The Ultimate Cheat Sheet on Exterior Window Washing

[Benner Tressa]

You may be a homeowner whose house has hard-to-reach windows or a building manager whose building property has a glass façade in need of washing. In either case, you may require the services of a professional window cleaner.

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In many countries, there would be an industry association setting the industry SOPs and guidelines as well as the certification of window cleaning professionals. These SOPs are essential for the proper execution of cleaning services as well as ensuring the safety of window cleaners in the delivery of their service. The latter is critical as it is often the case that professional cleaners are hired for cleaning windows located in hard-to-access or elevated areas which could be physically risky to access.

When prospecting the services of a professional window cleaner, you can expect the following standard procedures to happen:

Getting Price Quotes

A professional window cleaner can normally accept phone inquiries. Expect to be asked the following details: number and size of windows to be cleaned, the kinds and condition of the windows, and their location/accessibility.

If the windows are standard in size, made of standard materials familiar to the cleaner, requiring no special cleaning, and located in very easy-to-access areas, the professional cleaner may be able to provide a firm quote over the phone. For more complex jobs, professional cleaners would prefer giving price estimates only over the phone and providing a firm quotation on the actual delivery of the service or when the cleaner has done an ocular inspection of the windows. The cleaner needs to confirm if any special cleaning solutions are required or special equipment will be needed to access windows.

How Professional Window Cleaners Price

Professional window cleaners rarely price their service based on the number of windows to be cleaned. Typically, they set a minimum basic service fee and add charges based on size of windows, difficulty of cleaning (e.g., some windows may already have extreme dirt build-up or hard water stains) and accessibility. They will also charge extra for cleaning window accessories like screens, storm windows, etc.

Prepare Area for Window Cleaners

On the day of service delivery, the homeowner should make sure to clear windows of objects that could obstruct access to window cleaners. Some window cleaners would be okay with doing this clearing but some would not be. At the same time, this activity eats up into the time of the cleaner, time better spent on the actual cleaning of the windows. In certain cases, this may require the homeowner to cut branches from obstructing trees/plants, move heavy furniture, remove curtains/blinds from windows, etc.

On the part of professional cleaners, they are required to provide temporary covering on property floors to protect them against spills from the cleaning process.

Time Required to Complete Window Cleaning

Professional Window Cleaners will normally tell home owners to just set aside a whole day for completion of cleaning. It is difficult to put an exact number on the hours they will need to complete the job as there are many variables which could prolong the cleaning process and all of these are hard to foresee from the start.

On Window Cleaning Supplies

The professional window cleaner will have their standard cleaning solutions. However, if the homeowner may have a preference for certain brands, he may request the cleaner to use those instead. This could happen in cases where the homeowner may prefer using more eco-friendly cleaning solutions.

Hire Licensed Cleaners Only

When hiring professional window cleaners, hire only licensed and bonded professional companies so you can make an insurance claim in case of botched up jobs as well as avoid the risk of hiring fly-by-night cleaners. Window cleaning companies that are members of nationally recognized industry organizations would be most preferred.

Over my many years of operations in commercial and residential window cleaning services, I've seen so many different technological advancements that have truly changed the way everything works.

Back in the day window cleaners were considered "guys with buckets", an expression which had been derived from the action of walking around using a squeegee, a scrubby, in addition to a bucket. Simply, anyone could become a window cleaner just buying investing $100 in some basic equipment and walking around knocking on doors providing the service. At the present time, and with the constantly evolving of window cleaning industry with technology, its has stopped being that straightforward. The technological development of window cleaning equipment has made the industry a whole lot more competitive that you can no longer run a full scale operation by relying on conventional methods.

Some might reason that the quality does vary between the different techniques to window cleaning nonetheless it all comes down to the cost-profit ratio. What exactly is the ultimate way to carry out a specific job with minimal overhead and maximum efficiency, all while managing expectations and QC.

We will get to the difference cleaning approaches and ways in which they affect your business however first lets continue on about window cleaning equipment. Unlike 20+ years back, window cleaners now have access to modern equipment which include water filtration systems, water-fed poles, zoom-booms, etc. The effective use of such equipment does not only transform your work efficiency, it also minimizes; if not completely eliminating, the danger involved in working on high elevations with a ladder, specifically on uneven terrain.

Water filtration systems remove minerals, sediments, as well as other particles inside your regular faucet water. Many people may just be experienced with similar systems within our homes, however, these systems are designed to be mobile making it straightforward to filter water on site anytime you're working. Some window cleaners choose to store the filtered water in a tank reservoir for later use or just to regulate the output increasing and decreasing the pressure having an external pump, others hook it up directly for use relying solely on the external job site water pressure (eliminating the water tank payload however risking constant variable pressure).

The second stage is the water-fed brush installed on a pole, also called a window cleaning extension pole. The Brushes are particularly designed for scrubbing windows and the here pole are made from extremely light material (usually carbon fiber or aluminum). These extension poles are supposed to go in excess of a distance of 70 feet and can be easily modified to function around angles and corners that may be invisible for the operator on ground level and could be operated easily on uneven terrain.

These types of ingredients combined have completely revolutionized the industry adding execution efficiency and risk elimination. However, this strategy does include a starting price tag of approximately $4,000 which makes it difficult and extremely competitive for the average window cleaner who isn't thinking about investing in this particular set up.