Almost no one enjoys cleaning their own windows, so they'll happily pay you to do it. Startup cost is tiny, jobs are quick, and one happy client turns into a whole street. Slide the controls to see what a few weekends could add up to.
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A couple of houses after school or a booked-out weekend route. It's up to you.
Neighbors and family, ground-floor windows only
Repeat clients plus inside-and-out cleans
A full street, screens, tracks, and seasonal rebooks
From an empty bucket to a street full of spotless windows.
You need less than you think: a squeegee, a scrubber or microfiber cloth, a bucket, and a few drops of dish soap. Skip the fancy sprays for now. Pros clean most glass with just soapy water and a good squeegee.
Nail your technique at home first. Learn to pull the squeegee in a clean stroke and wipe the blade between passes. Do a few windows until they dry with zero streaks. That's your proof you're ready to charge.
Charge per window ($5 to $15) or a flat rate per home. Offer an "inside & out" option since dirt hides on both sides, plus small add-ons like screens and sills. Clear tiers make it easy for people to say yes to more.
Start with neighbors, family, and your parents' friends. Knock with a friendly one-line pitch, drop simple flyers on your street, and post in your neighborhood group. Ask every happy client if their neighbor might want the same.
Scrub top to bottom, squeegee in slow overlapping strokes, and wipe the blade after each pull. Dry the edges with a lint-free cloth so no drips are left behind. Clean glass with no streaks is the whole reason they hired you.
Windows get dirty again, so offer a seasonal plan: spring, summer, and fall. Text past clients before each season and knock the houses on either side. Regulars and referrals are where the steady money lives.
Everything for your first jobs. Most of it fits in one bucket for under $40.
Stick to windows you can reach from the ground or a low step stool. Leave second-story and roof-height glass to grown-ups with proper gear. No job is worth a fall. Advertise ground-floor cleans and you'll still have plenty of work.
Soapy water makes patios and tile slippery fast. Wear grippy shoes, keep your bucket out of walkways, and wipe up drips before someone slips. Watch your footing on damp grass and uneven ground too.
Clean for people you or your parents know, tell an adult where you'll be, and bring a friend when you can. Handle glass gently near the edges, and never lean on a screen or a pane to steady yourself.
The stuff new teen window washers always want to know.
Streaks come from too much soap and a dirty squeegee blade. Use just a few drops of dish soap in your water, scrub the glass first, then pull the squeegee in slow overlapping strokes, wiping the rubber blade with a cloth after every pass. Finish by drying the edges with a lint-free towel. Clean glass in the shade, not blazing sun, so it doesn't dry before you can wipe it.
Most teen window washers charge $5 to $15 per window, or a flat rate like $60 to $120 for a whole small home depending on how many panes there are. Charge a bit more for inside-and-out cleaning since that's two sides of glass. When in doubt, count the windows, pick a per-window price, and give the customer the total up front so there are no surprises.
A squeegee is worth it. Paper towels leave lint and streaks and eat up your time, while a $10 squeegee gives a clean, professional finish in a fraction of the strokes. Pair it with a scrubber to loosen dirt first and a microfiber cloth to dry the edges, and your windows will look like a pro did them.
Don't do them. Skip tall ladders and anything above the ground floor. It's not safe and it's not worth the risk. Advertise ground-floor and reachable windows only, or use an extension pole for glass that's just out of arm's reach while you stay firmly on the ground. There's plenty of money in the windows you can safely reach.
Windows get dirty every season, so that's your built-in repeat business. Do a great job, be friendly and on time, then offer a spring/summer/fall plan and text past customers before each season. Ask every happy client if a neighbor might want the same. A single spotless house is the best ad on the whole street.