How Often Should You Have Your Windows Professionally Cleaned?

How often your windows need professional cleaning depends less on a fixed calendar and more on your specific situation: your home's location, nearby trees and traffic, and your own standards for home presentation. Here's how to think about frequency — and how to know when your windows are actually overdue.

Why Cleaning Frequency Matters

Windows accumulate different types of film over time: road salt from winter; pollen in spring; dust and particulates in summer; and mineral deposits from rain water year-round. Each type affects both the appearance and long-term condition of the glass differently.

Most significantly, hard water mineral deposits (calcium and magnesium deposits from rain water that evaporates on the glass) are not removed by standard cleaning methods. They require a mild acid treatment. Left too long — typically 2+ years — these deposits can etch the glass permanently. This is most common on windows with significant sun exposure.

Professional cleaners remove film, salt, pollen and mineral deposits that garden hose rinsing leaves behind.

The Standard Recommendation

For most residential homes in the Kitchener-Waterloo area, the standard recommendation is:

• Once per year (spring): Minimum for typical homes — removes winter salt, spring pollen, and winter grime
• Twice per year (spring + fall): Ideal for homes with high standards or significant tree coverage
• Three or more times per year: Appropriate for homes on busy roads, with significant salt exposure, or near active construction

Factors That Affect Recommended Frequency

• Road proximity: Homes on arterial roads or near highways accumulate vehicle exhaust, particulates, and splash-back salt much faster than homes on quiet residential streets
• Tree coverage: Trees drop sap, pollen, bird attract, and debris directly onto windows — particularly on windows facing north or east
• Hard water: If your municipality has high mineral content water (most of the Waterloo Region does), windows develop mineral deposits faster
• Ocean proximity: Not applicable in Ontario, but salt air is relevant in coastal cities
• Construction nearby: Dust from construction sites deposits heavily on glass — monthly cleaning may be warranted during active nearby construction

Interior vs. Exterior Frequency

Interior windows typically need cleaning less frequently than exterior — the major environmental contaminants (road film, pollen, rain minerals) only affect exterior glass. However, interior windows accumulate their own set of contaminants:

• Cooking grease and smoke (especially on kitchen-adjacent windows)
• Fingerprints and handprints
• Condensation residue from winter
• Tobacco or wood smoke in some homes
• Pet nose prints (genuinely more common than you'd think)

For most homes, interior cleaning once per year (or at the time of exterior cleaning) is adequate. Homes with cooking-exposed windows or high traffic windows benefit from more frequent interior-only cleaning.

"The interior windows on a kitchen or family room facing south can accumulate a film that people stop noticing over time. When we clean them, the light change is dramatic."

— D&D Home Services Window Team

Signs It's Time to Book a Cleaning

• Visible streaking, film, or haze on glass in sunlight
• Pollen-yellow tinge on south and west-facing windows (spring)
• White mineral deposits or calcium rings on glass near sprinkler or AC drainage
• Reduced natural light — the room feels dimmer than it used to
• The glass appears dirty when you look directly at it from the outside

Seasonal Window Care Guide for Ontario

D&D Home Services Team Exterior Cleaning Experts

D&D Home Services is Kitchener-Waterloo's trusted exterior cleaning company. We've served hundreds of homeowners across Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge, and Guelph with professional, insured exterior services.