Window Games

Every Saturday we spend two hours cleaning. This saves me the need to clean during the week. It also keeps the kids involved. When our 14-year-old daughter suggested we do a cleaning competition, I jumped at the chance to make our semi-annual window cleaning chore a contest. I sent out this email three days prior:

This Saturday will be our first-ever Fabry family window cleaning competition. Each of you will be assigned 1-2 windows and our unbiased judge (Dad) will choose the cleanest window. A prize will be awarded to the cleaner of the cleanest window. In a separate and secret email I will let you know which window(s) you are cleaning.

Thank you in advance for your participation.
The Cleaning Coordinator

We had five competitors. Supplied with their own rags, paper towels, folding chairs, and white vinegar spray bottles, the competitors had 45 minutes to make their windows sparkle. The judge willingly went into seclusion in his office, and the Cleaning Coordinator announced, "Let the Games begin!"

We gave our competitors an extra five minutes and then watched as our esteemed judge took careful notes, examining each casing and pane.

To the dismay of four of the participants and the elation of one (dealing with the dismayed participants is exactly why the Cleaning Coordinator chose Dad as the judge), the kitchen window was awarded Cleanest Window. When asked for the secret to his success, Colin described his technique of scrubbing and spraying small parts of the window rather than spraying the whole window and then wiping. "Keep scrubbing and spraying," he advises all future window cleaners.

Not bad advice from the winner of the Window Games.