Window cleaning does not price like a house clean. It prices per window. Here are the six things that separate a window cleaning quote that holds from one that quietly loses money on every storm window and third-story sill.
1, Price per window, not per hour
Window cleaning is one of the few trades where the industry has already settled on a pricing unit: the window, not the hour and not the square foot. Clients expect it, and it is the easiest way for them to compare your quote against a competitor's.
Example
14 windows at $10 per window, interior and exterior, comes to $140 before story height or any add-ons.
The one place hourly still earns its keep is the job you have not seen yet. If a client describes fifteen windows and you suspect they mean twenty-five with storm units on half of them, price the walkthrough per window once you are standing in front of it rather than over the phone.
2, Charge more as the ladder gets taller
A ground-floor window and a third-story window take the same base skill but not the same time, risk or equipment. Extension poles, taller ladders and the extra caution that comes with height all cost you something. Price that difference instead of absorbing it.
Example
That $140 base job becomes $189 on a 3-story home at 1.35x, a number you can point to rather than one that just feels higher because the ladder was taller.
3, Price screens and tracks separately
Screens and tracks come up on almost every job, and they are almost always underpriced. They feel small, so they get thrown in. But removing, washing and resetting a screen is a real step, and grit-packed tracks and sills take real scrubbing.
Pro tip
Naming these separately on the quote also signals thoroughness. A client who reads "Tracks and sills: included" understands you are not only doing the glass.
4, Storm windows are two panes, so price them like it
A storm window is not a different style of window. It is a second pane mounted outside the primary one. Cleaning it properly means the storm pane, the primary pane behind it, and the gap between them, which traps dead insects, condensation staining and mineral buildup that a single-pane window never accumulates. Many storm units also need to be unlatched or partially removed to reach the interior pane.
That is not one window, slightly harder. It is closer to two panes plus a maintenance step. Price it as its own line item, per unit, separate from your base window rate.
Example
A house with 4 storm windows at $4 per unit adds $16 to the quote, a specific and defensible number instead of a vague "a bit extra for the storm ones".
5, Charge a premium for hard water stains and multi-pane grids
Two more variables quietly eat margin when they are not priced: mineral deposits from sprinklers or hard water, and French or multi-pane grid windows with far more edges and corners per square foot of glass than a standard pane.
Pro tip
Flag hard water staining during the walkthrough, before you quote. It is far easier to price up front than to explain a surcharge once the job is already scheduled, and some etching cannot be removed at all, which is a conversation to have before you are held responsible for it.
6, Turn the count into a quote the client actually trusts
The estimate is your internal math. The quote is what the client sees, and it should read as clearly as a receipt: base windows, add-ons, trip fee, total. A client who can see the count and the rate pushes back far less than one handed a single flat number.
Pro tip
Put a 14-day validity window on every quote. Hard water conditions and your own schedule both shift, and a quote that expires and gets reissued is a two-minute check rather than a renegotiation.
Run the framework without the spreadsheet
The free window cleaning estimator puts this entire framework into one tool. Pick interior, exterior or both, set your story-height multiplier, and add screens, tracks, storm windows and hard water treatment as their own line items. You get an itemised, client-ready quote in under two minutes, with no signup.
Frequently asked questions
How much should I charge per window for cleaning?
A common starting range is $8 to $16 per window for interior and exterior combined, $5 to $12 for exterior only, and $3 to $6 for interior only. Adjust up from there for story height, screens, storm windows and any hard water staining.
Why are storm windows harder to clean?
A storm window is a second pane mounted outside the primary window, so cleaning it well means the storm pane, the primary pane behind it, and the gap between them, which traps dead insects, condensation staining and mineral buildup a single-pane window never accumulates. Many storm units also need to be unlatched or partially removed to reach the interior pane, which adds real time to the job.
How much extra should I charge for a 2-story or 3-story home?
A 20% premium for 2-story and 30 to 35% for 3-story or taller is a reasonable starting point. It reflects the added time and the equipment, extension poles, ladders or high-access gear, that height requires.
Should I charge extra for hard water stains on windows?
Yes. Mineral deposits from sprinklers or hard water need a separate treatment step beyond a standard wash, and pricing it as an add-on rather than absorbing the extra time into your base rate keeps a stained job from quietly costing you money.
Should the trip fee be part of my per-window rate?
Keep it separate. Drive time and fuel change with every address, and burying them in your per-window rate either overcharges your close-by clients or underprices your far ones. A flat trip fee keeps your window rate the same everywhere and makes the travel cost visible on the quote.
If window cleaning is the whole business and you are running it alone, how to start a window cleaning business covers the rest of the path: equipment, insurance, first clients, and when to bring on help.
Continue the series
Getting Your First Window Cleaning Clients
Door-to-door done smart, Nextdoor, Google Business Profile, and when paid leads are worth it.Step 3 of 7Window Cleaning Equipment and Startup Costs
The real starter kit, what to skip until you have volume, and the pre-job check that saves disputes.Stop guessing off the ladder. Two months free.
Itemised window cleaning quotes with storm windows, screens and story height broken out, sent by text with e-signature. Know your number before you climb.