How Much Does It Cost to Start a Window Cleaning Business in the UK?
Starting a window cleaning business in the UK costs between £1,500 and £5,000 for equipment, insurance, and supplies. Adding a van brings the total to £4,000 to £8,000. A well built round generates £400 to £700 per day for a sole trader.
Window cleaning is one of the most straightforward service businesses to launch in the UK. Low startup costs, recurring revenue from regular customers, and no formal qualifications required make it an accessible route into self employment. This guide covers exactly what you need to spend, what you can expect to earn, and how the round building process actually works.
Window Cleaning Startup Cost Summary (2026)
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Water fed pole system (basic) | £400 to £800 |
| Water fed pole system (professional) | £1,500 to £3,000 |
| Pure water tank (van mounted) | £400 to £800 |
| Traditional squeegee kit | £50 to £150 |
| Ladder (aluminium, 2 section) | £80 to £200 |
| Public liability insurance (annual) | £80 to £200 |
| Van (reliable second hand) | £3,000 to £8,000 |
| Leaflets and marketing (initial) | £100 to £300 |
| Uniform and PPE | £50 to £150 |
| Round management software (annual) | £100 to £200 |
| Total (no van) | £1,500 to £2,500 |
| Total (with van) | £4,500 to £10,000 |
Equipment: Water Fed Poles vs Traditional
The water fed pole method has become the industry standard for residential and commercial window cleaning in the UK. A telescopic pole with a brush head is fed from a tank of pure water (produced by a filtration system). The windows are scrubbed and then rinsed with pure water and left to dry naturally with no streaks, because pure water leaves no mineral residue.
The main advantages are speed, safety (no ladders above ground floor), and quality. A good operator can clean several houses per hour using a water fed pole, compared to one house per hour with a traditional ladder and squeegee approach.
Basic water fed pole setup (£400 to £800): Entry level poles reach four to five storeys. The tank is a portable unit filled with purchased pure water or filtered on site. Suitable for residential work and small commercial premises. Brands include Unger, Xline, and Gardiner.
Professional setup (£1,500 to £3,000): Carbon fibre poles, larger van mounted tank with a reverse osmosis or deionisation filter, and professional brushes. Lighter to handle, reaches higher, produces better results on commercial work. The investment pays back within three to six months of consistent work.
Traditional setup (£100 to £300): Squeegees, scrim cloths, bucket, and a ladder. Still used for interior work and on jobs where water fed poles are impractical. All operators need some traditional kit regardless of whether they primarily use water fed poles.
Van Costs
Whether you need a van from day one depends on your setup. If you are starting with a portable pure water tank, you can operate from a car or estate vehicle initially. Once your round reaches 30 to 50 regular customers, a van becomes practical and eventually necessary for carrying a larger tank.
A reliable second hand Transit or Berlingo with reasonable mileage costs £3,000 to £6,000. Allow £500 to £1,000 for any mechanical work needed before putting it on a round, and budget £100 to £200 per month for fuel and maintenance.
Van lettering adds £100 to £300 but turns the vehicle into moving advertising. Many window cleaners report a noticeable increase in enquiries after lettering their van.
Insurance
Public liability insurance is non negotiable. It covers you if you accidentally break a window, damage a property, or injure someone while working. The annual cost for a sole trader is £80 to £200 depending on cover level and the amount of commercial work you do.
£2 million public liability is standard for residential. £5 million is required by most commercial clients. Some policies cover both. Providers include Protectivity, Caunce O'Hara, and Simply Business. Compare at least three quotes.
If you hire staff, employers liability insurance becomes legally required. The cost is typically £200 to £500 per year per employee. Some policies include employer's liability alongside public liability in a combined trade policy.
Building a Round
The round is the asset. A window cleaning business is worth what its round is worth. A stable round of 150 to 200 residential customers cleaning monthly generates £2,500 to £4,000 per month in recurring revenue. That is before any add-on services (gutters, fascias, conservatory roofs, commercial work).
How to get your first customers
Door knocking is the fastest route to first customers. Walk a street, knock on doors, introduce yourself and quote on the spot. Expect to convert around one in ten doors into a customer. Thirty doors knocked in a morning can produce two to four new customers. This is the method that builds rounds fastest at the start.
Leaflet drops are slower but scalable. A well designed leaflet with a clear price and a local focus produces one to three responses per hundred leaflets. At £30 to £50 per thousand leaflets printed and delivered, this is a cost effective method once you have enough cash flow to invest in it.
Google Business Profile is essential from day one. Set up a profile for your area, get your first few customers to leave reviews, and you will start receiving inbound calls within weeks. This becomes your most consistent lead source once the profile is established.
Facebook local groups — most areas have local community and recommendation groups. Post an introduction, be helpful and professional, and offer a first clean at a reduced rate to build reviews. Word of mouth within these groups can generate customers quickly.
Pricing your round
Residential window cleaning is priced per visit, not per hour. Standard prices in the UK:
- Small terrace (2 bed): £8 to £12 per visit
- Three bed semi: £10 to £15 per visit
- Four bed detached: £15 to £25 per visit
- Large detached with conservatory: £25 to £40 per visit
Monthly cleans are standard. Some customers request six weekly or quarterly cleaning. Monthly is preferable because it builds revenue density and predictability.
With an efficient water fed pole setup, a solo operator can clean 25 to 40 houses per day on a well organised route. At £12 to £15 per house, that is £300 to £600 per day. At the higher end of pricing and with larger houses, daily revenue of £500 to £800 is achievable.
Monthly Running Costs
| Cost | Monthly estimate |
|---|---|
| Van fuel | £150 to £300 |
| Van maintenance and MOT (monthly average) | £50 to £150 |
| Pure water if purchasing | £30 to £80 |
| Replacement brushes, squeegees, cloths | £20 to £50 |
| Insurance (monthly pro rata) | £10 to £20 |
| Round management software | £10 to £20 |
| Marketing (leaflets, online) | £30 to £100 |
| Total monthly costs | £300 to £720 |
Round Management Software
Once you have more than 30 customers, spreadsheets stop working. Round management software handles scheduling, customer records, invoicing, payment collection, and route planning. The main options for UK window cleaners are Cleaner Planner (£15 to £25 per month), Squeegee (£12 to £18 per month), and aRound (free basic tier, £10 per month for full features).
These tools also handle GoCardless direct debit integration, which is increasingly expected by customers and eliminates the time spent chasing payments.
Add-On Services
Many window cleaners significantly increase their earnings by offering additional services to the same customer base. The most common are:
- Gutter cleaning: £60 to £150 per property. High demand, customers on your round will often book this when you are already there. A gutter vacuum attachment for a water fed pole costs £200 to £400.
- Fascia, soffit, and conservatory cleaning: £80 to £200 per property. Uses the same water fed pole equipment. Very little additional skill required.
- Solar panel cleaning: Growing demand as domestic solar installation increases. £50 to £150 per job. Requires additional insurance and potentially a deionised water system to avoid mineral spotting on the panels.
- Commercial window cleaning: Offices, shops, schools, and commercial premises pay significantly more per visit than residential, but require higher insurance levels and more professional presentation. Commercial work tends to be less frequent (fortnightly or monthly) but higher value per job.
Is a Window Cleaning Business Worth Starting?
The economics are straightforward. A full time solo window cleaner with a well managed round of 150 to 200 regular customers can gross £3,000 to £5,000 per month. After costs of £400 to £700 per month, the take home is £2,500 to £4,000 per month, or £30,000 to £48,000 per year. For a business that requires no qualifications, costs under £5,000 to start, and can be run entirely independently, those are strong numbers.
The main challenges are the time investment in round building (six to eighteen months before you reach a comfortable income), the physical nature of the work, and the weather dependency of exterior cleaning. Cold and wet winters slow productivity.
Window cleaning is best suited to people who want a business they fully control, dislike office environments, and are comfortable with the social element of running a customer facing service. The physical fitness aspect is a genuine benefit for many operators.
Starting a window cleaning business costs £1,500 to £2,500 without a van, or £4,500 to £10,000 with one. A full round of 150 to 200 regular customers takes six to eighteen months to build and generates £30,000 to £48,000 per year for a solo operator. Low barriers to entry, recurring revenue, and high daily earning rates make it one of the most financially sensible sole trader businesses available in the UK.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to start a window cleaning business in the UK?
A basic window cleaning setup with equipment, insurance, and supplies costs £1,500 to £2,500. Adding a reliable second hand van brings the total to £4,500 to £10,000. The biggest variable is whether you need a van from day one or can start from a car.
Do I need any qualifications to start window cleaning?
No formal qualifications are required to start a window cleaning business in the UK. You must register as self employed with HMRC and take out public liability insurance. If you work above three storeys using ladders, Working at Height regulations apply and training is strongly recommended.
How much can a window cleaner earn per day?
A solo window cleaner with an organised residential round can earn £300 to £700 per day depending on pricing, route efficiency, and the mix of property sizes. The upper end requires a professional water fed pole setup and a tightly managed route.
How do I find customers for a window cleaning business?
Door knocking is the fastest method for first customers. Leaflet drops scale better once you have cash flow. A Google Business Profile generates consistent inbound enquiries once it has some reviews. Facebook local community groups and word of mouth from existing customers fill in the gaps.
How long does it take to build a profitable window cleaning round?
Most operators reach a viable income around months four to six of full time canvassing and round building. A complete round of 150 to 200 regular customers typically takes twelve to eighteen months to build.
What is the best equipment for starting a window cleaning business?
A water fed pole system is the industry standard. A basic setup costs £400 to £800 and suits residential work. A professional setup with a van mounted tank costs £1,500 to £3,000 and is worth the investment once you have 30 to 50 regular customers.
Also see our guides on how much it costs to start a car valeting business, how much it costs to start a cleaning business, and how much it costs to register a limited company.