Window cleaning and solar panel cleaning is one of the cheapest legitimate businesses you can start in Australia: the complete pure water kit costs about what a decent laptop does, it fits in the boot of whatever you already drive, and the same equipment covers both services. Most of the people who buy a water fed pole setup from us are starting or running exactly this kind of business, so this guide covers what we have learned from them and from running the gear ourselves: the equipment, the paperwork, what operators charge, and how to land the first customers.
Why this business model works
- Low startup cost. A tank and pole kit, some microfibre and a vehicle you already own. There is no shop fit-out, no stock to hold, no franchise fee.
- Recurring revenue by nature. Windows get dirty again. Solar panels get dirty again. A customer won on a quarterly or six monthly schedule keeps paying you for years, and route density (several jobs in one street) is where the margins get good.
- Two services, one kit. The same pure water setup that cleans glass cleans solar panels, so every window customer is a solar lead and every solar customer is a window lead.
- Feet on the ground. The water fed pole method covers most homes and low rise commercial from ground level. Less ladder time means less risk, easier insurance conversations, and faster jobs.
- The finish sells itself. Purified water dries spot free with no wiping. A first-time customer watching their second storey glass dry perfectly with nobody touching it tends to become a repeat customer.
The equipment you need on day one
The full breakdown is in our window cleaning equipment guide, but the short version:
| Item | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Tank + 22ft water fed pole bundle | $1,099 | Tank with resin pre-filled, pole, jetted brush head, hoses, fittings, TDS meter. The complete pure water system in one box. |
| Microfibre cloths, scraper, squeegee | Under $100 | For ground floor detail work, frames and the odd sticker. |
| Spare resin kit | From $159 | Your main consumable. Usage depends on your local water, covered below. |
| Vehicle | What you have | The tank rides like a jerry can. A hatchback works. A ute or van is nicer. |
That is genuinely the list. No pumps, no generator, no trailer to start with. The tank runs off the customer's tap at mains pressure, purifies the water to 0 ppm, and the glass air dries clean. The technique takes an afternoon to learn and our step by step guide with video shows the full method, frames first, top down, slow final rinse.
The paperwork side
Australia does not require a specific licence to clean windows or solar panels at ground level, which is part of what makes the barrier to entry so low. You will want to sort these before your first paid job:
- An ABN. Free to register, takes minutes online, and customers and platforms will expect one on your invoices.
- Public liability insurance. Not legally mandatory for most sole traders but practically essential. Commercial clients and real estate agents will ask for the certificate before you touch their glass.
- Working at heights awareness. The pole keeps you on the ground for most work, which is the point. If a job genuinely needs roof access, price it accordingly or pass on it, especially early on.
- Basic terms on your quotes. What is included, when payment is due, and a note about first clean syndrome on long-neglected glass (old dirt can leach from seals for a day or two after a deep clean, and a quick follow-up rinse fixes it).
This is general information rather than legal or financial advice, so run your setup past your accountant when you register.
What operators charge
Rates vary with the city and the house, but as a working reference: residential window cleans in Australia commonly land between $150 and $400 depending on size, storeys and how long since the last clean, with small shopfronts often on cheap weekly or fortnightly agreements that add up because they take minutes. Professional solar panel cleaning typically runs $150 to $300 per visit. An operator stacking three or four residential jobs a day, or a tight commercial run, is doing solid numbers for a business that started for about a grand in gear.
The quiet advantage of the pure water method is speed. No ladder repositioning and no towelling means a house that took a squeegee operator half a day takes you a couple of hours, and speed per job is what actually sets your income.
Adding solar panel cleaning as your second service
This is the easiest upsell in the trade, because you are already standing there with the exact right equipment. Dirty panels cost the owner real output, 15 to 25 percent in typical Australian conditions, and panels should only ever be cleaned with purified water and a soft brush, never a pressure washer and never hard tap water that films the glass. That is precisely what your pole and tank do. The method is in our solar panel cleaning guide: cool panels, soft brush, purified rinse, done from the ground or a step, never standing on the panels.
Practical pitch that works: offer the solar clean as an add-on while you are on site for the windows, and show the customer their own monitoring app a week later. The output bump does your marketing for you.
Getting your first customers
- Start in your own street. Do your place, then a neighbour's, and photograph the before and after. Glass photographs beautifully.
- Facebook Marketplace and local groups. This is where the work is for a new operator. Post the before and afters, respond fast, and ask every happy customer for a review.
- Letterbox the streets around every job. A simple card with a photo and a price beats a glossy flyer, and route density is the goal: five jobs in one suburb beat five jobs across town.
- Walk into small shopfronts. Cafes, real estate windows, medical suites. Offer a standing fortnightly clean at a modest price and let the recurring revenue stack.
- Put the schedule to work. At the end of every job, book the next one. A customer who says "just call me in three months" is a customer you now call in three months.
Running costs: mostly resin
Your main consumable is the purifying resin, and how fast you use it depends entirely on your local water hardness. Check your area in the water hardness by suburb guide, monitor the TDS meter, and when the reading climbs the swap takes 15 minutes. Two habits protect your margins: run the brush at a steady, modest flow rather than full blast, and in hard water areas size the tank up so replacements stay rare. If the business grows to daily volume in a very hard water area, that is the point where an RO membrane in front of the DI stage starts to earn its keep, and our RO/DI vs DI comparison maps out exactly when to make that move. Until then, the standalone tank is the simpler, more portable tool.
A realistic first month
- Week 1: gear arrives, ABN and insurance sorted, practise on your own house and two free jobs for friends. Photograph everything.
- Week 2: post the results locally, letterbox two streets, walk into five shopfronts. Take every job that comes, even small ones.
- Week 3 and 4: deliver well, quote the solar add-on on every house with panels, and book repeat schedules before you leave each job.
Nobody gets rich in month one. What you can absolutely do in month one is cover your gear cost and build the review base that makes month three busy. The operators who stick with it end up with a run of regulars and a business that lives in the boot of their car.
If you are weighing up gear for a start-up, email us what you are planning and your suburb and we will give you a straight answer on the right setup: admin@spotfreerinse.com.au. Every kit ships free Australia-wide, assembled and tested in Brisbane.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to start a window cleaning business in Australia?
Around $1,200 to $1,500 all up: roughly $1,099 for the complete tank and water fed pole kit, under $100 for hand tools and microfibre, plus your ABN (free) and public liability insurance. You can operate out of whatever vehicle you already own.
Do I need a licence to clean windows or solar panels?
No specific licence is required in Australia for ground-based window or solar cleaning. You should hold public liability insurance, and any work genuinely at heights brings workplace safety obligations, which is a strong argument for the ground-based pole method.
Can I clean solar panels with the same equipment as windows?
Yes, the same water fed pole and purified water setup does both, and purified water is the recommended method for panels because it leaves no residue on the glass. That makes solar cleaning a natural second service for a window cleaning business.
Is window cleaning a profitable business?
It can be, because the overheads are tiny and the work recurs. Residential cleans commonly run $150 to $400 and solar cleans $150 to $300 per visit, and the pure water method lets one operator get through several jobs a day.
How long does it take to learn the water fed pole technique?
Most people are producing a clean, spot free result within their first afternoon of practice. The skill that develops with time is speed, and the method itself, frames first, top down, slow final rinse, is simple.
