Not a pro window cleaner
As the title states, I'm not a pro. I don't plan on starting a business or charging what a professional window cleaning business should rightfully charge. I work for an HOA in a cabin community in the middle of nowhere. There are very few contractors in the area and almost zero businesses or reliable people in the area, even less when asking them to drive up a mountain in a gated community to do any type of work that a homeowner may need done. So occasionally property owners will reach out to me for miscellaneous home improvement maintenance. I've done everything from tree trimming and thinning trees, to weed control, landscaping, and deck restoration. I've got one home owner that will always call me first for any and all jobs and is happy enough with my work that he sends me bonuses/tips every year, usually between $200-400.
He recently inquired about having his windows washed. I've done some store front windows in the past so I'm ok with a scrubber and squeegee (once again, not a pro). Only a few windows require a ladder. They all look straightforward. I knew they'd be pretty dirty, being on a dirt road. I could see the hard water spots as well.
I was not prepared for piles of dead bugs to fall out when I pulled the screens, or hardened dirt and sand in the tracks. A hand broom, paint brush and dry scrubbing was no use! They were way dirtier than I expected. The cabin is about 15 years old. I'm sure the windows have never been cleaned. I was prepared to charge between $10-20 per window, plus a couple bucks per screen. I've done 4 windows. I had to dig the hard dry sand out with a screwdriver, dry brush until it seemed all the bristles would come out, wet scrub the tracks, use 0000 steel wool on the hard water all before they were clean enough to use my scrubber and squeegee. I finished them off by scrubbing the screens and wiping any vinyl trim with magic eraser. I now have no idea what kind of upcharges I need to charge or any ballpark of pricing for these upcharges. The windows I've completed were basic single hung sliding windows. I have 18 to go. I spent about 2 hours on the 4 windows. I know there's got to be a more efficient way to clean the initial dirt from the remaining glass before using the scrubber. I'm not sure if it would be best to use air to blow everything or hose them down with water. I'm afraid the water could make a muddy mess that I'd have to clean. Can anyone give me a few pointers? I'm not looking to spend all day cleaning and then present him with an outrageous invoice. But, I won't cut corners and do a sub par job. Maybe what I'm worried about is giving a valued client a larger than expected (although I don't know what he expects to pay) invoice for having his windows cleaned without giving line item descriptions with the pricing. I don't know if double the price is fair or if industry standard is only a few dollars more. Any help would be appreciated! I'd like to have this job done today in no more than 4 or so hours. Thanks!
Edited to ask, is there anything that will help the glass stay clean longer other than clean screens? My cleaning solution is warm water with a couple squirts of dawn and a small squirt of Ettore squeegee off
Ps.... Sorry for the long winded explanation