Skylights and sun tunnels add natural light to homes. They work well in kitchens, stairwells, and upstairs bathrooms where windows won’t fit. They sit in hard-to-reach places, so they get cleaned less often than other glass. This post explains what we can and cannot clean during a visit.
Why Skylights Get Overlooked
A skylight is usually ten to twenty feet high. It goes in a sloped or vaulted ceiling. It’s often over a stairwell or great room where you can’t safely put a ladder. Most homeowners don’t clean them on a regular schedule. Dust, pollen, and window film build up on the inside glass slowly. It looks a little hazy or dull. That’s why it’s easy to miss.
Interior Glass vs. Exterior Glass
Here’s an important difference. We clean the inside of skylight glass, like regular windows. The outside of a skylight, especially on a pitched roof, needs a window or roofing specialist with special harness and ladder. It’s not a job for a house cleaner. If you can reach your skylights from inside with an extension tool or a stable ladder, we can clean them. If a skylight sits high above with no safe way to reach it, we cannot clean it during a visit.
Sun Tunnels Are a Different Animal
Sun tunnels (also called tubular skylights) usually end in a diffuser lens set flush with a hallway or bathroom ceiling. You can reach it with an extension duster or step ladder. They collect dust like any ceiling light. Tell us when you book if you want the diffuser cleaned. It’s not part of our standard checklist.
What Builds Up Around Skylight Wells
It’s not just the glass. Skylight wells are the drywall shafts that go from the ceiling to the glass. They collect dust on their slanted sides, just like any wall. You can’t see them easily. Over time, you see a gray haze along the well walls. Once you notice it, it’s pretty obvious. High-reach dusting is not on our standard checklist. If the wells bother you, tell us when you book. We will tell you honestly if we can clean them.
Getting the Most Out of a Visit
- Mention skylights and sun tunnels when booking, especially if they are in a stairwell or vaulted space, so the team can plan for extension tools.
- Let us know if any skylights have manual or motorized shades, since those get handled differently than fixed glass.
- Exterior skylight glass and roof-level access are outside what we do.
- If it has been years since the interior glass and wells were addressed, mention it at booking so we can say what is realistic.
How This Connects to the Rest of the Home
Skylights are one type of hard-to-reach spot. High ceilings, tall windows, and elevated lights are others. Read our post on cleaning homes with high ceilings and hard-to-reach spots to learn how we clean high places. Our window and blinds guide helps you decide what you can clean yourself versus what needs a pro.
A standard cleaning means we wipe down areas you touch, clean appliance outsides, mop floors, and empty trash (one bag). A deep cleaning includes all that plus scrubs inside the oven, fridge, and microwave. Skylight glass and wells are extras to talk about when you book.
The Bottom Line
Skylights and sun tunnels are easy to forget until the light looks dull. Tell us about them when you book so we can say what we can clean. Arlington Home Cleaning is licensed and insured. We serve Arlington, Ashburn, and the wider Northern Virginia area. Book online at arlingtonhomecleaning.com or call 571-350-0866.