Is it worth hiring a window cleaner?

Hiring a window cleaner is usually worth it for the windows that are hard to reach: outside glass on a second storey or higher that does not tilt in, windows over decks, slopes or planting beds, and any window where a ladder would go near wires. For first-floor glass and tilt-wash windows, doing it yourself is reasonable and the tools are cheap. Many households split the job: they do the easy windows and hire out the rest.

When doing it yourself makes sense

Ground-floor windows are a bucket, a soft scrubber, a squeegee and a lint-free cloth. Check your window type before deciding anything about upstairs glass. Tilt-wash double-hung windows tilt inward, so you can clean the outside from inside the house without a ladder.^[1] An extension pole with a squeegee head covers a good deal of second-storey glass from the ground too.

For the method itself, see how to clean windows without streaks. Done twice a year, it is a manageable job on a small house.

When hiring makes sense

Upstairs glass that only a ladder reaches. This is where the decision usually tips. Andersen's own advice is that if you cannot reach upper-storey windows and are uncomfortable on a ladder, hiring experts is sometimes the right answer.^[1]

The ladder rules show why. Virginia Commonwealth University's ladder safety program has straight and extension ladders set up so that the base goes out one-fourth of the height to the point of support, and the bottom is blocked against a fixed object, tied off, or footed by a second person.^[2] Once you are on it, the top two rungs are not for standing on, you keep three points of contact while climbing, and you keep the centre of your body between the rails without overreaching.^[2] Ladders are not to be set up on slippery surfaces or used outdoors in winds over 20 miles per hour.^[2] Washing glass means reaching with both hands, which makes those rules harder to keep. Moving a long extension ladder window by window around a two-storey house is a full day of exactly that.

Wires near the windows. The service wire to a house often reaches the wall near upstairs windows. Metal ladders must not be used on or near electrical wires, while fiberglass ladders are electrically non-conductive.^[2] A crew can bring the right ladder and plan around the wire.

Many windows, or problem glass. A large house, a sunroom, or glass with hard water spots, paint or construction residue takes far longer than routine washing. A business with the right tools can be worth it on time alone.

Hiring well

Insurance comes first. The risk in this job is a fall from a ladder at your house. Virginia's Workers' Compensation Act does not count domestic servants as employees,^[5] and it does not cover employees of a business that regularly has fewer than three employees in Virginia, unless they choose to be covered.^[5] A window cleaning business may well be that small, so ask what liability insurance and workers' compensation the business has and see the certificate.

References and quotes. Virginia's Board for Contractors gives homeowners advice that works for any home service: ask for local references and call them, verify the business address and telephone number, and get at least three written bids.^[6] It also warns: "A license number in an advertisement or on a business card does not necessarily mean the contractor's license is valid."^[6] If a window cleaner also offers repairs, check any licence number it gives you; see how to check if a contractor is licensed in Virginia.

Methods. Ask how the crew cleans the glass and how it handles stubborn spots. Window makers are specific here: Marvin says glass scratched by a scraper is not covered under its warranty,^[3] and MI warns that a power washer or garden hose, razor blades, putty knives and abrasive pads may void its warranty or damage its products.^[4] If your windows are under warranty, share the maker's care guide with the business.

Door-to-door offers. If someone knocks offering a cleaning and you agree there, Virginia's Home Solicitation Sales Act generally means you may cancel until midnight of the third business day after the sale, and the seller must give you a written notice of that right.^[7] You do not have to decide on the doorstep.

For what drives a quote, see how much window cleaning costs in Virginia.

Stop and call a pro if

• Reaching any window means standing on a roof, a porch roof or the top rungs of a ladder.
• A ladder position would put you or the ladder near a power line or the service wire.
• The ground under the windows is steep, soft, icy or covered by a deck you would have to lean a ladder on.
• You see fog or droplets inside the glass. That is a window problem, not a cleaning one: condensation between the panes of a double-pane window means its seal has failed.^[8] See how to know if windows need to be replaced.

You can browse window cleaning businesses, look up cleaning services around Blacksburg, or read the other cleaning answers. To get quotes, describe the window cleaning job once and local businesses can quote it.