloud or allow dust and debris to accumulate, which could cause problems from a sanitary and aesthetic perspective.
Related Resource: How To Re-Glaze a Window
