Why Coastal Windows Get Cloudy — and What Fixes It

It is a layered deposit: airborne salt, hard-water minerals from irrigation overspray, and pollen or exhaust particulates bound together by humidity.

Ammonia-based cleaners dissolve the top layer and smear the mineral layer, which is why the glass looks worse in direct sun after cleaning.

Rinse with fresh water first, use a mild acidic descaler on mineral deposits where appropriate for the glass, then squeegee with a proper solution and clean edges with a dry cloth.

Screens and tracks must be cleaned in the same visit or they redeposit onto the glass with the next rain.

Oceanfront properties generally need exterior glass service quarterly; a mile or more inland, twice a year holds up well. Waiting a year allows etching that no cleaning fully reverses.