Roof, gutters, house, concrete, windows. Each step sends water and grime downward, so working top to bottom means nothing gets cleaned twice. In Austin, book the full sequence for late spring, once oak season is over, and do a lighter round in the fall.
What order should you clean your home's exterior?
Work from the top down: roof first, then gutters, then the house itself, then the driveway and other concrete, and the windows last. Gravity decides the order. Rinse water, loosened algae, leaf grit, and detergent all travel downhill, so anything you clean early will get dirty again if a surface above it is still waiting its turn.
- Roof (and rooftop solar)
- Gutters and downspouts
- House: siding, eaves, soffits
- Driveway, walks, patios
- Windows, last
| Step | What gets cleaned | Why it goes here |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Roof (and any rooftop solar panels) | The highest surface. Its runoff drains into the gutters and down the walls. |
| 2 | Gutters and downspouts | They collect what the roof just shed. Flushing the downspouts can splash the walls below. |
| 3 | House washing: siding, eaves, soffits | Wall rinse water runs down onto walks, patios, and the drive. |
| 4 | Driveway, walks, and patios | Flatwork catches everything from above, so it's cleaned once the work above it is done. |
| 5 | Windows | Every other step can mist, drip, or splash onto glass. Cleaning it last keeps it clear. |
Why does the roof come first?
Because a roof cleaning sends dead algae, grit, and rinse water into your gutters and down your walls. Wash the siding first and the roof would undo it the same day. The Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association notes that roof algae is most widespread in the Gulf States, especially in warm, humid conditions, and warns that high-pressure washing is likely to damage asphalt shingles. That's why roofs get a low-pressure soft wash, which our roof cleaning page explains in detail.
The roof isn't on every visit. Most Austin-area roofs need cleaning every two to three years, sooner under heavy oak shade or on north-facing slopes. In the years it's due, it sets the order for everything else.
Where do solar panels fit? At the top, with the roof. Panels are rinsed with purified water, and that water drains into the same gutters. If panels are the only rooftop job that year, they still go before the gutters and the walls below them.
Why clean the gutters right after the roof?
Because the gutters have just caught everything the roof let go, and cleaning them earlier would mean cleaning them twice. Under Austin's live oaks, that's a lot: leaves, stringy oak tassels (catkins), seed pods, and shingle grit pack into a wet mat that blocks the flow.
A proper gutter cleaning doesn't stop at scooping. Every downspout gets flushed until it runs clear, and that flush can splash water and sediment onto the walls and ground below. Doing it before the house wash means any splash gets rinsed off in the next step instead of drying on clean siding.
Clear gutters also protect the work below them. Gutters that overflow in a storm pour dirty water down the siding and windows, and they soak the soil at the foundation. On Austin's expansive clay, that's one of the quiet drivers of slab movement.
Why does house washing come before the concrete?
Because everything rinsed off the walls runs down onto the foundation edge, the walks, the patio, and the driveway. If the concrete were already clean, it would end up streaked with whatever came off the siding.
A soft-wash house washing covers more than the walls. Ours includes the eaves, soffits, and fascia, the outside faces of the gutters, and the downspout exteriors. That's why house washing sits right after gutter cleaning: gutter cleaning handles the inside of the gutters, and the house wash brightens the outside faces.
The detergent kills mold, mildew, and algae at the root, so the wall stays clean longer. Rusty oak-tannin streaks that drip from the canopy are treated in the same visit.
Why clean the driveway and concrete after the house?
Because flatwork is where everything above it ends up: roof grit, gutter splash, wall rinse water, and the oak debris that was blown off the roofline. Cleaning it once, near the end, means it only has to be cleaned once.
The driveway, front walk, and sidewalk are often done together under driveway cleaning, while patios, pool decks, and garage floors fall under concrete cleaning, so all the flatwork can match. Those pages cover oil drips, tannin stains, and what usually lightens versus what comes out completely, so we won't repeat it here.
Why should windows always be cleaned last?
Because every other step can put water on the glass, and in Austin, water that dries on glass leaves spots. Roof runoff, downspout splash, and the house-wash rinse all reach the windows, and flatwork cleaning can splash low windows and glass doors. Clean the glass before any of that and you'll be booking it again.
Austin's tap water is hard, so droplets that dry on a window leave calcium and lime spots behind. That's why our window cleaning uses a water-fed pole with purified, deionized water that dries spot-free, reaching up to three stories from the ground. Screens, tracks, and sills are part of the same visit, so the windows are the finishing step. If spots have already set in, see our guide to removing hard-water stains.
The most common sequencing mistake is booking window cleaning a week or two before a house wash or driveway cleaning. If you're planning several exterior services this season, put the windows on the calendar after the others, not before.
Should you pressure wash before or after cleaning windows?
Before. Pressure washing and soft washing both put water and grime on the glass, so windows always go last. That applies to the driveway, walks, and patio as much as the siding. If both are on your list, book the windows for after the washing, or as the final step of the same visit.
When is the best time to clean your home's exterior in Austin?
Late spring, from about late April into June, is the best time for the full top-to-bottom sequence, with a lighter round in the fall. The reason is the live oaks. Daphne Richards, the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension horticulturist for Travis County, says oak trees typically flower and produce their pollen in March and April, and the spent tassels drop soon after. Live oaks also shed their old leaves in spring, as the new ones come in. Texas A&M's Plant Disease Diagnostic Lab says the drop runs from about March into early May.
Run the sequence during that stretch and every surface gets coated again within days. Wait until the drop is done and one visit carries you through summer. In the fall, repeat whichever steps are due, in the same order. For the month-by-month pollen picture, see our Austin window cleaning calendar.
When the stringy tassels stop piling up on your driveway and the yellow film stops reappearing on your car, the spring drop is done and it's time to book. One exception: if your gutters are overflowing in spring storms, clear them now rather than waiting.
How do I plan an exterior cleaning visit in the right order?
List the steps your home needs, keep them in top-down order, and book them together or with the windows last. Tick each step below that's due at your house, then mention them all when you request your quote.
Exterior cleaning order checklist
Not every home needs every step every time. Skip what isn't due, but keep the order.
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Can you clean the whole exterior in one visit?
Yes. Roof soft washing, gutter cleaning, house washing, driveway and concrete cleaning, and window cleaning can be bundled into one visit on request. Doing it together is often a better rate than booking each service separately, and it makes the order easy to get right. List every service you want when you request your quote, or call or text and tell us what's on your list.
A little prep helps on the day. Move vehicles off the driveway and make sure we can get through any gates.
What if I only book one or two services at a time?
Keep the same top-down order across visits, and always schedule windows after any other exterior work. If you can't do everything at once, here's how to prioritize:
- Gutters, plus the roof when it's due. These protect the house. Overflowing gutters rot fascia and soak the foundation.
- House washing. Mold, mildew, and algae keep spreading until they're killed at the root.
- Driveway and concrete. Stains set deeper the longer they sit, but they don't threaten the structure.
- Windows. The finishing step, and the one you notice every day from inside.
If you pair gutters and windows on a twice-a-year schedule, gutters go first and windows last, and anything else you add fits in between.
Does the order change for homes under heavy oak canopy?
The order stays the same, but the timing gets tighter. Homes under mature live oaks and pecans, like many on the tree-lined streets of West Lake Hills and older Austin neighborhoods, collect debris and growth faster than homes in the open:
- Gutters often need clearing three or four times a year, because oak leaves, tassels, and pollen drop in waves.
- House washing works better twice a year on shaded, damp walls.
- Driveways under big oaks often look best with two cleanings a year.
- Windows often need quarterly cleaning under heavy canopy.
On a shaded lot, the late-spring visit matters even more. That's when the spring drop comes off the roof, out of the gutters, and off the walls, all in the right order.
Ready to plan your exterior cleaning?
Casa Care Window Cleaning handles every step of the sequence, from the roof to the windows, for homes in Austin, West Lake Hills, Rollingwood, Lakeway, Bee Cave, Pflugerville, Cedar Park, Round Rock, and the other areas we serve. We're rated 5.0 stars across 208 Google reviews, carry $2M in liability coverage, and back residential window cleaning with a 7-day rain guarantee. Most visits are scheduled within a week. Get your instant quote in about a minute, or call or text (512) 522-4985.