
Cleaning second-story windows yourself: the ladder numbers
How many people are hurt on ladders each year, the setup rules that stop the most common fall, and when the upper floor is a job to hand over.
Service
Inside and outside glass, frames and sills, for homes and businesses in Bozeman, Belgrade and across the Gallatin Valley.
Every pane, inside and out, plus the frames and sills. Tracks are cleaned with any interior clean.
Screens are an add-on, from $2 a screen: taken down, washed, and put back in the opening they came from. More on screen cleaning.
We use whatever does the best job on your house. Often that is a water-fed pole with purified water: water with the minerals taken out dries without leaving spots. Some glass needs the traditional way, by hand, and plenty of houses get both.
By hand, every pane gets two passes. It is sprayed, scrubbed with a window mop and squeegeed, then sprayed again, scrubbed by hand and squeegeed again. A microfiber cloth finishes the edges and corners.
Water beading on the inside of the glass is worth noticing. The CDC calls condensation on windows a sign of moisture you may not see, which “can lead to mold growth” (CDC home asthma checklist), and the EPA’s advice is to dry it quickly and deal with where the water comes from (EPA guide to mold and moisture).
Mold is a common allergy trigger, and the allergists’ association AAAAI includes cleaning “mold and condensation from window frames and sills” in its cleaning tips for allergy and asthma sufferers. Frames and sills are wiped down on every interior clean, and if we see mold starting, we point it out so the source can be fixed. A window cleaning is not a mold treatment, and we do not sell it as one.
One- and two-story homes are most of the work, and three stories is routine. Glass higher than that is not work we take on.
Paint spatter, silicone, stickers and hard-water spots take more than a cleaning. They are quoted separately, once we have seen the glass.
We price by the pane. Every house is different, so the firm price comes once we have seen the glass; a few photos with your quote request get you a ballpark first.
Homes once or twice a year, businesses on a schedule anywhere from weekly to yearly, and anyone getting a house ready to sell, move into or photograph.
If the glass looks clear from inside with the sun on it, it probably has another month or two in it. We would rather tell you that than sell you a visit you do not need.
We price by the pane, and every house is different, so the firm price comes once we have seen the glass. Send a few photos with your request and you get a ballpark first.
Twice a year suits most homes in the valley: once in late spring and once in the fall. Gravel roads, farm dust and sprinklers that hit the glass all push it to three or four.
Not for the outside, as long as we can get around the house and the gate is unlocked. Inside work needs someone to let us in.
Not as a routine. Window makers including Andersen, Pella and Marvin say not to, and a scratch from a scraper can void a glass warranty. Blades are a last resort for construction residue, never on coated glass.
Learn

How many people are hurt on ladders each year, the setup rules that stop the most common fall, and when the upper floor is a job to hand over.

Smoke leaves ash and soot on glass and screens. How to clean it off without scratching the glass or breathing it in, and when to wait.

What Montana's security deposit law says about cleaning charges, the notice a landlord has to give first, and the deadlines for getting the rest back.
Services

Screens taken down, washed and put back in the openings they came from, as an add-on to a window cleaning.
From $2 per screen

Torn mesh and brittle spline replaced, so a screen keeps the bugs out and sits right in its frame again.
From $15 per screen, plus mesh

White mineral spots from sprinklers and runoff, removed before they have a chance to damage the glass.
From $25 per pane
Send a few details and a couple of photos for a ballpark, usually back the same day. The firm price comes once we have seen the glass.
Quick quote
Leave your name and number and we will get back to you with a quote. No obligation.