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Why don't you just sit on the ledge? Are you afraid of heights?

Sounds totally irresponsible and in a way, it is. However, I used to do it all the time in order to smoke at friends' place without being "inside". The way I did it was to sit on the ledge facing inside and close the window.

If you want precautions, have some hold your ankles. It's not like you'll suddenly fall backwards (seriously, unless you fall backwards off a stool quite often, you really won't have much trouble).

Hi Walter,

I'm sure you've considered this already, but you don't happen to have the type of windows with a release lever to allow you to open them inward (http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.nutmegcoatings.com/images/thermal-window2.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.nutmegcoatings.com/thermal.html&h=258&w=200&sz=16&hl=en&start=35&tbnid=TKq7aKKvfT0rUM:&tbnh=112&tbnw=87&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dtilt%2Bwindows%26start%3D20%26ndsp%3D20%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26channel%3Ds%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26sa%3DN) , do you? I know it seems obvious, but I nearly finished a death-defying, hanging-out-the-window act before I realized my windows had this neat little feature.

here's another possibility:
http://www.windows101.com/shop/product_info.php?cPath=125&products_id=772

I have an even tougher window problem - through my entire (year old) apartment building, there are small windows around 20" square in most of the bathrooms. They swing outwards from the building and open maybe 4-6" at the bottom, and do not unhook, etc.

The professional window cleaner who did all my other windows said he could not think of any way to clean them, and due to the awkward angle (plus most of the windows are double-paned) I'm not sure if these magnetic things will work? Has anyone else tried them with an odd window like this one? If so, our whole building will thank you!

I do wonder how to get my kitchen and bathroom windows cleaned. They are at the bottom of an airshaft. I can't climb out 'cause the actual floor is in the basement level. But the bird poop is so annoying.

I keep thinking a long-handled thingy and I can lean from one window to do the other. They are at an angle to each other.

The long-handled thingies are better than nothing, but usually it's very hard to apply the squeegee part at the right angle to get a smooth swipe. The resulting lines, drips and streaks might drive you crazier than the general filth.

Consider changing your windows to the kind that tilt in for cleaning if you don't already have that feature.

Talk to person responsible for cleaning and maintenance in your building to find out how often exterior window cleaning is scheduled. That will be the super or property management people if you are renting, or the property management team if you own a condo or co-op.

In my building, we do it once a year. It really should be more often, but this is an area of economy that our owners have identified as being less important. (than major building repairs)

of course, the answer is simple!!

can you get access to the outside? if so just get some rare earth magnets (neodymium magnets, google it)
get two medium size ones (not too big or they will crack the window trying to get to one another), place a wet cloth on the outside one, and a soft cloth on the inside, then just move the magnet around from the inside. These magnets can be very dangerous so when your done store them somewhere safe. They can destroy tvs, computers, etc. People do this all the time to clean the inside of aquariums.

what about window cleaning for windows with bars on the outside? I've tried several tools to get around them, some intended for window washing and some not but it's really hard to wash in between the bars. This window does not tilt in and it's making me crazy that the outside is never clean! Especially since having the bars there is a joke - only window with bars is the bedroom window, which opens into the same space as the non-barred living room windows. Not much of a safety measure when not on all the windows! The magnetic thing looks like the handles would stick out to far and collide with the bars...

You can get flat magnets, magnets of almost any shape, unless the bars are touching the window I dont see it being a problem

I got a great tip a few years back to use RainX on my exterior's windows that are hard to reach. It's great at keeping the dirt and grime off. You do have to reapply every once in a while, I do it yearly, but the windows stay amazingly clean.