Window cleaning has come a long way since the days of the squeegee and scrim. We still use those tried-and-tested tools, of course, but we have a range of more advanced methods at our disposal. As buildings become more ambitious, cleaning becomes more challenging, and the technology we use has to keep up. Just look at the Burj Khalifa; it may be the tallest building in the world, but it takes abseil window cleaners three months to clean it – by hand.
Can we look forward to a day when window cleaning was less labour-intensive? And do today’s gadgets offer us any clues as to where the next wave of window cleaning will go?
Drone-Powered Cleaning?
Drones are the latest innovation to elicit a mixed response from consumers. On the one hand, they’re fantastically fun to fly, and they offer a useful way to survey buildings. But some people consider them an assault on their privacy – and they could endanger aircraft.
Will we see a day when the drone takes over cleaning duties? In some cities, it’s already in the planning stages. Small drones, capable of flying for up to 30 minutes, are thought to hold the key to cleaning awkward spots on skyscrapers.
Hoverboard Cleaning?
Will the human race ever invent the hoverboard that Marty McFly debuted in Back to the Future? We’re certainly seeing some valiant efforts, many of which look like large drones.
These machines fly best over water, so it’s hard to imagine a situation where we could use them to clean windows. However, with magnetic and jet-powered technologies in testing, we hope it’s only a matter of time.
Robot Cleaners?
Robot window cleaning gadgets are already available, but they’re yet to take over the mainstream. Many of these cleaners do a poor job of getting into the corners, and leave windows looking streaky and grimy.
Some of these machines fail to scrape 3-out-of-5 star reviews. But we’ll probably see robots taking over more window cleaning duties, once we figure out how to clean corners effectively with machines.
For now, a trained human is a much better bet.
Waterless Cleaning?
Is it possible to clean a window without water? Even self-cleaning glass relies upon rainwater being present, and it does a fairly mediocre job of getting the glass fully clean anyway.
Perhaps one day, we’ll figure out how to dry-clean windows, so we can save our abseil window cleaners some time.
Modern Methods
Right now, Aquamark is the leading provider of modern window cleaning solutions. With state of the art equipment, and a creative approach to challenging work, our window cleaners always do a perfect job without the hassle. And when the window cleaning hoverboards appear on the market, we’ll probably be the first company to give them a try.
For more information on our window cleaning experience, get in touch with Aquamark now. We can conduct building surveys, and set up regular cleans, so that your building always looks at its best.