Frequently
Asked Questions

General Company

Additionally, we offer a 24-hour rain guarantee. If a rainstorm occurs within 24 hours of your service appointment and you notice spotting on your windows as a result, we will return to your home to touch up these areas free of charge.

Can I pay in advance of my service?
We do not ask for advanced payment (unless in you are making a deposit under one of our Service Plans). Our technicians all have electronic tablets and can accept either check or credit card payment upon completion of service.

If you truly prefer to pay in advance, we can hold your credit card info until service is completed and then run your card.

Is it customary to tip the crew members after the service is complete?
It is 100% up to you whether you would like to tip the team of technicians (the vast majority of our customers do not). Please do not feel obligated to tip, as it is not required or expected. That said, if the team does an exceptional job and you feel like tipping, that is fine.

Do I need to be at home for my service appointment?
Yes, we ask that our customers be at home during service appointments so they can see how we perform the work and be available for any questions that our team may have during the visit.

For SoftWashing and Outside Only window cleaning, it is okay if you need to leave the home for a period of time during the service.

Are you all bonded / do you carry insurance?
Spotless carries all proper insurance at sufficient coverage levels – general liability, workers compensation, and automotive. We are fully covered for all types of accidents that could potentially occur on your property.

Can I request a particular technician for my service appointment?
Spotless sends multiple teams out into the field each day, and it is difficult to predict if a particular technician will be available on the day of your service. For that reason, we can’t make any promises about future dispatching of a technician to a particular job. We can guarantee that you will be satisfied with the service and your team will be pleasant, professional, and well-trained.

Do you employ good people?
The Company conducts pre-hire and annual criminal background checks for all employees, and we have a rigorous safety and training program that ensures our teams are well-equipped to provide service. A third-party vendor, TheSeal.com, conducts all background checks and verifies that all employees at Spotless have a clean criminal record.

Do you provide any services besides Window Cleaning and SoftWashing / Pressure Washing?
Yes, our Commercial service offerings include High Area Dusting, as well as Window Cleaning and Pressure Washing. For Residential Customers, Window Cleaning and SoftWashing / Pressure Washing are our primary service offerings.

COVID-19

• Technicians are required to wear masks and protective shoe covers inside of a customer’s home.
• Technicians are required to wear masks in our facilities and while traveling in Company vehicles.
• Social distancing is practiced at all times.
• Our vehicles and work facility are equipped with generous amounts of hand sanitizer, and our employees are asked to wash their hands throughout the day.
• All Company trucks are sanitized daily.
• We conduct daily temperature readings at the beginning of each day.

Weather & Seasonality

For safety reasons, we cannot have our technicians working outside and climbing on ladder while it is raining. However, we will always do our best to perform the scheduled service if the weather allows. If the rain looks like it will taper off, we will often have our technicians start on the inside of your home until the rain subsides (usually our team would start on the outside of the home).

We’ve seen a lot of bad weather through the years, and we will always look to make the best decision for our customers and technicians.

Will rain spot my windows?
Rain is almost 100% pure water and will not spot clean windows. However, we do offer a 24-hour rain guarantee. If you notice spotting due to rain within 24 hours after we perform the service, we will return to your home the next day and fix any blemishes free of charge.

How often should I have my windows cleaned?
We recommend two cleanings per year for ultimate damage prevention, and to ensure your windows stay shiny and streak free year-round. For the most basic maintenance, you should certainly have your windows cleaned at least one time per year to prevent damage.

When is the best time of year to have my windows cleaned?
Whenever they start looking dirty. We clean windows year-round, so whether it is the middle of summer or the middle of winter, we can brighten your view.

When is pollen season over?
Pollen season is difficult to predict and it also coincides with one of our busiest scheduling seasons. Every year is different, so we always encourage customers to schedule in April and May while we have availability.
If you would like to be sure to schedule your service with greater certainty that pollen season will be over, June is usually a good bet in Central Virginia.

Can you clean windows or pressure wash when it’s cold outside?
We need sustained outdoor temperatures above 35 degrees Fahrenheit in order to effectively perform our services.

Window Cleaning

Service & Scope

Do I need to remove furniture, personal belongings, or drapes/curtains from my windows before cleaning?
Yes, we do ask that in preparation for our technicians that you raise all of your blinds and/or shades to their highest positions and remove breakable and valuable items from your windows and window sills. Our technicians cannot be responsible for moving any large or antique furniture in your home, although they may assist with moving small items if they judge that it can be done safely and doesn’t take an excessive amount of extra time. Our price quote is provided under the assumption that all exterior windows will be easily accessible from the inside.

What is included in the window cleaning service?
Spotless is responsible for:

• All window glass on exterior of home (inside & outside).
• Sills (inside & outside) and exposed tracks only.
• Detail of glass edges.
• Area 6” to 8” away from glass (frames).
• Wiping of screens.
• Removal of artillery mold and small pieces of tape.

Does your service include screen cleaning?
The crew will wipe large debris, such as: leaves, spider webs, and bird droppings from the screens. Any deeper cleaning than this can be done but would require an additional charge. Our standard window cleaning service does not involve spraying the screens with water.

Do you clean chandeliers, jewelry, and other interior glass?
Unless otherwise noted, our window cleaning price includes the cleaning of all exterior glass (glass on the outside perimeter of your home). We can certainly clean panes of glass on the inside of your home (transoms, doors, interior windows), but you must note these to our estimator so they can be included in your price.

Cleaning of specialty items such as chandeliers, picture frames, fine China, or silver is not a service we provide.

Do you clean exterior lamps?
Yes, we would just need to specify that in your quote up-front, as lamp cleaning is not included in our standard window cleaning pricing.

What IS NOT included in the window cleaning service?
Spotless is not responsible for the following, unless otherwise noted on estimate:

• Bulk scraping of paint or debris.
• Cleaning cracked or out-of-order windows.
• Opening windows that are painted shut.
• AC unit removal.
• Hard water stain removal (i.e., permanent spotting).
• Deep cleaning of tracks or sills.

We just had our windows glazed/painted – will you be able to get the paint off our windows?
Our service is a regular maintenance cleaning that will make your windows sparkle. However, our service does not include any scraping or abrasive scrubbing. This policy is in place to protect your property and the safety of our technicians. Our technicians may perform some light scraping in spots, although we cannot promise that there will not be glazing left on the windows once our service is complete. We do not offer scraping of the windows as a stand-alone service.

I have read that some window cleaners scrape every window. Does Spotless Window Cleaning scrape every window?
We certainly do not scrape every window! We are members of the International Window Cleaning Association (IWCA) and we stay current and educated on the issues facing the industry. We do use scrapers (i.e., razor blades) at times, a well-established tool in the window cleaning profession, when paint and certain other debris is on the glass. However, many glass manufacturers produce somewhat lower quality glass that contains what is known in the industry as “fabricating debris”. This is especially common in thermal-pane (double- or triple-pane) and tempered glass windows. Fabricating debris cannot be seen by the naked eye but when a scraper knocks it loose from the glass and pushes it across the surface of the glass there will be a scratch in the glass. The scratch will have a shape similar to a meteor moving across the sky. For this reason we only use a scraper when necessary.

What type of window cleaning chemicals do you use?
We use a green cleaning agent specifically formulated for professional window cleaning. Our cleaning agents are biodegradable and contain no hazardous ingredients.

Do you clean sill tracks (i.e., portion of sill that is covered by window sashes)?
If our technicians are not required to open the window to clean the inside and outside of the glass, which is the case for almost all windows that do not have storms, then our technicians will not open each window and wipe the sill tracks as part of our regular cleaning service. We will clean the exposed parts of the sill on the inside and outside of the home.

For storm window cleaning, our technicians will typically need to raise the bottom sash of the window to remove the storms. Therefore, it is our standard practice to wipe the sill tracks in addition to cleaning the sills themselves.

Can sill track cleaning be added to my service?
Certainly. Our estimator can add this to your price quote as a separate line item. This extra charge covers the additional time it takes our technicians to clean the tracks, as well as opening and closing the window sashes.

My windows tilt in, so can you just clean them from the inside?
We do not tilt in windows to clean them, as a rule. If the windows are at a high elevation, hard to access, or not safely accessible on the outside then we may tilt in a few of them for cleaning. But in general, we clean the outside from the outside and the inside from the inside of the home. That way the dirt that is on the outside, stays outside.

How does the Window Cleaning Process work?
There are six steps to our window cleaning process, which is a hand-cleaning technique.

• Preview and Inspect the Window.
• Wet/Scrub the Window: Window scrubbed with soft scrubber and window cleaning detergent.
• Squeegee the Glass: Remove all dirt suspended in solution with wipe of squeegee.
• Wipe the Sill: Remove excess water and loose dirt from the sill with a damp sponge.
• Detail Edges of the Glass: Chamois (i.e., special window cleaning towel) used to detail edges of glass.
• Inspect Work.

Why do you recommend inside and outside cleaning?
We’ve found over many years that the best cleaning result and highest customer satisfaction comes from a full cleaning of your windows inside and outside. Furthermore, the inside cleaning of your windows typically results in only a small increase in the overall price.

Will your employees track dirt into my home when cleaning windows inside?
No. All employees that enter your home will wear protective shoe covers to ensure that no dirt or debris is tracked on your floors.

Do I need to be worried about dirt/debris or water droplets being left inside my home by your crew?
No. Our employees take great care when inside our customers’ homes and are trained to use a drop cloth to catch any excess moisture and clean up any dirt or debris that is removed from your windows (especially in the case of storm windows).

Does it matter if we are getting ready to have our house painted?
Please ensure that your painters clean up after themselves and note that our service does not include any scraping or abrasive cleaning. That said, we would always recommend have your windows cleaned after your painting has occurred. Note: Any windows that are painted shut cannot be broken open by our crews. This is for the protection of your property and our crew members.

Do you sell window tinting?
No, window tinting is not included in the services that we offer. We feel that window tinting will shorten the life of the seal in thermal-pane (double- or triple-insulated glass) windows due to the increased heat that will be generated on the glass.

Should I have my windows cleaned before selling my home?
According to a survey of 2000 real estate agents conducted by HomeGain.com and reported on in Money Magazine, having your windows cleaned is one of the most cost-effective and high-return investments you can make on your home to get it ready to sell. HomeGain.com – Home Sale Maximizer Guide – Money Magazine – June 2003 Home Economics Article.

I have storm windows and would like to have them cleaned on the outside only. Does your price include the outside of the storm and main windows?
No, when a customer has storm windows and asks for an outside-only cleaning, our technicians will only clean exposed glass on the outside. If you would also like to have the outside of the main windows (behind the storm window) cleaned additional charges would apply.

Quality Control

Hard Water Staining
Hard water staining has the appearance of dried water droplets on your window glass. This is caused by the exposure of architectural glass to water sources containing dissolved silicates (i.e., minerals) that become more concentrated when the water evaporates. The silicates themselves chemically bond to your window glass producing spotting that clouds your view. Hard water often comes into play from rainwater runoff across concrete surfaces or tap water exposure (sprinkler systems).

Broken Seals
Broken window seals occur when the seal between two panes of glass fails, causing humid air to seep between the panes. This leads to the presence of visible condensation or a foggy appearance. Your window must be repaired to permanently address the condensation.

Scratches
Our window cleaning process neither causes scratches (a wet mop and rubber squeegee do not scratch architectural glass) nor removes pre-existing scratches (maintenance cleaning removes topical debris from glass; glass restoration is needed to remove scratches).

Mold on Mullions or Frames
Mold can be very tricky to remove once it becomes embedded in painted surfaces. Mold removal techniques may involve the use of chemical agents that are beyond the scope of our window cleaning process. The effectiveness of a chemical cleaning still depends on mold severity.

Paint Drops or Overspray
Our technicians are able to remove isolated instances of paint splatter or overspray from your glass. Bulk scraping of paint is not included in the price quote for maintenance window cleaning.

Pricing

Why did my price increase from last year?
We have a standard price inflation increase each year to cover predictable cost increases in labor, supplies, insurance, and rent. Unless there are circumstances around a particular job that lead to a one-time price increase (example: job took much more time on 1st cleaning than originally thought for reasons not anticipated), we will always keep annual price increases reasonable and in line with broad indicators of industry cost inflation.

If I choose just to only have the Outsides of my exterior windows cleaned, does that mean there will be a 50% price reduction from the Inside & Outside price you quoted?
No, the vast majority (usually between 80% and 90%) of your Inside & Outside window cleaning price is attributable to work performed on the outside of the home, as most of the company’s risk and heavy lifting occurs outside of the home where we are use ladders and encounter more difficult job conditions. Inside window cleaning can usually be completed from the technicians’ feet, so there is far less risk and set-up time involved per window.

Can I just give you my window counts so you can give me a price over the phone?
For first time customers, we do require an estimator to review the job on an in-person site visit. The price of your window cleaning depends on a host of factors, including style & size of windows, location of windows on the home, presence of storm windows, and existence of landscape hazards. Because we offer a firm price, it is best for everyone that we develop an accurate estimate of the skill and time required to perform the work. The estimate is completely free and carries no obligation, and in future years we will not need to perform additional estimates because we would already have your home’s information on file.

The last time you cleaned my windows I used a price discount. Does this apply again? Do you have any regular customer discounts?
The company does run limited-time, seasonal price discounts at different points throughout the year. Unfortunately, we are not able to honor discounts or coupons beyond a promotion’s stated expiration date.

What is your minimum service charge? Why?
Our minimum service charge for Window Cleaning starts at $225, but this depends on your home’s distance form our shop in Richmond (job sites outside of a 30+ minute radius may have a slightly higher minimum charge to account for extensive travel time).

Pressure Washing & SoftWashing

Service & Scope

What is the difference between Power (or Pressure) Washing and SoftWashing?
Pressure Washing: Uses the power of water to clean surfaces. This style of cleaning is completed about 2 feet away from the surface, using a pressure washing machine and wand.

SoftWashing: In this approach, we gently apply cleaning agents to the home, allow them to dwell for a short period of time, and then thoroughly rinse them from the home. SoftWashing can be completed safely from the ground from 10 to 20 feet away from your home. Using pressure to clean siding may cause serious damage. Using a SoftWash technique is safer for your home and produces a superior cleaning result that lasts several times longer power washing.

What’s in your SoftWash mixture and is it safe?
Our mixture consists of:

1. Water (makes up the majority of the mixture).
2. Commercial Grade Detergent (to lift dirt from home).
3. Sodium Hypochlorite (to kill mold; aka “bleach”).

Our cleaning mixture serves as a mild fungicide that lifts stubborn dirt and mold from your home’s surface. The cleaning agents are diluted by a factor of around 14-1 by the time they are applied to your home, and our technicians will pre-rinse all surfaces and surrounding landscaping before applying our cleaning mixture, and we wash away all cleaning agents at the end of the service.

How does the SoftWash process work?

1. Preview and Prepare the Property: All furniture, flags, door mats, potted plants, etc. are moved to a safe location.
2. Prepare Cleaning Solution Mixture.
3. Soak Plants and Patios: Pre-wet all plants and patios to ensure they are unharmed during cleaning process.
4. Apply Cleaning Solution: Mixture applied to home one side at a time. The mixture will kill mold and mildew, as well as lift dirt off of your siding, so it can be rinsed away with low pressure.
5. Rinse Thoroughly: Gently rinse siding and all plants and other surfaces.
6. Inspect the Work: Team completes a final walk-through to double check that the work meets the our cleaning standard.

What is included in the Standard SoftWash service?
We are responsible for cleaning:

• All siding and trim*.
• All window frames.
• Front porch, railing, and steps.
• Side porch, railing and steps.
• Screen porch framing (outside only).
• Outside of gutter (topical debris only).
• Pressure washing of front sidewalk.

*Note: If your home is unpainted brick, the brick portion will be thoroughly sprayed with water, as SoftWash cleaning agents are not effective on porous surfaces. The rest of your home can be SoftWashed per our process.

What will the SoftWash process remove?
The Spotless SoftWash will remove:

• Mold and mildew.
• Spider webs.
• Dirt.
• Bird droppings.
• Mud dauber nests.
• Insects and debris.

What may remain after the SoftWash service is complete?
SoftWash cannot fix all imperfections, including:

• Artillery mold.
• Pre-existing faded paint.
• Pre-existing rust stains.
• Pre-existing chipped paint.

Are there any add-ons to a SoftWash service?
If specifically noted in advance, a customer may request SoftWash or pressure washing add-ons. A member of the estimating team will need to look at the

• Screen porch (inside cleaning).
• Patios.
• Driveway.
• Secondary Sidewalks.
• Sheds.
• Other buildings on the property (e.g., guest house, pool house).
• Fences and retaining walls.
• Chimneys.

Note: If customer thinks there may be other surfaces she would like to pressure wash in the future it could make sense to have the estimator quote these on the initial site visit (just be sure you get agreement from the customer that these will be in the quote), as there is no up-front obligation on the customer’s part and it will save everyone time if the customer decides to have these add-on services done at a future date.

Can you clean my deck furniture?
We can have our estimator take a look at this and see if this is something our team can safely clean on-site. There are certain types of deck furniture that we would not be comfortable cleaning with our process in the interest of keeping your property safe, but we’d need to see it in-person.

Can you pressure wash my deck?
Many wooden decks often need to be resealed after power washing, which is a very time- and labor-intensive process that Spotless does not currently offer. For this reason, Spotless will not typically power wash a wood deck, unless the customer does not have plans to reseal. There are certain types of decking material that we are comfortable cleaning through light spraying or the SoftWash technique, and our estimator can assess whether deck cleaning is a service we can safely perform for you.

What types of surfaces do you SoftWash vs. pressure wash?
SoftWashing is used to clean vertical surfaces (e.g., siding). Pressure washing is more often used to clean horizontal surfaces (driveway, sidewalk, patios, etc.). SoftWashing works well for surfaces that are non-porous (plastic, painted wood, vinyl, painted brick) and pressure washing is effective for stronger materials that have a porous composition (concrete, certain types of wood, brick, exposed aggregate).

Can you SoftWash stucco surfaces?
We may be able to SoftWash stucco, but our estimator will need to look at the surface and possibly run a test to determine whether our SoftWash process will be effective. Generally, more porous surfaces (brick, concrete, stucco, unfinished wood) do not clean up very well from a cleaning agent process, and stucco can be especially challenging since it is more delicate that brick and concrete and can be damaged by even small amounts of pressure.

Can you SoftWash part of my home, for example just the front side?
We very strongly recommend customers have their entire home SoftWashed. When once section of your home is SoftWashed, it can create an unusual contrast in appearance between the cleaned area and the area that has not been cleaned.

However, as long as the area in question is a contiguous area of the home and we can describe it to our technicians we can SoftWash a subset of your home’s exterior.

Will your process clean my roof? Do you clean roofs?
Our process will clean the outsides of your gutters (although we may not be able to remove all black streaks from gutters), but roof cleaning is not a service we offer currently. On certain residential homes we can spot clean small areas of your roof if the spots can be easily sprayed from the ground (i.e., without climbing ladder).

Will SoftWashing remove cobwebs and debris from my windows?
Yes, SoftWashing will remove topical debris and dirt from your home’s window frames.

Quality Control

It looks like there are streaks or spots on my windows after SoftWashing?
SoftWashing does a fantastic job of removing dirt and debris from your home, however it can leave some spotting on windows due to overspray and the lifting of dirt from your home’s siding which then settles on your window glass. While our technicians rinse the home thoroughly at the end of the service, SoftWashing utilizes tap water, which is not pure, so some light streaks may still be present on your glass.

Pricing

How do you price your SoftWashing and Pressure Washing services?
At a high level, we use a site visit so that our estimator can assess the time and skill required to complete the requested services on your home. A number of variables go into the pricing equation.

For SoftWashing, factors include the home’s square footage, surface materials, and technician maneuverability considerations (landscaping hazards, furniture to be moved, water sources, complex layouts of the home).

For Pressure Washing of horizontal surfaces, factors include the surface area to be cleaned, surface material, location of area to be cleaned, and equipment technique used.

What is your minimum service charge? Why?
Our minimum service charge for SoftWashing starts at $250, but this depends on your home’s distance form our shop in Richmond (job sites outside of a 30+ minute radius may have a slightly higher minimum charge to account for extensive travel time).

The minimum charge exists to account for certain costs that our Company needs to cover regardless of job size, including: travel time, cleaning agents, set-up and tear-down time.

Scheduling Services

In limited cases, when a customer’s home is a significant distance from our office, we may choose to perform both window cleaning and SoftWashing services on the same day.

Can I schedule my service several months in advance?
Yes! We can schedule a single appointment or multiple appointments well in advance (up to a year).

Can I choose the exact day and time of my appointment?
We always try to accommodate customer requests for a specific date and time of service. There is more opportunity for scheduling flexibility the further out the customer is willing to schedule.