Most window cleaners in the UK don’t publish prices, which is why every local Facebook group has someone asking what a fair quote looks like. This guide looks to provide some real numbers.
We clean windows for a living on a regular round in Dorset, so these are working prices, not directory averages compiled by people who’ve never held a pole.
What Window Cleaning Costs in the UK
A professional exterior window clean costs £15–£40 per visit for most UK homes on a regular round.
Regular round pricing for a typical 3-bed semi, for example, sits at £15–£25 with a cleaning cycle of every 4 to 8 weeks.
A 4-bed detached by contrast averages out at £25–£35.
One-off cleans cost 50–100% more than a typical round visit. This is due to the added time taken, and the application of specialist cleaning products to remove built-up dirt.
Here’s the fuller picture by property size:
| Property | Regular round (per clean) | One-off clean |
|---|---|---|
| Flat or maisonette | £10–£18 | £20–£35 |
| 2–3 bed terrace or semi | £15–£25 | £30–£50 |
| 3–4 bed detached | £20–£35 | £40–£65 |
| 5+ bed or large period home | £35–£60 | £60–£100+ |
Directory sites quote higher figures. Checkatrade puts the average one-off job at £29–£47, which matches our one-off column but says nothing about round pricing, and round pricing is how most of the UK actually buys window cleaning.
What Changes the Price
Size sets the starting point. These five things move it:
- Frequency. A 4-weekly clean is priced lower per visit than 12-weekly, because regularly cleaned glass is faster work.
- Storeys. Third-storey glass needs longer poles and more time. Bungalows sit at the bottom of each range.
- Conservatories and extensions. Extra glass is extra work. Side glass is usually included, but conservatory roofs are quoted separately.
- Access. Locked rear lanes, shared drives and anything the pole can’t reach from your own boundary add time.
- What’s actually included. This is the big one, and it’s next.
The Question That Matters More Than Price
Two quotes for £18 are not the same job. One cleans the glass. The other cleans the glass, frames, sills and doors, which is the difference you can see from the kerb.
Always ask what’s included before comparing prices. On our window cleans, frames and sills come as standard, and plenty of good cleaners do the same. Plenty don’t.
Why Regular Rounds Cost Less Per Clean
Regular customers pay less per visit for a simple reason: the work is faster. Glass cleaned every 4 to 8 weeks carries a light film that pure water lifts in one pass, while glass left a year needs scrubbing.
There’s a route saving too. A cleaner working ten houses on one street spends the day cleaning, not driving, and honest pricing passes that back.
That’s why the gap between round and one-off prices is roughly double, and why joining a round is the cheapest way to keep windows clean long term.
Window Cleaning Prices in Dorset
Our round covers Dorchester and Poundbury, and local prices sit close to the national table above. Like most established rounds, we prepare every quotation individually for the property rather than pricing off a flat rate.
Is Professional Window Cleaning Worth It?
For most households, yes, and the maths is simple. At £15–£25 every month or two, a year of professional cleaning costs less than one decent ladder, with none of the falls risk that comes with using it.
The bigger argument is what regular cleaning prevents. Grime etches into glass over time, algae stains frames and sills, and blocked sills trap water against seals. Clean windows are maintenance, not vanity.
Getting an Actual Price
Ranges are useful, but your house isn’t a range. If you’re in Dorset, send us an enquiry and we’ll prepare a free, fixed quotation for your property, in many cases remotely from the details and property imagery, with no obligation.
If you’re comparing cleaners, ask all of them the same three things: what’s included, what the first clean costs, and what happens if a clean isn’t right. The answers tell you more than the price does.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much should I pay my window cleaner?
For a standard exterior clean on a regular round, £15–£25 for a 2–3 bed and £25–£40 for a 4–5 bed is fair in most of the UK. Pay more only if the price includes frames, sills and doors, or difficult access.
Why do window cleaners charge more for the first clean?
A first clean takes two to three times longer than a maintenance clean, because frames, sills and channels that haven't been touched in years need a deep scrub. Expect 50–100% on top of the regular price, once.
Is it cheaper to clean windows myself?
Cheaper in cash, yes. But DIY cleaning with tap water leaves mineral spots, upstairs glass means ladder risk, and a bucket-and-cloth clean skips the frames and sills that make a house look properly done.
Do window cleaners charge more for conservatories?
Side glass is usually included in a regular clean. Conservatory roofs are a separate job, typically £40–£80, because roof panels collect algae and need more time and care than vertical glass.
Are window cleaning prices going up?
Slowly. Fuel, insurance and equipment costs have pushed round prices up roughly in line with inflation, but window cleaning remains one of the cheapest recurring home services there is.