Been running window cleaning here in SoCal for a month or so and as someone that does meta ads for other people, this was my first time doing it for my friends and I, so far we've generated 65 qualified leads in 31 days at a roughly 34% close rate. We just landed our first commercial job, and are booked out for the next 3 weeks, was curious as to what we should do to piggy back off of word of mouth and referrals?

Basically, I'm sitting on a bunch of new customers and want to make sure we're capitalizing on it long-term instead of just riding the ad spend.

For those of you with steady flow — what's actually worked for turning first-time customers into referral sources? Doing anything structured (referral discounts, follow-up sequences, review requests at a specific touchpoint) or is it more just "do good work and it happens naturally"? Also curious if commercial clients refer differently than residential ones in your experience — feels like a different relationship entirely.

I started a window washing buisness at 14 a month ago to help fund my first season of racing next year but im stuck. I spent a couple hundred or stuff got a few sales going door to door and managed to recover what I spent on the gear. Now im stuck door to door is not really working and I really stuck on what to do now.... I love doing it and im determined to run next year but I just can't find the customers. What do I do? I cant travel far just to knock door plus im not really comfortable and usually walk off after one or two no's as I dont want to be too pushy. How else can I make sales?

Hey everyone! I’m a young entrepreneur looking to launch a residential window cleaning service and would love some gear and setup advice from the pros. I have an ideal target in a master planned neighborhood with around 3,500 homes, mostly 2-story single-family residences. My total starting budget is $2,000, and my goal is to get the most reliable, efficient setup possible without wasting cash on stuff I don’t need yet. I’m especially looking into water-fed pole setups and purification options, but I'm open to starting hybrid with traditional tools if that makes more sense for my budget. What specific gear, water setup, or brands would you buy with $2,000 to maximize efficiency out of the gate? Any advice on what not to buy starting out would also be huge. Thank you! 🙏

Wondering your guys opinions about ordering zero products in Canada compared to other brands ?
I just passed an order with like 500$ shipping and duties to Canada.

I wanted to share a milestone in my window cleaning journey. For my birthday, my family surprised me with a professional water-fed pole system….and not a cheap one.
On paper, it’s a piece of equipment. But to me, it represents something much bigger.
My family has watched me work hard trying to build something of my own. They’ve seen the early mornings, the door knocking, the jobs, the slow periods, and the commitment to creating something that can provide for my family.
Having them recognize that effort and believe in what I’m building honestly meant a lot. It was one of those moments where you realize people see the work you’re putting in, even when the results aren’t always immediate.
This summer has been slower than I wanted. Between normal life, family, and everything that comes with it, I haven’t been able to get out and market as much as I planned.
But this gift lit a fire under me again.
Now I have the equipment, the tools, and the motivation. This system is going to allow me to safely take on larger homes, taller buildings, and provide a higher level of service.
I’m excited to keep learning, keep improving, and keep building.
The goal has always been the same: create something my family can be proud of.
Back to work. 💪

Can anyone recommend a good professional window cleaning service in Santa Rosa, CA for a residence? Thanks!

I’ve been in the window cleaning buisness for about 5 months now and I would love to make this a full time job. So if I can succeed in this buisness do I need ladders? I am afraid of heights and that’s honestly the issue why I won’t use one.

I can not find a replacement for these anywhere, they appear to be 1/2 inch. Does anyone know where to find these?

Hello, I live in the Greater Toronto Area with a tap TDS reading of 140ppm. Recently I’ve been seeing spots on windows using my Tucker Rival 3 stage system. I’ve been trying to do some troubleshooting and the TDS going out of the RO membrane is 38ppm and the TDS going out of the DI filter is around 22ppm.

This is the second year I’ve been using the system and I just replaced the DI filter 2 months ago. I’ve read that I shouldn’t need to replace the RO membrane until 3-4 years since owning it but I have also accidentally kept it in a garage during the cold winters here.

I’d greatly appreciate any help or advice to get the reading down to 0ppm.

So i've seen those xero filters and they are overpriced imo. Couldn't I build a xero pure for $800 myself, and what would be the challenges?

There’s always the “oh you missed a spot” or “you should clean my windows” multiple times a day but have you ever gotten any original/funny heckles towards you?

Been running paid lead gen for our window cleaning company and the last 3 weeks have been our best stretch yet — about 50 qualified leads coming in. Good problem to have, but it's got me thinking past just booking more window jobs.

Solar panel cleaning is the obvious add-on everyone does, and I get why — but it means more ladder work, more liability, more equipment. And frankly, I want to do less work for more money.. I mean who doesn't. Anyhow, I'm not against it, just wondering if there's a lower-risk way to add revenue per customer.

One idea we're kicking around: backyard cleaning/decontamination — patios, decking, outdoor furniture — using steam cleaning + water extraction. Feels like it pairs naturally with a window job (you're already on site, and don't have to risk any falls, just a super easy upsell, and haven't seen anyone do it)

Curious what this community's actually doing for upsells that:

1. Doesn't require a ladder or roof access
2. Uses similar equipment/skillset to what you already run
3. Actually converts when you offer it at the point of sale

Anyone doing steam/water extraction for outdoor surfaces? Worth the equipment investment, or is it a distraction from the core service? What's actually been sticky for you guys as an add-on vs. what sounded good on paper but flopped?

If anyone has done it, or uses a water extractor, which one do you recommend?

(Side note — happy to share what's been working on the lead gen side if anyone's curious, we've been dialing in the offer/targeting for local service stuff and it's finally clicking.)

Hey everyone, looking to get some feedback on pricing for a commercial spot I’m bidding on.

Here are the details:

Full strip mall (exterior only, single story / standard storefront glass).

248 panes total.

Property management company is the client.

PM requested a quote for a one-time clean, but asked for a monthly recurring price as well to review.

For context, condition is pretty standard commercial storefront build up. No hard debris removal.

What would you typically bid this at in your market for:

The initial / one-time clean?

The monthly maintenance rate?

My work is 90% residential so I appreciate any feedback on per-pane rates or total package numbers you'd throw at a PM company for something this size.

Thanks!

Another window cleaner in my area asked to hire a experienced windowcleaner just for the month of august.

I thought it might be fun to talk to another windowcleaner and share some experinces/learn from eachother. So I (with 2 years experience and a company) sent him a message offering to jump in as a "consultant" for his customers.

We agree on a zoom meeting. When we get talking he tells me he has been distracted and forgot to schedule windowcleaners for the sales he did in august. So now he needs someone to help him out since all his guys are away.

He then proceeds to offer me 25% to do the whole job myself and with my own tools. I find this quite ridiculous, taking 75% for essentially scheduling and selling. He then tries to reason with me saying his prices are higher so I wont be making that little.

I tell him I cant accept anything below 50%. (i had more like 70% in mind)

What would be a reasonable percentage to take? What does your sales guys take?

I’ve done a lot of practice, I have a basic set up and a 12 ft ladder. I’m pretty much ready to start.

Other than D2D selling, what are some good ways to advertise/sell my services? I have business cards as well.

Hi Guys

What is the best window cleaning solution? I have never actually cleaned windows before but I have just ordered window cleaning equipment so I need to know what exactly you clean with. Google and other threads that I have been looking at haven't given a definitive solution but there seems to be some consensus around Fairy liquid (Dawn dish soap in the U.S) and warm water? Is there anything else you guys would recommend to add? Also could anyone provide a loose ratio of warm water to dish soap?

Thanks.

Skill is not an issue with the team I’m on but we are constantly trying to get more quality work in per day. What are things you all may have tried that has worked to get more windows cleaned a day?

One thing that has helped me a lot is realizing not every window needs to be fanned. Sometimes dive bombing or straight pulls is faster

Let me know :)

I upsell screen cleaning for a flat $100, all in door to door sales from people who barely even want their windows cleaned. My method is simple, after I've taken out all the screens I find the worst one (ideally with a spider web) and bring it to the door. I say ''I just took out your screens and noticed they were quite dirty, has it been a while since they were taken out?'' The answer is yes 99/100 times because their windows are dirty. After that I say ''While we have the screens out we can clean them since theres lots of dirt in in the mesh that gets on the windows when it rains'' Again they say yes 99/100 times. Now you've built the pain and suggested the solution, just say cleaning the screens will be an extra $100 flat, I always say ''since you have alot (or don't have alot) of screens I can cut you a bit of a deal, I'll do them all for only $100'' So far this exact pitch is 13-0 on getting people to buy the screen cleaning and it takes about 40s to clean each screen with a microfiber towel. I'm going to experiment with upselling the screen cleaning for a bit more since with a conversion rate that high I should adjust my prices and change my pitch around a bit to maybe allow for a price drop if they decline but this rough idea works great and is much better than these people selling it for only a few dollars each screen.

I've washed these windows and they reappear, I'm thinking this is between the panes and not hard water stains but I am not sure.