Exterior window cleaning in Canberra

Windows are the surface people notice last and photograph first. A house can be freshly soft-washed and still look tired if the glass is filmed over — and because the change is so gradual, most people don't register how dirty their windows are until they've been done. Here's how exterior window cleaning actually works, and how it fits with the rest of the exterior.

What ends up on Canberra glass

• Dust and road film. Dry summers and the clay dust that comes with them leave a grey haze that softens the light coming in.
• Mould and algae film. The same shaded, damp winter conditions that green up your walls put a fine biological film on glass and frames, worst on south-facing windows.
• Pollen. Canberra's spring is famously brutal, and pollen sticks to glass and sits in the frame channels.
• Hard water spotting. Sprinkler or bore water drying on glass leaves mineral deposits that bond to the surface. Left long enough, these etch the glass permanently.
• Cobwebs and insect residue in the corners, frames and tracks.
• Bird droppings and sap, both acidic and both worth removing promptly.

Why pure water, and not a squeegee and a bucket

Ordinary tap water carries dissolved minerals. When it dries on glass, those minerals stay behind — that's the spotting you get when you wash a window and let it air dry. The traditional answer is detergent and a squeegee, drying every pane by hand before the water evaporates.

The pure water method removes the problem instead. Water is run through filtration that strips out the dissolved solids, then fed up a telescopic pole to a brush head. The brush agitates the grime, the pure water rinses it, and because there are no minerals in the water it dries spot-free with no squeegee and no detergent at all. Two practical advantages follow:

• No ladders against your house. Poles reach second-storey glass from the ground, which is safer and doesn't risk marking render or gutters.
• Frames and sills get cleaned too, not just the glass, and no detergent residue is left behind to attract dirt.

Don't pressure wash glass

It's an obvious-looking shortcut and a genuinely bad idea. Pressure can breach the perimeter seals and drive water into the frame and inside onto the sill; on double-glazed units it can compromise the seal between panes, which causes permanent internal fogging; and on older or already-chipped glass it can crack the pane outright. Glass gets hose pressure or less, always. The same caution applies to the frames — timber frames in particular don't want water forced into the joints.

This is the same principle that governs the rest of your exterior: match the method to the surface. Our soft washing vs pressure washing guide covers where the line sits across every material on a house.

How often?

Situation	Suggested frequency
Standard suburban home	Twice a year — after winter and before summer
Under heavy tree cover	Every 3–4 months
Near a building site or unsealed road	Every 3 months
Sprinkler or bore water hitting the glass	Every 3 months, and redirect the sprinklers
Before listing photos or an open home	Within the week prior

The hard water problem, specifically

If you have white spots or a cloudy film that survives a normal clean, that's mineral deposit rather than dirt. It needs a dedicated mineral remover and gentle abrasion, and it's worth dealing with promptly — deposits left on glass for years slowly etch into the surface, at which point no amount of cleaning brings it back and the pane needs replacing or professional restoration. The fix is upstream: point the irrigation away from the house. It's the same iron and calcium that stains concrete, and the same solution applies — see iron and rust staining if it's marking your paths too.

Do it in the right order

Windows go last. If you're having gutters, the roof, the house exterior or the driveway done, all of that work throws water, debris and cleaning residue around, and any glass cleaned beforehand will need doing again. Book the windows for after the wet work, or better, book everything in one visit and we'll sequence it correctly. The same logic applies before selling — the full running order is in our pre-sale and end-of-lease guide.

What we charge

We do exterior windows only, priced per window with the same $149 minimum call-out that applies across our services. A typical home sits at or near that minimum, and larger homes with more glass scale from there. The best value by a distance is adding windows to a house wash — the call-out is already covered, the gear is already set up, and the glass gets done after the walls, in the right order. Put your window count into the instant estimate tool to see the number.

FAQs

How much does window cleaning cost in Canberra?

We price exterior window cleaning per window with a $149 minimum call-out, which is the same minimum that applies across our services. A typical home falls at or near that minimum; larger homes with more glass scale up from there. Booking it alongside a house wash is the cheapest way to have it done, because the call-out is already covered.

How often should exterior windows be cleaned?

Twice a year suits most Canberra homes — once after winter to clear the grime and mould film, and once before summer. Homes on unsealed roads, near building sites, or under heavy tree cover usually want it quarterly. Windows with irrigation spray hitting them need it more often, because hard water spotting builds up fast.

Can you pressure wash windows?

You shouldn't. Pressure can breach the seals around the glass and force water into the frame and inside the sill, and on older or double-glazed units it risks cracking the pane or compromising the seal between panes. Glass is cleaned at hose pressure or below, using a brush and pure water.

What is pure water window cleaning?

Water run through filters that strip out the dissolved minerals, fed up a telescopic pole to a brush head. Because the water carries no minerals, it dries without leaving spots or streaks, so the glass needs no squeegee and no detergent. It also means the whole job is done from the ground rather than off ladders.

Why do my windows have white spots that won't come off?

That's mineral deposit, usually from sprinkler or bore water drying on the glass. It's calcium and iron bonded to the surface, not dirt, so normal cleaning won't lift it. It needs a dedicated mineral remover and gentle abrasion, and if left for years it can etch the glass permanently — redirect the sprinklers before it gets there.

Do you clean the inside of windows?

No — we do exterior only. That's where the weather-driven grime, mould film, cobwebs and hard water spotting are, and it's the side that visibly changes a house from the street. Interior glass is generally straightforward to do yourself with a microfibre cloth.