I hear you on the graphite mess—once that stuff gets into carpet fibers, it’s game over. But I’ve actually had a different experience with silicone sprays, especially around older wood frames. For me, in more humid spots, silicone sometimes gets a bit tacky over time and starts grabbing onto dust and pollen. Not a huge deal if you’re wiping down the tracks every now and then, but I’ve noticed it more in places where the windows don’t get used as much.
Teflon sprays have been my go-to recently. They seem to dry faster and leave less residue, so there’s not as much for dust to cling to. Downside is they’re a little pricier, and you have to reapply them a bit more often if you’re opening and closing the windows all the time.
Could just be the type of wood or finish on my windows though… or maybe it’s just how sticky summers get around here. Curious if anyone else has run into silicone getting gunky after a few months?