Exterior
Window cleaning cost
Cleaning 20 windows inside and out on a two-storey house is about $290 with the screens — $14.50 a window — and exterior window washing alone about $165. It is priced by the window and raised by the ladder: a single storey is about $180 for 15 windows, three storeys about $660 for 30. Spring and fall on a schedule, about $522 a year; small houses pay the visit minimum.
Written and edited by Pablo Ruiz Quintero
Last reviewed 2026-09-28 · Nothing you type leaves your browser
Window cleaning cost calculator
The windows, the sides and the height
Window cleaning is priced by the window. Inside and out is nearly double outside only, and every storey adds ladder time.
Count each sash unit once.
An extension ladder, moved every couple of windows, or a water-fed pole.
Both faces, the frames and a wipe of the sill.
Double-hung, sliders and picture windows
Washed and put back.
Glass only.
From sprinklers.
Cleaned from the roof.
10% off a fixed schedule.
A window cleaner.
Used only to pick a regional labour rate. It stays in your browser.
20 windows inside and out, two storeys
$290
$14.50 a window · $522 a year hired
The ladder is the price
An extension ladder, moved every couple of windows, or a water-fed pole.
Spots that do not wipe off
Sprinklers etch the glass.
White spots from sprinkler or hard water are minerals baked onto the glass. A squeegee does not touch them; an acid or polishing compound does — and turning the sprinkler heads away is what stops them.
Sides and storeys
20 windows, one visit, hired.
What the window cleaner charges for
- 20 windows, inside and out
Both faces, the frames and a wipe of the sill: shoes off, drop cloths down, furniture moved. An extension ladder, moved every couple of windows, or a water-fed pole.$250 - 20 screens
Screens taken down, washed and brushed, and put back — per screen.$40
What it costs
National average. 20 windows cleaned inside and out, two storeys, screens washed. Not included: repairing or rescreening, or new glass.
Torn screens, on the window screen page; fogged glass, on the window glass page; the siding round them, on the pressure washing page.
Worth knowing
- 20 windows inside and out, two storeys: about $12.50 a window.
- An extension ladder, moved every couple of windows, or a water-fed pole. The ladder is where the time goes, and where people get hurt doing it themselves.
- Spring and fall: about $522 a year, with the usual 10% off a fixed schedule.
On this page — 4 sections
By the window, and by the ladder
The short version
- 20 windows inside and out, two storeys: $290.
- Exterior only: $165. Inside and out is nearly double.
- Every storey adds ladder time. Three storeys, $660.
- Spring and fall: $522 a year.
Residential window cleaning is priced per window, each sash unit counted once. Outside only is about $5 a window at ground level; inside and out about $10, because the inside means shoes off, drop cloths and furniture moved. Height is what raises it: the second storey is an extension ladder moved every couple of windows or a water-fed pole, and the third is pole, lift or rope work with fall protection. A small house pays the visit minimum, about $150, whatever the count.
$290
Inside and out
20 windows, 2 storeys
$165
Exterior only
Same house
$180
Single storey
15 windows, in and out
$522
A year
Spring and fall
MaterialsEstimator, Window cleaning price survey · checked 2026-09-28
Height is the price
Ground-floor glass is cleaned from the ground or a step ladder. Second-storey glass needs an extension ladder set and moved every couple of windows, or a water-fed pole from the ground that scrubs with purified water and dries spot-free. Third-storey glass is pole work, a lift, or rope access with fall protection — the industry safety standard sets out which — and it is priced about 60% above ground level.
| Outside only | Inside and out | |
|---|---|---|
| One storey, 20 windows | $150 | $240 |
| Two storeys, 20 windows | $165 | $290 |
| Three storeys, 20 windows | $200 | $360 |
International Window Cleaning Association / ANSI, ANSI/IWCA I-14.1 — Window Cleaning Safety Standard · checked 2026-09-28
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Ladder safety — injuries treated in emergency departments · checked 2026-09-25
Screens, tracks, spots
Screens washed and put back add about $2 each; sliding tracks and sills vacuumed and wiped about $4 a window. French and divided-light windows take about twice as long. Hard-water spots from sprinklers are minerals etched onto the glass: they need an acid or polishing compound, about $10 a window side, and come back until the sprinkler heads are turned away.
What goes wrong
Before booking
- The windows counted, divided-light ones noted.
- The height of the highest glass.
- Inside and out, or outside only.
- Screens and tracks, and any sprinkler spots.
- A spring-and-fall schedule for the discount.
01Cleaning in full sun
The water dries before the squeegee, leaving streaks.
Instead — A cloudy day, or the shaded side first.
02Scraping sprinkler spots with a blade dry
It scratches the glass.
Instead — Wet, with the right compound.
03Upper windows from a ladder yourself
The fall is the risk, not the glass.
Instead — A pole from the ground, or a pro.
04Pressure-washing the windows
It forces water past the seals.
Instead — Soap, a strip washer and a squeegee.
- 01Count the windowsEach sash unit once, and note any French or divided-light ones.
- 02Note the heightGround floor, second storey, or higher — the ladder is the price.
- 03Inside and out, or outside onlyInside and out is nearly double.
- 04Add the extrasScreens, tracks and sills, hard-water spots, skylights.
- 05Pick a scheduleSpring and fall on a fixed schedule usually earns a discount.
- 06Book with the guttersMany companies do both on one visit, and one minimum.
Often the same company, the same ladder and one minimum: gutter cleaning by the foot and the storey.
The gutters above them- Per window
- How residential window cleaning is priced: each sash unit counted once, both lites included.
- Divided-light window
- A window of many small panes between muntins, cleaned pane by pane.
- Water-fed pole
- A telescoping pole with a brush fed purified water, used from the ground up to three or four storeys; the glass dries spot-free.
- Squeegee
- The rubber-bladed tool that pulls the wash water off the glass without streaks.
- Hard-water spots
- Mineral deposits etched onto glass by sprinklers or hard water; they need an acid or polishing compound.
- Tracks and sills
- The channels a sliding sash runs in and the ledge below, where dirt and insects collect.
Common questions
- How much does window cleaning cost?
- About $290 for 20 windows inside and out on a two-storey house, screens included — $14.50 a window. On one storey, 15 windows are about $180. Small jobs pay the visit minimum, about $150.
- How much does exterior window washing cost?
- About $3–$8 a window at ground level, more with height: 20 windows outside only on a two-storey house, screens included, are about $165; a small single-storey house pays the visit minimum, about $150. Inside and out is nearly double.
- How much does window cleaning cost per window?
- About $3–$8 outside only and $6–$15 inside and out at ground level, about a quarter more on the second storey and 60% more on the third. French and divided-light windows are about double. Screens add about $2 each and tracks and sills $4.
- How often should windows be cleaned?
- Twice a year for most houses, spring and fall: about $522 a year for 20 windows inside and out on a schedule. Once a year is $290; every season, near the coast, a busy road or with trees overhead, $1,044.
- How much does it cost to clean windows on a three-storey house?
- About $660 for 30 windows inside and out with screens, tracks and sills: third-storey glass is water-fed pole or rope work, about 60% more a window.
- How much does hard-water stain removal on windows cost?
- About $5–$20 a window side on top of the cleaning — six sides add about $60. Turning the sprinkler heads away from the glass stops the spots coming back.
- Is window cleaning included with screens and tracks?
- Usually not both. Screens washed and put back are about $2 each; tracks and sills vacuumed and wiped about $4 a window — 20 windows with both are about $370.
- Can I clean my own windows?
- Ground-floor windows, easily: a squeegee, a strip washer and a bucket, and an extension pole for upper glass — about $90 once. Second-storey windows from a ladder are where the injuries happen; a pole from the ground, or a professional, is the safer way.
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About the author
Pablo Ruiz Quintero — Editor
Editor of MaterialsEstimator. Decides which documents count as a source, what every default value is, and where the line sits between what the reader parses and what the engines compute.
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