Window Cleaning in Mill Valley, CA

Blithedale Canyon and Cascade Canyon stay cooler and wetter than the open parts of town. Redwood needles catch summer fog and drip it down through the canopy, so roofs, skylights and upper sashes stay damp. Damp glass holds on to needles and pollen. Skylights and gutters fill first, and tracks on the uphill side clog with duff.

When the town was laid out, the engineer drew in pedestrian paths and step systems along with the roads. More than 175 historic steps, lanes and paths remain, and the Dipsea Steps near Old Mill Park count 688 steps on their own. Many Mill Valley homes sit above a steep driveway or a flight of stairs.

Close to downtown are Craftsman and other character houses from roughly 1890 to 1920, on hillsides once crowded with summer cottages for San Franciscans. Their wood sashes and small divided panes call for hand work. Higher up are mid-century and modern view homes with tall fixed glass, where a water-fed pole handles most of the exterior.

Downtown Mill Valley centers on Depot Plaza and Throckmorton Avenue, a compact core of independent shops, galleries and restaurants. Lytton Square, the small island in Throckmorton, has three tall redwoods of its own, so even storefront glass here sits under trees. Shop windows collect fingerprints and sidewalk dust down low and needle debris along the sills.

Hillside streets in southern Marin are often narrow and winding, and parked vehicles have to leave room for fire engines. Tell us where a work vehicle can stand, how steep the driveway is, and how many steps lead to the door. We bring what can be carried in.

About 90 percent of the yearly rain falls from November through March. A cleaning in spring clears what the storms knocked loose, and one in fall resets the glass before the wet season. Directly under redwoods, skylights and gutters often need checking more often than the windows.

Call (415) 975-1522 with the number of stories, a rough window count and any skylights. A written quote comes before any work, for a one-time clean or recurring service. For Mill Valley window cleaning we also ask about tree cover, since gutters can go on the same quote.