Most window complaints are one of a small number of specific physical problems, and each has a distinct visual signature. If you can identify which one you have, you know whether it comes off, roughly what it costs, and whether you need anyone at all.
Several of these pages conclude that the honest answer is “this is permanent” or “this is a drainage problem, not a window problem.” We would rather tell you that than sell you a service that will not fix it.
Usually removable
Why are there white streaks on my windows under my swamp cooler?
Deposits build April through October and are most visible by September.
Usually removable
Will hard water stains come off my windows or is the glass ruined?
Usually removable
Why is there a hazy stripe on the bottom of my windows after it rains?
Early July through mid September, worst by the end of the season.
Usually removable
Why do my brand new windows have a haze that will not come off?
Rarely removable
Can scratched window glass be repaired?
Usually removable
How do I get cottonwood fluff off my window screens?
Late May through June, with the drop lasting two to four weeks.
Not a glass problem
Why is there water pooling inside my window frame?
Not a glass problem
Why is there a water stain above my window in winter?
December through March, worst after a heavy snow followed by sustained cold.
Start with where the mark sits on the window. High and vertical from the roofline points at evaporative cooler bleed. A sharp band across the bottom of ground-floor glass points at monsoon splash-back. A spray pattern at sprinkler height points at hard water. Whole-house haze on a new build points at construction fines. And a stain above the window in winter is almost never the window at all — it is an ice dam.
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