Interior window cleaning is the inside half of a window cleaning: every pane cleaned by hand, the screens taken out and washed, and the sills and tracks vacuumed and wiped. In Michigan, late fall and early winter is when the inside becomes the whole job. We clean outside glass from March through November and inside glass all year, so once the cold settles in, the inside is what's left to get done before guests arrive.
Why inside glass is the winter job in Michigan
Outside glass needs water, and water freezes. Below freezing, rinse water turns to ice on the glass, the siding and the front walk, so once the overnight lows drop, outside work waits for spring. At Detroit Metro, the average low is 33.9 degrees in November and 25.3 in December, then 19.2 in January and 20.8 in February, according to the National Weather Service's 1991–2020 normals.
Inside glass doesn't care what the thermometer says. It collects dust, cooking film and, in houses with kids or dogs, prints low on the sliders. Through the heating season, furnace film and fireplace haze build up on the room side of the glass, and by midwinter they're at their worst. Low winter light coming through the pane shows all of it.
That's why interior window cleaning runs all year with us. January and February are the quietest months on our calendar and the easiest to get on, so if the date can wait until after the holidays, that's the time. If you want the inside done before guests arrive, ask now.
What an interior window cleaning covers
Every interior visit gets the same work:
Drop cloths down on the sills and floors before we start.
Every pane cleaned by hand, with the edges detailed so no haze is left in the corners.
Screens taken out of the window, washed and put back.
Sills and tracks vacuumed first, then wiped.
Window frames and grids wiped down.
Cobwebs cleared from the corners of every opening we touch.
Interior mirrors and glass shower doors cleaned on request.
A word afterward on anything we notice, such as cracked seals, failed glazing or a rotted sill.
On older houses with divided-light sash, each small pane gets worked on its own. In the City of Northville, one window can be a dozen small panes, and that's hand work, one pane at a time.
Screens, sills and tracks
These three are where the dirt you can see from inside the house lives, and they're the part a quick cleaning skips.
Screens come out of the window and get washed. Wiping a screen in place gets the loose dust and leaves the grime in the mesh and the frame corners. A washed screen goes back in clean, so the glass behind it looks clean too.
Tracks take the longest. A track that hasn't been cleaned in years is packed with dirt, dead insects, paint chips and pollen, and a wet rag only smears it into the corners. We vacuum the tracks out first, then wipe them. On Livonia ranches, a lot of houses still have their original aluminum triple-track storm and screen units, and the channels in those fill with grit, road salt and dead insects. On Canton colonials, the slider to the deck and its bottom track take the worst of it.
Sills get vacuumed and wiped after the tracks, since that's where everything from the track ends up.
Every town where we do interior visits is on our window cleaning service areas page, and the full scope of a visit is on our residential window cleaning page.
Tall foyer glass and stairwell windows
The 1990s and 2000s subdivisions in Novi, Canton and Northville Township are full of two-story entry foyers, arched transoms over the front door and stairwell windows. Some of that glass hasn't been cleaned on the inside since the house was built, because nobody can reach it.
We reach high inside glass with a ladder or a pole, depending on the height. It's slow, careful work, and foyer glass is the first glass anyone sees from the front door.
If a chandelier hangs in the middle of that foyer, it can go on the same visit. Our chandelier cleaning is indoor work done all year, and with the ladders already set up for the windows, it's the easiest time to get it done.
Getting the house ready before guests
A little prep makes the visit faster and keeps your things out of the way:
Book before the decorations go up. A tree, garland on the sill or clings on the glass sit right in front of the windows. Cleaning first and decorating after is easier on everyone.
Clear the sills. Move plants, photos and breakables off the sills before we arrive.
Move what blocks a window. We work around furniture, blinds and curtains, and we don't move furniture or take window treatments down. If a heavy piece sits in front of a window you want cleaned, move it ahead of time.
Plan to let us in. Someone needs to be home for an inside cleaning.
Ask about the outside. In December the outside waits for March. We can put it on the schedule for spring at the same time.
Winter condensation and what it leaves
Cold glass and warm, damp air make condensation, and holiday cooking puts plenty of steam in the air. Milgard's care guide traces interior condensation to high humidity and low air exchange in the home. It suggests cutting back on moisture sources such as humidifiers, plants and aquariums, and opening the windows for a few minutes a day, especially while showering, doing laundry or cooking.
Condensation that runs down the pane collects on the sill and in the track, and it carries dust with it. That's one more reason the sills and tracks get vacuumed and wiped on every interior visit.
Fog between the two panes of a double-pane window is a different problem. Milgard says moisture between the panes may mean the insulating unit has failed, and it should be repaired. No cleaning can reach it. If we see it, we'll point it out.
Before you reach for a razor blade
Some newer windows have a low-E coating on the room side of the glass. Pilkington, a glass maker, says a coating on that inside face is exposed on the room side of the window, and that razor blades, steel wool and other metal objects shouldn't touch it, because they leave fine marks that look like scratches in sunlight. Milgard's care guide says never to use razor blades or abrasive pads on its windows, and calls that especially important for its room-side coated glass.
You can't see the coating, so ask before you scrape. We ask how old the house is when you call, because on the newest houses the answer changes how we clean the inside glass.
Inside only, or inside and out
You can book the inside on its own, the outside on its own, or both. From December through February, the inside is the half we can do, so a winter visit is an inside visit. Book the outside for spring, once the weather is above freezing again, and both halves are on the calendar.
Questions people ask
How far ahead should I book interior window cleaning before the holidays?
Book as soon as you know the date you want it done by, and set it before the tree and window decorations go up, since they sit in front of the glass. If the date can wait until after the holidays, January and February are the easiest months to get an interior window cleaning on our schedule.
Can I book interior window cleaning without the outside?
Yes. Inside and outside can be booked on their own or together. From December through February the inside is the only half we can do in Michigan, because outside glass waits until March, when rinse water no longer freezes on the glass. We can schedule the outside for spring on the same call.
Do I need to move furniture before an interior window cleaning?
Only pieces that block a window you want cleaned. We work around furniture, blinds and curtains, and we don't move furniture or take window treatments down. Clear plants, photos and breakables off the sills, and make sure someone is home to let us in. Drop cloths go down on the sills and floors first.
Why do my inside windows look hazy in winter?
The haze is a film on the room side of the glass. Furnace air and fireplace smoke leave it, cooking adds grease, and condensation running down the pane drags dust into drip lines. Low winter light shows all of it. Hand cleaning takes it off, and the sills and tracks below get vacuumed and wiped.
Get a quote
We're owner-operated in Northville and have been since 2014. Send your address and a rough window count through Get a Free Quote, tell us the date you want the inside done by, and we'll price it.
