One of the distinct advantages of living or working in a high-rise building is the amazing view that height can offer. But if your building is in a city, then the windows you look out through to see that view will not stay clean for long. Bird droppings, dust, pollution and pollen all stain, streak and dull your view and reduce the light your windows let in.
Keeping those windows clean is not an easy job – a ladder, squeegee and bucket just don’t cut it when your office is on the 15th floor, but clean them you must because reputation, morale and property value are all tied up in the care with which you look after your windows. Professional high-rise window cleaners have the right knowledge, techniques and insurances to ensure that your windows look spotless, even in the hardest to reach areas.
While most people won’t even consider what goes into high-rise window cleaning, some may still think that it just involves a longer ladder – this article looks at a number of techniques we use to get the job done in the right way.
Like all good high-rise window cleaners should, let’s work from the top down:
Abseiling
Can you imagine cleaning the windows of a building shaped like the Gherkin without abseiling? It would be pretty awkward, if not impossible, which is why this method, sometimes known as rope access window cleaning, is the go-to for hard to reach windows or high-rises without platforms. It also has the added bonus of being less disruptive to people below, because the main equipment used are just ropes and a harness, so there’s no big machinery to get around.
This is definitely something only professionals should attempt. Full insurances and IRATA training are needed for this type of window cleaning, which allows cleaners to get a close-up look at the windows as they go. And, from personal experience, the views from the outside of a building at that height can be truly spectacular.
Mobile elevating work platform (MEWP)
This is for your straightforward shaped, mid-level high-rise, or fragile glass roofs, when abseiling is a bit over the top or just won’t give the right access, and a water-fed pole system won’t quite reach. Training and licensing is needed to drive and use this type of system. Covering everything from cherry pickers to scissor lift and mobile boom platforms, there are different tyre and fuel options available depending on whether the work is inside or outside, to make sure the windows aren’t cleaned at the expense of the floor.
Water-fed pole system
This technique has been a real game changer for the window cleaning industry. Not only does it keep windows cleaner for longer, it does so through using warmed up 100% pure water – there’s not a chemical in sight – so it’s also environmentally friendly. This method also removes the risks associated with climbing, as the water is pumped through a telescopic pole, from the ground up, to reach heights of up to 72 feet. Because of the many benefits involved, which include excellent results and health and safety benefits, this is often our go-to cleaning method.
Traditional window cleaning
Needed less and less because the water-fed pole system is so efficient, there is still occasionally a call to use ladders, buckets and cleaning accessories on the lower level windows, to ensure the best finish. This may be when a first pass on a particularly dirty building just wasn’t good enough and another pass was needed to get the finish we’d be happy with.
At London Window Cleaners we have all the training, accreditations, insurance and experience needed to ensure that, no matter what method best suits your high-rise building’s cleaning needs, we will get your windows shining once more.
If you would like a quote for high-rise window cleaning on your building, call us today on 020 3954 2900.
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