What window cleaning includes
Inside the house
- Glass washed and squeegeed, corners wiped dry
- Sills, sashes and frames washed
- Interior tracks vacuumed and wiped
Outside
- Glass washed and squeegeed, divided-light panes one by one
- Exterior sills and frames brushed and rinsed
- Bird droppings, pollen film and sprinkler spots removed where they have not etched
- Storm windows and their second set of tracks
Screens
- Taken out, brushed and washed with water
- Frames wiped and left to dry
- Put back in the same opening, the same way up
- Torn, bent or splined-out screens noted for repair
Doors and special glass
- Sliding patio doors and the tracks that make them stick
- French doors, storm doors, sidelights and transoms
- Skylights and stairwell windows where they can be reached safely
Inside only, or inside and outside?
It is the first question in a window quote, and the answer changes with the season.
| Inside only | Inside and outside | |
|---|---|---|
| What gets cleaned | Interior glass, sills and interior tracks | Both faces of the glass, both sides of the frame, exterior sills and the screens |
| What it fixes | Fingerprints, cooking film, nose prints from the dog, dust haze | All of that plus pollen, road film, sprinkler spots, bird droppings and storm streaks |
| Best time | Any month, including deep winter | Spring after the pollen, and fall before the storm windows go on |
| Ladders | None | Often, for glass above the first floor that does not tilt in |
| Result | Clean from the room side, but the sun still shows the outside | Clean from both sides, which is what people mean by clean windows |
Second-story windows, ladders and hard-to-reach glass
Every window above the first floor belongs in your request. It is the single biggest factor in a window quote.
- Tilt-in sashes. Many newer double-hung windows tilt inward, so the outside glass can be cleaned from inside the room. Look for small latches at the top of each sash.
- Windows that do not tilt. Upper-floor outside glass then needs a ladder, and the ground below decides how simple that is: a flat lawn is one thing, a slope, a deck, a shrub bed or a window well is another.
- Glass above a roof. Windows over a porch roof, dormers and skylights can only be reached from the roof, if at all.
- Tall and unusual glass. Two-story entry windows and stairwell windows need a clear, level spot for a ladder indoors.
In the quote form, count the windows on each floor, plus skylights and glass doors. When we reply you can send photos of the awkward ones, so the quote lists exactly which windows are in and which are out.
How the visit goes
- Walk-around. Outside first, to check ladder footing, sprinkler heads, screens and anything cracked, then inside to see what tilts.
- Screens out, tracks and sills. Screens brushed, washed and set aside to dry; grit, leaves and dead insects vacuumed out of the tracks, then scrubbed and wiped, because clean glass in a dirty frame still reads as dirty.
- Glass. Washed with a scrubber, squeegeed, edges and corners wiped dry, both faces.
- Frames, hardware and screens back in. Sashes, locks and handles wiped so nothing drips onto the clean pane; each screen returns to its own opening.
- Final look from inside with the sun behind the glass, which is the only test that counts.
Before we arrive
- Count the windows by floor and note which ones tilt in.
- Raise the blinds, pull back the curtains, and move furniture, lamps and plants a step away from each window.
- Clear the sills of frames, candles and cups.
- Unlock the gate, move cars off the spots a ladder will need, keep the dog inside and turn the sprinklers off for the day.
- Tell us about windows that stick, are painted shut or have a crack.
Skip cleaning the insides yourself the night before; a half-cleaned pane streaks when it is redone. Leave the screens in unless you know how they go back. Keys, pets and parking: see the preparation guide.
Weather and season
Window cleaning is a spring job for most households here, with a second, smaller wave in the fall. Across our five counties, searches for window cleaning rose from 600 a month in December 2025 and January 2026 to 1,890 in April and 1,910 in May 2026, and ran at 1,570 in September and 1,590 in October 2025 (Google Ads monthly search volumes for the five counties, pulled 19 September 2026). If you want a spring date, ask early.
- Cold. Water freezes on outside glass in a hard frost, so winter visits are usually insides only.
- Hot sun. Glass in direct summer sun dries before it can be squeegeed and streaks, so the shaded sides go first.
- Rain. Light rain does not ruin clean glass; heavy rain and wind make ladder work unsafe and move the date.
- Pollen and fall. Cleaning after the heaviest spring pollen lasts longer, and the weeks before the storm windows go on are the other good time of year.
Older homes and storm windows
Older houses add work. They are more likely to have storm windows, which put extra panes and a second set of tracks in every opening, along with sashes painted shut and old, wavy glass. The share of homes built in 1939 or earlier is 27.5% in Westchester County, 17.9% in Dutchess County and 17.4% in Putnam County (U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, table B25034). The Census no longer publishes Connecticut counties; adding up their towns gives 22.5% for New Haven County and 18.7% for Fairfield County. Tell us which old windows stick or do not open.
What glass cleaning cannot fix
- Etched glass. Hard water left for years, often from sprinklers, eats into the glass. If spots stay when the glass is clean and dry, they are etching.
- Fog between the panes. Moisture inside a double-pane window means its seal has failed, and the glass unit has to be replaced.
- Scratches in the glass, and paint overspray that has cured hard for years.
- Rotted sills, broken sash cords and cracked panes. Those are for a carpenter or a window company.
Who books window cleaning
- A homeowner with a two-story colonial and storm windows on every opening, once a year after the pollen.
- A seller before photos, because clean glass makes every room in the listing brighter, and a host before a party at home, so the patio doors and the sunroom are clear.
- An owner after a renovation, when new windows arrive with stickers, paint specks and drywall dust; that first pass is after-construction cleanup, and a house that sat empty gets move-in cleaning on the same day.
- A condo owner in a mid-rise, insides only, since the building handles the exterior; see apartment and condo cleaning.
What changes the time and the quote
- The number of windows and glass doors, counted by floor
- How many are above the first floor, and whether they tilt in
- Storm windows, which double the panes and the tracks
- Divided-light windows, pane by pane
- How dirty the glass, tracks and sills are, and how long since the last cleaning
The quote goes by the windows, not the square footage. Read how we quote and check your town under service areas.
Common questions about window cleaning
Do I need to be home for window cleaning?
For the inside glass, someone has to let us in, or you tell us how to get in. For an outside-only visit you may not need to be there at all. Either way, tell us about locked gates, dogs in the yard, alarm systems, and any window that sticks or has a crack, so the visit is not held up at the door.
Can you remove hard water stains from windows?
Fresh spots, usually yes. Minerals from sprinklers or dripping gutters sit on the surface at first and come off with the right cleaner and some patience. Spots left for years may have etched the glass; if the marks are still there when the glass is clean and dry, they are in the glass, not on it, and no cleaning will remove them. Pointing sprinklers away from windows stops the problem coming back.
Do you clean blinds?
Blinds are dusted slat by slat as part of a deep cleaning, and sills and tracks are part of this service. A full wash, with the blinds taken down and soaked, is a different job. If that is what you want, say so in the quote form and describe them (metal, wood, fabric or roller), and we will say whether it can be done on the same visit.
Should I tip window cleaners?
Only if you want to. A tip is a thank-you for a ladder day in the heat or a screen that fought back, not a fee, and no one will look for it. If you would like a sense of what is customary for a one-time visit, our guide on tipping house cleaners covers cash, card and the holidays.
Is window cleaning taxed?
In both states, yes. Connecticut's Department of Revenue Services lists window cleaning services among the services subject to sales tax, at the state rate of 6.35% (Conn. Gen. Stat. section 12-408; read 19 September 2026). New York taxes maintaining, servicing or repairing real property, both inside and outside buildings, with cleaning named as an example (Publication 750), at the combined Publication 718 rates: Westchester and Putnam 8.375%, Yonkers 8.875%, Dutchess 8.125%. Ask us to show the tax on your quote.
How is window cleaning priced?
By the windows, not the square footage. The quote turns on how many windows and glass doors there are, how many are above the first floor, whether they tilt in, storm windows and screens, divided panes, and how dirty the glass and tracks are. Send your count by floor and the quote, which is free, is usually back the same day.
