Window cleaning cost calculator

We read six cost guides (Fixr, HomeAdvisor, Thumbtack, CostHelper, Housecall Pro and ThePricer) and combined their prices. The low is the middle of their lows, the high the middle of their highs, and typical the middle of their midpoints.

For a whole house, five of the guides put the usual bill at $184 to $387, with about $286 as the middle. Fixr's example is 22 double-hung windows with screens at $190 to $460.

• Inside and out, or outside only. Outside only costs less, but not half: Fixr puts the outside at $6.40 to $12.80 of an $8 to $16 window, about 80%, and a Salt Lake City company on Thumbtack charges $3 of its $4. The calculator uses 77.5%, the average of the two.
• Height. CostHelper says the 2nd floor usually costs the same as the 1st. The 3rd and 4th floors add $3 to $5 a window because of tall ladders. Above that it is lift or rope work, priced from a site visit.
• Window type. Casement, bay, storm and French windows take longer. Fixr lists casement windows at $15 to $30 each against $8 to $16 for double-hung.
• Condition. Hard water stains, paint overspray and construction dust take extra time and different tools. Heavy etching may not come out at all.
• Add-ons. Screens, tracks and sills, skylights and glass doors. Some cleaners include tracks and sills; ask.
• How often. Recurring service is cheaper per visit. Housecall Pro lists 10% to 20% off for regular customers, and CostHelper mentions 10% to 20% neighbor discounts.

Commercial window cleaning is quoted differently: per window, per visit for storefronts, or by the hour, almost always on a schedule.

ThePricer, a smaller publisher, is the only source we found with a commercial per-window range ($6 to $20). For commercial jobs the calculator averages it with the home range above: $7 to $18 a window inside and out. It stops at three floors. Buildings taller than that need a boom lift, a swing stage or rope access, extra insurance and a safety plan, and are priced from a site visit, not a per-window table.

A commercial bid should spell out the schedule (weekly, every two weeks, monthly or quarterly), which glass is included (storefront only, all ground floor, or the whole building, inside and out), the hours the crew can work, and who provides access to the roof or upper floors. Offices often want the outside done monthly or quarterly and the inside less often, so price the two sides as separate lines.

Restaurants, clinics and shops with heavy foot traffic usually need the entry doors and the glass near them more often than the rest. A short visit for just the doors between full cleanings is an easy way to keep the front looking right for less.

"Window cleaning" can mean very different jobs. Before you compare prices, check what each quote covers.

• Glass, both sides. The standard. Squeegeed, with the edges detailed so there are no drips or streaks.
• Frames and sills. Usually wiped as part of the job. Deep cleaning of tracks, where dirt and dead bugs collect, is often extra.
• Screens. Taken out, brushed or washed, and put back. Often an add-on per screen.
• Hard-to-reach glass. Skylights, transoms over doors, high windows in two-story entries and glass over stairs take ladders or poles and more time.
• Glass doors and mirrors. Sliding and French doors are usually priced like windows. Some cleaners will do inside mirrors and glass railings on request.
• Hard water and construction cleanup. Mineral stains from sprinklers, paint, stickers and mortar after building work need scrapers and special products, and are priced on their own.

To get ready, clear the sills inside, move furniture back from the windows, and keep pets away from open doors. Let the cleaner know about any window that sticks, has a broken seal or does not lock, before they start.

Cleaners usually skip windows they cannot reach safely or that are blocked by furniture, screens that will not come out, or storm windows that are painted shut. Mention these when you book so the quote is right the first time.

A homeowner has 20 double-hung windows on two floors and wants them cleaned inside and out, with screens, twice a year.

• Windows. 20 × $8 / $12 / $16 = $160 / $240 / $320. The 2nd floor costs the same as the 1st.
• Screens. 20 × $1.25 / $3.12 / $5 = $25 / $62 / $100.
• A visit. $185 to $420, with about $302 as the typical price at the US average.
• The year. Two visits at about $302 = about $605, before any recurring discount.

At $60 an hour, the typical home rate, $302 is about 5 hours of one cleaner's time.

A commercial example. A small office with 100 windows wants the outside cleaned every month. At $7 to $18 a window inside and out, the outside-only share (77.5%) comes to about $5.43 to $13.95 a window, so $543 to $1,395 a visit, and about $11,600 a year at the typical figure before any discount for the standing schedule. Enter it in the calculator with "Commercial" and "Monthly" to see the steps.

Upper floors change the picture. If six of those windows sat on a third floor, they would add $3 to $5 each, or $18 to $30 a visit. A house with many third-floor windows, or glass that cannot be reached safely with a ladder, is worth a site visit before the price is set.

Ground-floor windows you can reach from the floor and a short step stool are a fair DIY job. A squeegee, a scrubber and a bucket with a little dish soap do better than paper towels and spray, and leave fewer streaks.

Hire out the rest. Second-story windows mean working on a tall ladder while holding tools, which is how people get hurt. Pros also work faster with the right tools: at the typical rates above, a whole house is a few hours of one cleaner's time, and that includes the screens and the glass you would not reach.

For businesses, clean glass is part of how the shop looks from the street. A regular schedule, weekly or every two weeks for a storefront, keeps it there and costs less per visit than a one-time clean of glass that has been left for months.

Whichever method you use, quote the same job the same way every time. Customers compare, and a price that changes with your mood is harder to defend than one that comes from a clear list.

There are a few common ways to price it. Pick one and stick to it, so every quote is fast and consistent.

1. Per window. Simple for customers to understand. Set a price for a standard window and a higher one for French, casement and picture windows.
2. Per pane. Fairer for houses with many small panes, and easy to count from the outside.
3. By the hour. Good for odd jobs and commercial work, but customers like a fixed price. Use your hourly rate to check your per-window price instead: windows you clean an hour × your per-window price should beat your hourly cost.
4. Packages. Exterior only, full clean, full clean with screens and tracks. Most customers pick the middle.

Then set a minimum that covers the drive and setup, add a line for each add-on, and offer a lower price for a standing schedule. Recurring customers are where window cleaning makes its money.

Check your numbers with the profit margin calculator. Koira's tools for cleaning businesses turn this answer into an estimate the customer signs from their phone, then keep the repeat visits on your calendar.

Some cleaners also price by the square foot of the home. Housecall Pro gives $0.10 to $0.35 a square foot as a rough guide, which is handy for quoting over the phone before you count windows. For recurring customers, the same guide lists discounts of about 10% to 20% for regular visits; build that into a schedule price rather than taking it off at the door.