How to start a window cleaning business in the UK

Is it worth starting?

There is steady demand. Research quoted by the British Cleaning Council found that one in four households "hire window cleaning and hygiene operatives". Most window cleaners work for themselves: 74% are self-employed and 40% work part-time (British Cleaning Council, Research Report 2025, page 33).

It is hard, outdoor work, and not everyone sticks at it. The same report says "Many new recruits give up quickly as they don’t think it is for them."

What you take depends on your prices and how close together your houses are. Window Cleaning Warehouse, a trade supplier, says many residential window cleaners "aim to turnover between £150-200 per a full days work" (their start-up guide). That is takings, before fuel, kit, insurance and tax.

What it costs to start

There are two ways to clean windows, and the kit costs are very different. These prices are from Window Cleaning Warehouse's starter kits, checked on 29 September 2026.

• Traditional (a washer, a squeegee and ladders): a starter set with a washer, squeegee, bucket, scraper, cloth and cleaning liquid is £59.14 before VAT, £70.97 with VAT (Unger ErgoTec 6in1 Starter Set). You'll need ladders on top for upstairs windows.
• Water-fed pole (a long pole that brushes and rinses the glass with filtered water, from the ground): a backpack kit with an 18ft pole and a water filter is £630.08 before VAT, £756.10 with VAT (BigBoy V3 Backpack Starter Kit). A system that sits in a small van, with a 325-litre tank, starts at £1,409.95 before VAT (FaceLift Compact 325 Starter Kit).

The same supplier says a water-fed pole "allows you to work quickly, from the safety of the ground", and that "many commercial properties will also only permit this method of Window Cleaning for safety reasons" (start-up guide).

Budget too for getting about, insurance (below) and leaflets to find customers.

Do you need a licence?

• In Scotland, usually yes. GOV.UK says "Most Scottish councils require window cleaners to have a licence." It usually lasts 3 years, and working without one can mean a fine of up to £2,500. You may need proof of public liability insurance to apply (GOV.UK: Window cleaner's licence (Scotland)).
• Elsewhere in the UK, generally no. A trade supplier sums it up: "Mostly, there is no direct license or accreditation that is required in order to start a Window Cleaning business", with Scotland as the exception (Window Cleaning Warehouse, 2022).

Rules can change, so check your council's website, or GOV.UK's licence finder, before you start.

Insurance

• Public liability covers you if you damage a customer's property or hurt someone. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) says it is "generally voluntary" (HSE's insurance guide). Customers may still ask for it: "Particularly for commercial work, some customers may even require particular types of insurance" (Window Cleaning Warehouse).
• Employers' liability is compulsory once you employ someone. HSE says you must be insured for at least £5 million and can be fined up to £2,500 for each day without it. Some family businesses are exempt; the same HSE guide lists who.
• Your vehicle needs cover for business use, especially if you're using a car or van you already own (Window Cleaning Warehouse).

Ladders and working at height

Ladders aren't banned. HSE says they "can be a sensible and practical option for low-risk, short-duration tasks" (HSE). If you'd be up a ladder for more than 30 minutes at a time, HSE recommends other equipment (HSE).

HSE's basics for a leaning ladder (HSE: Types of ladder):

• Use the 1-in-4 rule: one unit out from the wall for every four up.
• Keep three points of contact when you climb.
• Don't overreach: keep your belt buckle between the ladder's sides.
• Don't rest the top on glass or plastic gutters, and secure the ladder so it can't slip.

HSE's first step for any work at height is to avoid it where you reasonably can: "do as much work as possible from the ground", for example by "using extendable tools from ground level to remove the need to climb a ladder" (HSE's brief guide). For upstairs windows, that is what a water-fed pole does.

What to charge

Prices vary a lot by area and by house. Work out a price for any house with our window cleaning price calculator.

Don't price low just to fill the round quickly. As one experienced cleaner put it:

"The most important factor isn’t the number of houses per day but price per job"

Pjj, Window Cleaning Forums, 22 September 2022

Finding your first customers

On Window Cleaning Forums, cleaners build rounds by knocking doors, posting leaflets and asking customers to recommend them. Start on the streets around your first customers, so your houses end up close together.

Our window cleaning canvassing guide covers leaflets or knocking, what to say at the door, which streets to try and when to go back.

How many houses a day?

It depends on the houses, how close together they are and your kit. Window Cleaning Warehouse says "Many Window Cleaners aim to cover 15-20 properties in a day, assuming an average 3 bedroom property in the UK" (FAQs for new window cleaners, 2022).

On one forum thread, one cleaner does "20 houses 5 days a week", another "about 25 house a day in 6 hours", and the cleaner who asked was doing 9 to 10 in 4 to 5 hours.

Buying a round instead

You can buy customers rather than canvass them. Rounds are listed on sites such as windowcleaningroundforsale.co.uk, priced as a number of times their monthly takings. Window Cleaning Warehouse says "On average rounds are sold for 3-5 times the average monthly turnover" (Buying a window cleaning round, 2022).

Ask how long the customers have been with the round. The same guide warns that rounds canvassed just to sell "will likely experience a high drop off rate". To see what a round might be worth, try our round value calculator.

Keeping track of who's due and who's paid

Once you have customers, you need to know who's due this week, who you missed and who still owes you. A paper diary, a spreadsheet or an app can all do it. Pick one and keep it up to date. It also helps if you ever sell: "An organised round is easier to transfer, easier to manage and is always a good sign of a well managed business" (Window Cleaning Warehouse).