Exterior House Cleaning in the Fall: What Is Included, in What Order, and Why Before the Freeze

By Bradley Santos, co-founder of Ö Nettoyage · Updated October 28, 2026

In October, leaves are in the gutters, green streaks mark the north-facing vinyl, and summer pollen still clings to the windows.

It is a good time for exterior house cleaning: after the leaves have fallen, as long as the weather allows working without ice, everything gets done in one visit.

We have been cleaning house exteriors in Laval and on the North Shore since 2022. Here is what it includes, the order we work in, and why fall matters.

Key Takeaways

• Exterior house cleaning covers the siding, the gutters and downspouts, the windows, and the deck and fence if you want them done.
• The order matters: top to bottom. Gutters, siding, windows, then the ground. Otherwise you re-dirty what you just washed.
• Ice forming inside gutters is the main cause of their leaks or warping (CAA-Québec, 2024).
• The two best times to clean gutters are spring and fall, after the leaves have fallen (CAA-Québec, 2024).
• There is no fixed cut-off date: it all depends on the weather and the risk of ice on surfaces and access points.
• The boat brush cleans the surface, without pushing water behind the siding joints.

What is included in exterior house cleaning?

Exterior house cleaning can include the siding, the gutters and their downspouts, the windows and their frames, plus the deck, pavers and fence on request. Each service can be ordered on its own, or in a single visit with the Ö-Complete Package, with a final walkaround with you.

• The siding: vinyl, aluminum, Canexel, fibre cement, stucco, painted wood.
• The gutters and downspouts: debris removed by hand, downspouts flushed from top to bottom.
• The windows: washed with a squeegee, frames included.
• The deck, pavers and fence: on request, with pressure washing set to suit the material.
• The fascia and soffits: checked while we work on the gutters, with photos.

Not included: the roof and repairs. A worn seam or a gutter that needs refastening, we show you at the final walkaround. We also don’t remove climbing plants, and we have no product for the stains they leave on siding.

The full service is on the residential exterior cleaning page. To do it all at once, the Ö-Complete Package combines siding, windows and gutters in a single visit.

Why clean the exterior in the fall, and not only in the spring?

Because in the fall, everything that built up over the summer is still on the house, and the freeze locks in the rest. It is better to remove it before the ice than to find it at the thaw.

• Leaves and debris are in the gutters. Once ice sets in, they stay there until spring.
• Moss and algae settle in over the summer on north-facing and shaded sides. Left in place, they spend the winter on the siding.
• Pollen and summer grime work their way in when they sit for months on the siding and windows.

What are the risks of leaving gutters uncleaned before winter?

When a gutter is full of leaves or debris, water can overflow against the wall and at the foot of the foundation instead of draining through the downspouts. In winter, ice that forms inside the gutter can cause leaks or warp it.

We see some of it every spring on houses whose gutters were not cleared in the fall. The possible damage is explained one type at a time in our article on the 6 types of damage from clogged gutters. The details of the visit are on the gutter cleaning page.

In what order should you clean a home’s exterior?

Top to bottom: gutters first, siding next, windows after, the ground last. Water and dirt run down. If you wash the windows before the gutters, you dirty them again while emptying the gutters.

1. The gutters and downspouts, so nothing runs down onto what is clean.
2. The siding, brushed and rinsed from top to bottom.
3. The windows and frames, with a squeegee, once the siding has stopped dripping.
4. The ground: deck, pavers, driveway, if they are on the list.

It is also the order of the fall checklist for those who prefer to do it themselves.

What should you clean first if time is short before winter?

The gutters first. If leaves are blocking the flow, that matters most before ice sets in.

For the siding and windows, the priority depends on what has built up and on the weather. A dirty surface is not necessarily a damaged surface: it can wait until spring if time runs out.

How do you clean siding without damaging it?

We use a boat brush and a product suited to the material, not direct pressure washing on the siding. The brush lifts moss, mould and deposits from the surface, without pushing water behind the joints.

Each siding has its own solution: vinyl, aluminum, Canexel, fibre cement, stucco, painted wood. Nothing abrasive. Rinsing is done at moderate pressure, top to bottom, so no residue is left on the joints, windows or vents.

Windows are washed with a squeegee. Hard surfaces, like a concrete deck, pavers or a fence, get pressure washing with the pressure set to suit the material.

What do you see better on a clean house?

Exterior house cleaning is also the time to spot what is wearing out before winter. Centris, in its fall maintenance checklist (Centris, 2025), recommends checking how water drains around the house and the joints around windows, doors and siding.

• Drainage at ground level: we check that the water from the downspouts runs away from the wall and the foundation.
• Gutter hangers and fascia: a section that sags or a darkened fascia, we show you at the final walkaround, with photos.
• Joints and caulking: a cracked joint around a window is easier to see on a clean wall.

We don’t do repairs, but we tell you what we saw. You decide what comes next.

How much does exterior house cleaning cost, and what changes the price?

The price depends on the surface to wash, the height of the house, the condition of the siding, access, and how many services are combined. A two-storey house surrounded by mature trees is not comparable to a clear bungalow. The price is confirmed with a free quote.

Combining siding, windows and gutters in one visit with the Ö-Complete Package costs less than ordering each service separately.

The same logic applies to windows, explained in our window cleaning price guide. For your house, the free quote comes back within 24 hours.

Before the visit: the checklist

• ☐ Clear access to the walls: patio furniture, barbecue, flower pots.
• ☐ Close the windows and doors.
• ☐ Put away anything that fears water near the walls: cushions, decorations.
• ☐ Note where the gutter overflows or drips when it rains, to show the crew.

How often should you have your home’s exterior cleaned?

It depends on the house. Mature trees, a shaded side or a wall that stays damp need more attention than a clear lot, because moss comes back faster there.

For gutters, CAA-Québec puts the two best times in spring and fall, after the leaves have fallen.

In short

For fall exterior house cleaning, we start with the gutters, as long as the weather allows, and work our way down to the ground.

At Ö Nettoyage, an exterior house cleaning company in Laval and on the North Shore, we wash gently, show you the result before we leave, and don’t leave until you are satisfied. The Ö-Complete Package does it all in one visit.