How often should you clean your windows in Montana?

The short answer: twice a year for most homes in the Gallatin Valley. Once in late spring, after the thaw has finished throwing grit at everything, and once in early fall before the weather closes in.

That matches the people who make the glass. The glass industry’s cleaning standard says twice a year is generally enough, with some regions needing more, and window makers including Andersen and Pella say the same. Marvin notes that in a drier climate, once or twice a year may be enough for the outside of its clad windows.

What pushes it to three or four times

• A gravel road within a hundred yards.
• Sprinklers that hit the glass: that is hard-water spotting, and it builds up.
• Big trees near the house, especially cottonwoods in early summer.
• Farmland nearby in late summer.
• In Livingston, the wind.

What lets you stretch it

A sheltered side of the house, no sprinklers, paved surroundings, and windows you do not spend much time looking through.

Businesses are different

For a storefront the glass is doing sales work, so most are cleaned every two weeks or monthly. How often should a business clean its windows?