This guide is for owners who already run a wash rig. If you’re still setting up, start with how to start a pressure washing business.

Why fall is the pitch

House washing calls cool off after the spring and summer rush. In an October 2025 thread on a pressure washing trade forum, one owner said he shifted his fall ads toward windows as wash calls slowed. He said the window work filled in the gap.

Homeowners already expect a fall window visit. One Portland-area roof and gutter company tells customers that most homes need windows washed twice a year: in late spring after pollen season, and again in fall before the wet months. That second visit lands right when your fall house washes thin out.

What operators publish

Company Market Published rate Notes
NJM Roof & Gutter Cleaning St. Helens and Portland metro, OR $8 per window outside only; $14 to $16 inside and out Tracks, frames and screens add $2 per window
A Perfect View Window Cleaning Minneapolis–St. Paul, MN $5 per pane outside only; from $8 per pane inside and out $195 minimum per project; sales tax extra
KC Splash Kansas City metro $0.07 per sq ft of house Sold only as a house wash add-on; pure DI water; up to 3 stories

Per pane and per window are not the same thing. The Portland-area company notes that per-pane pricing can double the count on divided-light or French windows.

The Twin Cities company runs the bundle in the other direction: it lists pressure washing from $95 when added to a window cleaning, or $195 without one. The truck is already in the driveway, so the second service can carry a lower price.

The Kansas City rate shows what an add-on looks like on a wash ticket. On a 2,000 sq ft house, $0.07 a square foot comes to $140.

Gear: traditional or water-fed pole

Setup Example Listed price What’s in it
Traditional hand tools Ettore Complete Trad Kit $408.51 Squeegees, scraper, belt, holsters, 8-ft pole; no bucket
DI tank and pole XERO DI Tank Package From $937.99 Half-cubic-foot DI tank, TDS meter, 21-ft pole, brush
DI system and pole Unger HydroPower Ultra 16K Entry Kit From $1,379 DI system, 33- or 40-ft pole, brush, 82 ft of hose
RO/DI system kit XERO Ultimate Residential Kit $3,198 RO and DI filtration, 30-ft pole

Prices are from one window-cleaning retailer’s site on October 9, 2026.

Traditional tools cost the least, but they put you on a ladder for second-story glass. OSHA’s ladder safety card calls portable ladder falls one of the leading causes of workplace deaths and injuries. One pole listing pitches its system as a way to clean windows “safely from the ground.”

A pole needs pure water so the glass dries without spots. One maker says to change resin when its meter consistently reads 10 ppm or higher. Your tap water sets your resin bill. In that maker’s chart, the same resin makes about four times as much pure water from 50 ppm water as from 200 ppm water. Replacement resin there starts at $89 for a quarter cubic foot. Test your water with a $9.99 TDS meter before you buy a system.

In the same forum thread, one veteran said he does almost everything by hand and seldom uses his pole. Another crew said they cleaned half their windows each way, and two people checking up close couldn’t tell which was which.

Run the hourly math first

Trade posts suggest windows often pay less per hour than washing. One long-time window cleaner put it at about a third of his pressure washing rate. Another said it was closer to two-thirds. Those are two people’s reports, not data. Your close rate and booked-out weeks show when to raise prices on either service.

So test it on your own jobs. Divide the ticket by every hour on site, including setup, screens and the drive. A 20-window, outside-only job at $8 a window is $160. That’s $80 an hour if it takes two hours, or about $53 if it takes three. Compare that with what your house washes earn per hour, using the numbers in how much to charge for pressure washing.

A lower rate can still beat an empty fall afternoon, and bundling windows onto a house wash saves a second trip. On gear, the cheapest pole package above equals about six of those $160 jobs. That’s before resin, hose or your time. For other ways to fill that afternoon, see where pressure washing leads come from.

Insurance and interiors

Before your first window job, ask your agent whether your general liability policy covers window cleaning and ladder work. In a January 2026 thread from a new Portland, Oregon business, a long-time window cleaner said window coverage cost him far less than pressure washing coverage. Premiums vary, so get a quote rather than assuming. The SBA’s guide to business insurance explains the main policy types.

Decide on interiors up front. One owner in the fall thread said he only does exteriors, because going inside feels like too much liability and means the customer has to be home. About half of his window jobs, he said, are at empty homes.

As the weather turns, keep your main rig safe too: see winterizing a pressure washer. For how we gather and check prices, see our methodology.

Sources