<p>When they paint your house, I assume they power wash the exterior first, does that, or anything else related to exterior paining for that matter, get the windows dirty?</p>
<p>Because we’re getting out house painted very soon, but our windows are filthy and we need to clean them desperately. I was wondering whether we can prudently do that now, or would we be wiser to wait till after the house is painted.</p>
<p>I would wait. You might have to scrape the pesky little pieces of masking tape and paint splatter off the glass, so you might as well wash the windows while you are up on the ladder. And yes, pressure washing can leave everything around the pressure washed surface dirty.</p>
<p>If they are painting the window trim, wait. They’ll have to tape the windows and inevitably paint will get on the windows which will have to be scraped off with a razor blade. Then wash.</p>
<p>We painted the house first…that is what we were told to do by realtors, stagers etc…</p>
<p>So…that is what I would do if I were you…</p>
<p>Unless you want to wash the windows twice… ;)</p>
<p>Thanks.
Actually, as it happens, most of our windows are replacements, they have vinyl frames and won’t be painted.
But I guess I’m hearing safer to wait anyway.</p>
<p>Our painters taped clear plastic over our windows to minimize the dirt and paint splatter, but I would still clean the windows last.</p>
<p>If there are a few windows that are particularly annoying to you, you could put in an order to have them cleaned now, while at the same time putting in an order to have all the windows cleaned after the paint job. We have about six windows that make a big difference to my happiness level, and I get them cleaned more often. Other windows just don’t get as dirty in ways I notice or care about as much.</p>
<p>Yah I think that’s what we’ll do.</p>
<p>We just had our dining room painted, and now by contrast the dining room windows look starkly horrible. They’re in no different condition than the windows in the rest of the house, but now somehow all the dirt on them is much more obtrusive than previously.</p>
<p>So maybe we’ll just clean those now, and wait to do the rest.</p>
<p>(That, or close the blinds all the way in the dining room…)</p>
<p>I would never hire a painter who did NOT cover the windows in plastic. If they are trying to cut corners by not covering the windows, they are not going to remove paint splatter when they are finished. I wouldn’t wash the windows before painting because a good painter will caulk around the windows to give you a good seal before painting. some of the caulk may have to be wiped off and this will mar a freshly washed window. Make sure your painter spends a good deal of time prepping-- caulking, filling wall cracks (if applicable), etc., and make sure they do NOT delute your paint with water under any circumstances.</p>
<p>Your painter won’t pressure wash your house unless it’s in their contract. Make sure it is.</p>
<p>Clean the windows afterwards. Or use one of the spray-on window cleaners like this: [WINDEX</a> Outdoor Glass Cleaner, 32 Oz. Hose End Sprayer](<a href=“http://www.castlewholesalers.com/WINDEX-Outdoor-Glass-Cleaner-32-Oz-Hose-End-Sprayer.html]WINDEX”>http://www.castlewholesalers.com/WINDEX-Outdoor-Glass-Cleaner-32-Oz-Hose-End-Sprayer.html)</p>
<p>We are having the eaves of our house painted, and our painter said that one of the things he always does is clean the windows when he is done. He says the bleach in the pressure wash can make the windows look dirty, so he always goes back and cleans the windows. One of the reasons we picked him, since we have some upstairs windows that have NEVER been washed - built this house 12 years ago…</p>
<p>“I would never hire a painter who did NOT cover the windows in plastic.”</p>
<p>Yup, they all say that they do. Somehow, paint splatter gets under that plastic, unless you “babysit” the painters, LOL! That’s why I paint everything MYSELF.</p>
<p>“I wouldn’t wash the windows before painting because a good painter will caulk around the windows to give you a good seal before painting. some of the caulk may have to be wiped off and this will mar a freshly washed window.”</p>
<p>good point in many cases no doubt, though my case though my house has mostly vinly replacement windows that will not be painted, or caulked.</p>
<p>^monydad, Even though your windows are vinyl, they will calulk around the frames on certain types of houses. I also have vinyl windows (with stucco siding) that still need to be caulked where the edge of the window and the house siding meet.</p>
<p>oh ok, thanks. This is the first time we’re having this house painted, just been here 5 years, and didn’t have these kind of windows on our prior houses.</p>
<p>That’s why I paint everything MYSELF.
How are you on ladders? We didn’t get finished last year & we are just north of Fremont.
;)</p>
<p>If they power wash your house before they paint make sure they 1)use a very low pressure stream, 2) wait a least a full week of very dry weather before applying paint, and that you have enough money to repaint the house in about five years.<br>
I would never power wash a house, let alone before painting. The pressure drives water into the wood and it takes several months for it to come back out, even if it appears dry. If you put paint over moist wood, the paint will just peel off. Better to dry scrap loose paint and brush the house off. Only those parts of the house that are seriously dirty should be “washed” and even there a good brushing should take care of most of it.</p>
<p>FWIW, the house siding is (previously painted) stucco, not wood.
I actually don’t know of they were planning to power wash it, I just assumed they did that, maybe they don’t.</p>
<p>Our house is also stucco. We had it professionally painted, and they power washed the entire thing. That’s common in our area, and I think necessary to remove the accumulated dirt…but then again, we live in the desert, and the dirt in the air is never ending.</p>
<p>Same thing applys to stucco, it will absorb water, so you want them to use a low pressure stream and to wait before slapping the paint on. It would be less of an issue in a desert climate where the humidity levels are fairly low to begin with, but if you are in the NW, midwest, etc. I would be very cautious.</p>