Window cleaner

A window cleaner (US slang; window washer) is a person who maintains the cleanliness

Cleanliness

Cleanliness is the absence of dirt, including dust, stains, bad smells and garbage. Purposes of cleanliness include health, beauty, absence of offensive odor, avoidance of shame, and to avoid the spreading of dirt and contaminants to oneself and others. In the case of glass objects such as...

 of windows, mirrors and other glass surfaces.

Professional window cleaning requires mastery of special techniques. A window cleaner lacking in experience or training can take considerably longer to complete a project and the work may be lower quality. Moreover, the use of proper window cleaning tools results in a better clean than home methods such as rubbing windows with newspaper or a wet rag.

A window cleaner (US slang; window washer) is a person who maintains the cleanliness

Cleanliness

Cleanliness is the absence of dirt, including dust, stains, bad smells and garbage. Purposes of cleanliness include health, beauty, absence of offensive odor, avoidance of shame, and to avoid the spreading of dirt and contaminants to oneself and others. In the case of glass objects such as...

 of windows, mirrors and other glass surfaces.

Profession

Professional window cleaning requires mastery of special techniques. A window cleaner lacking in experience or training can take considerably longer to complete a project and the work may be lower quality. Moreover, the use of proper window cleaning tools results in a better clean than home methods such as rubbing windows with newspaper or a wet rag. Rubbing a pane of glass with a cloth can result in 'stroke' marks that are visible in sunlight due to the residue left behind.http://www.italystl.com/ra/1333.htm

The Squeegee methods

The first and most basic of all methods is the left-right motion.

Second, the rainbow (or fan) method, employed by many window cleaners.This is the natural method of window cleaning that many instinctively use. Non-professional cleaners who use this method, often stroke between a 2 and 3 foot radius; while professionals, who have honed this skill more, make slightly larger and less arced 4 foot strokes, enabling them to wipe more rapidly and efficiently.

The third and most difficult method to master is the corner wipe. This is less of a stroke than a dab. Many professionals are able to dab and twist quick enough to scrape away the dirt and dust, before it is rammed into the corner; whereas unskilled wipers tend to forget the twist portion. This means that they use more towels and take more time to wipe away the dirt.

Cleaning louvered windows

The tools used resembles tongs. On the inside of these tongs are small squeegee channels. Each side of the louver glass is wetted, and the tool is used to squeegee each side of the glass at the same time.

Almost all window cleaners use a squeegee to save time and avoid 'stroke marks' from 'scrims' (cleaning cloths). Scrims have to be used sometimes for wiping drips or to clean frosted glass or tiny windows. Water fed pole systems have entered the industry, however ladder, telescopic pole, and squeegee remain the principal equipment used.

Carbon fiber poles are light and strong, with an ability to reach up to 85 feet.

Some window cleaners prefer expensive "professional" solutions as opposed to dish soap. However dish soap is still the most common cleaning solution used by professionals. Dish soap can leave a film which attracts dirt and dust to the window.
Water fed pole (WFP) cleaning is at least twice as fast as traditional window cleaning methods. However, costing between 500 and 45,000 USD it is a considerable investment relative to a ladder. To use the WFP system, the window and frames are scrubbed with a wet brush to loosen dirt and then rinsed with highly purified or de-ionized water. Because the water is pure, it leaves no marks when it dries. Some firms have a large container of de-ionized or purified water in the back of their vehicle, which is pumped up the WFP to the window.

The advantage of a WFP system is that it leaves windows and trim cleaner than with a squeegee, it removes more dirt from the grooves on window frames and it reaches windows in places too dangerous to put a ladder. Also WFP systems can be used in the rain as rainfall will not re-activate any soap residue that causes white rain spots.

For very high access window cleaners use access platforms such as cherry pickers, or if it is very high, i.e. a skyscraper, they will abseil down buildings or use a cradle. Other terms are swing stage, suspended scaffolding and boom lifts.

Window cleaner history

In the nineteenth century, window cleaners began using the Chicago squeegee, a bulky tool with two heavy pink rubber blades. Changing the blades required the loosening of twelve separate screws. The modern single-blade window cleaning squeegee was patented by Ettore Steccone in 1936; it was lightweight brass with a very flexible and sharp rubber blade.

In 2008, Israeli company, Skybot, developed a robotic window washing system. This consists of a computer which controls the hanging scaffolds used by workers, to position the robot in the right place to carry out its assignment. Once the robot is positioned, the computer controls the robot's operations, analyzing the results through a variety of sensors. Using mostly distilled water and environmentally friendly detergents, the system applies a mechanized pad to the window and cleans. The robot wipes away the excess. The system can clean a surface of 500 square meters in an hour, compared to 250 square meters a human team can cover on a workday, without risking human lives.

Hazards of the trade

Risks include slipping on water or soap, and falling from heights. Unlike in Scotland, there is no government licensing in The United States, England or Wales - this means anyone can claim to be a window cleaner.

Window cleaning is considered the most dangerous job in the UK. Several window cleaners die each year, and many are injured. http://www.hse.gov.uk/press/2003/e03207.htm http://money.uk.msn.com/Insurance/Insight/Special_Features/Insurance_Cover/article.aspx?cp-documentid=145042

Many window cleaning businesses are claiming that laws are about to come into force due to European Directive 2001/45/EC that will make ladders illegal for window cleaners.. However, the government denies this stipulation, as ladder use for window cleaning is "low risk and short duration" http://www.hse.gov.uk/press/2005/e05110.htm:

To clarify the situation HSE is not attempting to ban ladders or stepladders, but ladders should not be the automatic first choice of access. They should only be used after a suitable assessment of the alternatives and the prevailing site conditions. The selection process for access equipment is coming under increasing scrutiny at HSE inspections. This guidance clarifies that for short duration work like window cleaning, provided a number of well-recognised precautions are taken, ladders will remain a common tool for many jobs.
http://www.hse.gov.uk/press/2003/e03207.htm

The Working At Height Regulations came into force in 2005 and do not ban ladders http://www.hse.gov.uk/press/2005/e05110.htm but merely restricts their use to safe methods, i.e. foot it by person or with a ladderstopper:

4.2.2. The feet of portable ladders must be prevented from slipping during use by securing the stiles at or near their upper or lower ends, by any anti-slip device or by
any other arrangement of equivalent effectiveness. Ladders used for access must be long enough to protrude sufficiently beyond the access platform, unless other measures have been taken to ensure a firm handhold. Interlocking ladders and extension ladders must be used so that the different sections are prevented from moving relative to one another. Mobile ladders must be prevented from moving before they are stepped on. http://www.opsi.gov.uk/SI/si2005/20050735.htm http://www.hse.gov.uk/falls/downloads/1and2.pdf

The HSE favours the use of scaffold towers, i.e. temporary workstations, for window cleaning but acknowledges this is rather awkward,

"For some jobs, a mobile elevating work platform will be the best option. However, for many jobs, especially on domestic and small commercial buildings, risk assessment will demonstrate that because of the short duration of the work and features on the building that cannot be altered, ladders are the only realistic option." http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/misc613.pdf

Though hailed as safer than ladders, the Health and Safety Executive

Health and Safety Executive

The Health and Safety Executive is a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom. It is the body responsible for the encouragement, regulation and enforcement of workplace health, safety and welfare, and for research into occupational risks in England and Wales and Scotland...

acknowledges http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/misc613.pdf that WFP systems spill lots of water which either the window cleaner or their client could slip on.

Ecology and water shortages

Another issue is how "green" window cleaning companies are seen to be. During the spring of 2006 Defra considered banning the non-essential use of water and extending their already tight restrictions to prevent the use of water-fed safer which reach up to 60ft. Window cleaners could return to the bucket-and-mop method, because Health and Safety Working at Heights allows such for temporary access, http://www.hse.gov.uk/press/2005/e05110.htm

External links

• Getting robots in to clean high-rise windows