Window Washing Bonus: YouTube

I can hardly wait to wash my upstairs windows.   And, I have You Tube to thank.

Yesterday before Amos left for the last time, I pointed to my upstairs windows and told the story of how I'd never been able to wash them completely inside and out because I could not figure out how to remove them.

The one time I did make an effort to wash the outsides of these windows, about two thirds were clean and the upper third remained filthy.

Try as I might, I could not squeeze my big hands up in there to get the top part of the window.

I told Amos how I'd thought of asking the chimney sweep to wash them while he was up on the roof anyway.

Over the years, I'd also entertained the idea of how I could attach something long and stable to a hose and reach them from down below.  Preposterous? Yes. Desperate? Definitely. 

Well, Amos and I took a trip up the stairs, and he started checking out the situation in the upstairs bathroom.  The other windows have potted plants beneath them, so reaching them could be a little tricky.

I must say that seeing Amos straddled over the toilet cut quite a scene too, but, at least, he could get at the window.

He poked, prodded, slid and examined the window from all angles.  

"Would you like a screwdriver?" I asked. 

"Yeah, get me a flat one," he said.

Amos put the screwdriver to work, poking and prodding some more and taking great care not to upset any of the inner workings of the window, lest it get stuck and refuse to move up or down.

I even suggested trying another window in another room, even though he'd have to lean over the marigolds to do so.

Amos said he was slowly figuring it out as he stuck his fingers down one slot and the screwdriver up another.

He eventually reached a point of decision time.  Both of us feared that the mechanism might do something weird if he proceeded.

"I'll call a glass store," I said, figuring if those folks put the windows in, certainly they can figure out how to get them out.

Amos went on his way.  My upstairs windows collected one more day's worth of dirt.  What's one day when they haven't really been washed for seven years?

This morning, pursuing a hunch, I went to You-Tube and found the video above.  Two seconds later, I went to the bathroom, straddled the toilet, pushed those clamps in, moved the window to designated position and pulled it out.

AHA!  Bill could hear the glee upstairs, unaware of why it would come from the bathroom.  I took the window downstairs, told him the tale and washed it inside and out.

I've also passed the true test----reinserting the window.  It worked.

So, as soon as I check out of Slight Detour, I'll be making a beeline for the paper towels and window washing items.  And, for the first time in seven years, I can look off to the east and see that row of cedar tops and the mountaintops behind with absolute clarity. 

Oh, one more thing.  I think I'll call Amos and tell him to check out that You Tube video for the next time some helpless woman wants to wash her windows. 

What would life be without the Internet?  I do know one thing:  my windows would never get washed.

So, the moral of this story?  When in doubt, go to You Tube!!!! 

Happy Wednesday.