In many cases, yes, hiring a window cleaner is worth the investment. Having your windows deep cleaned not only helps keep your windows looking like new, but it can also reduce the risk of damage and accelerated wear to the window frames and inner components. It also improves your home’s energy-efficiency by keeping window insulation and weatherstripping in good working order. Annual cleanings can also help identify problems with your windows early that could otherwise lead to leaks and expensive water damage over time.

For a standard 1,000-square-foot home, you should expect your window cleaner to take between 1 and 3 hours to clean all of your windows. Of course, the size of your home and the number and size of the windows you have will play a role in the timeline. Certain styles of windows—like picture windows, which have no moving parts—also take less time to clean.

Yes, you should plan on being home when a window cleaner is cleaning your windows. The professional will clean both sides of the glass and will likely disassemble parts of your windows from the inside to clean and inspect the inner components, including the balances and weatherstripping. Much of this work requires interior access to your home, which means someone will need to be home to provide access to the window cleaner.

Window washing usually refers to cleaning dirt and other debris off of the exterior of your windows, while window cleaning is a much more involved process that addresses the outside and inside of the glass, as well as the interior components. Window washing is more to improve the aesthetic of your windows, while window cleaning can improve performance, reduce the risk of damage over time, and even improve your home’s energy efficiency.

The average cost to have your windows cleaned is around $220 for a standard-sized home, or around $10 per window. This pricing will vary quite a lot, depending on how many windows you have, how accessible those windows are, the size of the windows, and more. Most homeowners pay between $150 and $300 to have all of the windows on their home cleaned thoroughly by a professional.