There is a guy in your town who pulls up on a Tuesday, cleans the glass on a row of shops along the high street in under two hours, and gets paid by each of them every month. Nobody advertised his job. He walked in, offered a price, and came back when he said he would.
And you? Maybe you are stacking shelves for a manager half your age, or sitting in an office where another colleague's tasks vanish into software each quarter. Rent creeps up. The heating bill arrives in winter looking like a threat. Your friends post holidays while you wonder whether the card will clear.
The opening here is almost literal. Shop owners sign with the first reliable cleaner who asks and rarely switch, because a recurring route is one less thing to think about. Water-fed poles keep getting cheaper, so more people try this every year. The routes go to whoever walks the street first.
You can start for around $250 if you buy a basic squeegee kit and already own a sturdy ladder, or closer to $2,500 if you go straight to a water-fed pole and pure water system. Your first paid job usually lands in one to three weeks, as soon as a neighbour sees your own windows and asks who did them. Two Saturdays a month of homes can bring in around $800 a month, the honest bottom of the range.
Today, clean the front windows of your own home with a bucket, a squeegee and a towel, and time yourself. Minutes per window is where every quote you give begins.
Glass gets dirty every week of the year, homeowners hate doing upper floors, and small shops need clean frontage to look open. Here is what the work pays, what it costs, the safety rules that matter, and how you build a route.
You will spend most of your time on two kinds of customer.
There are two ways you will clean the glass.
Which street near you has the most two-storey houses with dusty upper windows? That street is your first marketing area, because the work you need is visible from the pavement.
For a floor, look at wages. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish a separate wage line for window cleaners. The closest catch-all, "Building Cleaning Workers, All Other", had a median wage of $21.17 an hour, or $44,040 a year, in the BLS 2025 data shown on O*NET. That is a fair floor for what your own time should earn once you run full weeks.
Here is how the monthly numbers on this page are built. They are gross revenue estimates, before fuel, supplies and insurance.
The top line assumes a full diary. Rain and the slow weeks after New Year pull it down, and costs (fuel, resin, rubber, insurance) take a slice off the top. Bigger monthly figures you see online usually come from crew businesses with several vans.
What would $800 a month change for you first? If the answer is a specific bill, write it down. It will keep you going through the first wet Saturday.
Now picture that $800 arriving every month. The winter heating bill gets paid the day it lands. You stop flinching when the car makes a new noise. And each storefront you sign pays on the same day every month, so the money starts to feel dependable for the first time in a while.
How many shops within a ten-minute walk of your home could you sign at $25 to $75 a visit? One walk with a notebook tells you whether a route is realistic where you live.
Those published prices cut both ways. Homeowners already know roughly what to expect, which makes your first quote easier, and plenty of other people can read the same guides. Kit is getting lighter and cheaper. Each shop on your street will pick one cleaner, and the first to knock usually gets the yes.
Start small and let the work pay for the upgrade.
If you already own a safe ladder, you are working for about $250. If you need the ladder, budget closer to $650.
Kit prices move between retailers, so check the current listing. A cheap pole works for a season while you learn.
If you lost the $250 for the starter kit tomorrow, would your rent notice? If it would, start with the squeegee and buy the pole out of your first ten jobs.
Squeegees and washers. Channels in 10, 14 and 18 inches cover almost every window. The rubber matters most: a nicked blade leaves a line on every pane, so carry spares. Use very little soap in the bucket, because too much leaves a film you chase all day.
Water-fed poles and pure water. Tap water carries dissolved minerals, and those minerals are what leave spots when glass dries. A water-fed system strips them out. Unger's entry kit page explains the common approach: tap water passes through ion-exchange resin, comes out with a TDS (total dissolved solids) reading of 0, and dries without streaks, so you need no squeegee and no chemicals on the outside glass. The same page says to replace the resin once the reading goes above 10 PPM. In hard-water areas, many cleaners add a reverse osmosis unit in front of the resin to make it last longer.
Check your $26 TDS meter every morning, because a drifting number means spotty windows and a callback.
Be honest: would you rather learn the squeegee on cheap gear first, or buy the pole now so you never climb above the first floor? Both are sound choices. The pole costs more and keeps you on the ground, and the HSE guidance treats that as the safer starting point.
Ladder safety and working at height
This is the section to read twice. Falls are how window cleaners get badly hurt.
In the UK: Work at Height Regulations 2005
The HSE's window cleaning guidance sets out the order you must follow under the Work at Height Regulations 2005. Avoid working at height where reasonably practicable, for example with a water-fed pole or by cleaning from inside. If you cannot avoid it, use an existing safe place such as a balcony. If there is none, use suitable access equipment. Where a fall risk remains, use fall arrest equipment to limit the distance and consequences of a fall.
On ladders, the HSE says they can suit low-risk, short tasks, and that "almost all falls from ladders happen because the ladder moves unexpectedly". Check the ladder, set it on firm level ground, and tie it off where you can. The duties reach you as a self-employed cleaner whenever your work could put others at risk. The HSE and the Federation of Window Cleaners also publish a best practice guide to water-fed poles, which covers your back, arms and the overhead power line risk.
In the US: OSHA
OSHA's rules on ladders and fall protection apply to employers. According to OSHA's own FAQ, the OSH Act does not cover self-employed workers. The day you hire a helper, it applies to that helper, and following it from day one is the safest habit anyway. The key ladder rules in 29 CFR 1910.23 are:
- Inspect ladders for visible defects before initial use in each work shift.
- Do not load a ladder beyond its maximum intended load, which counts your body weight plus tools and materials.
- Never stand on the top step or cap of a stepladder.
- When a portable ladder reaches an upper landing, the side rails must extend at least 3 feet above it.
For walking surfaces such as flat roofs and balconies without rails, 29 CFR 1910.28(b)(1) requires fall protection for employees once the unprotected edge is 4 feet or more above the level below.
For taller buildings, the reference is the ANSI/IWCA I-14.1 Window Cleaning Safety Standard, which covers rope descent systems, scaffolds and lifts. Leave that work to trained crews and stay at one and two storeys.
Canada and Australia
In Ontario, Regulation 859 (Window Cleaning) applies to window cleaning contractors, workers and building owners where a worker could fall three metres or more. Other provinces have their own rules, so check with your provincial safety regulator. In Australia, the model Managing the risk of falls at workplaces Code of Practice from Safe Work Australia covers ladders and fall arrest, and each state adopts it under its own work health and safety law.
Could you keep this up on a windy day when the diary is full and the customer is waiting? Decide your stop rule now, before the day you are tempted. The HSE lists high winds as a reason to stop work, and a lost hour costs far less than a fall.
Licences, insurance and the rules where you live
Business registration. In the US you may need a general business licence from your city or county, so check before your first paid job. In the UK, register as self-employed with HMRC.
Scotland is different. Under the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982, many councils require a window cleaner's licence. GOV.UK's Scotland licence page says licences usually last 3 years, fees vary by council, you may need proof of public liability insurance and two passport photos, and working without one can bring a fine of up to £2,500. As an example, East Ayrshire Council lists £263 for a self-employed window cleaner's licence. Each employee needs their own licence too.
Insurance. Get general liability before your first job. One cracked pane, a dropped pole on a car, or water through an open window can cost more than a month of income. Insureon's window cleaner cost page puts the average general liability premium for its window cleaning customers at about $78 a month, with limits of $1 million per occurrence and $2 million aggregate. The same page lists workers' compensation at about $114 a month once you have staff, and commercial auto at about $250 a month. Storefront owners and property managers will often ask for a certificate of insurance before they let you start, so have it ready as a PDF on your phone.
Who do you already know who owns a shop or manages a building? If you can hand them a certificate of insurance on the first visit, you look like a business they can trust with their glass.
Getting your first clients
Your own street first. Clean your neighbour's windows free if needed, and take before and after photos at an angle so the dirt line shows.
Google Business Profile. Set one up on day one with your service area, phone number and those photos. Most homeowners search "window cleaning near me" and call one of the first three names.
Nextdoor and local Facebook groups. Post one clear photo, your price for a standard house, and the dates you have free.
Door hangers on one street at a time. After every job, hang a card on the five houses either side: "We cleaned number 14 today. Same price for your house this week." Neighbours see the result and the van, and you avoid a second drive.
Walk the high street for storefronts. Go in mid-morning when it is quiet, ask for the owner, and offer to do the front glass free once. Leave a card with a per-visit price and a schedule. Routes are built on foot, one shop at a time.
If you knock on doors in the US, know the FTC's Cooling-Off Rule, 16 CFR 429. A sale you solicit and agree at the buyer's home over $25 counts as a door-to-door sale, and the buyer must get written notice of a three-day right to cancel. A simple printed notice on your quote form keeps you on the right side of it.
Who are five people you could text tonight who own a house with upper-floor windows? Write their names down. They are your first five photos and your first five reviews.
Pricing per pane, per home and per storefront
You have three ways to quote, and most cleaners use all three.
Per pane. Count the panes and multiply. Jobber's pricing guide gives $4 to $8 per pane for single-hung and double-hung windows, $4 to $5 for sliders and $4 to $15 for casements. HomeAdvisor lists $5 per pane for a standard picture window and $28 for a tri-fold bay. Per pane is fair and easy to explain.
Per home. After twenty houses you will know your local flat rate. Use HomeAdvisor's $221 average as a sense check, adjust for storeys and interiors, and price first cleans higher than regular visits.
Per storefront visit. A flat rate for the same glass every visit. Jobber's guide gives $25 to $75 per visit, and Housecall Pro gives $40 to $75 for small recurring accounts. The visit is short, so your profit comes from having several shops next to each other.
Hourly. Useful for awkward jobs and for knowing your own numbers. HomeAdvisor says pros charge $45 to $75 an hour, and Jobber lists $40 to $75 for residential and $50 to $100 and up for commercial work.
Set a minimum charge: Jobber suggests $25 to $75 for a small storefront.
Once your diary is full more than a week out, raise your next quote. Recurring customers get a discount (Jobber suggests 10 to 15% for quarterly residential service and 15 to 25% for monthly), and everyone else pays full price.
How many minutes did your own front windows take this morning? Divide your target hourly rate by 60, multiply by those minutes, and you have a per-window price grounded in your own pace.
If your Saturdays reach that $800 a month, picture where it goes. The car insurance comes out of the window money, and your payslip stays whole for the mortgage. Your partner stops asking whether you can afford the school trip, because the answer is already sitting in a separate account. Keep the price sheet tight, and the Saturdays will cover it.
Building a recurring storefront route
A route is the heart of a steady window cleaning business. Homes pay well but book once or twice a year. Shops pay less but call you every two weeks, all year.
Cluster. Fill one high street or strip mall before you move on. Ten shops on one parade is a morning. Ten across town is a day of driving.
Fix the day. Same day, same time, every cycle, so owners stop thinking about it.
Bill monthly. Invoice on the first of the month by card or direct debit, so small invoices never eat your evenings.
Do the door every time. It gets the most fingerprints. Clean it inside and out on every visit.
Ask for the next shop. When an owner is happy, ask which other businesses on the street they talk to. Shopkeepers know each other, and a referral from the cafe owner opens the salon door.
A storefront route of 30 shops every two weeks at around $40 a visit is about $2,400 a month before costs, which is how the full-time line in the table above is built. It takes most people a year or more of walking in and asking to get there.
If the route reaches that $2,400 a month, the money arrives whether or not it is house season. You stop dreading January. You can tell your mum you will cover her heating bill this winter and mean it, because the shops pay on the first of every month. Build the route one parade at a time, and the steady months follow.
Upsells: gutters, screens and tracks
You are already at the house with a ladder or a pole. Adding a second service costs you little extra time and raises the ticket.
- Screens. HomeAdvisor lists $5 per screen and $10 for solar screens. Pull them, wash them on the lawn, and put them back clean while the glass dries.
- Tracks and sills. Jobber lists $3 to $6 per window for tracks and $2 to $5 for sills. Dirty tracks are the first thing a homeowner sees after a clean, so offer them on every interior job.
- Hard water stain removal. Jobber lists $10 to $30 per window. Price it separately, because it takes far longer than a normal clean and does not always come out fully. Tell the customer that before you start.
- Gutters. HomeAdvisor's gutter cleaning guide puts the national average at $168, with a typical range of $119 to $234. Many window cleaners add gutter vacuum poles for this exact reason: the same customers, the same season, the same ladder rules.
- Pressure washing. Driveways, patios and siding are the natural partner to clean windows. If you already have the van and the customers, read our pressure washing business guide for the kit and pricing. A spring "glass and grounds" package is an easy way to raise an average job. For lawns, see our lawn care guide.
Which of your first ten customers would say yes to screens and gutters if you asked while you were already up there? Ask every one. The answer tells you which upsell to promote.
Your first thirty days
Week 1: Learn the stroke and set up. Buy your starter kit, clean and time every window in your own home, and practise the "fanning" squeegee stroke until it leaves no streaks. Set up your Google Business Profile and a price sheet.
Week 2: Get legal and visible. Buy general liability insurance. In Scotland, apply for your council licence before paid work. Clean two or three neighbours' homes at a discount for photos and reviews, and post them locally.
Week 3: First paying jobs. Take every reasonable house job, door-hang the five houses either side, and offer five shop owners a free first clean.
Week 4: Start the route. Turn any yes from week 3 into a fortnightly booking on a fixed day. Ask every home customer for a review, and work out your real hourly rate.
By day 30 a realistic picture is a handful of paid house jobs, two or three shops on a schedule, and a clear idea of whether you enjoy the work.
Scaling past one pair of hands
Stage 1: Solo. You do everything. Focus on density: houses on the same streets, shops on the same parade.
Stage 2: Pole and upsells. Let squeegee work pay for the pole, then add screens, tracks and gutters.
Stage 3: A helper. When you turn work away in spring, hire a part-time helper. They take the storefront route or the interiors while you quote and do exteriors. Remember the insurance changes: Insureon lists workers' compensation for window cleaners at about $114 a month, and in Scotland each worker needs their own licence.
Stage 4: A second van. A second crew turns you into a manager. Do you want that, or do you want to keep the squeegee in your hand? Many owners stop at stage 3, and that is a sound business too.
If you reach the full-time line of around $9,000 a month and a helper covers the route mornings, the change shows up in your week. You are at the school gate at 3pm because the shops are done by noon. Your kids know Fridays are yours. Grow it only as far as you want that trade to go.
Key Players to Watch
- Unger: squeegees, poles and the HydroPower DI filters.
- Ettore: US squeegee and starter kit maker.
- Gardiner Pole Systems and Tucker: water-fed pole makers popular with full-time cleaners.
- International Window Cleaning Association (IWCA): US trade body behind the I-14.1 safety standard.
- Federation of Window Cleaners: UK trade body that worked with the HSE on water-fed pole guidance.
- Fish Window Cleaning, Window Genie, Men In Kilts and Squeegee Squad: franchise brands competing for the same homes and storefronts.
- Jobber and Housecall Pro: scheduling, quoting and invoicing software built for route businesses.
- Angi, HomeAdvisor and Thumbtack: lead platforms where homeowners request quotes.
The honest risks
Falls. This is the risk that matters. HSE counted 31 workers killed by falls from height in Great Britain in 2025/26, more than any other cause. Use the pole, keep ladders for short tasks, and refuse work you cannot reach safely.
Weather and seasons. Rain, frost and short winter days cut your hours. A storefront route keeps January from being empty.
Damage claims. A scraper scratch on tempered glass, a broken screen, a pole that hits a car. Test scrapers on a corner first and never scrape tempered glass without the owner's agreement.
Your body. Overhead pole work strains shoulders and backs. Stretch, swap arms and keep the pole short when you can.
Lots of competition. Anyone can buy a squeegee. You win by turning up on the same day every cycle and answering the phone.
Slow route building. A route grows a few shops a month. If you need $2,000 next month, this business will not get you there that fast.
Common Objections & Counterarguments
"Water-fed poles will make everyone a window cleaner." They lower the skill barrier for exteriors. They also cost around $1,200 or more, need resin and maintenance, and still leave interiors, screens and detailing to squeegee work. Reliability and a route remain the moat.
"Homeowners will do it themselves." Some will do the ground floor. Very few want to climb to the second.
"Storefront prices are too low to bother with." At $25 to $75 a visit, one shop is small. Ten on one parade every two weeks is a reliable morning of income, every month of the year, which is why established cleaners guard their routes.
"I will get hurt." The risk is real, and it is mostly ladder risk. A pole-first business, ground-floor shops and a firm stop rule for wind and wet surfaces remove most of it.
Predictions for 2026-2027
- Water-fed poles become the default for US residential exteriors, as they already are in the UK, and kit prices keep drifting down.
- More cleaners bundle windows with pressure washing and gutter cleaning into seasonal exterior packages sold as one price.
- Recurring billing by card or direct debit becomes normal for storefront routes, replacing cash and cheques.
- Insurers and property managers ask for written safety procedures more often, even from one-person operators.
Hold these loosely. The one you can act on today is the bundle.
Picture the shops on your street a month from now if you are still only thinking about this. The shop owners who wanted a cleaner this spring sign with someone else. The neighbour who would have asked about your windows asks a van that drove past. Do your own glass tonight and walk the nearest row of shops this weekend with a price in your head.
Who should skip this
- You are afraid of heights or have balance, knee or shoulder problems that make ladders and overhead pole work unsafe for you.
- You need serious money within the next month. A route takes many months to fill.
- You do not have reliable transport for a ladder or a pole and a water tank.
- You hate repetitive physical work in the cold and wet, because a route runs in January too.
- You want a business with no customer contact. Window cleaning is built on knocking, chatting and being trusted with people's homes and shops.
Be honest with yourself: do you like the idea of the same parade of shops every second Tuesday for years? If that sounds calm and steady, this could be your trade. If it sounds dull, look at a business with more variety.