Find Houston-area window cleaning companies — and see which ones we've confirmed with the business.

Hiring a window cleaner in Houston

Unlicensed trade. The two things that separate companies are insurance and what they do about hard water.

Insurance, because of where the work happens

Window cleaning is ladder work, often at height, frequently over hardscape and landscaping. Ask for a certificate of general liability sent by the insurer, and if a crew is involved, workers' compensation. This is not an unusual request in this trade and good companies expect it.

Hard water is the Houston-specific problem

Much of the region runs hard water, and the consequence for glass is specific: sprinkler overspray hitting windows leaves mineral deposits that are not dirt. Ordinary washing will not remove them. Left long enough, the minerals etch into the glass surface and no amount of cleaning brings it back — at that point it is a restoration job or a replacement pane.

So two questions are worth asking:

• Do you offer hard water stain removal, and is it priced separately? It nearly always is, because it is a different process.
• If the deposits have been there for years, ask honestly whether the glass can be restored or is permanently etched. A company that tells you the truth about a pane it cannot save is the one to hire.

The prevention is free: adjust the sprinkler heads that are hitting the windows.

Interior, exterior, and what "windows" includes

Quotes diverge because the scope does. Confirm:

• Interior as well as exterior, or exterior only?
• Are screens removed, cleaned and reinstalled?
• Are tracks and sills included, or just the glass?
• Are storm windows, French panes and skylights counted individually? Divided-light windows take substantially longer and are usually priced per pane.

Frequency

Twice a year suits most Houston houses — the pollen load in spring and the general grime by autumn. Homes near construction, unpaved roads or with heavy sprinkler exposure benefit from more. A company that suggests a realistic interval rather than the most frequent one is giving you a straight answer.