Window Cleaning Without Ladder

[polygonum]

I have decided that I really hate getting the ladders out to clean our first floor windows. It should be easy enough - a very standard house with what appears reasonable access. But in reality there are all sorts of things that make it more difficult than it should be. E.g. terraced house so have to carry ladders all the way round, house design means there are few good places to rest the tops of the ladders, etc. And especially unpleasant when it is cold - even if running up and down the ladders does warm me up. And, to be honest, I don't really like ladders very much.

So what is the best non-ladder technique and equipment? Leifheit pole? B&Q combi? Pressure washer attachment? (Got a cheap Nilfisk.) It is not a large house so do not intend to spend more than necessary.

[MuddyMike]

Pay a window cleaner!

Mike

[polygonum]

Good idea. If ever we saw one!

[Andrew Gabriel]

I can reach most of the xetrnal glass surface by reaching out of the open window portions. Many windows nowadays are explicitly designed for cleaning this way, although mine weren't.

I used to do that. I could tell when he'd been, because there would be another ladder ding mark on the car bodywork, parked on the driveway... Oh, and for some reason, the cleaning never included the obsured glass windows. Maybe he thought you couldn't see if they were dirty. He was a hang-over from the previous owners, but got given the push after a couple of years.

[polygonum]

Over the years we have seen a few but without exception they disappear never to be seen again. And the last one was the sort of person you'd call the police about - and several years ago.

And the design of our windows precludes any but the most pathetic, half-hearted attempt at wiping down some of the rest of the window.

[dennis]

If you can get a mop on the end of a pole you can clean them using deionised water. That doesn't leave drying marks and makes the job much easier.

You can sometimes get suitable water in bulk from an aquarium shop as they do stuff put through a reverse osmosis filter at a reasonable price.

[MuddyMike]

We are on our second who has lasted over 5 years. The first used the traditional ladder, and bucket method which gave poor results on our leaded windows. The current one uses a brush on a pole fed with filtered water that dries without staining. He also cleans all the sills and frames which the "ladder and bucket" guy didn't. Once a year he uses it to clean all the barge boards and soffits which being white UPVC always look great afterwards.

The only mishap was when he knocked over an unusual plant pot which smashed, the first I knew of it was when he turned up at the door with a near identical replacement.

He charges £20 to clean our 5 (big 6 panel) bay windows and 21 other windows which I consider good value as it saves me having to dice with serious injury atop a ladder!

Mike

[Brian Gaff, probably..]

Hire a window cleaner?

Brian

[D.M.Chapman]

Heh, we have one who is also a hangover from previous owners.

After living here for two years, we wondered why the windows always seemed clean. It was only when SWMBO was on maternity leave did we meet him.

He is rather random... Never seems to bother calling back to be paid if we are out when he calls. Won't do the rear windows as he is "afraid of conservatories". A couple of times he has called back for money, both times when we have actually paid him (only a day later, and he couldn't remember at all).

Even if we told him to not bother I'm pretty certain he would still call around and clean the windows. Trying to hold a conversation with him is... well, odd to say the least.

Still, he does a good job, and is a bit of a local character. I must admit to being a bit concerned when he offered to paint the front of the house for us - I half expexted to return from work one day and find he had painted it pink...

Darren

[Hugo Nebula]

A woman in my office says there's a correlation between sacking a window cleaner and having your house burgled. She regards paying the window cleaner as protection money.

[Lobster]

What about those gadgets where you have a two-part sponge affair, connected by magnets, where one half cleans the outside face of the glass pane simultaneously as you clean the inside? Don't know what they are called; where you'd get them, or how well they work though.

So did I. Ours used to come early morning, but when it got to the stage he was putting a ladder up against my 16-year-old daughter's bedroom window at 7:00 am while she was getting dressed, I had a polite word. He evidently took umbrage and never came back, although he still does next door.

Can't say I notice any difference to the cleanliness of the windows though.

David

[polygonum]

Don't think they'd stand any chance of working with a double-glazing air gap between panes. Even with rare earth magnets, they would, I reckon, we struggling. But if anyone can offer real-world experience, would like to hear.

[The Natural Philosopher]

hose the windows and use a magic mop on a long pole.

Or abseil off the chimneys.

[Jonathan]

Pilkington self-cleaning glass.

Jonathan

[polygonum]

If/when the windows need replacement because they are *so* dirty, I shall be putting that at the top of the list. At present they are merely grimy.