Should I price by pane, by hour, or flat?

Price by pane for quoting because customers understand it and it scales with the actual work. Use an hourly figure internally to sanity-check that the per-pane number covers your time. Offer a flat per-home price to recurring customers once you know how long their house takes, so they get a simple number and you get a predictable route.

What add-ons should I charge for?

Screen cleaning, track and sill detailing, storm windows, hard-water stain removal, and anything above the first story. These take time and sometimes special equipment, so they should never be folded into the base pane price. Listing them as named add-ons also raises the average ticket without feeling like a surprise charge.

Why are my window cleaning prices too low?

Most new window cleaners price only the time on the glass and forget drive time, setup, supplies, taxes, and the cost of getting the customer in the first place. Add those in and a job that felt like $150 of work is closer to break-even. Price for the take-home you want after every cost, not the minutes spent squeegeeing.

How to price window cleaning in 2026

Most residential window cleaners charge $4 to $8 per pane for a standard interior-and-exterior clean, which puts an average home around $150 to $400. By the hour, $50 to $75 is common for a solo cleaner. Storm windows, screens, and second-story panes get charged on top, because they add real time and risk.

We run our own cleaning company in Tucson, so we've quoted and re-quoted this work. The single most common mistake new window cleaners make is pricing the minutes on the glass and forgetting everything around the job. Here's how to price by pane, by hour, or flat, and how to protect your margin with named add-ons.

Three ways to price, and when to use each

By the pane

$4–$8 / pane

The standard for quoting. Customers understand it, and it scales with the actual work. Count interior and exterior as separate panes if you clean both sides. This is what goes on the quote.

By the hour

$50–$75 / hr

Use this internally to sanity-check. If your per-pane quote works out to $30 an hour after setup and drive time, the pane price is too low. The hourly number keeps you honest.

Flat per home

$150–$400

Best for recurring customers once you know how long their house takes. They get one simple number, you get a predictable route. Set it from the per-pane count plus a small loyalty discount.

The add-ons that protect your margin

Never fold these into the base pane price. They take extra time or equipment, and naming them raises the ticket without feeling like a surprise:

→ Screens — pulling, washing, and re-hanging adds real minutes. Charge per screen or a flat add-on.
→ Tracks and sills — the detail customers notice most. A small add-on here is easy to sell.
→ Second story and up — ladders and water-fed poles mean more time and more risk. Price it accordingly.
→ Hard-water stain removal — a specialty job with special product. This is a premium line, not part of a standard clean.

The underpricing trap, in real numbers

Quote for a 30-pane home: $180

– supplies + wear: ~$15

– drive + setup time (unpaid): ~45 min

– tax set-aside: ~25–30%

Take-home is closer to $110–$120 for ~3 hrs of your day.

Price for that take-home, not the $180 sticker. Underpricing fills your schedule and empties your bank account at the same time — the most common reason solo cleaners quit.

When you don't need to compete on price

The race to the bottom on price only happens when a customer can't tell two cleaners apart. Show up with reviews, clear add-on pricing, and a professional site, and you stop competing on the cheapest number. You don't need to be the lowest quote when:

• You have visible reviews. A 4.9 rating lets you charge mid-market and still win the job.
• Your pricing is clear up front. Transparency reads as confidence, which justifies a higher rate.
• You answer fast. The cleaner who responds first often wins before price even comes up.

All three of those live on your website and Google Business Profile, not on your price sheet. The cleaners stuck competing on price are usually the ones customers can't find anything else about.

Where we fit

Good pricing only pays off if customers find you and trust you before they ask the price. That's the part we build. Our Start Getting Leads plan is $249/month — a hand-built cleaning site with your reviews, clear pricing, and 24/7 AI lead capture, month-to-month, and you own it.

See websites for cleaning companies, our house cleaning insurance cost guide, and the AI receptionist that books the call. For getting found, read SEO for home services and what local SEO costs.

We don't post stock testimonials. On a 15-minute call we screen-share the real dashboards behind our own businesses — live leads, rankings, and the exact page that produced each one. See the proof →

Common questions

What should I charge?

$4–$8 per pane for a standard clean, putting an average home at $150–$400, or $50–$75 an hour solo. Charge storms, screens, and upper stories on top.

By pane, hour, or flat?

Quote by pane because customers get it, check yourself against an hourly number, and offer flat per-home pricing to recurring customers once you know their house.

Why do my prices feel too low?

Because you're pricing the glass and forgetting drive time, setup, supplies, taxes, and the cost of getting the customer. Price for take-home after all of it.

Stop competing
on price alone.

Send your company name and area — we'll confirm your market is open and build a working cleaning website demo within 48 hours. Free, no card, no commitment.

Prefer email? [email protected]