A window cleaner[1] (American English: window washer[2]) is a person who maintains the cleanliness of windows, mirrors and other glass surfaces as a profession.
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Window washers make about $25 dollars a day starting out and the maximum they can make is $400 in a day. Professional window cleaning requires mastery of special techniques using tools, most notably a squeegee. The use of proper window cleaning tools and utensils results in a better cleaning compared to home methods, such as rubbing windows with newspaper or a wet rag, using common household window cleaners such as Windex. However, some readily available household chemicals such as ammonia and vinegar (acid) may be just as effective as commercial window cleaning products, which often contain these things as ingredients. Rubbing a pane of glass with a cloth can result in "stroke" marks that are visible in sunlight due to the residue left behind. Squeegees run the majority of the water off the window and leave a small amount behind which evaporates quickly. Using a squeegee for interior window cleaning may be undesirable for the excess water it gets on the sill if the microfiber was too wet. Licenses and a large amount of general liability insurance coverage with worker's compensation, and often an employer liability policy, is required for big window cleaning companies or those that do specialty work such as working at great heights with potentially dangerous equipment such as large scaffolds. Individuals who do basic residential or storefront window cleaning may or may not have insurance.
Window cleaners must form contracts with commercial property managers, and the selection of contractors is often carried out using a procurement system, especially for municipalities such as the city or county. This is a screening process for the organization to try to get the best service for the best price. Contractors on the list must bid on jobs independently from one another and avoid bid rigging. This becomes an extensive, complicated process, and sometimes leads to a neglect or infrequency of window cleaning and related exterior maintenance due to the high cost of window cleaning on large or tall buildings. Windows that have not been cleaned for years may not appear to be exceptionally dirty but they will be nearly permanently stained and may not come clean without harsh acids or grinding.
On tall buildings where any type of exterior descent system is used, most of the time spent by the window cleaner by far is the initial rigging, carrying stuff to the elevator, riding in the elevator, preparing for each descent, and navigating various other building obstacles, not actually cleaning the windows.
Depending on the type of window cleaning, different equipment is used. The most common tools are a microfiber cloth on a T handle and a squeegee. The microfiber is used to wash the window and the squeegee is used to run the water off. Household dish soap is often used for window cleaning, espeically interior, but it does not perform as well as other harsher chemicals such as ammonia or acidic glass cleaners. Dish soap is sometimes just used to soften the water before other chemicals are added. Ladders are also very common to reach windows more conveniently than using extension poles and to do skylights. Ground lifts are often used to do large, relatively low buildings which would require as many descents or more than a tall building if a rope or scaffold system was used, but to do very few windows with each descent.
For high rise window cleaning, on the exterior of tall buildings that are too high for ladders or ground lifts, or extension poles, some method of suspending from the roof must be used. But early skyscrapers did not have flat roofs so lugs or eye bolts were embedded in the building on each side of the windows and the early window cleaners wore a stout safety belt similar to those worn by electrical linemen. The windows in these types of buildings open and require the cleaner to cimb out of each one and attach to the hooks. The Empire State Building in New York City is an example of a building where this method has been used even into the 21st century.[3] This method was extremely labour intensive and created problems as the windows became larger in width and height.[4] But for future super high buildings with large, flat façades, it is the most convenient to use a large suspended scaffold, which are able to cover a large amount of the façade in one pass and which can hold several window cleaners. Scaffolds are also used nearly exclusively for more intensive work such as pressure washing, caulking, repairs, and other exterior building maintenance. Also very common is using a rope descent system and bosun's chair, a method of abseiling, which is more versatile but only suits one person each. Buckets are clipped onto the side of the chair and the user is seated in the chair and wears a full body harness attached to a separate line with an elastic lanyard and a device known as a rope grab should the user fall out of the chair or the primary line break. Much of this equipment was adopted from or is identical to equipment used in mountain climbing and rescue operations. Much of this equipment is not optimal though, for example, industrial rope is usually thicker and less elastic and the friction descent devices are often a different, more complex type than the simple rack and bar descender.
To attach to the roof, the window cleaner must use either a good attachment point such as a structural beam or hook, or use an independent, counterweighted roof rig or parapet clamp. Both of these are portable from building to building and are most suitable to rope descent cleaning. Permanent davits, capable of handling much more weight are often included on large buildings to suspend the much heavier window cleaning/exterior maintenance scaffolds from. Most buildings and rooftops were not designed with the window cleaner in mind, and it is not always possible to find suitable anchor points other than the parapet wall or a railing to attach the safety line to. In this case some sort of counterweight sturdy enough to be used as an anchor point, other than the roof rig or parapet clamp, must be used.
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.[5]
According to the IWCA training manual, the most dangerous tool in the industry is the ladder. This is because there is no protection from falling should the ladder slip or the user lose their balance. It is also because ladder use is so common in almost all forms of window cleaning.
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" [6]:
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.[5]
The Working At Height Regulations came into force in 2005 and does not ban ladders [6] 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.[7][8]
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." [9]
Though hailed as safer than ladders, the Health and Safety Executive acknowledges[9] that WFP systems spill lots of water which either the window cleaner or their client could slip on.
During the September 11, 2001 attacks, window washer Jan Demczur used a squeegee to free himself and five others from an elevator shaft in the World Trade Center by hacking at drywall where the elevator had stopped in front of a false wall at the 50th floor.[10]
Accidents involving falling or dropping things from great heights off the side of buildings are extremely rare due to the extensive safety measures taken and the following of strict procedures. However, when they do happen, they are often fatal. Those who use the bosun's chair method are always in a full body harness and have two separate ropes tied to separate anchor points, and all of their tools are usually tethered to the chair so even if dropped, they would not fall to the ground below. Large scaffolds tend to be more dangerous, as a trade-off to their convenience on large façades, as they are much heavier and have a tendency to swing and lose control in high winds. They have also been known to buckle and break in half, as they are often long and only supported from the ends by wire ropes (cables).
On December 7, 2007, two New York City window cleaners fell 47 stories when their scaffold gave way. Of the two brothers, 37 year old Alcides Moreno survived the incident, which made worldwide coverage.[11] Moreno suffered serious injuries, but was able to talk within one day.[12]
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 60 ft. Window cleaners could return to the bucket-and-mop method, because Health and Safety Working at Heights allows such for temporary access,[6]. Many window cleaners and window cleaning companies argue that their usage of water is minimal in comparison with water usages of large industry and energy companies, and that their water usage accounts for a small percentage of overall water consumption in developed countries. [13] [14]
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