If you remember window cleaners carrying ladders from house to house, you may have noticed that most of us don’t any more. These days, the majority of windows are cleaned from the ground with a water-fed pole. Here’s why the trade has changed, and when a ladder is still the right tool for the job.
Ladders haven’t been banned
There’s a long-standing rumour that ladders were banned for window cleaning. They weren’t. The Work at Height Regulations 2005 ask anyone working at height to avoid it where they reasonably can, and to use the safest practical method where they can’t. The Health and Safety Executive still accepts ladders for low-risk, short-duration jobs, as long as the risks have been properly thought through.
In practice, a ladder is fine for the occasional window that can’t be reached any other way, but it shouldn’t be the first choice for cleaning a whole house.
Why water-fed poles took over
A water-fed pole is a lightweight telescopic pole with a brush on the end. Purified water is pumped up the pole and out through small jets around the brush, so the glass is scrubbed and rinsed in one go. Because the water has had its impurities removed, it dries clear without streaks or spots, so there’s no need to wipe the glass afterwards.
- Safer: the window cleaner stays on the ground, so there’s far less risk of a fall.
- Kinder to your property: no heavy ladders leaning against your walls, render, gutters or window frames.
- A more thorough clean: the brush reaches the frames and sills as well as the glass, and the rinse carries the dirt away rather than moving it around.
- More privacy: nobody appears at your bedroom window at the top of a ladder.
- Fewer chemicals: pure water does most of the work, so there’s rarely any need for detergent (more on that in why window cleaners don’t use detergent any more).
When I still use a ladder
I clean most windows from the ground with a water-fed pole and pure water, with hot water when a clean needs it. But I do carry ladders, and I occasionally use them where necessary, when a window can’t be reached safely or properly with a pole. When I do, the ladder is positioned safely and only used for as long as it’s needed.
What it means for you
For most homes, a water-fed pole gives a better and safer clean, frames and sills included, which is why I use one on almost every visit. If you have a window you’re not sure can be reached, such as one above a conservatory, just ask when you get in touch and I’ll tell you how I’d clean it.
You can read more about how I clean windows in Wolverhampton, or text your name and address to 07754 405080 for a quote.
