Most South Florida homes look their best on an exterior cleaning every 3 months, but the honest range runs from monthly to every 6 months depending on where the house sits and what it faces. The climate here is harder on glass than most of the country, so the national advice you read online, often 1–2 cleanings a year, tends to understate what coastal homes need.
How does location change the schedule?
It is the first question we ask. On the beach or the Intracoastal, salt spray films the ocean-facing glass continuously, and homes there often want cleaning every 4–8 weeks to stay clear. A few miles inland the salt fades and irrigation becomes the enemy instead. Sprinklers running on well or lake water leave mineral spotting wherever the spray touches, and those windows need attention within 2–3 months, before the spots bond to the glass. A protected inland home with city water and no overspray can happily run every 6 months.
The house itself votes too. Glass under dense landscaping stays damp and collects mildew film. Panes near a busy road gather traffic dust. A pool cage traps humidity against the glass inside it. Even the direction matters, since the elevation that catches the weather will always cloud up first while the sheltered side stays presentable.
Should interior glass be on the same schedule?
No, and putting it there wastes money. Interior glass runs on its own slower clock, driven by fingerprints and cooking film rather than weather, so many homes include it every 2nd or 3rd exterior visit rather than every time. A home on a 3-month exterior cycle often lands on interior glass about every 6–9 months, which keeps both sides presentable without paying to clean glass that is still clean.
Our practical advice is to skip the theory and let the house tell you. Start with the elevations and views that bother you first, put those on a schedule, and adjust after 1–2 visits once you see how quickly the film returns.
What warning sign should change the plan?
Mineral spots that do not wipe off. Those mean water is repeatedly hitting and drying on the glass, and cleaning more often will not fix the source. Within a few months of daily overspray, the deposits bond; left 1–2 years in the sun, they can etch the glass permanently. Redirect the sprinkler head first, then deal with the existing deposits, which is explained in what causes hard-water spots on windows.
Catching that problem early is one of the quiet benefits of a regular schedule: a crew that sees your glass every 3 months notices the first arc of spotting while it is still a 5-minute sprinkler fix. When you are weighing whether to handle any of this yourself, is professional window cleaning worth it walks through when a pro makes sense.
Related questions
- Is professional window cleaning worth it? ; It can be valuable when access, time, glass condition, or a consistent finish makes do-it-yourself work impractical.
- What causes hard-water spots on windows? ; Mineral-containing water can dry on glass and leave deposits that build over repeated exposure.
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