1. Decide what you offer
Start with the two services every customer asks about: windows inside and out, and windows outside only. Most of a window cleaning business is those two, counted by the pane.
Then the work around the glass, each as its own item: screens, tracks and sills, hard water spots, skylights, sliding door glass. Work on a second story takes longer and many window cleaners price it as an added amount per window.
Decide early what you do not do, and say it the same way every time: how high you go, and which kinds of glass you leave to others. A short list done well is easier to price, to schedule and to explain than a long one.
2. Add up what it costs you
Before you set a price, write down what the business will cost you to run. The amounts are yours: they depend on what you already own and how far you drive. Write your own amount next to each.
| What it costs you | Your amount |
|---|---|
| Equipment: squeegees, scrubbers, buckets, poles, ladders | |
| Supplies you use up each month | |
| A vehicle and fuel | |
| Phone and the software you run the business on | |
| Insurance, if you carry it | |
| The first month with few customers |
Add the column up twice: once for what you need before the first job, once for what a normal month costs. The second number is the one your prices have to cover.
3. Set your prices
Window cleaning is priced by counting. Set a price per pane for inside and out and a lower one for outside only, then a price for each thing you count besides panes: screens, tracks, skylights, sliding doors.
Set a minimum for a visit, so a home with a handful of windows still covers the drive. Say the minimum on the phone and show it on the estimate.
OnsiteBoard starts a new window cleaning account with a service list and starting prices to change to yours. The two window cleaning lines are priced per pane.
See the window cleaning estimate template
4. Find your first customers
Tell the people who already know you, and ask each of them to pass your name on. Clean windows are easy to notice from the street, so a first customer on a block is worth more than one across town.
Set up your Google Business Profile as a business that travels to its customers, with the area you serve and your hours. Ask every customer for a review.
Have one link you can send anyone: a booking page where a customer picks a day and a time window and tells you about the home.
Answer quickly, with a clear price and a day.
5. Quote, clean, get paid
Write the quote down: the number of panes, inside and out or outside only, each extra on its own line with its count, and the total. If you count more panes on the day than you were told, change the quote before you start.
When the job is done, the same lines go on the invoice. Send it the same day. Customers can pay by card from the link you send. Card payments run through Stripe; its standard fees apply.
6. Keep the regulars
Windows get dirty again, and customers who liked the result want it back. Offer a schedule on the first visit: every month, every three months or twice a year.
Put regular customers on a schedule and bill per visit or once a month.
Start with your price list. Then send your first estimate.
OnsiteBoard starts a new window cleaning account with a service list and starting prices to change to yours. Schedule the job, send the estimate, do the work, send the invoice and get paid.
14 days free, no card to start.
If you choose a plan after the trial: OnsiteBoard Pro $49.99 /mo or $479.00 a year, billed through the App Store or Google Play; it renews until you cancel.
Questions about starting
What do I need to start a window cleaning business?
Do I need a license to clean windows?
Should I charge by the pane or by the job?
What is a minimum service charge?
What should a window cleaning quote say?
This is general information, not tax or legal advice.
the window cleaning price calculator · the window cleaning estimate template · the window cleaning invoice template · Window cleaning app and software