How Much to Charge for Window Cleaning in 2026 (Per Pane Rates, Chart and Calculator)
By BRIX Editorial Team · Updated
Window cleaners usually price per pane or per window. Housecall Pro's October 2026 guide puts inside-and-out cleaning at $8–$16 a window, or $4–$8 a pane, with a typical home costing $150–$302 a visit. Count the glass, time how many panes you clean per hour, then add drive time, supplies, overhead, profit and a story premium.
Key takeaways
- Count panes (or windows), not square feet of house. Glass count drives the time.
- On our illustrative costs, 30 ground-floor panes (15 double-hung windows) come to $201.21: $6.71 a pane, $13.41 a window.
- Second-story glass takes longer. At +40% time the same house is $257.58.
- A 45% margin is an 82% markup on cost. Price with the right one.
- Screens, tracks and hard-water stains are separate line items. Recurring customers get a lower per-visit price.
How do window cleaners price a job?
Window cleaners count the panes or windows, apply a rate per piece of glass, and adjust for height, access and condition. Behind that rate is time: how many panes one cleaner finishes in an hour, inside and out, with screens off and back on. The calculator below converts your pane count and speed into a job price with the same engine as our job pricing calculator.
- Labor hours incl. setup and drive
- 3.17 hrs
- Crew time on site
- 170 min
- Direct cost (labor, materials, equipment)
- $110.67
- Price per pane
- $6.71
- Gross margin
- 45.0%
- Markup on cost
- 81.8%
- Billed per labor hour
- $64/hr
Charge $201.21 per job. That covers $110.67 of direct cost, $60.36 of overhead and leaves $30.18 profit. A 82% markup on cost is a 45% margin, not the same number. Defaults are illustrative; replace them with your own times and costs.
Price = (pane hours + setup + drive) × labor rate + supplies + equipment ÷ (1 − overhead % − profit %)
- Pane hours
- panes ÷ panes per cleaner-hour × (1 + extra time for upper stories, first cleans or hard water)
- Supplies
- solution, scrim and blades per pane, plus fuel per job
- Equipment
- vehicle, ladders and water-fed pole system, per hour on the job
The $26 labor rate is illustrative. BLS reports a median wage of $17.71 an hour for janitors and building cleaners in May 2025. Time your own pace on standard double-hung glass, then on French panes and picture windows, and keep a rate for each.
Window cleaning price chart by home
Pane count sets the base; height and access set the multiplier. The chart runs the worked example's costs across five homes, with Housecall Pro's Thumbtack-based job totals for comparison.
| Home | Calculated price | Per pane | Market reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Condo, 12 panes | $150.00 | $12.50 | HCP: 6–10 windows $127–$249; minimums $75–$250 |
| Ranch, 30 panes (15 windows) | $201.21 | $6.71 | HCP: 11–15 windows $168–$330 |
| Two-story, 30 panes (+40% time) | $257.58 | $8.59 | HCP: 11–15 windows $168–$330; Fixr: floors 3–4 add $3–$5 a window |
| Large two-story, 48 panes (+40% time) | $384.12 | $8.00 | HCP: 16–20 windows $187–$368 (its largest published band) |
| Exterior only, 30 panes (twice as fast) | $150.00 | $5.00 | HCP: exterior only $4–$8 a window |
The condo row shows the minimum at work: 12 panes calculate to $108.48, so the $150 minimum sets the price. Exterior-only work is quick per pane, which is why many companies sell it as a cheaper spring package and upsell interiors in the fall.
Per pane, per window, hourly or by house size?
| Model | Typical rate | Strength | Weakness |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per pane | $4–$8 (Housecall Pro, Fixr) | Precise on French and divided-light windows | Customers struggle to count panes |
| Per window | $8–$16 inside and out (Housecall Pro) | Easy for customers to count | A picture window and a bathroom window aren't the same job |
| Hourly | $45–$75 per cleaner (Housecall Pro); $40–$75 (Fixr) | Fair for storefronts and odd jobs | Customers can't budget; slow cleaners look cheap |
| By house size | Fixr: $170–$220 for 1,000 sq ft up to $500–$600 for 4,200 sq ft | Fast phone quotes | Glass-heavy homes get underpriced |
What customers typically pay for window cleaning
Customers typically pay $150–$302 for residential window cleaning, an average of $221, according to Angi and HomeAdvisor figures cited in Housecall Pro's October 2026 guide. Fixr puts the national range at $190–$460 with a $310 average, and both sources price standard windows at $8–$16 each inside and out.
| Figure | Range | Source and date |
|---|---|---|
| Residential visit | $150–$302 (average $221) | Housecall Pro, updated Oct. 19, 2026, citing Angi/HomeAdvisor |
| Per window, inside and out | $8–$16 | Housecall Pro |
| Per window, exterior only | $4–$8 | Housecall Pro |
| Per pane | $4–$8 | Housecall Pro and Fixr |
| Minimum service charge | $75–$250 | Housecall Pro |
| Commercial | $0.50–$2.50 per sq ft or $6–$20 per window | Housecall Pro |
| National range | $190–$460 (average $310) | Fixr, updated Aug. 29, 2025 |
| By window type | Sliding $8–$10; casement $15–$30; skylight $25–$35 | Fixr |
Screens, tracks, hard water and other add-ons
- Screen cleaning. Housecall Pro lists $2–$5 per screen; Fixr $0.50–$5. Charge per screen so a house full of screens pays for itself.
- Track and sill detailing. Housecall Pro lists $2–$5 per window. Fixr notes many companies include basic track wiping, so say clearly what's in your base price.
- Hard-water stain removal. $10–$30 per window in both sources. It's slow work; the calculator's detail option (+75% time) takes the example to $306.89.
- Skylights, storm windows and specialty glass. Housecall Pro lists skylights at $20–$30 and storm windows at $10–$20; large picture windows run $10–$25 and bay or bow windows $15–$30.
- Post-construction cleanup. Paint and debris removal runs $5–$15 per window in Housecall Pro's guide, plus a scraper and care around low-E coatings.
Minimums, recurring plans and deposits
Housecall Pro lists minimum service charges of $75–$250 and recurring discounts of 10–20% off the single-visit price. Discounts are easier to give when the cost actually falls: a quarterly customer on a set route, with a 10-minute drive and glass that cleans about 15% faster, comes to $173.44 a visit in our calculator, versus $201.21 for a one-off. Take a card on file for residential work, and a deposit before post-construction jobs.
Window cleaning pricing mistakes
- Treating your margin as a markup. Add 45% to cost hoping for a 45% margin and the job goes out at $160.47 instead of $201.21, a 31.0% margin. See markup vs. margin or the markup and margin calculator.
- Quoting by house size. Two 2,000 sq ft homes can have 20 and 60 panes. Count the glass.
- Free screens and tracks. They can take as long as the glass. Price them or say they're excluded.
- Ignoring height. Second- and third-story glass means ladder moves or a water-fed pole setup. Fixr reports floors three and four add $3–$5 a window.
- No minimum. A six-window condo costs nearly as much to reach as a ranch. Set a minimum and stick to it.
How to present a window cleaning quote
- 1
Count from photos or a quick walk-around.
Note panes per window, stories, screens, storm windows and any hard-water staining.
- 2
Quote one-time and plan prices together.
"It's $201 for inside and out, or $173 a visit on a quarterly plan."
- 3
List add-ons as their own lines.
Screens, tracks and hard-water treatment priced separately keep the base price comparable.
- 4
Follow up and book the next season.
Spring and fall are peak. Book the next visit as you finish. See how to follow up on an estimate.
Many window cleaners start inside a cleaning business. See house cleaning prices, how to start a cleaning business and cleaning business software.
Frequently asked questions
How much should I charge per window for cleaning?
Housecall Pro's 2026 guide gives $8–$16 a window inside and out, and $4–$8 for exterior only. On our illustrative costs, a 15-window single-story home comes to $13.41 a window.
How much do window cleaners charge per pane?
Housecall Pro and Fixr both list $4–$8 a pane, and Fixr puts small divided panes at $1–$3. Per-pane pricing is fairest on French and divided-light windows, where a per-window price would undercharge.
What is the average cost of residential window cleaning?
Housecall Pro cites Angi and HomeAdvisor at $150–$302 a visit with a $221 average, and Fixr puts the national range at $190–$460 with a $310 average. Pane count, stories and add-ons explain most of the gap.
How much more should I charge for second-story windows?
Price the extra time: our calculator's +40% time takes the example home from $201.21 to $257.58. Fixr reports third- and fourth-floor windows cost $3–$5 more each.
Should I charge extra for screens?
Most companies do. Housecall Pro lists $2–$5 per screen and Fixr $0.50–$5. Cleaning screens properly can take as long as the glass, so price them per screen.
What hourly rate do window cleaners charge?
Housecall Pro reports $45–$75 per cleaner-hour and Fixr $40–$75, with high-rise work up to $85. Quote residential jobs per pane or window, and use your hourly target to check those prices.
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- Markup and Margin CalculatorConvert markup to margin and margin to markup, or find both from cost and price. Free calculator with a markup-to-margin chart and trade examples.
- Markup vs. Margin: What's the Difference?Markup divides profit by cost; margin divides it by price. Conversion formulas, a markup-to-margin table and the pricing mistake that costs contractors.
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- AI Receptionist for Window Cleaning: Pane Counts, Storefront Routes and Height ScreeningAn AI receptionist for window cleaners that counts panes, screens and stories, books residential jobs and storefront routes, and flags high-rise work.
Sources
- Housecall Pro, How to price window cleaning (updated Oct. 19, 2026) (checked October 24, 2026)
- Fixr, Window cleaning cost (updated Aug. 29, 2025) (checked October 24, 2026)
- BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, Janitors and building cleaners (pay, May 2025) (checked October 24, 2026)