Why Window Cleaning Shouldn't Be Charged by the Hour (Or Per Window)
You're getting quotes for window cleaning and one operator charges by the hour, another charges per window, another gives a fixed price for the whole job. Which makes sense?
At Zen Window Cleaning, fixed pricing by home size and complexity is the only model that works fairly for both sides. Here's why hourly and per-window pricing create problems — and how the fixed-price approach actually benefits customers.
TLDR QUICK ANSWER:
Hourly pricing incentivizes slow work and punishes efficiency
Per-window pricing creates arguments over counts and nickel-and-dimes complexity
Fixed price by home size/complexity gives transparency and incentivizes quality work
You're paying for clean windows, not time on site
Zen uses fixed pricing: fair for customers, rewards efficiency for the business
The Three Pricing Models (And Why Two Don't Work)
Window cleaners use three main pricing approaches:
Hourly Rate
Operator charges $60-$200 per hour depending on experience. Customer pays for time on site regardless of efficiency.
Per Window
Operator charges $X per window. Price scales with window count. Sounds simple until you start arguing about what counts as "one window."
Fixed Price by Home Size/Complexity
Operator quotes based on home size (bedrooms, storeys), glass type, condition, and access difficulty. Customer gets fixed price upfront. This is how Zen operates.
Why Hourly Rate Doesn't Work
Hourly pricing creates the wrong incentives for everyone:
It Punishes Efficiency
A $60/hour operator takes 4 hours to clean a house ($240 total). A $200/hour operator finishes the same house in 90 minutes ($300 total). Same result, similar cost — but the faster operator delivered better value per hour.
Should the efficient cleaner be punished for being faster? Should customers pay more because someone works slowly?
It Incentivizes Slow Work
If you're paid by the hour, there's no benefit to working faster. Stretch the job, take your time, maximize hours on site. The customer pays for inefficiency. Business owner just uses the cheapest and longest labour he can find.
Admin Time Gets Charged to Customers
Running a window cleaning business involves phone calls, emails, scheduling, admin. On busy days, that's hours of work. Hourly pricing means customers subsidize that time even though it has nothing to do with their clean.
You're Paying for Time, Not Results
What you actually want is clean windows. How long it takes is irrelevant — you want quality work done efficiently. Hourly pricing focuses on the wrong metric.
Why Per-Window Pricing Fails
Per-window pricing sounds logical until you try to apply it:
Not All Windows Are Equal
A single ground-level pane takes 2 minutes to clean. A bank of glass louvres on the second storey takes 15 minutes. Charging the same per "window" makes no sense — yet that's how per-window pricing works.
Arguments Over Counts
Customer counts 20 windows. Operator counts 35 because louvre banks count as multiple windows, colonial grids count separately, sliding doors count as two. Nobody's happy. The count becomes a negotiation.
Nickel-and-Dime Complexity
$15 per window sounds reasonable until the final bill: 30 windows × $15 = $450. Plus $50 for difficult access. Plus $75 for colonial grids. Plus $100 for glass balustrades. Suddenly it's $675 and the customer feels misled.
Doesn't Account for Access or Difficulty
Ground-level windows vs second-storey windows requiring ladders or water-fed poles. Same "per window" price doesn't reflect the work, equipment, or risk involved.
[IMAGE 2: Calculator showing transparent pricing]
Alt text: Online pricing calculator showing transparent fixed-price window cleaning estimate based on home details
How Fixed Pricing Actually Works (The Zen Model)
Zen Window Cleaning uses fixed pricing based on home size and complexity. Here's how it benefits both sides:
Customer Gets Fixed Price Upfront
Transparency from the start. The online calculator asks: How many bedrooms? How many storeys? Colonial windows? Glass balustrades? Condition (maintenance or first clean)? Difficult access?
It spits out an estimate that's 80% accurate because after 15+ years, home patterns are predictable. Final price gets confirmed on the day once the full scope is clear.
Business Incentivized to Work Efficiently
Fixed pricing rewards speed and skill. Finish a 3-bedroom house in 90 minutes instead of 3 hours, and the effective hourly rate goes up. This benefits the customer — they get faster service — and the business — efficiency is profitable.
Customer Doesn't Pay for Unproductive Time
Phone calls, scheduling, admin — none of that gets charged to individual customers. The fixed price covers the clean, not the business overhead.
Factors in Difficulty and Equipment
Ground-level windows cost less than second-storey glass requiring water-fed poles. Colonial windows add time. Glass balustrades add complexity. The fixed price accounts for this upfront — no surprises, no nickel-and-diming.
Commercial vs Residential Pricing
Fixed pricing works beautifully for residential properties. Commercial is different:
Residential: Predictable Patterns
A 3-bedroom house has a predictable amount of glass. Variables exist (colonial windows, balustrades, condition), but the calculator accounts for them. Estimate over the phone, confirm on the day, no site visit needed.
Commercial: Too Complex for Calculators
Every commercial building is different. Access requirements, safety considerations, scheduling around operations, building manager coordination — too many variables for online estimation. Commercial quotes need site visits.
Why $99 Window Cleaning Doesn't Last
You see ads for $99 full-house window cleaning and wonder why anyone charges more. Here's the reality:
They're Not Accounting for Full Costs
Taxes, insurance, equipment maintenance, vehicle costs, marketing, admin — all eat into revenue. Former employees think "I was making my boss $200/hour, I'll charge $100 and keep it all." Then reality hits.
It's 2026 — $100/Hour Minimum for Experienced Trades
Any experienced tradesperson with tens of thousands invested in equipment charging under $100/hour equivalent is undercutting themselves and the industry. Cheap operators don't last because the maths doesn't work.
You Get What You Pay For
$99 operators show up late, do half the job, use wrong products, damage seals. Then they disappear when you try to follow up. Cheap isn't value if you end up paying twice to get it done properly.
What You're Actually Paying For
Zen Window Cleaning isn't the cheapest operator on the Gold Coast. Also not the most expensive. Pricing sits slightly above average on total job cost — but way up there on hourly rate equivalent because the work gets done fast and right.
Think Mike's Kitchen, not Maccas.
You're paying for:
15+ years experience doing this properly
Speed and efficiency (faster = better value per hour)
Proper equipment (water-fed poles, professional squeegees, right products)
Reliability (show up on time, do what was promised)
Communication (booking confirmation, reminders, on-the-way text)
Insurance (if something breaks, it's covered)
Most people don't care what the exact price is — within reason — as long as they get what they paid for. Fixed pricing delivers transparency and peace of mind.
KEY TAKEAWAY
Window cleaning charged by the hour punishes efficiency and incentivizes slow work. Per-window pricing creates arguments over counts and nickel-and-dimes complexity. Fixed pricing by home size and complexity works better for both sides: customers get transparent pricing upfront, business gets rewarded for working efficiently. Zen Window Cleaning uses fixed pricing for residential properties (calculator gets 80% accurate, final price confirmed on the day). Commercial properties need site visits due to complexity. You're paying for clean windows, not time on site. Cheap operators don't account for full costs and don't last. Properties in Robina, Burleigh Heads, and across the Gold Coast deserve transparent, fair pricing. See what fixed-price transparency looks like — get your online estimate based on your home's actual details.
Ready to See Fixed-Price Transparency?
Get an online estimate based on your home size and complexity, or give us a call to discuss your property.
