Everything You Need to Know About High Rise Window Cleaning

If you stumbled across this blog post, we’ll take a punt and guess you fall into two camps:

a) You are interested in a career in commercial window cleaning, or
b) You own or manage a high rise building and are evaluating options for your commercial clean

If the first point applies to you, get in touch right away. We’re always looking for fresh talent to join our team.

But if you fall into camp two, you’ll want to carry on reading. In this post, we cover everything you (as a building owner or manager) need to know about high-rise window cleaning. We get a lot of questions here at Aquamark about what’s involved in a high-rise window clean – what your responsibilities are as someone in charge of a building, and crucially, how to get the most out of your contract.

So, this post aims to leave you feeling a bit more ‘in the know’.

Different Methods Used For Window Cleaning High Rise Buildings

This is possibly one of the most common questions we get asked from prospective clients. Similar questions include:

Will someone be abseiling down my building?

Will I need space for a cherry picker?

Will you need to use the BMU?

The simple answer to all of those questions is, it depends. Every high-rise building is different, and many factors affect the window cleaning method used. Factors include location, building size, building architecture, and building height.

Here is an overview of the common window cleaning methods almost every commercial cleaning contractor provides.

Abseil Window Cleaning for High Rise Buildings

As the name suggests, abseil window cleaning involves skilled operatives descending the façade of a building via industrial-strength ropes.

Ropes are secured firmly in place using your building’s anchor points (also called eyebolts). It’s essential that you, as the person responsible for the building, maintains the condition of your anchor points to comply with health and safety legislation.

Many companies (us included) provide anchor point testing. And this is a crucial step to consider before your window cleaning

company starts James Bonding it down your building.

Advantages to abseil window cleaning include:

No height limitation
Minimal disruption
Ideal for cities and heavily congested areas
Very safe (if appropriate H&S practices are carried out)

Can Water-Fed Poles Clean High-Rise Buildings?

The Home Quality Mark defines ‘high rise’ as a building that is 18 metres or over (which is around 60 feet).

Some reach and wash equipment is capable of reaching up to 80 feet.

So, if your building is around this height, water-fed pole is a viable option to consider. Put simply, it’s a convenient, efficient and cost-effective way to clean the windows of a tall building.

As you can see from the image, operatives work from ground level using an extended pole that releases water. This purified water, combined with a brush – which is attached to the head of the pole – is a great way to remove dirt and debris.

As operatives access the building from ground level, you will need to consider the possible disruption this may cause – particularly if you’re in a busy location. Quite often, your window cleaning contractor will arrange a time of the day (or night) when the area is less busy to carry out this service.

Cherry Picker Window Cleaning For High-Rise Building

You don’t have access to a BMU.

You don’t have anchor points.

Your building is too tall for reach and wash.

If any of the above applies to you, then a cherry picker may be the solution.

Standing in the cherry picker’s elevated basket, a professional operator has the flexibility to raise the carrier to all necessary heights, producing a thorough clean of a building’s façade.

Note: cherry pickers can only be used if your building has level access. You may also need to liaise with local authorities to allow your window cleaning team to operate flexibly, since cherry pickers may cause disruption to the surrounding area. Some window cleaning companies will liaise with necessary authorities on your behalf – so always enquire about this add-on service.

It is often necessary to use a cherry picker to clean a building outside of standard working hours to minimise disruption.

We’d always recommend working with a window cleaning contractor who is willing to go that extra mile (i.e. liaising with necessary stakeholders) to make your life easier. This shows their diligence in providing a great overall customer experience.

Cradle Window Cleaning

Finally, we have cradle window cleaning. If you have a fully accessible, permanently installed BMU, this will be the most convenient way to clean your windows.

However, your BMU must be in appropriate working order before operatives use it. Some commercial window cleaning contractors will fully assess your service certificate, the LOLER test certificate and insurance certificate, but not all. Always check that your provider is qualified to carry out these checks before works begin.

Providing such checks have been carried out, cradle window cleaning can be an excellent method for accessing high rise windows. Operatives can carry any equipment needed including buckets of water in the cradle itself, minimising the need to make multiple scales of the building, making the overall service much less time-consuming.

High Rise Window Cleaning Equipment

Whilst the way we access high rise buildings has changed significantly over the last century, the methods used to clean the windows largely remain the same. If it’s not broke, why fix it?

Your window cleaner will normally have the following tools in their arsenal:

Toolbelt
Bucket
Sponge or T-bar wand
Squeegee
Glass scraper
Towels
Spares

How Long Does Window Cleaning High Rise Buildings Take?

There are a number of factors that affect the time it takes to clean a high rise building. Of course, the size of building a probably the biggest factor, but the size of the team working on your building can massively impact timeframes, too.

It is not uncommon for window cleaning companies to deploy a full team to work on your building – particularly if timeframes are tight.

This could mean that a full building clean could take as little as a day to complete.

There is a fine line between a thorough and efficient service, though. Here at Aquamark, we train our staff to have a keen eye for detail and would rather do a thorough clean than cut any corners.

The best way to get an accurate estimate on how long your building’s cleaning services may take is to discuss it with your window cleaning team. Often, they’ll be able to provide an estimated timeline for completing their work based on a site assessment.

Benefits of Working With the Right Team for High-Rise Window Cleaning

For most building owners and managers, the importance of presenting a pristine aesthetic is a top priority. This doesn’t just mean inside a building; it should extend to the building’s exterior, too.

Always look for a window cleaning company that removes the stress from you – i.e. liaising with the right people, keeping you updated on your clean and managing health, safety and testing. This ensures you’re fully in the know about your service plan, giving you one less thing to worry about.

You also need to partner with a company that can meet sudden changes in demand, such as periods of severe weather conditions.

By teaming up with the right high rise window cleaning company, you can focus on keeping your residents (or customers) happy, with peace of mind that your exterior is being cared for as well.

Conclusion

By now, you should have a firm grasp on what methods are used for cleaning high-rise buildings, how long high-rise window cleaning can take and the benefits to working with a credible window cleaning company.

The best way to arrive at a service plan that works for you is by picking up the phone or scheduling a call with me (Brad, Managing Director). We’re always here to deliver helpful, impartial advice.