Window Cleaning Quote Template: What to Count and What to Write Down

Two houses with the same square footage can be very different window jobs. One has a dozen large panes on the ground floor. The other has French doors, divided-light windows, a skylight and a second story over a slope.

If you quote by eye, you'll win the jobs you underpriced and lose the ones you priced right. A template forces the same questions every time, and the answers drive the price.

Walk the property, or ask the customer for photos and a count, and record:

• Number of panes or windows, by size if they vary a lot.
• Divided-light or French panes, which take much longer per window.
• Stories, and which windows need a ladder or a water-fed pole.
• Inside, outside or both.
• Screens: count them and note whether they need washing or just removal.
• Tracks and sills: included or extra.
• Skylights, glass doors, mirrors and storefront glass.
• Hard water spots, paint or construction residue, which can turn a quick clean into a restoration job.
• Access issues: steep slopes, landscaping, pets, alarm sensors.

Time yourself on a few real jobs, then build a per-item time:

• Standard pane, outside only
• Standard pane, inside and out
• Divided-light window
• Screen clean
• Track clean
• Second-story pane (ladder or pole)

Use your typical time, not your fastest. Add setup and pack-down for the whole job.

Your hourly rate has to cover equipment, ladders and poles, the water-fed system and its filters, supplies, vehicle costs, insurance, phone and software, and your pay, divided by the hours you actually spend cleaning.

Example, with round numbers for illustration only. Use your own.

• Monthly costs including pay: $5,000
• Hours cleaning: 100
• Rate: $5,000 ÷ 100 = $50 per hour, before profit

Supplies per job are small but real: solution, scrim, blades, pads, purified water. Travel is often bigger. Either build a standard trip charge into every quote or price longer drives separately.

A two-story house, outside only, plus screens. Round numbers to show the math. Use your own.

• 20 ground-floor panes × 4 minutes = 80 minutes
• 10 second-story panes × 7 minutes = 70 minutes
• 10 screens × 2 minutes = 20 minutes
• Setup and pack-down = 10 minutes
• Total: 180 minutes = 3 hours × $50 = $150
• Supplies: $10
• Travel: $15
• Subtotal: $175. With a 20% margin: $175 × 1.2 = $210.

Inside cleaning, tracks and the skylight would be separate lines the customer can add.

Your window cleaning quote template should include:

1. Customer and property: name, address, contact details, date of the visit or photos you priced from.
2. Scope: which windows, inside or outside or both, stories, screens, tracks, skylights.
3. Line items: each service with its price, so the customer can add or remove extras.
4. What's not included: hard water stain removal, paint or sticker removal, post-construction cleaning, unless quoted.
5. Conditions: what happens if access is blocked, if weather delays the job, or if you find damaged glass or seals before you start.
6. Total, deposit and payment terms.
7. How long the quote is valid, so old prices don't come back years later.

Use the same job reference on the quote, the job record and the invoice. That makes questions easy to answer later and keeps your books clean; the IRS's recordkeeping page explains why supporting documents matter for a small business, and our recordkeeping checklist turns it into a weekly habit.

Many window cleaners publish "starting at" prices to filter out calls that won't fit. That works if you also say what moves the price: number of panes, stories, divided-light windows, inside cleaning and screens. The FTC's advertising guide for small businesses treats price claims like any other claim; they need to be truthful. Our truthful advertising checklist is a quick check before you post.

Business licensing, contractor registration and rules for work on commercial buildings can come from the state, county or city. Ladder and height work also brings safety and insurance questions, especially if you hire help. This guide does not cover those rules. Check with your city or county and talk to an insurance agent. The SBA's licenses and permits page is a good place to start.

The Window Cleaning Pricing Calculator ($14.99) is one Excel workbook with 8 tabs. Set your hourly rate, service hours and material costs on the Service Pricing tab, price exterior window cleaning, screen cleaning or skylight cleaning in the Quote Builder with travel and a deposit, and give the homeowner the Quote Output sheet. It comes with a window cleaning service list, and the Job Log keeps a record of every house and storefront you price.

For a published menu, the Window Cleaning Price List & Service Menu ($4.99) is a one-page US Letter price list with 12 service rows in 4 categories, as an editable HTML file and an editable Word file, plus a How-to-Use Guide PDF.

Count panes, stories, screens and extras, turn the count into time using your own per-item times, multiply by your hourly rate, then add supplies, travel and margin.

Many window cleaners quote per pane or per window but build those prices from an hourly rate. Customers find per-window prices easier to understand.

The property, the exact scope, line-item prices, exclusions, conditions, the total and payment terms, and how long the quote is valid.

Many do, because ladder or pole work takes longer. Time your own work and price it as its own line.

Checked October 29, 2026.

• IRS, "Recordkeeping"
• FTC, "Advertising FAQ's: A Guide for Small Business" (price claims are held to the same truthfulness standard as other claims)
• SBA, "Apply for licenses and permits"

This is general information, not legal, tax or safety advice. Licensing, contractor and safety rules vary by state, county and city. Check your local requirements.