If you manage a condominium tower or office building in South Florida, window cleaning is one of the most visible line items in your maintenance budget. Prices vary widely from building to building, so it helps to know what a fair range looks like and what moves the number up or down.
Below are typical ranges for commercial and high-rise buildings in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties, followed by the factors that matter most and a few ways to keep the cost down.
Typical price ranges
Most commercial window cleaning is priced either per pane or as a total for the building. These are typical ranges, not quotes:
- Exterior windows on a high-rise, cleaned by rope access or swing stage: about $4 to $9 per pane.
- Exterior and interior windows together: about $7 to $14 per pane.
- A mid-rise building of 5 to 12 floors, exterior only: about $1,500 to $4,500 per cleaning.
- A high-rise of 13 floors or more, exterior only: about $3,500 to $12,000 per cleaning, and more for very large or complex towers.
What drives the cost
- Height and access method. Rope access, swing stages and lifts each need different crews, setup time and equipment. Buildings with certified roof anchors and clear roof access are faster to work on.
- Amount of glass. The number of panes, their size and whether there are balconies, railings or screens to work around.
- Condition. Glass that hasn't been cleaned in a long time, or that has hard-water spots, salt film or construction residue, takes longer.
- Oceanfront exposure. Buildings close to the ocean collect salt faster and usually need more frequent cleaning.
- Building rules. Work hours, resident notices, amenity closures and insurance requirements all affect scheduling.
Roof anchors and safety
Rope access window cleaning depends on the building's roof anchors. Under OSHA's rope descent rules (29 CFR 1910.27), the building owner must confirm in writing that the anchorages have been identified, tested, certified and maintained before rope descent work begins. Anchors must be inspected at least once a year and certified at least every 10 years.
If your anchors are out of date, plan for recertification before the cleaning. A contractor can't safely work from anchors that haven't been certified, and delays here are one of the most common reasons a job gets pushed back.
How to lower the cost
- Clean on a regular schedule. Glass cleaned every few months is faster to clean than glass left for a year or more.
- Combine services. Window cleaning, facade cleaning and caulking can share the same access setup. See Pressure Washing & Facade Cleaning and Commercial Caulking & Joint Sealing.
- Sign a maintenance agreement. Recurring cleanings let the contractor plan crews and usually lower the price per visit.
- Give accurate building details. The number of floors, drops, access method and roof anchor status lead to a tighter quote with fewer surprises.
What a good quote should include
- Which surfaces are included: exterior, interior, storefront, balcony glass, frames and sills.
- The access method and how long the job will take.
- How residents or tenants will be notified, and the work hours.
- A certificate of insurance naming your association or owner.
- What happens if weather delays the work.
Get a price for your building
See our pricing page for typical ranges on all of our services, or learn more about our High-Rise Window Cleaning service. For an exact price, request a quote with your building address and number of floors and we'll schedule a walk-through.