How Do Window Cleaners Send Estimates? Count, Text, Book
Short answer: Window cleaners send estimates the same day, usually as a texted PDF, because glass is a low-consideration purchase and the caller is comparing two other companies that afternoon. The document carries the pane count with the counting convention stated, the access class, what is included beyond glass, and the minimum charge as a number. Storefront work is quoted at the counter on a one-page route agreement. Commercial buildings need a site visit first.
Nothing about this trade rewards a slow quote. A homeowner deciding between three window cleaners is not weighing craftsmanship, they are picking whoever answered with a real number. Speed is the qualifying round; the written document is what stops the job from becoming an argument on the last elevation. The collection side of the same relationship is in what to do when a window cleaning customer won’t pay.
How fast does a window cleaning estimate have to go out?
Same day, and same hour where you can manage it.
| Lead | What the customer is doing | Realistic window |
|---|---|---|
| Spring inbound call | Working down a list of three | Ballpark on the phone, PDF within the hour |
| Realtor before listing photos | Photo day is already booked | Same day, dated to the shoot |
| Before a holiday or an event | Counting backward from a date | Same day, with your availability named |
| Storefront on a strip you already service | Watching you clean next door | Quoted at the counter, agreement signed there |
| Property manager bid packet | Collecting three bids and certificates | By the stated due date, insurance attached |
| Post-construction final clean | Chasing a certificate of occupancy | Site visit first, PDF within 24 hours |
The storefront row is the highest-return estimate in the trade. You are already parked, already wet, and the shop two doors down watched you work. A price quoted across the counter and confirmed on a one-page agreement before you move the van adds a recurring stop without a single drive.
Which jobs can I quote without seeing the glass?
Most residential work, and almost nothing else. The question is not the size of the house, it is whether anything on the job changes the method.
| Job | Quote remotely | Walk it first |
|---|---|---|
| Single-story house, standard double-hungs | Yes, from one photo per elevation | If the customer cannot describe the screens |
| Two-story with normal ground access | Usually, with a photo of each side | Steep grade, decking, or landscaping under the glass |
| Grid or true divided-light windows | No | Always — lites multiply the count enormously |
| Storm windows and older wood sash | No | Always — removal and reinstallation is the job |
| Hard water, mineral etching, overspray | No | Always — a test panel decides whether it is even removable |
| Post-construction | No | Always — tempered glass, mortar, labels, and stickers |
| Anything above two stories | No | Always — the access class sets the price band |
Five questions make a remote quote survivable: how many panes and of what type, are there screens and storms and do they come off, is the glass reachable from the ground on all sides, has anything been painted or sprayed near the windows, and is anybody home on the day. Answers to those keep a phone quote from becoming a losing morning.
What has to be written on the estimate before a scraper touches the glass?
The scope, in a way that predicts the complaint. This document is not a price, it is a description of what somebody will be looking at through their kitchen window tomorrow.
| Line | What it prevents |
|---|---|
| Pane count and the counting convention | A double-hung argued as one unit instead of two sashes |
| Inside, outside, or both | Half the job being expected for the same number |
| Screens: removed, washed, reinstalled | Silent scope that eats forty minutes |
| Tracks and sills, in or out | The single most common “you missed this” |
| Frames wiped or not | Same |
| Storm windows, counted separately | A whole second layer of glass nobody priced |
| Hard water and mineral etching excluded | Permanent damage blamed on your squeegee |
| Tempered glass and scraper language | A replacement-cost claim after a factory defect scratches |
| Minimum charge, stated as a number | A driveway negotiation on a four-window job |
| Access class and equipment | Your ladder versus their expectation of a lift |
| No rain guarantee, in plain words | A callback two days later |
The tempered glass line deserves the space it takes. Scratches that appear during a post-construction clean are usually caused by fabricating debris — particles fused into the surface when the glass was tempered — that any blade can dislodge. It is a manufacturing defect, not a technique problem, but the customer sees a scratch and a window cleaner standing next to it. Name it on the estimate, do a documented test scrape on each elevation, and photograph the glass before you start.
What has to be in hand before a commercial job gets a date?
Three documents, and none of them are the estimate. A certificate of insurance naming the building as certificate holder, a completed W-9 so their vendor file opens, and — where the work uses a rope descent system — the building owner’s written anchorage certification.
That last one is not optional and it is not yours to produce. Under OSHA’s scaffolds and rope descent systems standard, the building owner must inform the employer in writing that each anchorage has been identified, tested, certified, and maintained to support at least 5,000 pounds per attached worker, based on an inspection by a qualified person and certification at least every 10 years, and the employer must have that information before anyone uses an anchorage. A property manager who cannot produce the letter has told you the schedule, whatever the estimate says. Put the requirement on the bid so the conversation happens during procurement rather than on the morning your crew is standing on the roof.
How do I turn the pane count into a price that is mine?
Build it from your own numbers. A per-pane figure repeated in a forum belongs to somebody else’s route density and somebody else’s insurance bill.
- Pick the unit and normalize it. Pane units, not windows. Decide once how a double-hung, a slider, a French grid, and a storm are counted, and use the same convention on every estimate.
- Use your own production rate. Pane units per hour, measured separately for ground-level exterior, ladder work, water-fed pole, and interior with furniture to move. These numbers differ by a factor of three across access classes, which is why a single per-pane price cannot cover all of them.
- Multiply by your loaded hourly cost. Wages plus payroll burden, van, fuel, insurance, water treatment and filter replacement, blades and rubber, and the hours you cannot bill.
- Add the non-glass work by its own unit. Screens each, tracks each, storms each, restoration by the pane.
- Add overhead — phone, ads, licensing, the estimating time that never sells.
- Add profit as a margin, not a markup. These are different sums, and the confusion is expensive. A job costing $200 marked up 25 percent bills at $250 and earns a 20 percent margin. To actually take 25 percent you divide by 0.75 and bill $267.
- Derive the minimum from the drive. Round trip, setup, breakdown, and your smallest acceptable billable block. That total is the floor, and most small residential calls land under it.
Published per-pane ranges are a sanity check only. They move sharply with region, route density, story count, and season. Use them to notice you are off by half; never use them to set the number.
How many options should the estimate carry?
Two or three, built around the fact that the drive is already paid for once you are there.
| Option | What it holds |
|---|---|
| Exterior only | The comparison price, and the one most callers asked for |
| Interior and exterior | Both sides, with the interior access notes stated |
| Full service | Both sides plus screens, tracks, and sills |
Underneath, offer frequency rather than a discount. Twice a year, quarterly, or monthly at a lower per-visit price, and say why the price drops: glass cleaned on a schedule never gets to the state that takes three passes. A frequency tier is the difference between one job and a customer, and it converts far better than money off a one-time clean.
How long does the price stand, and when do I follow up?
About 30 days on residential, printed as a calendar date. Route agreements are priced for a term — twelve months is normal — with a named month for a rate review, so the annual increase is a scheduled event rather than a surprise. Commercial bids stand to their stated due date.
Follow-up is short and seasonal. Two days out, one text asking whether they have questions on the count. Day seven, a photo from a similar house nearby, because nobody can picture their own glass clean. Day twenty-one, one scheduling nudge tied to a real route day in their neighborhood. Then stop and move them to the seasonal list, and touch them again when the pollen comes back with the pane count already attached.
How does the customer’s yes get recorded?
Match the record to the job. A text reply saying approved is enough for a residential clean, screenshotted and filed with the estimate, along with confirmation of three things: the date window, whether interiors are included and who lets you in, and where the water and power are.
Storefront work gets a one-page agreement — the per-visit price, the frequency, what glass is covered, the payment method on file, and the notice either side gives to cancel. Commercial and property management work gets a signature, a date, and a purchase order number, because a missing PO is the most common reason an otherwise clean invoice sits for sixty days. That whole sequence is the subject of how to get clients to pay.
What does the estimate become once the job is booked?
The pane count, the access notes, the exclusions, and the photos become the invoice, and the invoice is what you get paid on. What the finished document needs is set out in what to include on an invoice.
Keel is an iOS app that runs entirely on the device — no account, no bank connection, no cloud, no login, and an App Store privacy label reading Data Not Collected. Estimates are still in development and have not shipped, so it is not the tool that writes the quote. What it does is the minute after the last squeegee pass: the invoice goes out from the sidewalk with your own numbering, your logo and brand color, one line per counted area, and the payment link rendered as a QR code the customer scans while the glass is still wet. A route customer’s monthly bill carries the individual visit dates instead of a lump figure. Blade, rubber, and filter receipts get photographed at the counter and read on device by Apple Intelligence, so your cost per stop is a number rather than a guess — and those receipts are the same ones that feed self-employed tax deductions. Route miles get logged as you drive them, the ledger is append-only and hash-chained, and the year exports as one file or as an Accountant Pack of CSV plus a one-page summary PDF. Free is $0 with unlimited invoices, receipts, and mileage; Keel Pro is a one-time $249.99 lifetime purchase, not a subscription.
Frequently asked questions
Should a window cleaning estimate be given over the phone?
Give a ballpark on the call so the customer stops dialing, then send the written estimate the same day. The phone number is a range with conditions; the PDF is the one carrying the pane count, the counting convention, the access class, the exclusions, and the minimum charge. Quoting only by phone is how screens, tracks, and storm windows end up unpaid.
Can I quote a window cleaning job from photos?
For a standard single-story or straightforward two-story house, yes, with one photo per elevation. Do not quote grid or true divided-light windows, storm windows, hard water etching, post-construction glass, or anything above two stories without seeing it. Confirm pane types, whether screens and storms come off, ground access on every side, and any paint or overspray near the glass.
Should the minimum charge appear on a window cleaning estimate?
Yes, as a stated number rather than something the customer discovers on the invoice. Drive, setup, and breakdown are most of the cost on a small job, so a four-window call almost always falls under the floor. Naming it in advance turns a driveway argument into an easy upsell — usually screens, tracks, or the other side of the glass.
What should the estimate say about scratched glass?
That scratches on tempered glass are commonly caused by fabricating debris, factory particles fused into the surface during tempering, which any scraper can dislodge. Say that a test scrape is performed on each elevation, that pre-existing conditions are photographed, and what happens if debris is found. This matters most on post-construction work, where mortar and label residue require blade work.
How long should a window cleaning estimate stay valid?
Around 30 days for residential work, written as a calendar date on the document. Recurring storefront and route agreements run for a term instead, usually twelve months, with a named month for the rate review so an annual increase is scheduled rather than sprung. Commercial bids stand to the due date printed in the packet.
What paperwork does a commercial building need before scheduling?
A certificate of insurance naming the building, a W-9 so their vendor file opens, and a purchase order number. Where rope descent systems are used, the building owner must also give written confirmation that each anchorage has been identified, tested, certified, and maintained for at least 5,000 pounds per worker, with certification at least every ten years. No letter, no date.
This article is general information, not professional or tax advice.
How do I bill for it?
Once they say yes
Turn the agreed number into an invoice.
Describe the work in a sentence — "invoice Acme $1,500 for a brand sprint" — and Apple Intelligence drafts it on device for you to confirm.
On-device · No account · Data Not Collected