How Often Should Burnaby Storefronts Clean Their Windows?

Most Burnaby storefronts do well with window cleaning once a month, and busier street-front shops and restaurants usually need it every two weeks or every week. Foot traffic, food, the street outside and the time of year decide where your store fits, and the inside of the glass often needs more attention than the outside.

This guide sets out a schedule by type of storefront, what makes glass dirty faster, and what to ask for when you set up regular window cleaning for a Burnaby shop or restaurant.

How Often Should a Storefront Clean Its Windows?

Monthly window cleaning is the baseline for most retail, bi-weekly suits stores with moderate traffic, and weekly suits the busiest street-front locations. Your glass is part of the first impression before anyone walks in.

Storefront glass gets dirty faster than the windows on a home. People touch the doors, lean on the glass and press up to look at displays, and the street outside sends dust and grime onto the outside of the pane every day.

A Schedule by Type of Storefront

Use this as a starting point, then adjust after the first few cleanings:

• Busy street-front retail and restaurants. How often: weekly. Fingerprints, food and steady foot traffic build up fastest here.
• Stores with moderate traffic. How often: every two weeks. A regular rhythm keeps the glass looking cared for without a weekly visit.
• Most other retail and street-level offices. How often: monthly. This is the baseline that keeps displays visible and the door glass clean.

If your store sits on a busy corridor in Burnaby, like Kingsway near Metrotown or Hastings Street in the Heights, start at the higher end and see how the glass holds up.

What Makes Storefront Glass Dirty Faster

Four things decide how quickly storefront glass needs cleaning again: hands, food, the street and the weather.

Hands and doors

Door glass and low panes usually show fingerprints first. A store with a lot of customers going in and out will see smudges on the inside of the door within days.

Food

Restaurants, cafés and bakeries get grease and steam on the inside of the glass as well as fingerprints. That is why food businesses often need a weekly or bi-weekly visit.

The street

Traffic, bus stops and nearby construction send dust and grime onto the outside of the glass. A shop on a busy road or next to a building site will need the outside cleaned more often than one on a quiet street.

The weather

Vancouver's wet season leaves spots and splash marks on the lower panes. More than half of Vancouver's yearly precipitation falls from October through January, measured at Vancouver International (Environment and Climate Change Canada, 1991 to 2020 normals), so many stores clean more often through the fall and winter.

Inside and Outside Don't Need the Same Schedule

The inside of storefront glass collects fingerprints and smudges, and the outside collects street grime and rain spots. Many stores keep the inside on a tighter schedule than the outside, or clean both on the same visit to keep it simple.

We clean both. Inside glass is cleaned by squeegee and microfibre, and the outside is cleaned with a water-fed pole and rinsed with deionized water. Frames get cleaned along with the glass.

Working Around Your Hours

A storefront clean shouldn't get in the way of customers. We schedule storefront work early in the morning or after close, and regular clients can keep the same day and time each week or every two weeks.

That way the glass is clean when you open, and nobody has to step around a crew at the front door.

Storefronts Below Condos and Offices

Many Burnaby storefronts sit at the bottom of a mixed-use building, with homes or offices above. In those buildings, the strata or the property manager may already arrange window cleaning for the whole building.

If your store is in a strata building, check who handles the outside of the glass before you book. Our guide on who cleans the windows in a Burnaby condo or townhouse explains how strata window responsibilities work.

What to Ask When You Set Up Regular Window Cleaning

A clear storefront contract settles the schedule and the scope up front. Before you book, ask:

• How often, and whether the inside and outside are on the same schedule
• When the crew comes, so the work happens outside your opening hours
• What's included, like frames, door glass, signage glass and awnings
• Before and after photos, so you can see what was done on each visit
• Proof of liability insurance and the company's WorkSafeBC status

Our guide on checking a window cleaner's insurance and WorkSafeBC status walks through the clearance letter.

How We Clean Storefront Windows in Burnaby

We clean storefronts across Burnaby, including Metrotown, Brentwood and Lougheed, on weekly, bi-weekly or monthly schedules. Every job is photographed before and after, and glass awnings and skylights can be added to your storefront service.

WashTech is WorkSafeBC compliant and carries $2 million in liability insurance. Learn more about our window cleaning in Burnaby, our storefront window cleaning for Burnaby businesses, or our full window cleaning service.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you clean before my store opens?

Yes. We schedule storefront work early in the morning or after close, so the glass is clean when you open.

Do you clean storefront windows in the rain?

Light rain is fine and doesn't affect the result. We reschedule for high wind or heavy storms.

Can you clean glass awnings and skylights too?

Yes. Glass awnings and skylights are priced separately and can be added to your storefront service.

How is storefront window cleaning priced?

Pricing depends on the building's height, the number of units and how often you want the glass cleaned. We quote every job before we start.

Is weekly cleaning too often?

Not for a busy street-front store or a restaurant, where fingerprints and grease build up within days. For quieter stores, start monthly and move to bi-weekly if the glass doesn't hold up between visits.

Key Takeaways

• Monthly is the baseline for most Burnaby storefronts; bi-weekly suits moderate traffic and weekly suits the busiest stores and restaurants.
• Hands, food, the street and the wet season decide how fast storefront glass gets dirty.
• The inside and outside can run on different schedules, and both can be cleaned on the same visit.
• Storefront work can be scheduled early in the morning or after close.
• In a strata building, check who handles the outside glass before you book.

If you'd like a clear and straightforward quote for your Burnaby storefront, contact WashTech and we'll get back to you quickly.