Hello again! And welcome to another edition of “Ask T Squeegee”.
Joey Salanga Asks: “Hello my fellow window cleaners, Do you charge for inside and outside window cleaning? I see some people do and some people don’t?
Credit: Peter Cruz
Well Joey I’m not sure who doesn’t charge for doing the interior of the windows but they should be. Doing windows inside is usually if not always double the work. Moving furniture, raising blinds/curtains on top of cleaning the glass can be a chore. Not charging someone for that doesn’t make good business sense. Including things like a sill wipe down may be something to include in a price but not doubling the work with extra glass to clean. When giving a bid I always include a price for the exterior only and also for the inside and out. I even go as far to add a price to clean the screens and if needed a price for detailing sills/tracks. In my opinion anything above cleaning the glass and wiping edges/sills is an upcharge. Hope this helps answer your question; don’t leave money on the table your time is valuable. When offering a service make sure its a premium service and charge accordingly.
Max Efficiency Solar asks: “Good morning from CA Y’all! I’m starting to get things ready to go and need to be pointed in the direction of some window cleaning contracts. I do not know what to include. I am only offering cleaning of windows and screens and nothing else at the moment as I do not poses alternative skills yet. Thanks in advance.”
Well Max good question. I have been cleaning windows for nearly 20 years. I haven’t ever done so with a contract. That’s not saying you shouldn’t. I normally lay out my terms for the service requested in my estimate. For example if I’m cleaning the outside only I let them know in the estimate that I will wash scrape clean all exterior glass including wipe down sills and frames. Any extra labor i.e. Cleaning screens, removal of stains on glass or deep cleaning of window sills/tracks at the request of customer will be an extra charge. Once they’ve accepted the estimate we’ve agreed to the terms of the estimate. For residential work I require payment upon completion unless we’ve agreed on something else. However first time cleanings for residential are always paid when I’m finished; something I require after years of experience of getting burned on a few occasions on payments. Commercial is normally 30 days after completion unless payouts are 90 days which some commercial accounts are. Always be sure your terms of service are clear and concise when giving your estimate and always cover yourself by being clear with the customer. Hope that helps you out Max!
As always you can send your questions to [email protected] and make sure you catch me and my co hosts every Wednesday evening at 8pm Est live on YouTube for the Squeegee Life Podcast!
-T Squeegee Out!