"I can do it myself for $20" is a fair instinct. Let's run the numbers honestly.
What DIY actually costs
- 14-ft fiberglass extension ladder: $140
- Pro squeegee + handle + scrubber: $45
- Professional soap + bucket + scraper: $25
- Microfiber towels (a stack you'll keep replacing): $30
- Window cleaning belt with holsters: $60
That's $300 in tools before you've cleaned a single pane. And you'll still leave streaks for the first three jobs while you learn the technique.
What it costs in time
A two-story, 2,500 sq ft home has roughly 24–30 windows. A trained two-person crew does interior + exterior in about 2.5 hours. A homeowner doing it solo, including ladder repositioning and screen cleaning, averages a full Saturday — call it 6–8 hours.
What it costs in risk
The CDC tracks ~164,000 ladder-related ER visits a year. Window cleaning is the #2 cause of ladder falls behind painting. A single misstep on a second-story ladder is a $7,000 ER bill on a good day.
When DIY makes sense
Single-story home, ground-level windows, four times a year? Go for it. You'll save real money.
When to call us
Two stories, hard-to-reach gables, sunrooms, or you just don't want to spend a Saturday on a ladder. Our average two-story clean runs $180–$280 — twice a year, that's less than the ladder alone.
The math almost always favors hiring it out.