If you’ve just started your window cleaning business, there is a good chance you're still trying to figure out the best way to price the homes. When just starting out, it is good to consider that you may need to lower your prices to attract more clients in the beginning in order to build up a reputation. As you build your reputation, you will be able to increase your rates.
Another important aspect to consider is, “where in the world are you located”. If you’re starting your business in an area that is wealthy, you should charge more. Vice versa if the area isn’t super wealthy. Typically, window cleaning is a service for people with more indispensable income. You need to understand your demographic well enough to get an idea of what people would actually pay for.
At our company, we count up each individual pane then multiple that number by $6 if they want just outside. If they want inside and outside, then we charge $9 per pane. We keep it simple, sliding glass doors are the same, small windows are the same, big windows are the same. We aim to keep our prices consistently based on the panes of glass.
If you don’t want to charge per pane of glass or you realize it can get expensive fast, then you should decide based on how many windows. Many companies will charge $10-12 per window then do an additional 25% of that number for the inside.
Another way to charge for window cleaning is to tell the client a set hourly rate, then turning the timer on when you show up and turning it off when you’re finished. The problem with this pricing system is that the homeowner may not accept the value of your work based on your desired rate. Many window cleaners are able to make $100+/hour while on the jobsite, so a homeowner may reject that as a pricing system due to it being so much per hour. You can attempt to explain to them roughly how long, etc but sticking to a job price is much better for us.
Depending on the type of equipment you use, you may charge a second story or ladder fee. At our company, we use extended water-fed poles to clean all the windows that are higher up. We don’t bother to charge a “high window fee”. But, if you’re a traditional window cleaner, you may be interested in charging more due to the fact that you’re climbing ladders.
If you’re looking to become a professional window cleaner and genuinely make a good amount of money in the industry, we’re not saying you have to own a water-fed pole, but you definitely should. It makes things much safer, and a lot of times do a better job.
Another thing to consider when charging your window cleaning clients is if their windows are blocked by plants and things of that nature, you may want to charge more for having to move through that. Accessibility is very important when cleaning windows. You want to ensure proper accessibility when quoting and pricing. Sometimes, you simply can’t get to a window and you want to let the client know beforehand.
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