How Long Does Window Cleaning Take?

Most homes are cleaned in one visit, and how many hours it takes depends on how much glass you have, inside, outside or both, the add-ons you pick and how high the windows go. Ask when you get your free quote and we’ll give you an estimate in hours for your home.

What makes a window cleaning take longer?

Two houses the same size can take very different amounts of time. These are the things that move the clock:

How much glass you have. More windows, more time. Windows divided into lots of small panes take longer, because each little pane gets its own scrub, squeegee and wipe.
Inside, outside or both. Adding the inside means a second pass on every window.
Add-ons. Screen washing, track detailing, hard water removal, gutters and solar panels each add time to the visit.
Height and reach. Upstairs windows, tall entryways and glass above a staircase need ladders and careful setup. Thick bushes or a steep slope under a window add a few minutes too.
The gap since the last cleaning. Glass that’s gone a few years without a cleaning has more grime stuck to it, and it takes longer to scrub clear.

What happens during the visit?

Part of the time is simply the steps. On the outside of every window, we:

Take the screen off.
Scrub the glass with a mop and squeegee it dry, by hand. Never a pressure washer.
Clean and detail the frames, edges and sills.
Put the screen back.

That’s more than a quick spray and wipe. Clean frames also mean less dirt for the next rain to carry onto the glass. On some second-story glass, you may see us use a water-fed pole. See exterior window cleaning for the full process.

“Absolutely wonderful service! Great job, the windows are crystal clear and it doesn't even look there's a window there! The screens and tracks are spotless. Quick and neat at a good price. Our house has so many windows and they all look great!”

Nancy M. · Google review

Outside only, or inside and out?

Outside only is the shorter visit. Inside glass adds a second round on every window, plus ladder work for tall windows in great rooms and over stairs. You never have to move furniture, and we use protective coverings as needed. See interior window cleaning.

Want the inside to go faster? Clear the sills and open the blinds before we arrive. Here’s how to get ready for window cleaning.

How much time do add-ons add?

Every add-on happens on the same trip. It just makes the visit longer:

Screen cleaning. As an add-on, we wash your screens on our XERO screen cleaning machine before they go back in.
Track detailing. It depends on how many windows you have and how dirty the tracks are, but a whole house typically takes a couple of hours.
Hard water removal. Light spots get worked on during every cleaning. Heavier spots take extra time, so they’re priced on site. Monthly and Quarterly members get hard water removal on up to 5 panes every visit.
Gutter cleaning. We’re already on ladders around your home, so the gutters get done on the same trip.
Solar panel cleaning. A typical home system takes about 1 to 2 hours.

Why Treasure Valley windows can take longer

Sprinkler spots. Irrigation water here carries a lot of minerals, and when it dries on glass it leaves white spots. A spot from last week is far quicker to deal with than one that’s sat there all summer.
Dust and wind. Open fields, gravel roads and all the building going on around the valley leave a steady film on glass, frames and screens.
Pollen and cottonwood fluff. In late spring it packs into screens and sticks to the glass.
Winter grime. Snow, rain and gray inversion days leave glass dull and streaky by spring.

The good news: the first cleaning is usually the longest. Once your windows are on a regular schedule, there’s less buildup each time, so the visits go quicker. Here’s how often to clean your windows in Boise.

Can weather change the timing?

Sometimes. Light rain doesn’t stop a cleaning. Heavy rain, wind that makes ladder work unsafe, or a day that’s too cold does. If that happens, we call you to reschedule. More on rain and window cleaning.

How long do you need to be home?

For an outside-only cleaning, you don’t need to be home at all, so you can run errands or go to work while we clean. For inside windows, someone needs to be there to let us in. Either way, you get a text reminder 2 weeks and 2 days before your visit, and every visit has a 2-hour arrival window, so you can plan your day around it. More in do I need to be home for window cleaning?

How long does it take to clean your own windows?

Plenty of people clean their own windows, and it’s a fine job for glass you can reach from the ground. To guess how long yours will take:

Count your windows, inside and out, and note any that are split into lots of small panes.
Time yourself on one window, start to finish: screen out, scrub, squeegee, dry the edges, wipe the sill, screen back in.
Multiply by your count, then add time for moving the ladder, rinsing and drying screens, and cleaning up.

Add it up before you start, so the job doesn’t swallow your whole Saturday. To keep it shorter, work in the shade or in the morning, since the sun dries the cleaner before you can wipe it and leaves streaks. Mark each screen with painter’s tape so it goes back in the right window, and use a squeegee instead of paper towels. Here’s how to clean windows without streaks.

Upstairs glass is where doing it yourself gets risky. Before you climb, read is it safe to clean second-story windows yourself?

Get a time estimate with your quote

We price by counting your panes, and for most homes we can give you a price over the phone, with no visit needed. Ask how long your home will take, and we’ll tell you about how long to expect. It’s an estimate, not a set finish time, because heavy buildup or hard water can add time on the day. For the best estimate, tell us about how many windows you have, whether any are on a second story, and what you want done: inside, outside, screens, tracks, gutters or solar panels.

We clean homes in Boise, Meridian, Eagle, Nampa and across the Treasure Valley. Get your free quote, or call or text (208) 484-5207, Monday through Saturday, 8am to 7pm.