Window cleaningin Parkland, FL.

Large two-story Mediterranean homes like the ones in Parkland Golf & Country Club tend to have an entry with a tall window wall or an arched transom above the door. From the inside it looks clean for years. From the drive, with the sun on it, the haze and the rain streaks show.

The water-fed pole reaches about thirty feet from the ground, which covers most foyer glass without anyone on a ladder against the stucco. The brush scrubs, the purified water rinses, and the glass dries without spots because there is nothing in the water to leave behind. If a transom sits over a roof section the pole cannot reach, that is said up front. Inside, the same glass is done by hand wherever it can be reached safely.

On the acreage in Pine Tree Estates, irrigation runs off private wells, and well water can carry iron and minerals. When a head throws water on the lower panes, it dries into white rings and orange flecks. Do that twice a week for a few years and the spots etch into the glass. The county rule covers wells as well as utility water, so the heads run on your two set days and the same panes take the hit every time.

Fresh spotting comes off in a normal clean. Etched spotting needs a mineral remover and more time per pane, and some will only lighten. Michael tests one pane before quoting so the number reflects what your glass needs. Re-aiming the heads is the cheapest way to keep the lower panes clean.

Parkland's western edge runs into the Everglades, and a lot of lots back onto preserve or a lake. The lanai sliders on that side collect pollen, humidity film and whatever the cage screen sheds when it rains. The tracks fill with grit and the heavy panels start to drag. Spring adds pollen from the trees along the preserve edge, and in the humidity it sticks to the glass instead of blowing off.

Every slider gets its glass done both sides if you book inside and out, the frame wiped, and the track brushed and vacuumed so it glides. Screens come out, get washed and go back in. If the rollers are worn, that is a repair, not a clean, and Michael will tell you so. Glass on the water side is also where lawn sprinkler spotting usually shows first.