Necessary Window Cleaning Equipment

After the three most basic tools for a window cleaner, the applicator, squeegee and bucket, other equipment is also necessary for most jobs.

1 - Cleaning solution

2 - Cloths and towels,

3 - Ladders and poles,

4 - Scrapers

1 - Cleaning Solution

Water is the most imporatant cleaning solution. Purified water on it's own may well be the most effective, but the traditional window cleaning solution is a soapy water mix. It is important not to get the right amount of soap in the mixture, to much soap can leave raibow streaks, too little soap means that your squeegee won't be able to glide over the glass properly and you will also leave marks. Getting the correct mixture largely depends on the type of dirt you are targeting, the temperature of the glass and whether you are cleaning windows inside or outside.

When to use pure water:

First use: Touching up on smudges. Purified water without any soap added can be very effective to touch up hard to reach windows when there are a few smudges left from the traditional method using soapy water and a squeegee. 

Second use: Cleaning hard to reach outside windows. Purified water pumped through a waterfed pole, utilizing a scrubbing brush on it's extremity. This is extremely effective, not leaving any soap deposits behind or needing any detailing around the frame. The same method can be used for cleaniong solar panels or for other softwashing applications.

When to use a soapy water solution:

It is important to use soapy water for certain types of grime, especially if sanitizing the glass is important. Depending on the type of dirt you will need a little more or little less soap in your water. Kitchen areas will often have grease spots that need extra scrubbing and soap helps to cut into and break down the fat. How regularly the windows are cleaned also impacts the concentration of your soap water solution.

2 - Cloths and Towels

Lint free microfiber cloths help to detail a window after using a squeegee, while you also need a rag or a towel to help mop up messed water or to pre-detail the window frame prior to using the squeegee.

Microfiber Cloths:

It is important to get the right cloth for the job, some more fine and are made for more heavy-duty work. The very fine smooth type of microfiber cloth helps to remove a streak in the centre of a pane of glass without leaving a trace. To detail marks, close to the frame more course cloth might work well.

Towels:                     

To have a towel for working inside a home is also useful to mop up drips under the window. When working around furniture that shouldn't get wet, a painting or an appliance like a TV you can drape your towel over it to protect it from water damage, sometimes an old sheet may be more suitable, you can also protect paintings this way.

3 - Poles, ladders and harnesses

Safety should always come first when a window cleaner approaches any job. Climbing out of windows, onto ledges, cupboards and other items is often necessary with most jobs that a residential or commercial window cleaner will come across.

Poles:                     

Where possible it is better to stay on the ground and use extension poles for the entire job, but there are many occasions when an extension pole won't work.

Ladders:                   

A ladder is the conventional way to clean high windows but working with a ladder each day increases the risk of serious accidents drastically, especially when a cleaner is struggling to keep up with a large workload. Using a ladder on occasion and only when necessary is much better practice to reduce accidents.

Harnesses:           

A harness should be used on every occasion where there is a risk of falling due to human error. Some examples of when you can use a harness to secure yourself are when you are working on a ladder without someone securing the bottom of the ladder, if you are leaning over a balustrade or working on a roof or ledge.

4 Window Scrapers

It is very important to use a scraper correctly, if you are going to do any scraping, check the glass with your window cleaner before he begins the job. New clean blades on your scraper are essential, never use a rusty blade. The work should be done with a soapy solution and scraping always at an angle.

You can scratch your glass, so make sure that you or your professional window cleaning technician know how to properly scrape. Try to take pictures of serious scratch marks on the panes before the job begins, you may be surprized how many there are now that you are looking for them.