How much should I charge for window cleaning?

Start with what you need to earn, not what others charge

Most window cleaners set prices by copying the local going rate. The trouble is that two cleaners charging the same price can earn very different money, because one has a tight round and the other spends half the day in the van.

A better starting point is the amount you want to earn per working hour once fuel, insurance, equipment and time off are paid for. Every price on your round should be built back from that number.

Work out your price per house

Once you know your target hourly rate, a fair price for a house is roughly: the time the clean takes, plus the travel to get there, multiplied by your hourly rate.

Example: say you want £30 an hour. A three-bed semi takes you 20 minutes and is 5 minutes from the last job. That's 25 minutes, or about £12.50 of your time — so pricing it at £10 means you lose money on it every visit, even if it feels busy.

What should push the price up

Adjust from your base price for anything that costs you time:

• Size and number of windows, including conservatories and extensions.
• Access: high windows, ladders instead of a pole, awkward rear access or locked gates.
• First cleans, which usually take much longer than regular ones.
• Frequency: an eight-weekly clean is often dirtier than a four-weekly one.
• Extras like frames, sills, doors, gutters, fascias and conservatory roofs.

Check your round, not just each house

The real test of your prices is what a full day earns per hour. A run of cheap houses close together can beat one expensive house across town.

Look at each round as a whole: total takings for the day divided by the hours from your first job to your last, travel included. If a round falls below your target, either raise prices there or fill the gaps with nearby customers.

Raising prices without losing customers

Customers who have paid the same for years are usually the most underpriced. Small, regular rises are easier to accept than one big jump.

Give notice of a few weeks, explain it simply (fuel and costs have gone up), and start the new price from a set date. Most customers won't leave over a pound or two — and the few who do were often your least profitable.