What Does Balcony Cleaning Cost? 2026 Florida Guide

Balcony cleaning in Florida costs $2 per square foot with Bay Balcony, so an 80 square foot balcony, the usual size downtown, comes to $160. That one rate covers the floor, railings, glass, screens, furniture, grill, ceiling fan, sliding door track, bird mess and a drain check. There is no minimum, no trip fee and no extra charge for a balcony nobody has touched in years.

How much does balcony cleaning cost in Florida?

At Bay Balcony it costs $2 per square foot, and the size of the balcony is the only thing that changes the total. Here is what that works out to for the balcony sizes we see most in St. Petersburg and Tampa:

Balcony	Size	Price
Juliet / step-out	25 sq ft	$50
Compact condo balcony	50 sq ft	$100
Typical downtown balcony	80 sq ft	$160
Large corner unit	120 sq ft	$240
Wraparound terrace	300 sq ft	$600

Bay Balcony’s rate, worked through five common balcony sizes.

How do you measure your balcony for a price?

Multiply the length by the depth, both in feet. A balcony 10 feet long and 8 feet deep is 80 square feet, which is $160. If you have no tape measure, pace it off: a normal stride is close to three feet, so four paces by three is roughly 12 by 9, or 108 square feet.

Your unit’s floor plan usually prints the balcony dimensions. For an L-shaped terrace, split it into rectangles and add them up, or text us a photo from the doorway and we will size it.

What does $2 per square foot include?

Everything on the balcony, at the same rate. The price covers the floor, the railings, the glass, the screens with their mesh, frames and tracks, the furniture, the grill, the ceiling fan, the sliding door track, bird mess and a check of the drain. Nothing on that list is an add-on.

A screened lanai is priced the same way, per square foot of floor, with the screens included. The method is the same everywhere we work: by hand, without a hose or a pressure washer, so no water leaves the balcony. How the hand method works is laid out in our cleaning guide.

Note

You pay after the job, not before. We text you photos of the finished balcony along with a payment link.

Does a dirtier balcony cost more to clean?

No. A balcony that has gone three years without a clean costs the same $2 per square foot as one that was done last spring. There is no heavy-soil surcharge, so the number you calculate from the tape measure is the number on the invoice.

The condition still matters to you, just not to the price. Salt, bird droppings and mildew left for years can pit, stain or etch surfaces in ways no cleaning reverses, which is the argument for a regular schedule rather than a rescue job. The Tampa Bay balcony calendar shows when each visit does the most good.

What should a balcony cleaning quote spell out?

The rate, what is included, and what is not. A quote that gives only a total leaves you guessing about the screens, the door track and the furniture, which are the parts that take the most hand time. Put these questions to anyone you are comparing:

Ask about	Why it matters	Bay Balcony
The rate	A total without a rate cannot be checked or compared	$2 per square foot
Screens and door track	They take the most hand time	Included
Furniture, grill, ceiling fan	Often priced separately	Included
Minimum or trip fee	It changes the price of a small balcony	None
Method	Many buildings ban hosing and pressure washing	By hand, no hose
When you pay	Paying first removes your leverage	After the job

What to ask any balcony cleaner before you book.

Want a written price to hold other quotes against? Text us your measurements.

Text your measurements

How do you compare quotes without getting burned?

Get them in writing, compare them on the same scope, and do not pay in full before the work. The Federal Trade Commission’s advice on hiring for work at home covers exactly this: get multiple estimates, read reviews, sign a written agreement before work starts, and be wary of anyone who presses for an immediate decision or wants cash.

Get three written estimates.

Source: Federal Trade Commission, Home Repair Scams

The FTC also says a written estimate should include a description of the work, the materials, the completion date and the price. For a balcony, “description of the work” means the items in the table above. A quote that will not name the screens or the method is the one to question.

What insurance should a balcony cleaner carry?

General liability, at a minimum, and your building may want more. Florida’s Department of Financial Services tells consumers that contractors should be willing to provide evidence of their certificates of insurance for general liability and workers’ compensation, and warns that you could be held responsible for injury or damage if someone you hired is not covered.

Contractors should be willing to provide you with evidence of their Certificates of Insurance for General Liability and Workers’ Compensation.

Source: Florida Department of Financial Services, Insurance Consumer Advocate resources

Many condo associations ask to be an additional insured. New York’s insurance regulator explains that an additional insured is added to the policy itself, while a certificate holder only receives proof of it. Ask your manager which one the building requires; our condo balcony cleaning page covers what towers typically ask for.

Does a balcony cleaner need a Florida license?

Florida does not treat cleaning as contracting. Under section 489.105 of the Florida Statutes, a contractor is someone who, for compensation, will construct, repair, alter, remodel, add to, demolish, subtract from or improve a building or structure. Washing a balcony does none of those, so no statewide contractor license applies to it.

Local rules are a separate question. The Department of Business and Professional Regulation tells anyone offering a service that needs no state license to check with the county or city about a local business tax receipt. If a cleaner quotes structural or coating work, such as sealing the slab or recoating the rail, that is a different job and a different conversation.

Is it cheaper to clean the balcony yourself?

In cash, usually yes, if the balcony is small and you already own a squeegee and a microfiber mop. The real costs are your time, the reach you have on a glass rail, and whether your building allows your method.

A small balcony with light dust is a fair weekend job. A balcony facing the bay, one untouched for a year, or one in a building that bans the pressure washing shortcut is where $2 a foot earns its keep. Our side-by-side comparison takes that decision balcony by balcony.

Measure the balcony tonight. Length times depth times $2 is the whole calculation, and it is the number you should hold every other quote against.

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to clean a condo balcony in Florida?

The rate at Bay Balcony is $2 per square foot in downtown St. Petersburg and Tampa. An 80 square foot balcony comes to $160, a 25 square foot Juliet balcony $50, and a 300 square foot wraparound terrace $600.

Is there a minimum charge for balcony cleaning?

Bay Balcony has no minimum and no trip fee. A 25 square foot balcony is billed at $50, the same $2 per square foot as a large terrace.

Are screens and the door track included in the price?

Screens, their frames and tracks, the sliding door track, the furniture, the grill, the ceiling fan, bird mess and a drain check are all included at $2 per square foot. None of them is billed as an extra.

Do I pay before or after the balcony is cleaned?

You pay after the job. Bay Balcony texts you photos of the finished balcony with a payment link, which follows the Federal Trade Commission’s advice not to pay the full amount up front.

What insurance should I ask a balcony cleaner for?

Ask for a certificate of insurance for general liability. Florida’s Department of Financial Services also mentions workers’ compensation, and many condo associations want to be named as an additional insured, so check with your building manager first.

Does a dirtier balcony cost more?

Bay Balcony charges by size only, so a neglected balcony costs the same $2 per square foot as a clean one. The condition affects how much damage cleaning can undo, not the price.

Sources

Federal Trade Commission. How To Avoid a Home Improvement Scam (2022). consumer.ftc.gov
Federal Trade Commission. Home Repair Scams. consumer.ftc.gov
Florida Department of Financial Services. Insurance Consumer Advocate resources. myfloridacfo.com
New York State Department of Financial Services. Office of General Counsel opinion 10-09-12 (2010), certificates of insurance and additional insureds. dfs.ny.gov
The Florida Senate. Section 489.105, Florida Statutes: definitions (contractor). flsenate.gov
Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. What Requires a License. myfloridalicense.com

What Does Balcony Cleaning Cost? (2026 Florida Guide)