How do you maintain your home's windows?
Updated August 2026
Window upkeep comes down to keeping water and air out: reseal the exterior caulk once a year, swap worn weatherstripping when it stops sealing, and clean plus lubricate the tracks so sashes glide and drain. Stay on it and vinyl frames reach 20 to 30 years and wood 15 to 30. The one repair you cannot DIY is a failed insulated-glass seal: once the gas escapes and the pane fogs, it cannot be re-gassed, so the glass unit gets replaced instead.
| Task | Interval | Effort |
|---|---|---|
| Wash the glass and wipe sills and tracks clean | Every 6 months | 1–2 hrs · DIY |
| Vacuum debris out of tracks and weep holes | Every 6 months | 15 min · DIY |
| Task | Interval | Effort |
|---|---|---|
| Inspect and reseal cracked exterior caulk | Yearly | $8–15/tube · DIY |
| Check weatherstripping and replace worn runs | Yearly | $10–20/window · DIY |
| Lubricate tracks, rollers, and locks with silicone | Yearly | 20 min · DIY |
| Test each sash for a smooth, balanced glide | Yearly | 15 min · DIY |
| Task | Interval | Effort |
|---|---|---|
| Look for fog or haze between the panes | Ongoing | 5 min · DIY |
| Feel for drafts on a windy or cold day | Seasonal | 10 min · DIY |
| Check wood frames for rot and peeling paint | Yearly | 15 min · DIY |
| Task | Interval | Effort |
|---|---|---|
| Repaint or reseal wood sashes and frames | 3–7 yrs | $50–150 · DIY |
| Replace a fogged insulated-glass unit | As needed | $150–400 · pro |
What neglect costs
A cracked bead of exterior caulk is a $10 fix that, left open, funnels rain into the wall and rots the framing and sill under the window; once interior paint bubbles, you are looking at $500 to $2,500 to open the wall, dry it out, and rebuild the trim. Leaks and thin single glazing also cost you every month: the U.S. Department of Energy attributes 25 to 30 percent of a home's heating and cooling energy to what moves through its windows. A fogged double-pane is not dangerous, but it keeps bleeding R-value until you replace the glass unit at $150 to $400 or the whole window at $450 to $1,200 installed.
Leave these to a pro
Replacing a fogged insulated-glass unit is a glazier's job: the sash usually comes out, the failed unit is measured and reordered, and it runs $150 to $400 per pane depending on size and coating, far less than a whole new window. Full window replacement, whether the frame is rotted or you want an upgrade, runs $450 to $1,200 a window installed and earns a pro for the flashing and air sealing that keep the next one dry. Old wood windows with lead paint are a special case: disturbing that paint has legal handling rules, so hire an RRP-certified painter rather than sanding it yourself.
This whole checklist ships as reminders in OnOtto: every task above, on the right schedule for your home, snooze-proof.
Load this checklist as remindersFrequently asked questions
How do I stop a draft around my window?
Track the draft first: hold a lit incense stick or a damp hand near the frame on a windy day and watch where the air moves. If it comes from the sash edges, replace the weatherstripping (V-strip or a foam bead, $10 to $20 a window). If it comes from the frame-to-wall joint, that is a caulk job outside and possibly foam backer rod inside. For a quick fix on a cold night, a $10 to $30 shrink-film insulator kit cuts most of it. Chasing a stubborn one down is covered on the drafty windows page.
Can a foggy window be fixed without replacing it?
Not really. The fog means the seal on the insulated-glass unit has failed and moisture is now trapped between the panes, and there is no reliable way to re-seal and re-gas it. Defogging services that drill and vent the unit do exist, but they clear the haze without restoring the insulating gas, so you lose most of the energy benefit anyway. The lasting fix is a new glass unit, roughly $150 to $400, which drops into the existing sash and frame. You only need a whole new window if the frame itself is shot.
How often should I re-caulk around my windows?
Check the exterior caulk yearly and redo any run that is cracked, gapped, or pulling away, which for most homes means touching up a few windows each year and fully redoing them every 5 to 10. Use a paintable exterior-grade sealant, not cheap latex, and cut out the old bead rather than piling new caulk on top. Inside, caulk is mostly cosmetic. The full schedule and technique sit on the window-frame resealing page.
Are new windows worth it for energy savings?
Sometimes, but the payback is slow. Swapping old single-pane windows for ENERGY STAR double-pane trims a heating and cooling bill noticeably, but at $450 to $1,200 a window the payback often runs 15 years or more, longer than many owners stay put. If the frames are sound, sealing leaks, adding weatherstripping, and replacing only the failed glass units gives you most of the comfort gain for a fraction of the price. Replace whole windows when they are rotted or failing, not purely to chase energy savings.