What to Ask Before You Hire a Window Washer

Most people hire a window washer the same way: they call a couple of numbers, ask "how much?", and go with whoever's cheapest. Then a few months later the windows are streaky, spotted, and dirtier than before — and they're calling me to fix it.

I clean windows for a living in Elko, Nevada. I've been called out to redo botched jobs more times than I can count. So I want to save you that headache. Here's exactly what to ask before you let anyone touch your glass — and what a good answer actually sounds like.

Start With the Question Nobody Thinks to Ask

Before anything else, ask: "Is this price for interior and exterior, or just exterior?"

This is the number one thing homeowners get wrong. Most people assume a window cleaning quote covers both sides of the glass. It usually doesn't. When I quote a house, that price is for the exterior. Interior is an add-on.

There's nothing shady about that — it's how most of the industry works. But if you don't ask, you'll picture a whole-house sparkle and get half of it. Clear up the scope on the very first call so the number in your head matches the number on the invoice.

Why "Cheapest" Almost Always Costs You More

I'll be straight with you: my service is more expensive than most window cleaners in my area. On purpose.

A lot of guys will quote you rock-bottom because they're using a bucket, some dish soap, and a squeegee. That's a two-step job. It looks fine for about a week, and then the dust and hard water come right back — because nothing was done to keep the glass clean.

We use distilled, deionized water with resin in it that actually repels dust and keeps windows cleaner longer. So here's the math people miss: a cheaper cleaner isn't cheaper if you have to have them back twice as often. You don't save money by paying less per visit — you save money by paying for a clean that lasts.

The real question isn't "who's cheapest?" It's: do you want your windows cleaned, cleaned well, and staying clean — or do you just want to pay the lowest number possible? Those are two different purchases.

Verify They're Actually Legit

Someone is going to be on ladders around your house, near your landscaping, and sometimes inside your home. That takes trust. Verify it before you hand it over.

Ask straight up:

• Are you insured? This is non-negotiable. If a ladder goes through your window or into your siding, insurance is the difference between a phone call and a lawsuit.
• Do you have an LLC / are you a real registered business?
• Can I see reviews or talk to a past customer?

We're insured, licensed, and set up as a real business with Google reviews — and honestly, one of the best trust signals costs nothing to check: are they visible? People see us cleaning storefronts and commercial buildings around town all the time. A fly-by-night operator running a quick cash grab isn't out there every day where the whole community can watch them work.

Ask Them to Walk You Through Their Exact Process

This is the question that separates a pro from an amateur, because a pro can answer it in detail and an amateur can't.

Here's the difference in plain terms. The amateur version is basically two steps: soap the window, squeegee it, done.

Here's what a real clean looks like — I'll walk you through mine so you know what "thorough" sounds like:

1. Scrub the glass with a solution of soap, water, vinegar, and hard-water remover
2. Use a white scrub pad — never steel wool (this matters, keep reading)
3. Let it dwell to break down the hard water stains
4. Scrub and wipe a second time
5. Squeegee
6. Detail the edges and any missed spots with a microfiber cloth
7. Clean out the sills and tracks with a dedicated brush
8. Clean the screens separately

And for high or already-decent windows, we finish with a water-fed pole that rinses everything in pure distilled water so it dries spot-free.

Red Flags to Watch For

After enough years around this work, some warning signs jump out. Here's what makes me nervous about another cleaner:

• They won't give you any number at all. A good cleaner should give you a ballpark — even just a ceiling — over the phone.
• The quote is shockingly cheap. If someone's quoting a few bucks a pane and won't touch the real cost of a job, the job is going to match the price.
• They skip the screens. Screens collect pollen and dust and are rough on anyone with allergies. A cleaner who ignores them is cutting corners you'll breathe every day.
• They show up late. Basic, but it tells you how they'll treat the rest of the job.
• They only have a water-fed pole. Those are fantastic for touch-ups and maintenance on already-clean glass, but they're not built to do the heavy lifting on a first deep clean with real hard water.
• They're still filling a bucket with water. Carrying a bucket for supplies is fine — but if they're dunking into bucket water to wash, that's old-school amateur hour.

One important clarification, because I don't want to mislead you: wanting to see your house before finalizing a price is not a red flag. Plenty of great cleaners quote on site. The red flag is someone who dodges numbers entirely — no range, no ceiling, nothing — and just wants to show up and pressure you.

How Often Should You Actually Clean Your Windows?

This depends entirely on where you live. Out here in Elko, it basically rains dirt — it's dusty and it clings to glass. For most homes here, quarterly is the sweet spot. Commercial spots with heavy foot traffic — restaurants, tire shops, optometry offices — usually go monthly.

And here's the money-saving part: a maintenance plan beats one-off cleans almost every time, because the per-visit cost drops. I take 5% off for quarterly service and 10% off for monthly. If you want your windows looking clean year-round instead of just for a week after a single visit, recurring service is how you get there — and it costs you less per clean to do it.

What to Expect for Interior Work

If you're getting the inside done, a little prep goes a long way. It helps a ton if you:

• Move furniture away from the windows (or be ready for us to ask if we can)
• Raise the blinds
• Keep pets kenneled (we love them — we'll say hi — but it keeps things moving)

And here's something I want you to hear, because it's how you should be treated: if there's a window we can't safely reach without risking your decorations or your home, a good cleaner won't force it. We'll clean the sill so it's dust-free and leave the rest alone rather than knock something over. If a cleaner is willing to not clean a window to protect your stuff, that's not laziness — that's professionalism.

A Real Job: The Skeptic Who Watched It Rain

The Checklist: Exactly What to Ask

Here's your cheat sheet. Ask these, and you'll know in about ninety seconds whether you're talking to a pro or a problem.

1. "Can you give me a ballpark or ceiling price over the phone?"Good answer: Yes — a rough range or a cap based on your square footage and number of stories, finalized on site. Bad answer: No numbers at all.
2. "Is this quote interior, exterior, or both?"Good answer: A clear, specific scope.
3. "Walk me through your exact process, step by step."Good answer: A real multi-step method — scrub, squeegee, detail, sills and tracks, screens, a pure-water rinse.
4. "What do you use on hard water stains — and do you ever use steel wool?"Good answer: A white scrub pad and a proper solution. Never steel wool.
5. "Do you clean the screens, sills, and tracks?"Good answer: Yes. These matter for allergies and for the finished look.
6. "Are you insured, and are you a registered business?"Good answer: Yes to both, and happy to prove it.
7. "Do you offer a maintenance plan or a discount for recurring service?"Good answer: Yes — because keeping glass clean is cheaper per visit than rescuing it.

Last Thing

I'll be honest with you: I haven't been washing windows for decades. What I have built is a process that's obsessive about doing it right — in a market full of people treating window cleaning as a quick cash grab. I've lived in Elko for six years, this is my community, and my whole goal is simple: take the hassle off your plate and give you windows that stay clean.

And if you'd rather clean them yourself? I'll happily give you a few tips to do it right. I just believe in clean windows.