How to Tell a Good Window Cleaner From a Bad One in San Diego
A careful window cleaner treats tracks and screens as separate steps, not an afterthought, and uses deionized water on exterior glass so it dries without spotting. A rushed job skips the tracks, wipes screens with the glass rag, and leaves streaks that show up once the sun hits the pane at an angle.
Last updated: August 2026
We've walked into plenty of San Diego homes where the previous cleaner did the visible part fine and left everything else untouched. Last month we quoted a two-story in Point Loma, 38 panes total, right after the homeowner fired her previous cleaner for skipping the tracks. That job runs $220 with screens included; the outfit before us had been charging $150 and doing half the work. The glass looked okay from ten feet back. Up close, the tracks were still packed with grit and the screens hadn't been touched in years.
Streaks Are a Water Problem, Not a Rag Problem
Tap water carries dissolved minerals. Squeegee it dry and you'll see spotting once the sun crosses the window in the afternoon, especially on west-facing glass near the coast. Deionized water carries nothing to leave behind, so it air-dries clear. If a cleaner is still squeegeeing exterior glass by hand on every job, ask what water they're running.
Tracks Get Skipped More Than You'd Think
Sliding tracks trap sand, leaf debris, and dead bugs. Left alone, that grit works into the roller and eventually scratches the glass when the window slides. A five-minute wipe with a wet rag doesn't clear a packed track. It takes a brush and actual time.
Screens Done Separately From Glass
A screen holds a layer of fine dust. Clean the glass first and skip the screen, and the next gust of wind redeposits that dust right back onto the pane you just finished. We run screens through a machine and bristle brush, then hand-detail the frame, in the same visit as the glass.
Good Sign vs Bad Sign
| What to Look For | Good Sign | Bad Sign |
|---|---|---|
| Exterior drying method | Deionized water, no squeegee needed | Tap water, visible spotting later |
| Window tracks | Brushed and detailed separately | Wiped with the same wet rag as the glass |
| Screens | Machine-cleaned same visit as glass | Skipped or done on a separate trip |
| Who shows up | Same person who quoted the job | Unclear who's actually doing the work |
Why This Matters More on Coastal Homes
Salt spray off the ocean films exterior glass faster than inland dust does. La Jolla, Del Mar, Pacific Beach, and Point Loma homes need a shorter interval between cleanings just to stay ahead of it. Two-storey coastal homes on sloped, landscaped lots often call for pole work from the ground rather than ladder work, which takes longer but keeps the crew off uneven terrain.
Matthew and Tanner quote every job themselves and do the work themselves. If you want to see the specific services we cover, our services page breaks down exterior cleaning, interior cleaning, track detailing, and screens individually. For a look at nearby neighborhoods, our service area page covers Carmel Valley, Rancho Santa Fe, Poway, and the rest of San Diego County.