The short answer: for most homes in Central Texas, have the outside of the windows cleaned twice a year and the inside once or twice. That is the schedule most of Mason’s residential customers settle on. The longer answer depends on four things around your house, and on picking the right months.
What makes windows here get dirty faster
Glass in Central Texas collects more than rain marks and dust. Four things decide how quickly yours goes from dirty to damaged.
Sprinklers
This is the one that matters most. Tap water here is very hard, and every time a sprinkler hits the glass and the sun dries it, a thin layer of minerals is left behind. Cleaned off within a few months, that is ordinary cleaning. Left for a year or more, it bonds to the glass and starts to etch it, and etching cannot always be reversed. If your sprinklers reach any windows, those windows need cleaning more often than the rest of the house. There is more on this in hard water stains on windows in Central Texas.
Pollen
Central Texas gets two heavy pollen seasons. Mountain cedar runs from December into February, and oak follows in March and April, leaving a yellow film on everything. Pollen on its own washes off. Pollen that sits on glass through a few dewy mornings turns into a sticky layer that holds on to dust.
Building work nearby
Much of the area around Leander, Liberty Hill and Bee Cave is still being built. Fine construction dust travels a long way, and mixed with pollen and a little moisture it turns into a gritty paste in the window tracks and on the glass. If there is a street of new houses going up near you, expect your windows to need it more often until the building stops. A brand new home is its own job, covered in new construction window cleaning.
Solar screens
A solar screen stops the rain from rinsing the glass behind it while still letting dust and silt in. The longer the screens stay up between cleans, the worse it gets. On one house in Cedar Park, years of buildup behind the screens turned a $189 clean into about $800 of restoration. The full story is in what solar screens leave behind on your windows.
A simple schedule
- Once a year suits a house with no sprinklers reaching the glass, no solar screens, little tree cover and no building work nearby. It is the minimum before dirt starts bonding to the glass.
- Twice a year suits most homes in the area. Once in late spring and once in the autumn keeps the glass ahead of pollen and hard water.
- Quarterly suits homes with sprinklers hitting the glass, solar screens, heavy oak cover or construction next door. It is also worth it if you simply like the glass spotless all year.
- Monthly or more suits storefronts, restaurants and dental offices, where customers look through the glass every day. That is covered on the commercial window cleaning page.
The inside of the glass gets dirty more slowly than the outside. Handprints, pets and cooking are what move it, so a family with young children or a dog will want the inside done at every visit.
The best months to book
Timing matters almost as much as frequency. Clean the glass in the middle of March and the oak pollen can coat it again within days.
- Late spring, around May, once the oak pollen has finished. This clears off the whole pollen season in one visit.
- Autumn, October or November, after the summer dust and sprinkler season and before the holidays, when people tend to have guests and spend more time looking out of the windows.
If you are on a quarterly schedule, the other two visits usually land in late summer and in January or February, once the worst of the cedar has passed.
What waiting too long costs
There is a real difference between dirty glass and damaged glass. Dust, pollen and rain marks are ordinary cleaning and come off in one visit. Hard water that has bonded to the glass, or years of silt and mildew behind a screen, is restoration. Restoration takes several times longer and is priced on the hours it needs, which is explained in what window cleaning actually costs in Austin.
A regular schedule keeps every visit in the first category. That is the main reason to have one.
Common questions
How often should windows be professionally cleaned?
For most homes in Central Texas, twice a year on the outside and once or twice on the inside. Homes with sprinklers hitting the glass, solar screens, heavy tree cover or building work nearby do better on a quarterly schedule. Storefronts and offices usually need monthly or more often.
Is cleaning windows once a year enough?
It can be, if the house has no sprinklers reaching the glass, no solar screens and not much tree cover or construction around it. Once a year is the minimum before ordinary dirt starts to bond to the glass and a routine clean turns into restoration work.
What is the best time of year to clean windows in Central Texas?
Late spring, once the oak pollen has finished, and autumn, before the holidays. Cleaning in March or April usually means a fresh coat of yellow oak pollen within days, and the cedar pollen season runs from December into February.
Does regular window cleaning cost less?
Each visit tends to be quicker, because there is no buildup to break down first. Glass that has gone years without a clean, or has sat behind solar screens, often needs restoration work before it will come clean, and restoration is priced as a separate job.
Do you offer recurring window cleaning?
Yes. Many residential customers book twice a year or quarterly, and commercial customers book weekly, monthly or quarterly. Call or text (737) 314-1413 to set up a schedule.
The short version
Twice a year suits most homes in Central Texas, in late spring and in the autumn. Go quarterly if sprinklers reach your windows, if you have solar screens, or if there is building work or heavy tree cover nearby. Once a year is the minimum. Leave it longer and the next clean is likely to be a restoration.