Window Cleaning Pricing: Per Pane, Per Hour, or Per House?
Window cleaning is the easiest trade to underprice, because the job looks simple and the customer is standing right there watching you do it in twenty minutes.
What she doesn't see is that you spent longer setting up than cleaning, and that the twenty minutes only looked easy because you've done ten thousand of them.
- Three ways to price, and when each works
- Building the number from your own costs
- What always costs extra
The short answer
Price residential per pane with modifiers, and commercial per visit on a schedule. Per-pane is fast to quote and easy for customers to understand; per hour punishes you for being quick. Whichever you quote, calculate it from a target hourly rate — the pane count is just how you estimate the time.
Three ways to price
| Method | Best for | Problem |
|---|---|---|
| Per pane | Residential — quick to quote, transparent | Needs modifiers or awkward panes lose money |
| Flat per house | Repeat customers, standard homes | Requires knowing the property |
| Per visit / contract | Commercial storefronts, offices | Must be recurring to be worth it |
| Per hour | Genuinely unknown scope only | Punishes speed, invites clock-watching |
Per-pane is the default for good reason: you can quote it over the phone if you ask the right questions, and the customer can see how the number was reached.
Define "pane" before you quote
This is the argument that comes up on job one. A double-hung window is two sashes. Is that one pane or two? Grids — are those separate panes or one window with dividers?
Pick a definition, write it on the quote, and use it every time. Most disputes in this trade are about definitions rather than money.
Building the number from your own costs
Same method as any service business: work out what an hour actually costs you, then work backwards.
The catch specific to window cleaning is how much of the day isn't cleaning. Setup, moving ladders, moving furniture, taking off screens, wiping sills, packing up. On a residential job the actual squeegee time is often under half the visit — which is why per-hour pricing feels expensive to customers and per-job pricing works better for everyone.
Worked example, standard single-storey house, $85/hr target:
| Setup, screens off, prep | 20 min |
| Cleaning — 24 panes inside and out | 55 min |
| Sills, screens back, pack up | 20 min |
| Travel share | 15 min |
| Total | 110 min (1.83 hr) |
| × $85 | $156 → quote $160 |
| Implied per pane | ~$6.65 in/out |
The per-pane figure is an output of the math, not an input. Use it to quote quickly and sanity-check yourself — never to set the price by copying what someone else charges. The full method is in the pricing article; the arithmetic transfers directly.
What always costs extra
These get absorbed constantly and they're where the margin goes:
- Second storey and above. Not double the work — more, because ladder setup and repositioning dominate.
- Screens. Removing, cleaning and refitting is real time. Quote it as a line item.
- Tracks and sills. Customers expect them done and rarely expect to pay. Say what's included.
- Hard water spots and construction cleanup. A different job requiring different products, sometimes with no guaranteed outcome. Never quote it blind.
- First-time cleans. Windows untouched for five years take far longer than the maintenance visit that follows. Quote the first one higher and say why.
- Access problems. Landscaping under windows, conservatories, furniture to move, dogs.
Set a minimum
A $70 job twenty minutes away is under $30/hour door to door. Somewhere in the $125–175 range is common for residential, and like every minimum it does two jobs: the unprofitable enquiries stop calling, and the ones who do call add windows to clear it.
Where the actual money is: recurring
One-off window cleaning is a decent day. Recurring is a business.
Residential: offer twice or three times a year at booking, not later. "Most people have this done twice — spring and fall. Want me to put you down for both?" asked while she's looking at clean windows converts far better than a phone call in six months.
Commercial storefronts: weekly or fortnightly, small ticket, extremely dense routes. Ten shops on one street at $25 each is a better hour than any residential job, and it bills year round. This is the closest thing in the trade to guaranteed revenue.
Commercial also has a different buying logic — reliability and paperwork over price. Worth reading how commercial accounts actually get won before approaching them.
A note on the word
Unlike pressure washing, "window cleaner" is the correct professional term in this trade and nobody objects to it. Use it in your name, your ads and your shirt. It's what customers search for.
Common questions
How much should I charge for window cleaning?
Work back from a target hourly rate, then express it per pane. On a standard single-storey house that commonly lands around $6–8 per pane cleaned inside and out, with modifiers for height, screens and first-time cleans.
Should window cleaning be priced per pane or per hour?
Per pane for residential. Per-hour pricing punishes you for working quickly and invites customers to watch the clock. Calculate from an hourly target, then quote per pane or as a flat job price.
Do you charge extra for screens and tracks?
Yes, as line items. Removing, cleaning and refitting screens is real time, and tracks and sills are commonly expected but rarely priced. Stating what's included prevents the most common dispute in the trade.
What should I charge for a first-time window clean?
More than the maintenance visit, and say why when quoting. Windows untouched for years take substantially longer, and setting that expectation up front prevents the customer thinking the second visit should cost the same.
Is commercial window cleaning better than residential?
For steady revenue, usually. Storefronts on a weekly or fortnightly schedule create extremely dense routes and bill year round, which residential seasonal work doesn't. The trade-off is a longer sales cycle and more paperwork.
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