How to price window cleaning jobs

Start with the work behind the window count

A window count is useful only when everyone understands what it buys. A house with straightforward exterior glass and clear access is a different job from one with divided panes, interior furniture to work around and screens that need washing. Start the quote with a scope, then calculate the price.

Write down the property, sides of the glass, window styles and cleaning tasks. Separate routine glass cleaning from work such as stain removal or construction cleanup. Do not assume that a customer asking for "all the windows" means the same thing you do.

Ask what prompted the request. Preparing a home for sale, maintaining a storefront and arranging a regular residential visit can involve different deadlines and expectations. Agree on the result you can deliver within your equipment, training and access limits before discussing a total.

Survey the property consistently

Use the same survey sheet for each quote so you do not miss the small jobs that fill the afternoon. Walk around the property with permission, or request photographs that show every elevation. Ask about anything the photos cannot establish.

Record:

• Glass to be cleaned, including interior and exterior sides.
• Window styles, divided panes, doors and other glass surfaces.
• Screens, tracks, frames and sills, with the requested level of cleaning.
• Current condition, including buildup or marks needing further assessment.
• Access, parking, gates, occupied rooms and business opening hours.
• Any items the customer must move before you arrive.

Photographs can support a count, but they may hide an obstructed side yard or the condition of an upper window. Set a point at which you need a site visit. A quote based on incomplete information should say what remains unconfirmed and how you will agree on a final scope before work starts.

Choose a unit without losing sight of the total

Your pricing unit helps explain the bill. It does not replace estimating the job. You can calculate from labor and costs internally, then present an agreed property total with a clear description.

Keep counting rules consistent between the survey, quote and invoice. If a customer counts frames while you count individual panes, resolve the difference before they accept. A labeled sketch or a written list of elevations can be clearer than a bare quantity.

Estimate every part of the visit

Build a time estimate for unloading, setting up, cleaning, detailing, packing away and checking the completed work. Add travel and any expected waiting for access. Include time spent washing screens or handling agreed extras; they should not disappear into the main glass count.

For interior work, consider moving between rooms, protecting the work area and following the customer's access arrangements. For a storefront, consider when the entrance is busy and where you can work without blocking customers. Describe the actual visit rather than multiplying every pane by an ideal cleaning speed.

When working with someone else, estimate total labor hours as well as appointment duration. Two people working during the same period use two people's time. A shorter visit does not automatically mean lower labor cost.

Keep a separate note of uncertainty. If you cannot assess a surface or access method, inspect further or exclude that work. Adding money to a quote does not make unsuitable access safe.

Build a cost-based price

Use your records to establish a labor allowance that covers the work of providing the service. If you are the owner doing the cleaning, include compensation for your own time. Business profit is a separate amount; it should not depend on treating your labor as free.

A practical worksheet is:

Estimated labor cost + direct job costs + allocated overhead + intended profit = proposed price before applicable tax.

Direct costs might include consumables, job-specific parking and equipment hire. Overhead might include business software, equipment upkeep, insurance and administrative time. Allocate shared costs using a realistic estimate of paid work rather than every hour available on your calendar. Avoid counting a cost twice if you have already included it in your labor allowance.

The SBA business planning guide explains startup expenses and break-even analysis. Use its cost categories to check for omissions. Ask a qualified accountant about your own records and applicable tax treatment; this worksheet does not determine tax obligations.

Compare local advertised services to understand what customers can choose. Compare scope, access and included extras before comparing totals. Another business's headline offer cannot tell you whether your own work will cover its costs.

Price difficult work as a defined service

Separate additional work from a routine clean so the customer can choose it knowingly. Describe what each extra includes and whether you can assess it before arrival. For example, a screen wash is a different task from removing and replacing a screen to reach the glass.

Heavy buildup, unusual glazing and specialist restoration need their own assessment. Do not promise that a routine clean will remove every mark. Explain any limits you have identified and decline work beyond your competence. Follow the relevant equipment and surface instructions for the work you accept.

Set a written process for a discovery on the day: stop the affected work, show the customer the issue and agree on the scope and price before continuing. Avoid presenting an unexpected extra charge after the work is finished.

Calculate repeat visits and small jobs separately

For regular customers, distinguish the initial clean from the intended maintenance visit. Base any difference on the work you expect, supported by your records. Travel, unloading and paperwork still happen even when the glass takes less time.

State the intended interval and which tasks recur. An exterior maintenance visit might exclude interior glass or screen washing. Explain how you will reassess the price if the interval stretches or the customer requests more work. Schedule visits yourself and confirm changes with the customer.

Consider a minimum job charge if a small amount of glass still requires a dedicated trip. Work it out from the time and costs of serving that customer, and disclose it before booking. Grouping nearby work can reduce travel, but leave room for access delays and weather changes in your schedule.

Put the calculation into a readable quote

The customer needs a clear offer, not your entire internal worksheet. Include the property, cleaning scope, quantities where useful, exclusions, total and payment arrangements. Identify assumptions about access or preparation and explain how long the offer remains available.

Check the document against your survey. Are both sides included? Does "frames" mean a routine wipe or a deeper clean? Is there a separate charge for the agreed screens? Ask the customer to confirm acceptance through your chosen process and keep the response with the quote.

For a storefront, name the street-facing glass and entrance doors, the sides included and the agreed time for access. For a home, identify the elevations or rooms and list any glass left out. If the customer chooses exterior cleaning now and interior cleaning later, make each visit's scope explicit. This lets you change the work deliberately instead of trying to explain a different total after arrival.

In Microtra for window cleaners, you can prepare estimates with items and quantities, keep customer property records and connect notes and appointments with jobs. Time entries and expenses can help you review the work behind your price. You calculate the price and plan repeat appointments yourself.

Microtra also lets you share invoice PDFs through your device and record payments received elsewhere. Card charging, Tap to Pay, QR payments and pay links are coming soon. It does not collect those payments today.

Review the job before setting the next price

After completion, compare estimated and actual time for the main tasks. Note omitted extras, travel delays and access problems. Separate an estimating mistake from a change the customer requested so you know what to adjust.

Keep the accepted quote intact as the record of that agreement. Use what you learned to update your working price sheet for future work, and discuss any proposed change to a repeat customer's price before the next visit. Consistent records make pricing a process you can improve rather than a new guess at every property.