How to Start a Window Cleaning Business: A 90-Day Roadmap to Repeat Routes
9 min read ยท 2026-10-16
To learn how to start a window cleaning business, do these things in order. Pick one type of client, learn to clean glass safely and without streaks, register and insure the business, set a simple price list, then sign enough repeat clients to fill a route. This plan is built to take you from your first practice pane to a small paying route in 90 days. You can follow it part time, with a basic kit and one vehicle.
Repeat work is what makes this business worth it. A one-time house job pays once. A storefront that wants clean glass every few weeks pays you all year. So the plan below does more than help you find your first jobs. Every phase is built to get you a route: a list of clients you visit on a fixed schedule, grouped close together so you spend your day cleaning, not driving.
The roadmap at a glance
Goal: Launch a legal, insured window cleaning business and build a recurring route of residential or storefront clients. Duration: 13 weeks
Choose Your Lane and Study Your Area (Weeks 1-2)
Decide who you will clean for first, so your kit, prices and marketing all point the same way.
- Drive two or three neighborhoods and one commercial strip, and note the building types, window heights and storefronts with dirty glass.
- Choose a starting lane: single-story and two-story homes, ground-floor storefronts, or both.
- List the local window cleaners you can find online and note what services they advertise.
- Write down the heights you will not work at yet, such as anything above a second story.
Milestone: A one-page note naming your lane, your service area and the jobs you will turn down.
Learn the Craft and the Safety Basics (Weeks 2-4)
Get fast and clean on glass before you clean it for money.
- Practice on your own windows and those of friends: wet the glass, pull the squeegee in an S pattern, then detail the edges.
- Learn to clean screens, tracks and sills, since clients notice them.
- Learn ladder setup: firm level ground, the 4 to 1 angle, and three points of contact when you climb.
- If you plan to use a water-fed pole, practice with one on a ground-floor window first.
- Look into a safety training course from a window cleaning association or a local safety provider.
Milestone: You can clean a standard window inside and out with no streaks, and you can time how long it took.
Set Up the Business (Weeks 3-5)
Make the business legal and protected before your first paid job.
- Pick a name and check that it is free with your state and as a web domain.
- Register as a sole proprietor or LLC, and ask your city or county which business license you need.
- Check with your state whether window cleaning services are subject to sales tax.
- Get general liability insurance, and ask your agent what covers broken glass and damage to client property.
- Open a separate business bank account.
Milestone: A registered business, a license where required, and an insurance certificate you can show a client.
Build Your Kit and Your Price List (Weeks 4-6)
Buy only what your lane needs, and set prices you can quote on the spot.
- Buy the core kit: squeegees in two sizes, a strip washer, scrapers, a bucket, towels, an extension pole and a ladder rated for your weight plus gear.
- Add drop cloths and shoe covers for interior work.
- Time yourself on a few window types and turn those times into a price per window or per pane.
- Write a one-page price sheet with add-ons for screens, tracks, hard water stains and interior glass.
- Write a short service agreement covering what is included, access, payment terms and rescheduling for rain.
Milestone: A printed price sheet and agreement, and a kit that fits in your vehicle.
Land Your First Clients (Weeks 6-10)
Get paid jobs in the area you chose, and ask every client about repeat visits.
- Walk into ground-floor storefronts with a printed quote and offer to clean one door or one pane on the spot.
- Leave door hangers or flyers on streets where you can see dirty glass, and mention a clear service area.
- Set up a free Google Business Profile with photos of your own before and after work.
- Ask friends, neighbors and past employers to refer you to one person each.
- After each job, offer a recurring schedule before you leave.
Milestone: Ten completed paid jobs, with at least three clients booked for a repeat visit.
Turn Jobs Into a Route (Weeks 10-13)
Group your clients by area and frequency so each day is full and the driving is short.
- Sort clients by street and set a visit frequency for each one: every few weeks for storefronts, every few months or twice a year for homes.
- Block one area per day in your calendar.
- Ask every happy client for a review the same day you finish.
- Prospect the businesses next to the ones you already clean, since you are already parked there.
- Review your times and raise the price of any job that takes longer than you planned.
Milestone: A written route with every client's address, frequency and next visit date for the coming month.
Homes or Storefronts: Which Lane to Start With
Residential and storefront work need different habits. Homes pay more per visit, but you go less often, and inside work means booking a time and being trusted in someone's house. Storefronts pay less per visit. They often want glass cleaned on a short, regular schedule, the work is mostly outside at ground level, and you can do several on one block in a morning.
Many new owners start with storefronts. They need little equipment, the ladder work is light, and the route builds fast. Then they add homes for weekends and bigger tickets. Starting with homes also works if you live in an area full of houses and can handle two-story ladder work safely. Pick one so your flyers, price sheet and kit stay simple.
- Storefront lane: short visits, high frequency, mostly exterior glass, close together on one street.
- Residential lane: longer visits, lower frequency, inside and outside, screens and tracks expected.
- Mixed lane: storefronts during the week, homes on set days, once each side has a few regular clients.
How to Price Window Cleaning Jobs
Use a method you can explain in one sentence. The most common ones are a price per window, a price per pane, or a time estimate converted into a flat quote. Per window is easy for homeowners to understand. Per pane is fairer when windows have many small divided panes, which take far longer to detail.
Base your prices on your own measured times, not on a guess. Clean a few windows of each type and write down the minutes. Then add travel, setup and cleanup. Check that the result covers your costs and the pay you want per hour. Look at what local competitors advertise so you know where you sit, but do not copy a number you cannot justify with your own times.
Price these separately, because they change the job a lot:
- Interior glass, which adds drop cloths, furniture moving and more care.
- Screens and tracks, which can take as long as the glass.
- Hard water stains or paint, which need extra products and scraping.
- Second-story and hard-to-reach windows, which need more ladder moves.
- Post-construction cleaning, which usually means stickers, paint and debris.
Safety Rules to Set From Day One
Falls are a serious risk in this work, so write your safety rules before you take a job. Set the ladder on firm, level ground. Use the 4 to 1 rule: one foot out from the wall for every four feet up. OSHA's ladder standard (29 CFR 1926.1053) describes the same angle, with the foot of the ladder about one quarter of its working length from the top support. Keep three points of contact when you climb, and never lean out past the ladder rails. Wet glass, wind and uneven lawns all make a normal job dangerous, so reschedule when conditions are bad.
Decide in writing which jobs you will refuse. High-rise and rope access work needs specialist training, equipment and insurance, so it does not belong in a first 90 days. A water-fed pole lets you clean many second and third-story windows from the ground. That is safer than a ladder and often faster once you learn it. Check that your insurance covers the heights and methods you actually use.
How to Build a Route That Repeats
A route is a list of clients you visit on a fixed schedule, ordered so you move from one to the next with little driving. It is the difference between chasing new jobs every week and knowing your income before the month starts. Ask every new client about a repeat schedule while you are still at the job and the glass looks its best.
Build density on purpose. When you clean one storefront, introduce yourself to the shops on either side. When you clean one house, leave a flyer at the neighbors. Keep a simple sheet or calendar with each client's address, frequency, price, gate codes and notes, so any visit can run without you remembering details. Review the route every month and drop or reprice the jobs that are far away or slow.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Taking every job at any height, when you should stick to the heights and methods you trained for and refer the rest.
- Quoting from a guess, when you should time your own work on each window type and price from those numbers.
- Skipping insurance until you are busy, when one broken pane or scratched floor can cost more than the policy, so insure before the first paid job.
- Spreading clients across the whole city, when you should keep a tight service area so the route stays dense and the driving stays short.
- Treating each visit as one and done, when you should offer a repeat schedule at every job and book the next date before you leave.
- Buying a full professional setup on day one, when you should buy the core kit for your lane and add gear like a water-fed pole once the work calls for it.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a license to start a window cleaning business?
Requirements depend on your state, county and city. Many places ask for a general business license and registration of your business name, and some states charge sales tax on cleaning services. Call your city or county clerk and check your state's business registration site before your first paid job.
What equipment do I need to start?
For ground-level and single-story work, the core kit is squeegees, a strip washer, scrapers, a bucket, towels, an extension pole and a sturdy ladder. Add drop cloths and shoe covers if you clean inside homes. A water-fed pole system is a useful upgrade for higher windows once you have steady work.
Can I start a window cleaning business part time?
Yes. Many owners start on evenings and weekends, which suits homes, and early mornings, which suits storefronts before they open. Keep your service area small so a few hours are enough to finish several jobs, and grow the route before you leave other work.
How do I find my first window cleaning clients?
Start where you can see dirty glass. Walk into ground-floor storefronts with a printed quote, leave flyers on streets you want to work, and set up a Google Business Profile with photos of your own work. Ask every early client for a review and a referral, and offer a repeat schedule at the end of each job.