The Best Time To Clean Your Windows (& When To Avoid It)

Although window cleaning is an often-overlooked household maintenance task, there are significant benefits to keeping your windows clean. Regular window cleaning enhances curb appeal, improves indoor air quality and energy efficiency, and can prevent damage to your windows. Keeping your windows clean is also important for feng shui to promote the positive flow of energy. When you're fitting window cleaning into your home maintenance schedule, there are better times of the day and seasons of the year to get the job done than others for optimal results.

The ideal time to clean your windows is on an overcast day in the spring and fall. But the best time, method, and frequency of window cleaning will depend on whether you are cleaning the interior or exterior windows. For example, cleaning exterior windows in the winter months is particularly challenging and uncomfortable. However, touching up windows inside the house between full cleanings can be done during any season. 

Certain times of the day are better than others for cleaning your windows. For clean, streak-free windows, tackle the job first thing in the morning. If you aren't a morning person, the other good times to clean windows include the late afternoon and early evening hours. The reasoning behind cleaning the windows early or late in the day is the same reason you shouldn't clean your windows on a sunny day. Window cleaning on a sunny day results in streaks on your windows. This happens because the ammonia in window cleaners evaporates faster in sunlight. When the cleaner dries too quickly, you don't have time to get the windows clean before streaks and spots form. Cleaning your windows in the morning or later in the day means the sunlight will be less intense, so the risk of streaks is lower.

Overcast days are also a good time to clean the windows. You won't have to worry about sunlight causing problems, so window cleaning can be done at any time of the day when the weather is gray. These days are best spent staying home anyway, and the lack of sunshine may have disrupted your original plans, so it could be the perfect time to get the windows clean, as long as the clouds don't bring rain with them.  Avoid humid and rainy days, as streaks are more likely to occur when it's raining or very humid outside.

While you can wipe down your interior windows at any time of the year, fall and spring are the ideal seasons for washing the outsides of the windows. The cooler temperatures in the fall are the perfect time to remove dirt and debris from the windows to prepare for winter without the intense heat of summer that could dry the cleaner and leave streaks. It's still important to wash your windows in the morning or late afternoon to avoid direct, intense sunlight.

Be sure to include window cleaning on your spring-cleaning list as well. In the spring, you may notice a buildup of dirt and grime that has accumulated on your windows over the winter months. Spring window cleaning removes the grime from winter storms and lets in the spring and summer sunlight. Wait until the temperatures warm up to avoid having the cleaner freeze on the windows. 

In addition to picking the right time of day and time of year for cleaning the windows, it's important to consider how often you should be cleaning your windows. In most cases, professional window cleaners recommend cleaning your exterior windows twice a year. In between these cleanings, you may need to wipe down the interior windows to keep the glass clean. You'll know it's time for a touch-up when you start seeing tiny fingerprints or dog nose prints on the glass.