We do ours annually - or I should say we hire someone to power wash the siding, patio, teak furniture, sidewalks and then he does the windows.

Absolutely! At least once a year for the outsides ($400 this May), and 'as needed' for the insides. We have windows and French doors with pleated shades between the panes, and to have all four sides done is nearly $900. Not 'just anybody' can do the insides without damage.

Edit: The $400 included setting up the screen porch -- screens, skylights, sills, rug, furniture. LOVE our window washer and odd job guy. No more big 'services' with some guys they picked up on the corner before arriving at our door.

Windows are on a long list of things I should do more frequently. Somewhere lower than showering, in priority. 😛

Rarely, the one that gets cleaned the most is actually a door that leads out to the backyard as it gets Chewie slobber and mud on it.

I did ours in July last year, while DH was out of the country. I'll do them this year too. We are on one floor, so none are higher than my 4' stepladder. And they tilt in. Only the bottom sashes have screens. Overall pretty easy. Only 8 plus a French door.

I try to once in Spring or Summer, then as needed i.e. bird poop, cat sneezes, fly specks. I have the tilt-in type also, very easy, altho as I get older that bottom sash seems to get heavier. Dirty windows bother me.

When we were in our house, DH used to get up on the 28 foot extension ladder and clean the windows twice a year. It was his "thing". Now, in our condo, we use a service to do it, also twice a year. If we had curtains, I would hate having to take them down for window-washing, but we have antique stained glass windows that we use as "valances", so it's also a good opportunity to wipe them down as well. I am one of those unartistic people whose curtains never hung properly--I know my limitations. We live at the highest point in our complex, and there are no neighbors anywhere close enough to see us.

You're supposed to clean windows??? Actually I think I heard about that somewhere. I put it on my to-do list, but it is pretty far down the list. It may take me awhile to get to it.

Ours get cleaned twice a yesr via our gardening/pool service. They work with a power washing company. They do a great job. Indoors, the windows are washed monthly.

I do them erratically. i have the tilt in kind, so its not hard. If i am cleaning one room particularly well, ill wash the windows in that room. The sun shines in my front windows in the late afternoon and no matter how I try, i can see streaks.

I only do it when the mood strikes me, and that hasn't happened in a long time

Gigantic sigh here. I wish I could wash all my windows. I can manage the insides, but the outsides?? Nope. I'm too short, too old and cannot reach the outsides of the second and third floor ones at all. These are all casement-style, all 27 of them. Impossible to do the outsides. Then there are the 6 double- and triple- patio doors. Those I can do even the outsides, theoretically, altho I rarely do. (Hmmmm, note to self -- get busy!!)

Going to have the whole house washed this year, and supposedly they will do the outsides of all windows. BUT I am very fussy, and we did this some years ago where the end results were dreadful. What I REALLY want is to have someone do the outsides BY HAND, especially the polishing-off after the wash. HAH. I know, I know, in my fantasies... I would absolutely pay very good money for that to be done my way... (and off she goes, humming the Frank Sinatra song....)

You're supposed to clean windows???

agreed

Ugh - about 2/3 of ours are jalousie windows, so no, we rarely clean them, as it's a major PITA. I hope to replace the old energy inefficient windows on this house. We keep curtains and blinds closed mostly because the windows are so leaky, therefore dirty windows don't nag at me.

The insides, occasionally. But the outsides? Isn't that what rain is for?

i do mine minimally twice a year, but the lower ones, that i can get to, get done more often. between the rain, landscapers, tree dirt and bird poop, i they have to get done, ewww

the inside of the main level - 6-8 times a yearly. front window, inside, weekly b/c of dog boops...

its a 'job' for sure, but i love a clean window!!

downside, our front window is 'a fly-through' for the birds :( lost quite a few over the years, so the last couple of years, i have kept my shades down all day to deter them, but alas, we just lost a yellow finch. So i ordered some window stickers from Amazon and as of the last 2 weeks, no lost birds :) its mostly in the Spring, when they are in frenzy of nest building and baby making.

the hawks chase them and i am sure they get disoriented and fly into the window.

I decided long ago that life is too short to wash windows! So I pay to have them done twice a year. My house isnt huge (2000 sq ft) but it is all windows. I don’t have any window coverings so they need to be clean. eta: I just counted and I have 38 large windows to wash (except the bath and 3 half light door windows

In Cathedral City, we have plantation shutters on most of the windows (except in the kitchen), and I keep these closed most of the time, except for the ones in my bedroom. The rest of the house gets way too much light, especially the living room because there are clerestory windows that do not have shutters, and this is on the south side of the house. The good thing is that if I want massive amounts of light for sewing, I can get it - at least during the day.

We have blinds on most of the windows in L.A., and so we really don't see the windows. We also have a skylight that allows light to flood into the house.

I wash the kitchen windows, but that's about it - mainly because I do not see the other windows.

I just added washing windows to my to-do list for next weekend. We live in a ranch style house so it is pretty easy and only about half require getting on a short ladder. It only takes a couple hours tops so I should do it more often.

I saw the title of your post and thought, Oh, yeah--I should think about doing that. Perhaps this answers your question. :-)

I have 25 windows, most of them quite tall. Last year I bought a product that's supposed to attach to a hose to clean the outside of windows on the upper floors. Maybe I'll actually use it this year.

Sparkling windows are lovely, but the problem is I can always think of lots of things more satisfying than getting them that way. It doesn't help that I live on a dirt road.

When we bought the two-story house, I complained that the windows had not been washed in ages, so once the kids started school in the fall, that’s how I spent my days.

We have the original 1961 double-hung windows, most with 16 panes. And triple-track self-storing storms with screen. Except for the living room and family room windows, which have a large sheet of plexiglass clipped into place. DH helped me with those.

It took me 3 months.

I haven’t done them since.

It was the kids’ job to clean the kitchen windows for years, because they are on the first floor, but they don’t get as dirty since they are under a porch on the north side.

The worst part of washing the windows is the dust, leaves, bugs, that end up at the bottom, because of the screens. I really miss the roll-up screens on the casement windows of my youth. So easy to clean.

I don't clean the outsides, except for where the cameras are or if there's a messy bird strike or something like that. I sometimes do the insides in the fall before I put plastic up. I have some windows and doors between the house and the enclosed porch, and those usually get cleaned on both sides once in a while depending on how much the cats muck them up. One of those windows is over my kitchen sink, and that one the interior gets cleaning on the regular.

We hire someone to wash the exterior windows every spring because we can't reach many of them, even on a ladder. I try to time it for after the worst of the pollen has stopped falling and we have power washed the house. Last week it took a guy about 2 hours and cost us $257. We have a ton of windows, a sunroom with windows on 3 sides, and 3 sliders, so I think that was a pretty good deal. I do the insides myself once a year, but do the ones the cats sneeze on more frequently.

Alisande, I tried a Windex product last fall that attaches to the hose and it left water spots all over the windows. Perhaps user error - the worst spotting occurred on the highest windows.

Well I took the plunge today and cleaned most of the windows. The 2 I left are the hardest to remove.....kitchen window which has the light hanging in front of it so I have to remove the globe and I still have to maneuver around the bulbs, while kneeling on the counter; and another in the spare room which is difficult to get at.

I was bending outside as usual with my squeegie washing the fixed window and 2 neighbours were watching me, and applauding my efforts. My friend said I'm always telling her she never posts on FB so she wanted to take pics. LOL.

I feel better, they look better, but I'm also beat. Some wine and some tostitos and salsa helped.

We have a fair amount of glass. All our outside doors are full glass and lots of tall windows on the south side. If I clean them we lose lots of birds and in one case a window was hit so hard (owl I think) it broke..that was expensive. So no I don't wash them much. I will spot clean so I can see out. I have stickers but that wasn't enough

Every spring and fall i power wash the house. We have mostly brick exterior that likes to turn green at the bottom. The windows get a good power wash along with the rest of the house. The last time I cleaned them on the inside I broke 2 sets of blinds and I didn't see a real difference after I did them. So I focus on the outside.

I wash mine occasionally but never all at once. If I'm giving a room a good cleaning I do the windows. I have a 2 story house but all my windows are newer and either tilt in or are casement or awning style, which can be washed from the inside.

Does anyone else use this? It's the best window cleaner I've used in my whole life. I haven't used it on windows at my house but on our saltwater front cabin it did a great job and I use it on mirrors and my glass coffee table. Love the light scent (and I mostly don't buy things that have any scent).

I use Sprayway! I learned about it here at the KT, and it's the best. Windows, mirrors--and even the top of my gas range.

Rose I have casements as oart of the picture window in the livingroom

I can't do the outside of them, I can't get my arm around to the outside of them. So they're perpetually dirty on the outside.

At least once a year I do, using Windex Outdoor spray. It takes little effort and about 20 minutes.

A bonus....it cleans the screens really well too, and no streaks. (I have a ranch house, fyi)

I don't judge anyone who doesn't though!

DH is good with windows and doesn't mind doing them. No ladder needed with this sprawled out ranch, soft brush on telescoping pole takes care of all. There is quite a bit of glass, something like 37' of floor to ceiling in the living and dining rooms.

So, that's outside! He is not quite as good about inside, maybe twice a year? And it makes such a difference. He cleaned windows inside yesterday, but hasn't done the bathrooms or my office yet.

Where he had begun to mind was our small but taller house in our old neighborhood. Skylights in two bedrooms and a bath. I loved them, and he was tired of getting up on the roof to keep them clean. Pollen, rain, bird splats more often than you might guess....and I wish a had a picture of what the raccoons did to those skylights playing on them about three consecutive rainy nights one year.

Soapy water and a chamois. And vinegar for tough bits. Our windows are very hard to access (4 storeys and sashes) but the ones we can reach get done every month to six weeks. They get dirty fast with our weather.

Inside yes. Outside not as often as I would want. But I like Windex outside as well honibaker. Can you use thru screens???

I do mine twice a year, spring and fall. I am behind too, haven't done spring yet, and I am reminded of it every time I open or close a window.

Mine are the tilt in type, except for 2 picture windows that I have a large & long squeegee mop for, so I don't have to get the ladder out. What takes the most time, and what I hate about the cleaning, is getting rid of all the debris that collects in the darn channels of the vinyl frames. I've got a method perfected, but I am considering trying to make a "plug" to block them, at least over winter when I pretty much never open the windows.

I was also going to recommend the Windex Outdoor cleaner. Game changer for our needs for some of our windows. While we have the windows that tilt in for cleaning, it isn’t all that easy sometimes, and is still time consuming. This works well for some that are high in the back of our house and on one side. I sometimes the come inside and can catch anything that might have been missed or streaked, but it’s rare.

I don’t usually like Windex window cleaner (I use Glass Plus or Sprayway) but this stuff is awesome. We clean about half of ours in spring after pollen season and the other half when we get to it or in the fall. I I’m behind this year and need to clean our bedroom windows and will be caught up. I clean the inside as needed on the french doors we use a lot.

There's nothing sweeter than clean windows. Ours are a hassle, because 14 of the 20 have storm windows that need to be removed to clean the outside. That's a major project! I was so grateful when dh decided to tackle it this year after missing last year. I smile every morning when I raise the bedroom shades.

olychick, I use Sprayway indoors --- vinegar and water on the exterior.

Rarely and sporadically. If I think about it.

@olychick i use the same one and it's awesome! with 2 great danes, i wash windows several times a week, at least the ones they like to look out of because, well, slobber. the best thing i've found to eliminate streaking is flour sack towels.

It’s on my to do list. We have a big home with 60 windows, that would be a lot of work. They look ok for now.

We always do the second floor in the spring and the first floor in the fall but have not done any yet. I think we have over 40 windows, 12 in the small sunroom I'm sitting in. He used to get on a ladder and do them but isn't allowed anymore because he has had two major falls from ladders resulting in two broken arms the first time and a broken back and punctured lung the second time. So he stands on the ground and uses a power wash and I do the inside. I'll look for the Windex brand. I do love sparkling windows.

Jasdip, when I open the casement window all the way I can reach out on both sides. The one side is a narrower gap but my arm is thin, maybe that's why I can do it.

After reading this I have been inspired to clean my windows. Today I am going to get some of the Sprayway. Sam's club has a pack of 4 cans for $8. Maybe I don't do it often because I don't get good results.

DH does our windows...most of them crank open enough to do both sides, but the one in my bedroom, we do together as it requires reaching and is 2 stories high. You can always hire someone. We also take our screens out and vacuum them in the winter to get more solar gain. It's amazing how much sunlight they block. We put them back in the spring when windows start getting opened again.

We use a squeegee and we use a dish mop thing on a handle which helps us reach the far spaces. He makes his own window cleaner with corn starch, white vinegar, a touch of dawn and some rubbing alcohol in water.

Doing our outside windows is easy peasy because I use a sponge mop, a bucket and Mr. Clean or similar cleaner. Then rinse with a hose. We also have the Windex cleaner to use but haven't tried it yet. Some of the neighbors hire a window washer and that's an option for us too. It's the insides of the windows that are time-consuming and that I neglect. Furniture has to be moved out of the way, drapes/curtains removed and washed and interior screens removed and wiped down. Whew! Edited to add text.

One thing we do is to break it up to a room at a time. That way it isn't so daunting as trying to get them all done in one day.

I have started hiring out that job, except for the constant cleaning of doors/one window where the pup leaves nose prints and the granddaughter, hand prints.

Judy Good, yes. Windex Outdoor cleans the screens in place. Most of the dirty water from the screens drains away. If you're really fussy, you can open the window (from inside) and wipe the base of any excess dirty water. ( my windows are newer, and screens are not removable)

I'm the spring I do the windows inside and outside, screens,and frames, and window tracks. In fall just the inside and outside windows. During winter I do the inside periodically.

What drives me crazy when we bought our present house and the camp was the windows were clean, but the tracks and sills were full of dirt, decayed moldy leaves, bugs, etc. Why? If your going to do something, do it right.