How often should you clean your windows in Cape Town?

Location matters more than anything

The single biggest factor is how close you live to the sea. Spray off False Bay dries on glass as a thin film of salt. In low afternoon sun it turns windows cloudy, and it builds up fastest on balconies and sea-facing sliding doors.

• Beachfront Strand and Gordon's Bay: every 4–8 weeks.
• A few streets back from the sea: every 2–3 months.
• Somerset West and the Helderberg estates: every 2–3 months.
• Stellenbosch and the Winelands: every 2–3 months, more often in dusty summer months.

The season changes things too

Summer brings the south-easter, which carries sand and dust into frames, sills and sliding-door tracks across the Helderberg. Winter rain washes some dust off the glass, but dirty water runs down from frames and sills and leaves marks.

That's why many households book one clean just before summer — usually in November or early December, before the festive season — and another after the winter rains.

Signs your windows are due

• The glass looks hazy or grey when the sun hits it.
• You can see spots or drip marks below the frames.
• Sliding doors feel gritty or stiff.
• Cobwebs and dead insects are collecting in the corners and on the sills.
• Photos taken through the window look soft.

Inside vs outside

The outside of the glass gets dirty much faster than the inside. If you're trying to keep things manageable, many clients alternate: a full inside-and-outside clean, then an outside-only clean, then a full clean again.

Homes with pets, small children or smokers usually find the inside needs doing just as often.

Don't forget frames, sills and tracks

Cleaning only the glass is why windows look dirty again so quickly. Salt and dust sitting on frames and sills wash straight back onto the pane the next time it rains or the sprinklers come on. A proper window clean includes the whole opening — which is how we do every job.