The last house we cleaned before I wrote this was in Leeds. It was a windows-only job, done from the ground with a water-fed pole, and we left the glass wet. If you’ve never hired a window cleaner, that last part can look like a job half done. It’s how pure water is meant to work, and I’ll explain why further down.
This professional window cleaning guide covers the whole job in plain terms. A professional clean takes in the outside glass, the frames, the sills and the glass in your front door. We do it with purified water through a pole, or by hand with a ladder and squeegee. Regular customers book every 4, 8 or 12 weeks, and you pay when the work’s finished.
I started C-Thru in 2009 and have 20 years in the trade. The team has cleaned 2,000 properties across Leeds and West Yorkshire, so this is written from the ladder end of the job.learn more about us
What is included in a window cleaning service?
Two window cleaners can both say “windows cleaned” and mean different jobs, so check the list below before you compare one quote with another.
On our standard outside clean you get:
- every pane of outside glass, upstairs and down
- the frames around each window
- the sills
- the glass in your front door
Frames and sills are where quotes differ most. One national franchise’s price guide lists them as add-ons priced separately, so a cheaper quote may simply be a smaller job. Clean glass in a grey frame still looks dirty from the street.
Some work is priced separately across the trade. Fantastic Services’ 2026 price guide lists these as the usual extras:
- inside windows (we offer internal cleaning, so ask when you ring)
- conservatory roofs and skylights
- a heavily soiled first clean
If a quote doesn’t say what’s covered, ask. It takes two minutes and saves an awkward conversation on the doorstep.
Pure water or ladder: A Complete Window Cleaning Guide
We’re trained in both methods and choose between them house by house.
The water-fed pole
The pole carries purified water up to a brush at the top. Ordinary tap water dries leaving minerals behind, and those minerals are the spots you see on glass. We filter them out first, so the water dries clear with no squeegee and no chemicals.
That’s why the Leeds house was left wet. Leave pure water alone and it dries without a mark. Wipe it with a cloth and you’ll put the streaks back yourself.
Our poles reach up to three storeys while we stay on the ground, which is kinder to your flower beds than a ladder footed in them. It’s also what the regulator prefers. The Health and Safety Executive tells firms they “must avoid work at height where it is reasonably practicable to do so”, and its window cleaning guidance names telescopic water-fed poles as one way to manage that.
Ladder and squeegee
Poles haven’t made ladders obsolete. The same HSE page says ladders “should not be your automatic choice”, then adds that they “can be the most sensible and practical option for low-risk, short duration tasks”.
That matches how we use them: on small properties, and in tight spots where a pole can’t get the right angle. Inside glass is done by hand too.
Overhead cables
A pole that reaches three storeys can also reach a power line. Guidance for window cleaners from the UK’s electricity network operators says to “stop and look up” before starting and to “generally remain 5 metres away” from overhead lines. If cables run close to your house, tell us when you book.
What happens on the day
- You ring for a quote. It’s free, there’s no obligation, and we can usually give you a price in about five minutes.
- We check access and the surfaces, then confirm a fixed price.
- You choose a one-off clean or a regular round every 4, 8 or 12 weeks.
- A uniformed, DBS-checked team arrives in a signed van, with all its own equipment.
- We clean, then inspect our own work before leaving.
- You pay after the job, by cash or bank transfer.
- If we’ve missed anything, tell us and we come back to fix it at no extra cost.
How often should windows be professionally cleaned?
For homes we run rounds every 4, 8 or 12 weeks. Which one fits depends on what lands on your glass: traffic film on a main road, dust from building work nearby, sap from trees overhead. If you’re unsure, start on 8 weeks. Then adjust once you’ve seen how the glass holds up between visits, because a house on a quiet cul-de-sac and a house on a bus route don’t get dirty at the same speed.
You’ll find conflicting advice online. One franchise guide gives 4 to 8 weeks in its price table and “every 3 to 6 months” in its own FAQ. Go by how your windows look.
Businesses can book weekly, fortnightly or monthly. A shop window is the first thing a customer sees, so it earns a shorter gap than a bedroom at the back of a house.
What decides the price
Our domestic window cleaning starts from £12. Your price depends on how many windows you have, how easy they are to reach, how often you book and how long it’s been since the last clean. New customers get 10% off their first clean.
One recent customer, Christopher Hewison, rated our price “Great price” on Google. His full review is further down this page.
The price is fixed before we start. If a quote from anyone changes once the ladder’s off the van, question it.
Homes and businesses
Our window cleaning services for homes cover houses and flats, new builds included, as a one-off or on a round.
For businesses we clean shops, offices, restaurants, schools, hotels and warehouses. Our commercial window cleaning in Leeds page has the detail.
More than the windows
People tend to find us for windows and then ask about the rest of the outside. Christopher Hewison, a Google Local Guide, is a recent example. We cleaned his windows inside and out, and he left us a five-star Google review:
“Best window cleaners in Leeds I have ever had and tried a few before them also used them to clean my sofits and facias before and will be getting them to do so again in the near future.”
That’s the pattern we like best: windows first, then the soffits and fascias, then a repeat booking.
The other jobs we do:
Ask about any of them when you ring for your window quote.
Your professional window cleaning checklist
Use this before you hire anyone, us included.
- Do they hold public liability insurance, and for how much? Ours is £5 million.
- Is every cleaner DBS checked?
- What exactly is included: frames, sills, door glass?
- Which method will they use on your house, and why?
- Do you pay before or after the job?
- What happens if you’re not happy?
- Can you read recent reviews from local customers? We’re rated 5.0 on Google, and you can read our reviews there.
A cleaner who can’t answer these quickly probably hasn’t been asked them before. That tells you something too.
Who’ll be at your door
Five of us do the work, and every one of us is DBS checked and trained in both pure water and ladder methods.
- Philip Scott, founder and owner, 20 years in the trade
- Anna Lyons, 10 years
- Connor Lyons, 10 years
- Jack Heward, 10 years
- Josh Birdsall, 5 years
That’s 55 years of experience between us. Anna and Connor are my daughter and son, so a missed pane gets discussed at the dinner table as well as in the van. You can meet everyone on our team page.
Quick questions
Internal window cleaning is available on request. Mention it when you ring so we can book enough time.
Pure water is just water with the minerals taken out, and we add no chemicals to it, so there’s nothing in it to mark uPVC or hurt a flower bed.
Leeds and the rest of West Yorkshire, including Bradford, Wakefield, Huddersfield and Halifax.
If this is your first window cleaner
Book a one-off clean before you commit to a round. That way you see the method and the finish on your own house before you decide how often you want us back, and new customers get 10% off that first clean.
Call 07757 173014, Monday to Saturday, 8am to 8pm. C-Thru External Cleaning Solutions, 14 Queensthorpe Close, Leeds, LS13 4JT.