Fall Window Cleaning: Why It Pays to Clean Before Winter
Updated: 5 hours ago
Most people think of window cleaning as a spring job. Spring is a good time. Fall may be a better one, for a simple reason: you are about to spend five months indoors, with less daylight than at any other time of year, looking through that glass.
Key points
On the shortest day of the year, the Boston area gets about 9 hours and 4 minutes of daylight.
Summer leaves pollen, dust, insect marks and sprinkler spots on the glass.
Low winter sun shows every streak and film.
Late October to mid-November, after most leaves are down, is the ideal window.
You need the light most when there is least of it
In June, the Boston area has more than 15 hours of daylight. By the winter solstice it has just 9 hours and 4 minutes, according to NBC Boston's meteorologists, with sunset shortly after four in the afternoon.
With so little light available, it makes sense to let all of it in. The U.S. Department of Energy's daylighting guidance is about using windows and skylights to bring natural light into a home. A film of summer dirt works against that at exactly the wrong time of year.
What summer leaves behind
Pollen. Tree pollen in spring, then grass, then ragweed into early fall.
Dust and road film, especially on homes near busy streets.
Insect marks and spider webs around exterior lights and in the corners of frames.
Sprinkler spots. Hard water dries on the lower panes all summer and leaves mineral deposits.
Screens full of all of the above.
Low sun is unforgiving
In summer the sun is high and much of the day's light comes in at a steep angle. In winter the sun sits low in the southern sky and shines straight through south- and west-facing windows. Low-angle light catches every streak, fingerprint and patch of haze. A window that looked acceptable in July can look filthy on a bright January afternoon.
A good time to spot problems
A cleaning visit before winter is also an inspection of sorts. With the glass clean, problems are easy to see:
Fog between the panes, which means a failed seal.
Cracked glass or loose glazing putty.
Storm windows that no longer sit properly. The Department of Energy notes that storm windows can improve the efficiency of older windows, so they are worth keeping in good order.
Gaps in caulk and weatherstripping that will let in drafts.
Andy is not a window repairer, but he will point out what he notices so you can deal with it before the cold arrives.
Fall window checklist
Book the cleaning for late October or November, once most of the leaves have fallen.
Have the screens washed. If you take them out for winter, this is the moment; they will go into storage clean.
Include storm windows. Each storm adds two surfaces, and the space between storm and window collects a surprising amount of dirt.
Ask for sills and tracks to be cleared of leaves and debris so water drains properly.
Do the skylights. They collect the most leaf litter of any glass in the house.
Turn off and drain outdoor spigots after the cleaning, not before. Pure water systems need the water on.
Common questions
Is it too cold to clean windows in November?
Not usually. Window cleaning works fine in cool weather. Hard freezes are the limit, because water freezes on the glass.
Will the windows just get dirty again over winter?
Less than you might think. There is no pollen and little dust in winter. Glass cleaned in fall generally stays presentable until spring.
Should I book before or after the leaves fall?
After, if you can. Otherwise falling leaves and the dust from leaf blowers will land on freshly cleaned glass.
Get on the fall schedule
Request a free estimate, or see how often we suggest cleaning in our New England guide.
Comments