How to Price Window Cleaning Jobs

Getting your pricing right is one of the most important decisions you'll make as a window cleaner. Price too low and you'll work yourself into the ground for peanuts. Price too high and you'll struggle to win customers. This guide will help you find that sweet spot where you're earning well, staying competitive, and building a sustainable business.

Why Pricing Matters More Than You Think

Most new window cleaners make the same mistake: they ask around, find out what others charge, knock a quid off, and hope for the best. That's not pricing — that's guessing.

Proper pricing means understanding your costs, knowing your market, valuing your time, and having the confidence to charge what you're worth. Get it right and you'll build a profitable business. Get it wrong and you'll be one of those window cleaners who works 60-hour weeks and still struggles to pay the bills.

Here's the thing: customers rarely choose the cheapest option. They choose the option that feels like good value. That's a crucial difference. A customer will happily pay £5 more per clean for a window cleaner who turns up reliably, does quality work, and is easy to deal with. Your job is to be that window cleaner — and price accordingly.

Understanding Your Costs

Before you can price a job, you need to know what it actually costs you to do the work. This isn't just about the petrol to get there.

Direct Costs Per Job

These are the costs directly tied to doing the work:

• Fuel: Calculate your average fuel cost per mile. A typical van does 30-35mpg, so at current prices you're looking at roughly 15-20p per mile. A 10-mile round trip costs you £1.50-£2.00 in fuel alone.
• Water and chemicals: Pure water costs around 5-10p per property if you're making your own. Add another few pence for any cleaning solutions.
• Equipment wear: Brushes, squeegees, T-bars, and other consumables. They don't last forever. Budget maybe £50-100 per month depending on how much work you're doing.
• Payment processing fees: If you're using card payments or GoCardless, factor in the 1-2% transaction fees.

Fixed Monthly Costs

These need paying whether you clean one window or a thousand:

• Van costs: Lease or loan payments, insurance, tax, MOT, servicing. For most window cleaners, this is £300-600 per month.
• Equipment finance: If you've financed a water fed pole system, you might be paying £100-200 monthly.
• Insurance: Public liability insurance runs £150-300 per year for most sole traders.
• Software and subscriptions: Accounting software, job management apps, phone contract. Maybe £50-100 per month.
• Marketing: Flyers, website hosting, any paid advertising. Variable, but budget at least £50 per month.

Your Time

This is where most window cleaners massively undervalue themselves. Your time has value — not just when you're cleaning, but when you're driving, quoting, chasing payments, and doing admin.

If you want to earn £30,000 profit per year and you work 45 weeks (allowing for holidays, sickness, bad weather), that's £667 per week. Working 40 hours per week, you need to be generating at least £16.67 per hour after all your costs. That means your billable rate needs to be significantly higher to cover non-billable time and expenses.

Work backwards: if only 60% of your time is actually billable (the rest is travel, admin, quoting), you need to earn around £28 per billable hour to hit that £30k target. That's before you account for tax, National Insurance, and pension contributions.

Pricing Models: Per Window vs Per Property

There are two main approaches to pricing residential work, and both have their place.

Per Window Pricing

Some window cleaners charge per window or per pane. Typical rates:

• Standard window: £1.50-£3.00 per window
• Large picture window: £3.00-£5.00
• French doors: £3.00-£4.00
• Velux/skylight: £3.00-£6.00

Pros: Simple to explain, customers understand what they're paying for, easy to adjust if they want fewer windows cleaned.

Cons: Counting windows on every quote gets tedious. Some properties have dozens of small windows that are quick to clean; others have fewer large windows that take longer. Per-window pricing doesn't always reflect actual effort.

Per Property Pricing

Most experienced window cleaners price per property, taking into account the overall job rather than counting individual windows.

Pros: Faster quoting, accounts for total job complexity, easier to adjust for access issues, less haggling over "but I only want the front done."

Cons: Requires experience to judge accurately. Get it wrong and you're stuck with an underpriced job.

Which Should You Use?

Starting out, per-window pricing can be helpful because it forces you to assess each property systematically. As you gain experience, you'll develop an instinct for per-property pricing. Most established window cleaners quote per property but mentally break it down by windows to check their figures.

Typical UK Residential Prices (2024)

These are ballpark figures. Your area might be higher or lower.

Add-ons:

Regional Variations

Prices vary massively across the UK:

• London and South East: 30-50% higher than national average
• Major cities (Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds): 10-20% above average
• Rural areas: Often lower prices, but customers more spread out
• Scotland and Northern England: Generally lower, but less competition in some areas
• Affluent suburbs: Premium pricing often accepted

Don't just copy what others charge in your area. If everyone's undercharging, that's their problem — not a standard you need to follow.

Pricing Commercial Work

Commercial window cleaning is a different game. Jobs are bigger, contracts are longer-term, and pricing is usually per visit or monthly.

Small Commercial (Shops, Cafes, Small Offices)

• Shop front (exterior): £10-£25 per clean
• Small office (10-20 windows): £20-£40 per clean
• Restaurant/cafe: £15-£35 per clean

Weekly or fortnightly cleans are common. Many window cleaners offer a small discount for higher frequency.

Medium Commercial (Larger Offices, Small Industrial)

This is where you start quoting based on time rather than windows:

• Estimate how long the job will take
• Apply your hourly rate (£25-£40 per hour is typical for commercial)
• Add any access equipment costs
• Factor in frequency discounts if applicable

A job that takes 2 hours might be priced at £50-£80 per visit.

Large Commercial and Contracts

For bigger contracts (office blocks, retail parks, schools), you're often competing on tender. Pricing considerations:

• Total annual value matters more than per-visit rate
• Factor in access equipment (cherry pickers, cradles) — these can cost £200-500 per day to hire
• Consider seasonal variations (some contracts specify more frequent cleaning in winter)
• Build in provisions for price increases over multi-year contracts

Commercial work often requires specific insurance coverage, so check your policy before quoting.

How to Quote a Job

A good quoting process sets you up for success. Here's how to handle it:

1. Gather Information

Before visiting (if possible):

• Get the address and look it up on Google Street View
• Ask about access (is there a back garden? locked gates?)
• Ask what they currently pay (some will tell you, some won't)
• Find out how often they want cleaning

2. Assess the Property

When you visit:

• Count windows (or estimate for larger properties)
• Check access — do you need ladders? Is there restricted access at the rear?
• Note any obstacles (conservatories, extensions, tricky angles)
• Look at the current state of the windows (first clean will take longer if they haven't been done in years)
• Check parking — will you need to walk equipment a long way?

3. Calculate Your Price

Factor in:

• Number and size of windows
• Time to complete (including setup and moving between access points)
• Travel time to this location
• Any difficult access
• Frequency (4-weekly, 8-weekly, etc.)

4. Present the Quote

Be confident. Don't apologise for your prices or immediately offer discounts. State your price clearly:

"For a 4-weekly clean of all external windows, it would be £22. That includes the conservatory roof as well. First clean is the same price — I don't charge extra for first cleans."

If they hesitate, don't panic. Give them a moment. If they say it's more than they expected, you can explain what's included or the quality of your service. Don't immediately drop your price — that signals you were overcharging to begin with.

5. Follow Up

If they don't commit on the spot, follow up within a few days. A simple text: "Hi, just checking if you'd like to go ahead with the window cleaning? Happy to answer any questions." Many customers just need a nudge.

First Clean Pricing

Some window cleaners charge extra for first cleans — typically 50-100% more than the regular price. The logic is that neglected windows take longer to clean properly.

Arguments for charging more:

• First cleans genuinely take longer
• Customers understand they're paying to restore the windows
• Sets expectations that regular cleaning is cheaper

Arguments for charging the same:

• Simpler pricing, easier to explain
• Lower barrier to entry for new customers
• You recover the extra time over the ongoing relationship anyway

There's no right answer. If you do charge more for first cleans, make it clear upfront: "First clean is £35 to get everything properly sorted, then £22 per clean after that on a 4-weekly basis."

When to Walk Away from a Job

Not every job is worth taking. Learn to recognise the warning signs:

Too far away: A £15 job that's 20 minutes from your nearest other customer doesn't make sense. You're spending 40 minutes driving for £15. Unless it's an anchor for a new area, pass.

Haggling on the quote: If someone's negotiating hard before you've even started, imagine what they'll be like when it comes to paying. Customers who focus purely on price are rarely worth the hassle.

Difficult access with no extra payment: Some properties genuinely need extra effort — locked side gates, awkward conservatories, windows only accessible by ladder. If the customer won't pay a fair price for the extra work, move on.

Bad feeling: Trust your gut. If something feels off about a potential customer, it usually is.

How and When to Raise Your Prices

You should be raising prices regularly — ideally annually. Costs go up (fuel, insurance, equipment), and your experience and efficiency improve. Your prices should reflect that.

How Much to Increase

• 3-5% annually: Keeps pace with inflation, most customers won't notice
• 5-10%: Reasonable for when costs have jumped significantly
• More than 10%: Only if you've been seriously undercharging

How to Communicate Price Increases

Give customers notice — at least one clean cycle before the new price kicks in. A simple message works:

"Hi [Name], just letting you know that from [date], my prices will be increasing slightly. Your clean will go from £20 to £21. This is my first increase in [X] years, reflecting rising fuel and equipment costs. Thanks for your continued support — let me know if you have any questions."

Key points:

• Be straightforward, don't over-explain or apologise excessively
• Give a reason (costs, not "I want more money")
• Thank them for their business
• Leave room for questions but don't invite negotiation

Handling Pushback

Some customers will push back. Most won't, but be prepared.

• "That's too much": "I understand. Unfortunately my costs have gone up and I need to adjust my prices to keep providing the same quality service. I hope you'll stay with me, but I understand if you need to look elsewhere."
• "Can you do a deal?": "I've tried to keep the increase as small as possible. The new price is what I need to charge."

You'll lose a few customers with any price increase. That's fine. They're usually the price-sensitive ones who were never great customers anyway. The time you free up can be filled with better-paying work.

Strategic Price Increases

Another approach: don't increase prices uniformly. Instead:

• Keep prices the same for your best customers (reliable payers, easy access, clusters of work)
• Increase more aggressively on awkward customers (hard to access, slow payers, isolated locations)

This naturally adjusts your round towards more profitable work. If the awkward customer leaves because of a £3 increase, you've freed up time for a better job.

Dealing with Competition

Window cleaning is competitive. There's always someone cheaper. Here's how to handle it:

Don't Race to the Bottom

If a competitor is charging £10 for houses you charge £18, don't try to match them. Either they're working for peanuts (and will burn out or quit), or they're providing a worse service. Neither is your problem.

Compete on Value, Not Price

What makes you worth more?

• Reliability (turning up when you say you will)
• Quality (consistently good results)
• Communication (letting customers know when you've been, or if you're running late)
• Professionalism (invoices, receipts, proper insurance)
• Extras (cleaning frames and sills, moving obstacles, etc.)

Most customers will pay more for a window cleaner who's reliable and does good work. Find those customers.

Know Your Unique Selling Points

What do you offer that others don't?

• Water fed pole (no ladders on their property)
• Specialist services (solar panels, high-rise, conservatories)
• Technology (online booking, card payments, automatic reminders)
• Local focus (you live in the area, you're invested in the community)
• Availability (can you offer slots that others can't?)

Lead with these when quoting, not with price.

Pricing for Profit: A Worked Example

Let's walk through a real example.

Scenario: You want to earn £35,000 per year (before tax). You're willing to work 45 weeks per year, 40 hours per week.

Your costs:

• Van (lease, insurance, fuel, maintenance): £500/month = £6,000/year
• Equipment and consumables: £150/month = £1,800/year
• Insurance and subscriptions: £100/month = £1,200/year
• Marketing: £50/month = £600/year
• Total costs: £9,600/year

What you need to earn:

• Target income: £35,000
• Plus costs: £9,600
• Total revenue needed: £44,600/year

Your available time:

• 45 weeks × 40 hours = 1,800 hours per year
• Assume 60% is billable (the rest is travel, admin, quoting)
• Billable hours: 1,080 hours

Your required hourly rate:

• £44,600 ÷ 1,080 hours = £41.30 per billable hour

Now you can work backwards. If an average residential clean takes 15 minutes and generates £18:

• That's £72 per hour of cleaning time
• Which comfortably exceeds your £41.30 target
• Leaving room for travel between jobs, bad weather days, and the occasional awkward job

This kind of calculation helps you set prices that actually work for your business, not just what "feels about right."

Common Pricing Mistakes

Undercharging "To Get Established"

The logic seems sound: charge less, win more customers, raise prices later. In practice, it backfires. You attract price-sensitive customers who'll leave when you raise prices anyway. You train the market to expect cheap prices. And you burn yourself out working too hard for too little.

Start with fair prices from day one. It's easier to drop prices (you won't need to) than to raise them.

Not Accounting for Travel Time

That customer 15 minutes away isn't just a 15-minute drive — it's 30 minutes round trip. If you're charging the same as for a customer next door, you're effectively being paid less.

Either factor travel into your per-property price, or be stricter about only taking customers in your core area.

Forgetting About Non-Billable Time

Quoting, invoicing, chasing payments, ordering supplies, maintaining equipment — it all takes time. If you price based on 40 billable hours per week but actually only clean for 25, your numbers won't work.

Pricing Based on Emotion

"They seem like a nice couple, I'll give them a discount." "This house looks expensive, I'll charge more." "I feel bad charging that much."

Price based on the job, your costs, and your required margins. Your feelings about the customer shouldn't come into it.

Not Reviewing Prices Regularly

Your costs go up every year. If your prices don't, your profit shrinks. Set a reminder to review prices annually, even if you don't increase everything.

Tools for Pricing and Quoting

Keeping track of your pricing doesn't have to be complicated, but it does need to be consistent.

At minimum:

• A list of your standard prices by property type
• A record of what each customer pays
• Tracking of when you last increased prices

Better:

• A spreadsheet with customer details, prices, and last increase date
• Standard price list you can adjust per job
• Notes on any property-specific factors (access issues, extras included)

Best:

• Job management software like Surehand that tracks customer prices, schedules, and payment history in one place
• Ability to see your average price per job and spot underpriced customers
• Automated reminders for quotes and follow-ups

The right tool depends on your size and ambitions, but having some system is essential. Trying to remember what you charge 150 different customers is a recipe for inconsistency and lost revenue.

Summary: Pricing Principles

1. Know your costs — both per-job and monthly overheads
2. Value your time — all of it, not just cleaning time
3. Price for profit, not just to win work
4. Be confident — don't apologise for fair prices
5. Increase regularly — annually at minimum
6. Compete on value, not price
7. Walk away from jobs that don't work financially
8. Track everything — you can't improve what you don't measure

Get your pricing right and everything else becomes easier. You'll work reasonable hours for decent money, attract customers who value your service, and build a business that's sustainable long-term.

Now get out there and quote with confidence.

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Manage Your Pricing with Surehand

Keeping track of customer prices, knowing when to increase, and spotting underpriced jobs is easier with the right tools. Surehand helps you manage your round, track payments, and see your business clearly — so you can focus on growing profitably. Start your free trial today.