Clean Windows Buy You Daylight in the Months Ontario Has Least of It
Which is why autumn is the booking that pays, not spring.
In short
Exterior-only window cleaning in the GTA runs about $6–12 per window on a single storey; inside and out on two storeys is $10–20 per window. A typical detached house lands between $200 and $500 for both sides.
Most of the visible difference comes from the outside — road film, rain marks and salt spray all sit on the exterior. Inside gets dirty far more slowly. On a tight budget, exterior twice a year does most of the work.
And the timing argument nobody makes: clean glass in December, January and February is a measurable amount of extra daylight in the darkest months. Booking in October is worth more than booking in April.
What it costs
Market quotes, autumn 2026 — published by GTA businesses that sell the work, not an independent survey.
| Service | Typical price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Exterior only, single storey | $6–12 per window | The cheapest useful option |
| Interior and exterior, single storey | $8–15 per window | Needs access and someone home |
| Interior and exterior, two storeys | $10–20 per window | Ladder or pole work outside |
| Typical detached house, both sides | $200–500 | Window count and height drive it |
| Screens | $2–5 each | Usually extra — ask |
| Tracks and sills | $2–5 per window | Usually extra — ask |
| Hard water or mineral spot removal | Quoted per job | Specific treatment; not part of a normal wash |
Two quotes for the same house usually differ on screens and tracks rather than on the glass. Ask both companies the same three questions: are screens included, are tracks included, and is it both sides.
Twice a year, and when
Spring removes what winter left — salt spray, grit and the film that road slush throws onto lower windows.
Autumn is the one people skip and the one that pays. A Toronto December gives you roughly nine hours between sunrise and sunset, much of it overcast. Glass carrying a summer of dust and rain marks costs you a share of what little light there is, in exactly the months when it matters most for how a room feels.
It also pairs naturally with the rest of the autumn list — eavestrough cleaning puts someone on a ladder at the same heights, and our booking calendar covers what fills up in which month.
What to do yourself, and where to stop
Ground-floor windows are a reasonable Saturday. A squeegee, a bucket and a cloth for the edges will get you most of the way, and the technique matters more than the product.
The line is the ladder. Falls from height at domestic ladders are a well-documented source of serious injury, and the money saved on a two-storey house is small measured against it. If you are hiring for height, ask for proof of liability insurance and a WSIB clearance you can verify yourself — someone working above your driveway is exactly the scenario those documents exist for.
Red flags
What to do next
Count your windows, then ask two companies the same three questions: both sides or outside only, screens included, tracks included. Book for October rather than April and you get the benefit in the months that need it.
Compare cleaning services in Ontario on Ontario24 and contact businesses directly. Ontario24 is a classified directory — we help you find and compare, and we do not vet anyone. Also useful: house cleaning prices and eavestrough cleaning.
Before you call anyone, it helps to know what this job should cost and what the next one will. What things cost in Ontario in 2026 puts 75 service prices in one table.
Frequently asked questions
Market quotes commonly run $6 to $12 per window for exterior only on a single-storey home, and $10 to $20 per window for interior and exterior on two storeys. A typical detached house lands between $200 and $500 for inside and out, with screens and tracks often priced separately.
Outside is what most people book and what most of the visible difference comes from, because road film and rain marks sit on the exterior. Inside gets dirty far more slowly. If the budget is tight, exterior twice a year does most of the work.
Twice a year is the common pattern: spring after the salt and winter grit, and autumn before the weather closes in. Autumn cleaning has a practical advantage — clean glass in a Canadian winter means noticeably more daylight in the months when there is least of it.
Glass both sides where quoted, frames and sills wiped, screens cleaned or at least removed and reinstalled, and tracks vacuumed. Ask about each explicitly — screens and tracks are the most common extras, and the difference between two quotes is usually there.
For interior cleaning, yes, and that means access, parking and someone home. Agree in writing what rooms they need and whether furniture will be moved. Exterior-only work needs nobody home, which is part of why it is the easier booking.
Ground-floor windows, usually. Anything requiring a ladder above single-storey height is where falls happen, and the saving is small measured against the risk. A company on a two-storey house should carry liability insurance and WSIB clearance — ask.
Mineral deposits from sprinklers and hard water need specific treatment and are not removed by ordinary washing; ask whether the company handles them and at what price. And be wary of aggressive scraping on coated or tempered glass — a scratched pane is a replacement, not a clean.
Sources and how current this is
Checked 19 September 2026. All prices are market quotes published by GTA businesses that sell the work, not an independent survey, and they vary with window count, height and access. Window cleaning is not a regulated trade in Ontario — there is no licence or register to check, which is why the meaningful checks are a written scope, proof of liability insurance and a WSIB clearance you verify yourself. The daylight point reflects ordinary winter day length in southern Ontario rather than a measured effect on any particular house. Ontario24 is a classified directory and does not clean windows or vet the businesses listed.