Exterior cleaning

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Exterior cleaning is the process of enhancing the experience of a building exterior, through the restoration of good hygiene or removal of unsightly litter or general muck. Not to be confused with interior cleaning, i.e. office cleaning, exterior cleaning draws on aspects of environmental care, architecture preservation, and psychological well-being, in addition to traditional cleaning. An exterior cleaner is a person who is considered a professional in the field of exterior cleaning, either as a whole or an aspect of of the industry. In some jurisdictions, exterior cleaners must be licensed to practice, i.e. window cleaners require a license to operate in Scotland.

1 Exterior cleaning: the Profession
2 Specializations
3 Professional bodies
4 References
5 External Links
6 See also

[edit] Exterior cleaning: the Profession

To become a successful exterior cleaner, the person must be able to:

be fit and healthy
be prepared to work outdoors in all weathers, except high winds and storms
be able to work at heights, i.e. climb ladders if appropriate to the role
be able to learn to use power-operated lifting equipment or abseil, if appropriate to the role
be happy to work alone (although some may work in teams)
be very safety-conscious - it is the most dangerous job in the UK [1]

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[edit] Specializations

The difference between a window cleaner and an exterior cleaner is vast. A window cleaner is someone who cleans windows. Whereas an exterior cleaner is a broader term. Such a person may be a window cleaner but also cleans gutters, cladding and patios.

Exterior cleaners can specialize in a particular exterior cleaning discipline:

Windows
Conservatories
Gutters
Fascia
Cladding
Walls
Patios
Swimming pools
Cars

There are areas companies can focus on, such as residential or commercial cleaning, or high access. However, most exterior cleaners offer a range of services. Some develop expertise within a niche design area such as shopfront cleaning.

Some jurisdictions may require exterior cleaners who specialize in certain cleaning disciplines to acquire additional certification. For example, exterior cleaners need accreditation to abseil down a skyscraper cleaning windows, or to use high access equipment to clean cladding and walls.

[edit] Professional bodies

The industry is represented by the Institute of Exterior Cleaning, who refers to members as Exterior Cleaning Technicians, due to their knowledge of industry techniques, and grants them the postnominals MIEC.