Window cleaning is one of the fastest ways to boost your average ticket. The startup cost is under $1,000, the skills overlap with work you already do, and a 20-window house adds $200-$350 to a job you're already on-site for. If you're doing house washes and skipping the windows, you're leaving real money on every job.

The Quick Answer

Here's what window cleaning pays in 2026:

Per window (exterior): $8-$18 (standard residential)
Per window (second story): $10-$40 (height premium)
Average residential job: $221 (range: $150-$450)
Screen cleaning upsell: $2-$5 per screen
Minimum service fee: $100-$250
Startup cost to add the service: Under $1,000

A home with 20 windows at $12 each = $240. Add screen cleaning at $3 per screen = $60 more. That's $300 added to a job you're already at. Window cleaning margins run 20-25% at standard pricing and up to 50-70% once you're efficient.

What Equipment You Need

Most pressure washers overthink this. You don't need much to start.

Basic starter kit (under $500):

Squeegees (various sizes): $50-$100 for a full set
Extension poles: $100-$250 for different reach lengths
Buckets and applicators/scrubbers: $50-$80
Window cleaning soap: Under $20

That's it for ground-floor and second-story windows. For three stories and above, you'll want a water-fed pole (WFP) system. Basic WFP setups start at $1,500 and full systems with purification run $5,000+. Most contractors start with squeegees and upgrade to WFP once revenue justifies it.

One note on water: use deionized water for your final rinse on windows. Your standard pressure washing water may leave hard water spots on glass. A simple inline DI filter solves this.

How to Bundle It With Your Current Services

The play is simple: when you quote a house wash, add windows as a line item. "We also clean windows -- want a quote while I'm here?" Most customers who ask for a house wash would also like clean windows. They just don't think to ask because no one offers it.

Bundle pricing works well here. Offer 10-15% off when customers book window cleaning with pressure washing. The discount is offset by the fact that you're already on-site -- your drive time and setup cost are already covered by the primary job.

Gutter cleaning is the other natural bundle. If you're already doing gutter cleaning as a pressure washing upsell, adding windows completes the full exterior package. One visit covers the roof line, gutters, siding, and windows. That's a $600-$1,000 ticket on a house that might have started as a $250 driveway job.

The Easiest Upsell: Screens

Screens are the fastest yes you'll get in home services. They're quick to clean, customers rarely think to ask, and almost nobody says no when you offer it on-site.

Charge $2-$5 per screen. A home with 20 windows has 15-20 screens. That's $30-$100 for 10-15 minutes of extra work. Always offer screen cleaning when you quote windows -- it's a near-zero-friction add-on that almost always closes.

Commercial Window Cleaning: The Bigger Opportunity

Here's what most residential pressure washers miss: commercial window cleaning is a recurring contract business. Storefronts need cleaning every 1-4 weeks. Office buildings run monthly or quarterly. And the federal government actively bids window washing contracts.

There are over 60 active federal window washing contracts across 21 states posted on SAM.gov right now. Federal contracts run 1-year base plus 4 option years -- that's 5 years of guaranteed recurring revenue from a single relationship. The primary federal buyers are GSA buildings, DoD installations, and VA medical centers.

You don't have to start with federal contracts. Begin local. A strip mall with 8 storefronts at $50 per visit, cleaned twice a month = $800/month recurring from one property. Commercial rates run $50-$100/hour, compared to $45-$75 for residential. The volume is higher and the contracts are stickier.

For more on recurring commercial contracts, check the commercial pressure washing recurring revenue guide.

What to Watch Out For

Hard water spots: Your standard pressure washing water may leave mineral deposits on glass. Always do a deionized water rinse on windows to finish spot-free.
Scraper liability: Scrapers can scratch glass if there's debris on the surface. Pre-rinse and pre-scrub before scraping on any window.
Interior vs. exterior: Exterior-only is faster and lower liability. Interior requires building access and takes longer. Price interior separately at a higher rate.
Height limits: Don't go above what your poles and equipment are rated for. Anything requiring suspension or scaffolding is a different business with different insurance requirements.

Bottom Line

Window cleaning is a low-cost, high-return add-on for any pressure washing business. Under $1,000 to start, $200-$350 added to every house wash ticket, and a clear path to commercial recurring contracts once you're established. The bar to entry is low -- most of your competitors aren't offering it.

If you want more website visitors to turn into paying jobs, try QuoteSnap for free. It lets customers price out their own job and submit their info in under 60 seconds -- so you get the lead before your competition even sees the inquiry.

Window Cleaning as an Add-On: Boost Tickets by $200-250 (2026)