How much does window cleaning cost in 2026?
Per-window rates by region, common job prices, what drives the cost, and how to write a window cleaning quote that wins.
The short answer
Window cleaners typically charge $35 to $75 per hour
$80 to $2,500+ per job depending on scope. Here is what tradies actually charge in 2026 and how the price gets built.
Window cleaners typically charge per window or per square metre, not hourly. A standard residential clean (12-20 windows, ground floor) runs $80 to $220. Two-storey homes with reach poles or ladders run $180 to $450. Commercial premises with regular fortnightly or monthly contracts run $200 to $1,200 per visit depending on size. High-rise abseil cleaning runs $4 to $12 per pane, with full buildings costing $1,500 to $8,500+ per visit. Pricing depends on window count, height, access, frame condition, and frequency.
Hourly rates
Window cleaners hourly rates by region (2026)
Standard daytime rates across the major markets. Metro areas typically command a 20-30% premium. After-hours work is 1.5x to 2x.
United States
Notes
Insured commercial firms with abseil at the top
United Kingdom
Notes
London commands 20-30% premium
Australia
Notes
High-rise abseil specialists at the top
South Africa
Notes
Premium services with abseil/scaffold above this
Canada
Notes
Toronto, Vancouver at the top
New Zealand
Notes
Auckland and Wellington at the top
Ireland
Notes
Dublin commands a premium
India
Notes
Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore at the top
Job pricing
Common window cleaner jobs and what they cost
Real-world price ranges for the jobs tradies quote every week. Includes labour, parts, and standard call-out.
Standard residential clean (12-20 windows, single storey)
What's included
Includes interior + exterior, frames wiped, sills cleaned. 60-90 min visit.
Two-storey home (20-30 windows)
What's included
Includes reach-pole or ladder work. 2-3 hour visit for a 2-person team.
Per-window rate (residential)
What's included
Standard pricing for one-off bookings. Larger panes or double-glazed cost slightly more.
Skylight clean (each, accessible)
What's included
Includes interior and exterior. Roof-mounted or hard-to-access add cost.
Track and frame deep clean (per window)
What's included
Vacuum and detail clean of tracks, hinges, fly-screens. Add-on to standard clean.
Commercial fortnightly contract
What's included
Per visit. Typical 50-150 window storefront. Annual contracts get 10-15% discount.
Commercial monthly contract
What's included
Per visit. Includes more glass build-up between visits, so higher per-visit cost.
High-rise abseil (per pane)
What's included
Per pane on multi-storey or tower buildings. Includes rigging set-up and SWMS.
Builder's clean (post-construction)
What's included
Heavy lift: paint splatter, render, silicone, stickers. 4-8x more labour than maintenance clean.
What drives the price
Six things that change the price of a job
The same job can cost 2x more or less depending on these factors. Knowing them helps customers spot fair quotes and helps tradies justify their own.
Window count and size
Standard 20-window home is 60-90 min. Larger floor-to-ceiling glass or commercial frontage takes longer. Per-window or per-square-metre pricing is most accurate.
Access and height
Ground-floor windows are fast. Two-storey needs reach poles or ladders. Roof-level skylights need harness work. State the access method on the quote.
Frequency
Weekly customers pay less per visit because less build-up. Monthly customers pay more per visit because more dirt. Annual contracts get the deepest discount.
Frame condition
Clean frames wipe down in seconds. Years of mould, paint splatter, or hard-water staining add 30-90 min per home. Quote frame restoration separately if needed.
Special access (abseil, scaffold)
High-rise abseil is specialist work needing IRATA certification. Scaffold or boom-lift hire adds $500-2,000 per day. Always pass through at cost + small handling fee.
Inside vs outside only
Outside-only quotes are cheapest. Inside adds furniture protection, dust sheets, and indoor time. State which is included.
How to quote it
How window cleaners should price their work
Tips for tradies on writing quotes that win the job and protect the margin.
Quote per-window with clear adders
Base rate $12/window for ground floor; +50% for second storey; +100% for skylight or hard-to-reach. Customers can compare across quotes accurately.
Offer fortnightly or monthly contracts
$240/month for 2 visits beats $150/visit billed ad-hoc. Predictable revenue, customer doesn't have to remember to book.
Quote frame deep-clean as add-on
$15-45 per window for tracks, hinges, fly-screens. Customers tick the boxes they want at booking; you upsell at quote time, not week-by-week.
Take a deposit on commercial contracts
Annual commercial contracts: invoice monthly with 30-day terms. One-off jobs over $500: 25% deposit. Annual contracts paid quarterly often get 10% discount.
Show before/after photos
Window cleaning is one of those trades where the work shows itself. Photos on every invoice triple referrals and quietly mark you as professional.
Send completion confirmation via WhatsApp
Photo of clean windows, plus arrival/depart timestamps. Customers love the proof of service; takes 30 seconds and triples retention.
Watch out for
Pricing red flags to watch for
The patterns that usually signal a problem on the quote, with what to do about each one.
Door-knock quotes without measure
What to do: Walk away. A reputable window cleaner counts windows before quoting. Door-knock 'free quote' offers often inflate at the door once you've accepted.
Cash-only with no invoice
What to do: For rental properties or businesses, no invoice means no tax deduction. For homeowners, no recourse if windows are scratched or frames damaged.
No insurance certificate
What to do: Ask for public liability. Ladder accidents happen. Glass scratching is common with bad squeegees. Without insurance, damage to your home or injury to the cleaner falls on you.
Heavily under-priced vs market
What to do: If everyone else quotes $200 and one quotes $50, the cheap one is rushing, using inferior chemicals (etching), or only doing outside-only without saying. Compare scope, not just price.
No SWMS for abseil/high-rise work
What to do: Safe work method statements are legally required for abseil and high-rise work. A cleaner without SWMS documentation is uninsured for that work; the building owner becomes liable for accidents.
Pressure to use 'house chemicals'
What to do: Quality window cleaners use professional-grade chemicals (Unger, Ettore). 'House chemicals' is code for low-cost dish soap that streaks. State the chemicals used on the quote.
Sample quote
A real example: line-by-line
Two-storey residential window clean, 28 windows, interior + exterior
Standard clean (28 windows interior + exterior, reach-pole and ladder)
Tracks and frames detail clean (all windows)
Fly-screens removed, washed, refitted (8 fly-screens)
2 skylights (interior + exterior, accessible from ladder)
Furniture protection, dust sheets, indoor work setup
Travel + arrival (within 25km, included)
FAQ
Window cleaners pricing questions, answered
Everything customers and tradies ask about window cleaner pricing.
Standard residential clean (12-20 windows, single storey): $80-220 in the US, £55-150 in the UK, A$100-260 in Australia, R350-850 in South Africa, C$80-200 in Canada. Two-storey homes run 50-100% more. Frequency discounts apply for fortnightly or monthly contracts.
Standard residential: quarterly. Coastal homes (salt spray): bi-monthly. Storefront commercial: weekly or fortnightly to maintain appearance. After major weather events (storms, bushfire dust): one-off as needed.
For one-off cleans: usually one quote suffices, rates are consistent. For commercial contracts: yes, 2-3 quotes. Compare frequency, scope (inside/outside, frames, screens), and contract length. Cheapest often skips frames and tracks.
Interior + exterior glass cleaned with squeegee and pro chemicals. Frames wiped. Sills cleaned. Excluded usually: tracks deep-clean, fly-screen wash, hard-water stain removal, paint or silicone removal, exterior skylights needing harness work.
Reach poles up to 6m, telescopic ladders, or roof-rope work all multiply labour time. A ground-floor window cleans in 60 seconds; a second-storey window cleans in 3-5 minutes.
Both. Modern professional cleaners use water-fed poles (5-15m reach with deionised water) for most second-storey work; ladders for awkward windows or those poles can't reach. Both methods are safe and effective.
For residential: yes, almost always free. For commercial: usually free with a site walk; complex multi-site quotes may charge $200-500 for the survey work.
Residential one-off: pay on completion. Commercial contracts: monthly invoice on 30-day terms, or quarterly direct debit with 5-10% discount. Annual prepay rarely offered; monthly is industry standard.
Get a per-window or per-storey breakdown in writing. Confirm interior + exterior vs just exterior. State the chemicals used. Pay via banking app, not cash. Verbal quotes drift; written quotes don't.
Yes, modern window cleaners send quotes via WhatsApp as a PDF, often with site photos. Faster acceptance, mobile-friendly review, and the message thread doubles as a written record. Tools like QuoteGenio build the PDF on the cleaner's phone.
Use a template
Free window cleaner quote and invoice templates
Itemised templates ready to send. Skip the manual quote builder and get from job to paid in 2 minutes.
Testimonials
Trusted by tradespeople
Real window cleaners and other tradies use QuoteGenio to quote and invoice from their phone.
“Before this, I was writing quotes in a notebook and sending photos. Now everything looks professional and clients take me more seriously.”
Deon Kruger
Plumber · Centurion
“Monthly statements for my office clients go out and they pay faster. Chasing invoices used to eat my whole Friday. Now it takes 10 minutes.”
Rebecca Taylor
Cleaning Services · Leeds
“I like how simple it is. No learning curve. I created my first quote in a few minutes and sent it straight away.”
Chris Botha
Carpenter · Bloemfontein
Read more
More guides on pricing and quoting
Long-form posts from the QuoteGenio blog that go deeper on quote writing, pricing strategy, and getting paid.
What a Free Quoting Tool for Tradespeople Should Do
Not every free quoting tool for tradespeople earns its keep. A plain checklist of what to look for, what to avoid, and what tradies actually use.
Convert a Quote to an Invoice in One Tap, No Retyping
The one-tap convert flow eliminates the retyping, the duplicate invoice numbers, and the mismatched line items that cost tradies hours each week.
Voice to Quote: Dictate a Job, Get Priced Line Items
Hold the mic, describe the job in your own words, release. The AI drafts a priced quote. What Voice to Quote is, when to use it, and when not to.
Free forever plan
Start quoting faster. Win more jobs.
Create professional quotes in minutes, send instantly, and stay on top of your work without the admin slowing you down.
Free to start. No credit card required.