Guide
How to Get Your Home Ready for a Window Cleaning
To get ready for a window cleaning, clear items off interior sills, move furniture and fragile things a few feet back from the windows, unlock gates, and keep pets inside. Point out any cracked glass, loose screens or failed seals before the crew starts. Most of it takes about 15 minutes.
By Braylon Howard, owner of High Tide Window Cleaning · Updated October 2026
What should you do inside before the crew arrives?
If interior cleaning is booked, clear photos, plants and decor off window sills, and move furniture and fragile items about three feet back so the crew can reach the glass. Open blinds or curtains. High Tide Window Cleaning wears shoe covers inside, so there’s no need to roll up rugs.
What should you do outside?
Unlock side gates, move patio furniture or grills away from ground-floor windows, and keep pets inside or secured. Make sure there’s an outdoor water spigot the crew can reach. If sprinklers run on a timer, pause them for the day, because sprinkler overspray is a common source of spots on fresh glass.
What should you tell the crew before they start?
Point out any windows that are already cracked, screens that are loose or torn, windows that stick, and double-pane glass that looks foggy between the panes (a failed seal, which cleaning can’t fix). It protects you and the crew, and anything flagged up front is easy to plan around.
Do you need to be home for a window cleaning?
For exterior-only cleaning, usually not, as long as gates are unlocked and pets are secured. For inside and out, someone needs to let the crew in. Either way, High Tide Window Cleaning texts before arriving and walks through the finished job with you, or texts before-and-after photos if you’re out.
Key takeaways
- Clear sills and move fragile items back
- Unlock gates and secure pets
- Point out cracks or loose screens first
- Make sure there's an outdoor spigot the crew can use
Need it done?
Inside and out, screens, tracks and sills included.
Weekend slots open
Rather have the crew handle it?
Get a free in-person quote. We’ll text you back to set a time.
- Licensed & insured
- Weekends + Mon/Wed/Fri mornings
- SLO + northern Santa Barbara County