Window cleaning is priced differently by almost every company, which makes comparing quotes genuinely difficult. Understanding the four variables that drive the number lets you compare accurately and, more usefully, lets you spot the quote that is going to change once someone actually sees the house.
The Four Things That Set the Price
Pane count, not window count. This is the one that surprises people. A window divided into twelve small panes by grids takes far longer than a single large pane of the same size, because each one has to be washed and detailed individually. If your home has grids or true divided lights, expect a meaningfully higher number.
Interior, exterior or both. Interior work involves moving furniture and protecting floors. Exterior work involves access and equipment. Both together is not double, because setup is shared, and it is more than either alone.
Height and access. Ground floor is straightforward. Second story changes the equipment and the risk. A two story entry, a window over a stairwell, or anything above a roofline or over landscaping that cannot take a ladder is where quotes diverge most.
Condition. Glass cleaned regularly takes a fraction of the time of glass that has not been touched in five years. Hard water spotting from sprinklers, construction overspray, paint, stickers and mineral staining all add labor, and some of it is not removable at all.
What Should Be Included and Usually Is Not
This is where two quotes stop being comparable, so ask specifically about each.
Screens: removed, cleaned and reinstalled, or left alone? Tracks and sills: vacuumed and wiped, or is that extra? Frames: wiped down? Interior and exterior glass, or just one side? And is anything above the first floor included or quoted separately?
A quote that includes glass only, on one side, at ground level, will always look better than a complete quote. It is not cheaper, it is less.
The Question That Matters Most
Ask for a certificate of insurance, as a document rather than a reassurance.
Window cleaning involves ladders and height, which is exactly the work where an injury on your property becomes your problem if the company is not properly covered. Ask whether the people doing the work are employees or independent contractors, because that determines who carries workers compensation.
This matters more here than in almost any other home service, and it is the question people ask least.
Hard Water Spots Deserve a Warning
North Texas water is hard, and sprinklers that hit windows are the most common cause of exterior spotting.
Mineral deposits that are recent come off completely with an acidic treatment and dwell time. Deposits that have sat for a year or more etch the glass surface, and etched glass cannot be restored by any cleaning. It is a restoration process or a replacement.
Be wary of anyone who promises to remove severe long standing spotting without looking at it first, and be equally wary of a quote given over the phone with no questions about condition. If your sprinklers hit the glass, adjusting them is worth more than any cleaning.
How Often Is Realistic
Twice a year suits most North Texas homes: once in late winter or early spring before pollen season, and once in the fall. Homes near construction, near heavy tree cover, or with sprinklers hitting the glass do better with more frequent exterior attention.
The timing argument for the winter slot is that our low winter sun lights up every mark, so that is when dirty glass is most visible and when the improvement is most noticeable.
Doing It Yourself
Interior glass on the ground floor is a realistic afternoon and the technique matters more than the product: a few drops of dish soap in a bucket rather than a squirt, a squeegee rather than paper towels, and work on the shaded side rather than in direct sun, since sun dries the solution before you can pull it off and that is what causes streaks.
Anything above the first floor, and anything requiring a ladder on uneven ground, is worth handing over. It is the most common source of serious injury in home maintenance.
Get a Quote That Holds
Call (214) 430-4447 or request a free quote online. Tell us roughly how many windows, whether they have grids, how many stories, whether you want interior, exterior or both, and how long it has been.
Interior windows, sills and tracks are included in our deep cleaning, and we will tell you plainly what is realistic to reach and where a specialist with the right access equipment is the better answer.
We serve McKinney, Frisco, Allen, Prosper, Celina and the surrounding communities.
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Rather hand the work to a team that does this every day? See our deep cleaning service or call (214) 430-4447 for a free quote.
