How to Clean Wildfire Smoke and Ash Off Your Windows
In a bad fire summer, smoke drifts into the Treasure Valley and leaves a gray, hazy film on windows, with fine ash on the sills and screens. The most important rule: don’t wipe ash off dry. Rinse it away first, then wash the glass. Here’s how to do it safely.
What smoke leaves on your windows
- A greasy film. Smoke carries tiny particles and oily residue. On glass it shows up as a gray haze that smears when you wipe it, and it looks worst when the sun shines through.
- Gritty ash. Ash collects on sills, frames and the glass itself. It’s gritty, so dragging a dry cloth or paper towel across it can scratch the glass.
- Clogged screens. Screen mesh catches ash and soot, and every breeze afterward blows some of it back onto your clean glass.
Safety first
- Wait for the air to clear. Check the air quality in your weather app before you spend time working outside.
- Protect yourself. Wear gloves, and wear an N95 mask while cleaning up ash.
- Skip the leaf blower and the broom. Blowing or dry-sweeping ash puts it right back in the air.
- Keep kids and pets away from ash cleanup.
How to clean smoke and ash off windows
- Rinse first. Hose the glass, frames and sills on a gentle spray to float the ash away. Never a pressure washer: it’s hard on window seals and screens. If you can, let the rinse water run onto the lawn or a garden bed rather than down the street to a storm drain.
- Wash with soapy water. Warm water with a little dish soap cuts the oily smoke film. Use a soft scrubber or a microfiber cloth.
- Squeegee or dry. Pull the water off with a squeegee, or dry with a lint-free cloth, so you don’t leave new streaks behind.
- Go again if it’s still hazy. Heavy smoke film often takes two passes.
- Finish the frames and sills. Ash left on the frames washes back onto the glass with the next rain or sprinkler.
Don’t forget the screens
Take the screens out, rinse both sides with a gentle spray, scrub lightly with a soft brush and soapy water, rinse again, and let them dry before they go back in. Here’s more on how to clean window screens. We wash screens on our XERO screen cleaning machine, so if you’d rather skip it, add screen cleaning to your window cleaning.
Inside windows too
If smoke got into the house through open windows, the inside glass can get the same haze. Use the same soapy-water method, with a towel under the window to catch drips.
When to call a pro
If the haze is still there after two tries, the windows are up high, or there’s just a lot of glass, call us once the smoke clears. Outside, we clean the glass, frames and sills, and we take every screen off and put it back, so the ash is gone from every part of the window. Customers notice the difference:
“We have a house full of windows, and I'm tired of washing them! Double Take Window Cleaning did a great job of cleaning the outside windows. The guys were very courteous and worked hard removing a lot of dirt! I am very happy with the results and look forward to our next visit!”
Smoke season usually wraps up by fall, which is a great time for a cleaning anyway. Here’s the best time of year to clean windows in Idaho. Ready now? Get a free quote or call or text (208) 484-5207.