How much to charge for window cleaning
Window cleaning prices at $4 to $9 per pane exterior only, or $8 to $15 for interior and exterior. A typical 20 to 30 pane home lands at $150 to $250 exterior. Storefront route work runs $20 to $60 per visit.
The formula
(Panes × rate) + access adjustments = your quote, floored at your minimum.
A 24-pane single-storey home, exterior only, glass frames and sills, easy access:
- 24 × $6.50 = $156
- No access adjustment
- Above the $125 minimum → quote $155
About 75 to 90 minutes on site. Roughly $110/hr, which works for a solo operator with a pole system.
Price a window cleaning job
Your numbers, the formula above. Nothing is sent anywhere — this runs in your browser.
$156 base (24 panes × $7)
This is a starting number, not a bid. Walk the property before you send it.
What changes the price
Interior versus exterior. Two different jobs. Interior needs an appointment, someone home, drop cloths, furniture moved and blinds handled. Roughly double per pane.
Height and access. Ground floor with a pole is quick. Second floor is slower. Anything over a conservatory roof, above a stairwell or on a slope is three times the time of an ordinary pane.
Frames and sills. Glass only, or glass plus frames and sills. Materially different per pane, and customers assume the second.
Georgian bars and multi-pane units. A window divided into twelve small panes is not one pane. Price by opening but note the divided ones.
Frequency. Regular rounds get a lower per-visit rate because the glass is barely dirty. One-offs cost most.
Screens. Removing, cleaning and refitting screens is a separate service, not something to absorb.
The mistakes
Pricing interior and exterior the same. The most common and most expensive error in this trade.
Counting panes without counting the awkward ones. A flat pane count on a house with three difficult openings underprices it every time.
Promising hard water stains will come out. Mineral etching from sprinklers does not come off in a standard clean. Say so up front and sell restoration separately.
No minimum. A six-pane apartment across town is a loss.
Not selling the round. A one-off customer is worth one job. The same customer on a quarterly round is worth four, with no further selling. Always quote the frequency ladder alongside the one-off price.
Quoting and running a round
QuoteIQ at $29.99/mo measures building elevations off satellite imagery, useful for commercial bids you have not visited. Jobber at $49/mo converts an accepted quote into a recurring round with monthly billing, and bulk-reschedules a rained-off day. Housecall Pro adds route optimisation on Max — worth real money on a dense storefront round.
Questions operators actually ask
How much should I charge for window cleaning?
$4 to $9 per pane exterior only, and $8 to $15 for interior and exterior together. A typical 20 to 30 pane home comes to $150 to $250 exterior. Storefront route work is usually $20 to $60 per visit on an agreed weekly or fortnightly round.
Should interior cost more than exterior?
Yes, roughly double per pane. Interior means an appointment, someone home, drop cloths, moving furniture and handling blinds. Exterior is pole work with nobody needed on site. Pricing them the same loses money on every interior job.
How do I count panes?
Count openings, then separately count the awkward ones — above a conservatory roof, over a stairwell, behind fixed screens, anything needing pole work above two storeys. Those take three times as long and a flat pane count underprices them.
How should I price recurring rounds?
Per visit, falling as frequency rises. Monthly cheapest per visit, quarterly higher, one-off highest. Regular customers are worth several times a one-off — predictable routing, less dirt, no re-selling.
Do I charge for frames and sills?
Decide and state it. Glass only is quicker; glass, frames and sills takes meaningfully longer per pane. Customers assume it is included, so if it is not, your quote must say so.