Florida windows take a beating no northern window ever sees: a yellow-green pollen dusting every spring, a salt haze if you're anywhere near the bay, summer thunderstorm splash-back, and — twice a year — the love-bug spatter season every Tampa driver knows too well. Here's how to win.

Glass: the pro formula

Skip the blue spray for big jobs. Pros use a bucket: warm water, a small squirt of dish soap, nothing else.

  1. Wash the glass with a well-wrung sponge or a strip applicator, top to bottom.
  2. Squeegee in overlapping passes, wiping the rubber blade with a rag after each stroke. Work top-down; angle the squeegee so water sheets away from cleaned glass.
  3. Detail the edges with a dry microfiber cloth.

Two rules that prevent 90% of streaks: never clean glass in direct sun (it dries before you can squeegee — work the shady side and follow the shade around the house), and change your wash water as soon as it looks cloudy.

Love-bug season triage

May and September, the bugs arrive — and their residue is mildly acidic, so it etches glass and paint if it bakes on. Wet the spatter with soapy water, let it soften for a few minutes, then scrub with a mesh bug sponge (sold for cars, perfect for windows). The sooner after the swarm, the easier the job.

Screens: where the dirt actually lives

If a freshly cleaned window still looks hazy, the screen is the culprit — mesh traps pollen and dust, and every breeze sifts it onto the glass.

  • Pop screens out and label them with painter's tape so they go back in the same windows.
  • Lay them flat on the driveway or lanai, scrub gently both sides with a soft brush and soapy water.
  • Rinse with the hose on gentle — never a pressure washer, which stretches and tears mesh — and let them dry fully before reinstalling to avoid instant pollen paste.
Pro tip: for quick between-washes screen refreshes, run a lint roller over the mesh. It pulls off pollen and dust in place — no removal required.

Know when to stay off the ladder

Single-story exteriors are a satisfying weekend job. Second-story glass over landscaping, or windows behind pool screen enclosures, are where homeowners get hurt — that's squarely "call someone with the right equipment" territory. Interior glass, though, is easy: the bucket-and-squeegee method works exactly the same, with a towel along the sill.