Should You Get Your Windows Cleaned Before Selling Your House in Boise?

Is it worth cleaning windows before you sell?

For most homes, yes. It’s a small job next to the rest of the prep work, and it shows up in almost every picture of your house:

• Listing photos. Many are taken facing the windows to show off the light and the view, so spots and dust show up, most of all with the sun behind them.
• Showings. Buyers open blinds and slide the patio door. Smudges and sticky sliders are the small things people remember.
• Curb appeal. From the street, clean glass and frames make the whole front of the house look sharper.

When should you book it?

Aim for one to three days before your listing photos: close enough that the glass is spotless on photo day, with a little room in case the weather moves things. Make it one of the last jobs, after anything that makes dust or splashes the glass:

1. Repairs, painting and caulking.
2. Carpet cleaning and the deep clean inside.
3. Yard work, fresh bark or mulch.
4. Outside washing by another company. We don’t pressure wash, but if you’re having the siding, deck or driveway washed, get it done first so the spray doesn’t land on clean glass.
5. Window cleaning.
6. Staging and listing photos.

Ask for your quote a week or two ahead if you can. Spring and fall are the most popular times to clean, so booking early gives you the most choice of dates. On a tight deadline? Tell us your photo date when you ask for a quote, and we’ll do our best to get you in before it.

“It's so nice to see out from my wall of windows again! Thank you Shawn for the great communication and for leaving our windows looking like new! I appreciated the speedy response to my initial quote inquiry, the fair prices, and the quick appointment made. Five star service from start to finish.”

What should you clean before you list?

• Outside glass, frames and sills. Every exterior window cleaning covers all three, cleaned by hand. We take your screens off and put them back when the glass is done.
• Inside glass. This is the glass in most of your photos. Book interior window cleaning with the outside for a full reset.
• Screens. Dusty screens make a window look dull. Add screen cleaning and we wash them on our XERO screen cleaning machine.
• Tracks. Buyers open windows and sliding doors. Add track detailing to get the packed dirt out so they slide smoothly.
• Hard water spots. Light spots get worked on during every cleaning. Heavier staining is priced on site.
• Gutters, if they show. Weeds poking out of a gutter show up in the front photo. Add gutter cleaning to the same visit.

Treasure Valley things to plan around

• Sprinklers. Irrigation water here carries a lot of minerals and dries into white spots on the lower glass. Turn the heads away from the house before your cleaning, and keep them that way until it sells. More on hard water spots.
• Dust. Wind, open fields and construction put a film on glass fast. Keep the gap between cleaning and photos short.
• Cottonwood fluff. Listing in late spring? The fluff sticks to screens and glass, so clean after it settles if your timeline allows.
• Winter. Gray inversion days and snow leave glass dull. We clean all year, but the National Weather Service puts Boise’s December average high at just 38.8°F, and if it’s too cold, we move the cleaning to a warmer day. Leave a few extra days before winter photos.

Getting ready for the home inspection

Before we start, our tech looks for existing damage and notes it, so ask us what we found. Worth knowing about before a buyer does:

• Fog between the panes. The seal on a double-pane window has failed, and no cleaning can reach it.
• Cracks, chips or etched glass. Hard water left on glass for years can etch it, and etched glass stays rough even when it’s clean.
• Torn or bent screens.
• Windows that still stick once the tracks are clean, which usually points to the hardware, not dirt.

We don’t repair windows or screens, but finding these before you list gives you time to fix them or price them in.

How do you keep windows clean while the house is listed?

• Keep the sprinklers off the glass.
• Before each showing, wipe nose prints and fingerprints off sliding doors and low windows with a microfiber cloth.
• If rain the same day as your cleaning leaves spots, we come back and touch them up for free.
• If anything isn’t right, tell us within 48 hours and we’ll make it right at no charge.

Short on time or budget? Do the photo windows yourself

Focus on the glass buyers see most: the front of the house, the main living area, the kitchen, the primary bedroom and any sliding door.

1. Work in the morning or in the shade. Sun dries the cleaner into streaks.
2. Wipe the frames and sills first, so dirty water doesn’t run onto clean glass.
3. Wash the glass with warm water and a little dish soap, then squeegee it or dry it with a lint-free cloth.
4. Rinse screens with a hose on a gentle spray and let them dry before they go back in. Here’s how to clean window screens.
5. Skip razor blades on tempered glass, and anything gritty. Scratches can’t be cleaned out.

Leave second-story and tall great-room glass to us. A ladder fall is the last thing you need mid-move.

How much does it cost?

Your price depends on how many windows you have, inside, outside or both, and add-ons like screens and tracks. Here’s what changes the price.

Real estate agents: booking for a client

Send us the address, the photo date and whether the inside is part of the job. An outside-only cleaning doesn’t need anyone home, so an empty listing is easy. For inside glass, someone needs to let our tech in. More on being home for a cleaning.

Selling or moving in the Treasure Valley?

We clean windows in Boise, Meridian, Eagle, Nampa and the whole Treasure Valley. Get a free quote, or call or text (208) 484-5207, Monday through Saturday, 8am to 7pm, and tell us your photo date.

Keep reading

• How Much Does Window Cleaning Cost in Boise?
• How to Get Hard Water Spots Off Your Windows
• Do I Need to Be Home for Window Cleaning?
• When Is the Best Time of Year to Clean Windows in Idaho?