To clean window tracks, vacuum out the loose grit with a crevice tool, loosen what's packed into the corners with a small brush, vacuum again, wipe the track with mild soap and water, clear the weep holes and dry it. Do it in that order. A wet rag on a dirty track turns the grit into mud and pushes it into the corners, which is why we vacuum tracks before we wipe them.
Milgard's care guide puts it in one line: wipe your tracks and sills with a damp cloth, or vacuum out the dust and dirt. The steps below do both, plus the parts the one line leaves out.
What you need
A vacuum with a crevice tool or narrow nozzle
An old toothbrush or small detail brush
A spray bottle of warm water with a few drops of dish soap
Microfiber cloths
A flat wooden paint stirrer or chopstick, to push a cloth into the corners
Cotton swabs or pipe cleaners, for the weep holes
Dry silicone spray, for sliding windows and doors
Step 1: vacuum the dry grit
Open the window or slide the sash all the way to one side. Run the crevice tool along the bottom of the track, then into the corners and both ends, where the worst of it collects. Slide the sash back and do the part it was covering.
Milgard gives the same routine for patio doors: vacuum with the door closed, then open it and vacuum the other side, using a narrow nozzle for the corners and edges.
Don't add water yet. Everything that comes out dry is something you won't have to wipe.
Step 2: loosen what's packed in
A track that hasn't been cleaned in a few years holds dirt, dead insects, paint chips and pollen, and some of it is stuck to the bottom. Work the toothbrush along the track and hard into the corners, dry, to break it loose. Then vacuum again.
Two rounds of brush and vacuum take care of the bulk of a dirty track. What's left is a film you can wipe.
Step 3: wipe with mild soap and water
Mist the track with the soapy water and give it a minute to soften the grime. Wipe it with a microfiber cloth, then wrap the cloth over the end of the paint stirrer to reach into the corners and along the inside edge of the rails.
A damp cloth is plenty. Less water means less to dry out of the corners later. Rinse the cloth as you go, or switch to a clean one, so you aren't spreading the dirt back down the track.
Marvin says to clean the frames, grids, tracks and hardware first and the glass last. That order keeps the drips from a dirty frame off the clean pane.
Step 4: clear the weep holes
Weep holes are the small slots along the outside bottom of the frame, sometimes with a little flap or cover over them. Milgard explains what they do: water builds up on the sill or the outside track, and that's normal, because the weep system lets it drain back outdoors. Once the slots plug with dirt, the water sits in the track.
To clear them:
Find the slots on the outside face of the bottom of the frame.
Brush them out. Milgard says to use a soft brush on the openings.
Work a cotton swab or pipe cleaner gently into each one to pull out what's left.
Pour a cup of water into the outside track and watch it run out of the slots. If it pools, there's still something in the way.
Keep screwdrivers and knives out of them. Milgard's care guide says never to use razor blades or putty knives on any part of a window or patio door.
Milgard also says a good time to check the weep holes is when heavy rain is coming. May is the wettest month of the year at Detroit Metro, with 3.72 inches in the National Weather Service's 1991–2020 normals, and April brings 3.26. Clear the weep holes in March or early April and they're ready for both.
Step 5: dry it, then lubricate the sliders
Run a dry cloth down the track and into the corners. Let it air out for a few minutes with the window open.
For sliding windows and patio doors, finish with a lubricant. Milgard's care guide recommends a dry silicone spray on sliding tracks and rollers at least once a year, and its patio door guide says to pick a silicone-based lubricant because oil-based ones attract more dirt. Andersen says the same about screen tracks: use a non-oil spray, since oil holds on to debris. Spray it on the clean, dry track and slide the sash back and forth to spread it.
Patio door tracks
A sliding patio door has two tracks to clean: the main track the door's rollers ride on, and the screen track beside it. The main track takes more foot traffic than any window in the house, so it fills faster.
For the screen track, Andersen says to close the door, slide the screen away from the panel that moves until the lower track is showing, and vacuum or wipe it clean. Then slide it back and latch it.
Deck doors and lake houses get the worst of it. On Canton houses, the slider to the deck and its bottom track take the most dirt. On a Commerce Township lake house, the slider tracks fill with sand and grit all summer.
If the door still drags on a clean track, check the rollers next. Milgard says patio door rollers can be adjusted for height through an access hole at the bottom of the door, and Andersen says a clean screen that still runs rough may need its rollers adjusted. Your door maker's guide has the steps for your model.
Sliding windows and triple-track storms
Horizontal sliding windows clean the same way as a patio door, at a smaller size. Slide the sash to one side, do the open half, then slide it back and do the other.
Aluminum triple-track storm windows take more patience. Two glass panels and a screen slide in one shared aluminum track, and its channels fill with grit, road salt and dead insects. On a lot of Livonia ranches built in the 1950s and 1960s, the original units are still in place. Slide each panel to one end, vacuum and brush that channel, then slide it to the other end and repeat.
Older aluminum frames have weep channels along the sill too. In Farmington Hills, where a lot of houses went up between the 1960s and the 1980s with aluminum sliders, a packed channel holds water against the bottom of the glass, and the bottom inch of the pane gets a mark that comes right back after cleaning. Clearing the channel is what makes it go away.
What not to use on vinyl and aluminum
Window makers keep this list short. The table follows Milgard's care guide and care tips, with vinegar named under acidic cleaners because vinegar is an acid.
Use | Skip |
|---|---|
A vacuum with a crevice tool | A pressure washer or high-pressure hose |
A soft brush or old toothbrush | Abrasive pads and scouring powders |
Warm water and mild dish soap | Acidic cleaners, including vinegar |
Microfiber cloths, cotton swabs, pipe cleaners | Razor blades and putty knives |
Dry silicone spray on sliders | Oil and petroleum-based sprays |
Car wax on clean aluminum, once a year | Solvents such as acetone on painted vinyl |
For vinyl, aluminum, fiberglass and capstock frames alike, Milgard says to wash with mild, nonabrasive soap and water, wipe dry, never use abrasive or acidic cleaners, and test any cleaner in a hidden spot first. Painted vinyl gets only mild soap and water.
Aluminum gets one extra step. Milgard suggests a light car-wax solution on aluminum frames once a year, put on after the frames are cleaned. Wax over a dirty frame can seal salt deposits against the metal, which matters on any house near a salted Michigan road.
A schedule for window tracks
Milgard says to clean everything in its care guide at least once a year, and to vacuum sliding tracks now and then in between. A simple plan for a Michigan house:
Vacuum and wipe the tracks whenever you clean the windows, in spring and fall.
Clear the weep holes in early spring, before the wettest weeks of the year.
Vacuum the patio door track whenever it starts to feel gritty underfoot.
Lubricate sliders once a year, after a cleaning.
Or let us do it
Tracks are part of every interior window cleaning we do. We vacuum them out first and then wipe them, and the sills and screens get done on the same visit. Weep channels in aluminum frames get cleared along with the glass. If the screens are on your list too, our post on how to clean window screens walks through those.
You can see everything that comes with a visit on our residential window cleaning page, and every town we cover on the window cleaning service areas page.
Questions people ask
What is the fastest way to clean window tracks?
Vacuum them dry with a crevice tool, brush the corners, and vacuum again before any water goes in. Then wipe with a damp, soapy cloth and dry the track. Wiping first is the slow way, because it smears the grit into the corners and you end up cleaning the same track twice.
Can I use vinegar and baking soda on window tracks?
Skip it on the frame. Milgard warns against acidic and abrasive cleaners on vinyl, aluminum and fiberglass frames, because they can damage the finish. Vinegar is an acid, and a gritty paste scrubs like an abrasive. Warm water with a few drops of dish soap lifts track grime once the loose grit is vacuumed out.
What are the small slots at the bottom of my window frame?
Those are weep holes. They let rain that collects in the outside track or on the sill drain back outdoors. When dirt, pollen or dead insects block them, water sits in the track. Clear them with a soft brush, cotton swab or pipe cleaner, then pour in a little water to check that it drains.
Why does my sliding door still stick after I clean the track?
Check the rollers next. A door that drags on a clean track can have rollers set too low or worn out, and patio door rollers can be adjusted for height through an access hole at the bottom of the panel. Look up the steps for your model in the door maker's care guide before turning any screws.
Should I lubricate window tracks?
Sliding windows and patio doors, yes, with a dry silicone spray once the track is clean and dry. Milgard recommends lubricating sliding tracks and rollers at least once a year. Leave oil and petroleum-based sprays on the shelf: they leave a film that holds dust, and the track gets dirty again faster.
Get a quote
If you'd rather hand the vacuum to someone else, every interior window cleaning we do includes the tracks, the sills and the screens. Send a rough window count through Get a Free Quote, and we'll price your house.
