Window film serves many purposes including increased privacy, home decor, and protecting your furniture and paintings. There are many different styles of window film and each one serves it's own purpose. Frosted window film is great for front door windows and glass shower doors while a tinted film is great for reducing the sun's glare, UV rays, and heat during the Summer. If you're looking for something with a bit more flash you can get stained glass window film that mimics the stained glass look and bathes the room in beautiful colors as the sunlight filters through it.

Applying these films can be a bit tricky at first but if you follow these tips and tricks you can handle this task with near ease.

1. Make sure to clean your window before applying the film. A dirty window will not allow the film's adhesive to seat properly and will ultimately remain dirty as you won't be able to clean the window underneath the film. To clean the window use a mild detergent. Baby shampoo works great as it leaves no residue. Put a small amount of baby shampoo in a spray bottle and fill the bottle with water. Soak the window and use a squeegee to remove the excess solution. Dry the remaining liquid with lint free paper towels to ensure no traces of paper are left behind.

2. When measuring the surface of the window you need to account for an extra inch of film to be kept as a 'border' of sorts. This extra material will allow you to align and center the window film without the need to be absolute and perfect. Also, when the adhesive on the back of the film dries it will shrink the film a bit, thus, the extra film will serve as a safety net to ensure that the entire window remains covered.

3. Removing the backing off of the film can be a bit tricky. This is when an extra pair of hands will become invaluable. Once you have the backing removed and are ready to apply the film to the window, soak the window and your hands with your shampoo/water solution and begin applying the film from the top of the window towards the bottom. Soak the film with your solution as you apply it as this well help you to remove the air bubbles underneath the film.

4. Push the air bubble towards the sides of the window film as you apply. Using the squeegee will make this process a bit easier. Continue to soak the film and once you have it completely on the window you should ensure that it is aligned properly. Do this now as you will not be able to accomplish anymore movement when the glue has dried.

It should take around 30 minutes for everything to dry. Once dry you can cut away any excess film along the edges. Make sure to be careful with your newly applied window film for the next week and try to keep the window closed as much as possible during this time frame. Optical clarity is generally not very good when the film is first applied, but as it dries you should see increased clarity.