Cleaning windows high up

[Timothy Murphy]

What is the best way to clean 3rd floor sash windows? Is there any device that will help with this?

[The Medway Handyman]

Get a contractor with a pole system in.

[Muddymike]

What he says.

Mike

[meow2222]

Pole job. I presume its also possible, albeit not very fast, to use aquarium cleaning magnets on string.

NT

[Lobster]

On 30 Mar 2015, [e-mail] grunted:

There are proprietary systems like that for cleaning windows, eg

Never tried them.

[DJC]

The traditional way. lower top sash, stand on chair, part raise lower sash, lean out and clean outside of top part.

raise bottom sash. sit out on sill facing window. lower bottom sash and clean lower part, lower top sash and clean it.

>

[Richard Tobin]

The top sash is probably painted shut.

-- Richard

[Timothy Murphy]

I may pay someone to do this. I wonder if I am liable if they fall?

[fred]

I doubt a pro would use the method I described, it is a bit slow and you'd probably end up with a wet lap from the water squeegeed off the windows.

I'd expect an old school window cleaner to still 'walk the sill' whether it was legal or not[1] and I'd expect if he was self employed[2] then you would not legally responsible for his mistakes but having a window cleaner fall from your home would be a big thing to get over.

If the cleaner was a casual employee of you however and you specified an unsafe method then I would expect things to be very different.

[1] It is still legal if you have certified anchor points installed and the worker uses them with an appropriate harness. I have sill walked using a harness both using an anchor point and by creating one with a sling round a stone mullion post. [2] I'm sure you'll still find plenty prepared to work this way in any large city with a lot of tenement type properies.