The Short Answer: Everything That Touches Your Window
You don't have to sign up for a recurring plan to get the full treatment. A one-time, in-and-out cleaning already includes windows inside and out, frames, sills, tracks, screens, interior ceiling fans, and bathroom mirrors, all in one visit — that's the standard scope, not an upsell.
If you'd rather not think about booking it again, our Window Care Plans build that same service into a recurring schedule instead: Essential View covers exterior glass and frames only, while Clear View and Premium Shine keep the full in-and-out scope on autopilot. We break down the full step-by-step below, plus the paid extras available and what's genuinely outside the job.
Exterior Glass
Exterior glass gets pre-rinsed first when it needs it, knocking loose heavy dust, cobwebs, and pollen before any soap touches the window — skipping this step on a heavily soiled window just grinds grit around instead of removing it. It's not an every-time step, but it's a common one after a storm: post-hurricane window cleaning often calls for a pre-rinse to clear the salt spray, debris, and grime left behind before the actual wash begins.
We don't wash with dish soap like Dawn, which a lot of window cleaning companies use as a cheap shortcut. Windows cleaned with dish soap can look great for the first few days or weeks — the problem is a thin residue film that's invisible right after cleaning. Over time that film attracts dust faster than bare glass would, so the window looks dirty again sooner than it should. That's our own experience after 9 years in this industry, not a lab result — but it's exactly why we mix three different professional-grade window cleaning soaps into our solution instead. It costs more, but it's what a premium finish requires, in our opinion.
Our solution is also ammonia-free. Ammonia-based cleaners can break down tinted window film over time — clouding it, causing it to bubble or peel — so an ammonia-free solution is safe to use on tinted and film-treated windows, not just bare glass.
The squeegee pass itself is a controlled pattern, not just wiping the glass down. A rushed, random squeegee stroke is exactly what leaves the streaks and missed edges homeowners associate with a "bad" window cleaning. We finish by detailing corners and edges with a cloth for anything the squeegee couldn't catch — bug residue, sap, or overspray from a recent paint job next door. Every exterior window also gets fine steel wool and a walnut polish pad — safe on glass when used correctly, and a big part of why the glass ends up genuinely shinier, not just clean.
Interior Glass
Interior glass gets the same standard as the outside, which is where a lot of other companies quietly cut corners — it's slower work, since it means moving furniture, protecting flooring, and working carefully around blinds and curtains instead of just spraying and squeegeeing from a ladder outside. It's included on any in-and-out cleaning, one-time or on Clear View and Premium Shine, not something you have to ask for separately.
Tracks, Sills, and Frames
This is the part most other companies skip entirely. Window tracks collect dead bugs, dust, pollen, and cobwebs that a glass-only cleaning never touches — and it's usually where mold and mildew get their first foothold, and where a window starts sticking or sliding rough.
Whether it's a one-time in-and-out cleaning or one of our recurring plans, this is standard: tracks are cleared of debris, sills wiped down, and frames cleaned of grime and salt residue. It's slower, closer work than most homeowners realize.
Screens
Standard screen cleaning is a wet, soapy cloth wipe-down to clear out pollen, dust, and cobwebs, checked for tears or a loose frame while we're at it. If a screen needs more than that, screen deep washing is available as a paid extra for a more thorough clean.
We do repair torn screens — screens are collected, marked so they go back in the exact right spot, taken with us, repaired, and brought back and reinstalled within a few days. It's priced separately from a standard cleaning; ask us for details when you book.
The Hard-to-Reach Stuff
Second-story and high exterior windows are cleaned with a water-fed pole system from the ground, so we're not leaning an extension ladder against the house at height for every pane. Tall interior windows — great rooms, stairwells, arched or transom windows above a standard frame — still need an extension ladder, set up following OSHA's 4:1 angle rule: one foot of base offset for every four feet of height.
Add-On Extras Available
Some things fall outside a standard cleaning but are available as priced extras — each is quoted individually, so ask us for details when you book:
- Screen repair. Torn screens collected, repaired off-site, and reinstalled within a few days.
- Screen deep washing. A more thorough clean than the standard wipe-down, for screens with heavier buildup.
- Hard water and mineral stain removal. Spotting from sprinkler overspray is mineral deposits bonded to the glass, not dirt — it needs a separate descaling treatment. See our guide to why windows still look cloudy after cleaning.
- Shower glass door cleaning. Clearing off the soap scum and film that build up after regular showering, with extra attention around the handle, where hands leave the heaviest residue.
- Paint scraping. For overspray or splatter on glass from a recent paint job.
- Outside ceiling fans. Interior fans are part of a standard in-and-out cleaning; exterior (lanai or porch) fans are quoted separately.
- Gutter cleaning. A separate service, not bundled into a window cleaning by default, but easy to add to the same visit. See signs your gutters are about to overflow if you're not sure where yours stand.
Worth knowing if you're also getting a house wash: pressure and soft washing routinely leaves overspray and residue on windows. Book window cleaning alongside a house wash and it's discounted, since we're already on-site with the equipment out.
What's Genuinely Outside the Job
A couple of things aren't something we do at all, no matter the tier or add-on:
- Fixing a failed window seal. If a window looks foggy between the panes even after cleaning, that's seal failure, not something any cleaning can fix. We'll flag it — see our guide to foggy double-pane windows.
- Glass repair or replacement. We'll flag damaged glass, but repairing or replacing it is outside what we do.
Which Tier Covers What
Essential View covers exterior glass and frames only. Clear View adds everything else — interior glass, tracks, sills, screens, plus bathroom mirrors and interior ceiling fans. Premium Shine keeps all of that maintained on a tighter schedule so it never has a chance to build back up. A plan isn't required to get the full scope — it just makes life easier: windows stay shinier year-round instead of periodically, and the per-visit cost works out cheaper long-term than booking one-off jobs each time. Full pricing and a tier-by-tier comparison is in our Window Care Plans guide.
Window Cleaning FAQs
Does window cleaning include the tracks and sills?
Yes — on a one-time in-and-out cleaning or on our Clear View and Premium Shine plans, tracks are cleared of debris and sills wiped down as a standard part of the visit, not an add-on. Essential View and exterior-only bookings cover exterior glass and frames only.
Do you clean window screens?
Yes. Standard cleaning is a wet, soapy cloth wipe-down to clear pollen, dust, and cobwebs. Screen deep washing — a more thorough clean for heavier buildup — is available as a paid extra.
Do you repair torn window screens?
Yes. Torn screens are collected, marked so they go back in the right spot, taken with us, repaired, and reinstalled within a few days. It's priced separately from a standard cleaning — ask us for details when you book.
What's genuinely outside a window cleaning?
Fixing a failed window seal (fogging between the panes) and glass repair or replacement aren't something we do at all. Hard water stain removal, gutter cleaning, shower glass door cleaning, paint scraping, and outside ceiling fans are all separate services we do offer, available as priced extras rather than being outside the job entirely.
How do you reach second-story or high windows safely?
Exterior high windows are cleaned with a water-fed pole system from the ground, so we're not leaning a ladder against the house at height. Tall interior windows use an extension ladder set up to OSHA's 4:1 angle rule.
Do you offer a discount on window cleaning after a house wash?
Yes. Pressure and soft washing routinely leaves overspray and residue on windows, so we offer a discount on window cleaning when it's booked alongside a house wash, since we're already on-site with the equipment out.
Do you use Dawn dish soap to clean windows?
No. Dish soap like Dawn is a common shortcut in the industry. It can look great for the first few days or weeks, but it leaves a thin residue film that's invisible right after cleaning and attracts dust faster over time — that's our own experience after 9 years in this industry, not a lab study. We mix three different professional-grade window cleaning soaps into our solution instead.
Is your window cleaning solution safe for tinted windows?
Yes. Our solution is ammonia-free. Ammonia-based cleaners can break down tinted window film over time, clouding it or causing it to bubble or peel, so an ammonia-free solution is safe on tinted and film-treated windows, not just bare glass.