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July 31, 2014

What is a Clean Window?

A truly clean window starts with a scrub agitation to loosen dirt, then rinsing clean or cleaning away with a squeegee.

Many believe squeegee cleaning to be the professional window cleaning method with the best results; myself included. I started cleaning windows in 2003 when I moved to Vancouver, and was taught some simple things about cleaning windows that hold true today, including: what is necessary for the customer to have a truly clean window, and what is the accepted ‘industry standard’ for clean glass.

A truly clean window involves 2 things:

1) Professionally clean the outside of the glass.
scrub with the applicator all the exterior glazing, top to bottom to loosen the dirt
clean away with the squeegee
check edges for drips
2) The INSIDE SURFACE must also be cleaned. Looking at the photos, you can see that the outside is cleaned, but there are still drippy marks down the surface of the glass. Checking the inside, it is noted that this is on the inside surface, and can be wiped away easily with a cloth. This is a reminder that no matter how well the outside surface is cleaned, the window will still look dirty if the inside has not been cleaned as well.

Accepted Industry Standard for Clean Windows

The way it was explained to me by a respected leader in our industry, was that all the glazing should be cleaned, with no more than a pinky finger width of drip or run down each side of the glazing.

This is because when the water is squeegeed away, some water may remain on the rubber gasket and rundown along the edge of the glass.

Since people look through their windows rather than AT the glass, unless something blocks their view and draws attention to the glass itself, then all glass in the middle must be completely clean and clear, but if a small amount runs down each side (less than a pinky finger nail width), then this should still be acceptable. Often times, that water doesn’t appear until after the worker has moved on. Waiting in front of each pane long enough to check would considerably slow down the process and add to the cost charged to the customer.

May 21, 2014

What Windows Are Included In My Service?

12 Stories HighWe find there is often confusion regarding which windows are included in a window cleaning service. This can lead to frustration by tenants who do not know that some of their windows were not included in the scope.

To start, let’s clarify windows are considered commonly considered accessible and which are considered inaccessible.

Accessible Windows

Accessible windows are windows that the tenant or homeowner can safely reach without the use of any specialized equipment or ladders.

Inaccessible Windows

Inaccessible windows are windows that require the use of a ladder, pole, or rope access in order to reach – in whole or in part.

What do I mean by in whole or in part?  Windows that are ‘half on and half off’ a balcony, so that half of the windows is situated past the balcony railing and a tenant would have to reach unsafely way over and down to attempt to clean half of it are considered inaccessible.  This is because they cannot safely clean the entire window themselves.

Scope of Work

The scope of work submitted on a quote, once agreed to, defines which windows will then be cleaned.  It may be inaccessible windows only, all windows including accessible, or a mix of both.  Whatever will be done can be found in the description of the scope.  For example:

“One hand cleaning by squeegee of all non-balcony, non-patio inaccessible tenant windows including the ground floor windows.  Includes exterior surface of railing glass where present, top surface of skylights and glass canopies.”

What does this mean exactly?

It means that all tenant windows will be cleaned with the exception of those on balconies and patios that tenants can clean themselves.  Ground floor windows that are NOT on a patio will be included.  The glass skylights, canopies around the strata will be cleaned on the top surface only – this is where dust and dirt accumulates.  The undersides of canopies and skylights need to be cleaned only rarely.  The outside surface of balcony railing glass will be included as well.

When asked “we want all of our windows cleaned, every single one, can you do this?” the answer is course we can.  It is a larger scope of work which will take more time and therefore be a higher cost.  If the strata wants to spend money having windows cleaned that the owners can easily clean themselves, which is a decision for strata to make, not us.  We can do it.  But it will be much more expensive.  Here is why.

Consider this; on a high rise tower, an owner can step out onto their balcony and clean any windows on that balcony and their sliding glass patio doors in about 5-10 minutes.  For us to reach that same area without accessing their suite, a rope access worker has to set up his ropes near the balcony, access the balcony area, disconnect his harness attachments in order to walk around on the balcony and clean the windows, re-attach himself to the ropes, and exit the balcony area.  He has to do this carefully so as not to disturb any personal belongings, cannot leave footprints or anything on the balcony which will lead to a complaint, etc.  So for each accessible window we clean, the price has to go up.  To clean accessible windows on a balcony we can reach by ladder, WCB regulations state that the ladder must be safely tied off before accessing that area.  That is a slow process, also impacting the total cost.

So why then do we clean the accessible ground floor windows that are not on a patio?

Well, those windows usually have windows above them.  Unless it is a one story building, the architecture is usually such that the windows are in a row vertically.  If we clean the windows in that row above the first floor, the chances that we are going to drip dirty water onto that window are high.  So, rather than leave it and get complaints that we have dripped on that window and should come back to clean it up, we clean them while we’re there anyway. It increases the odds of customer satisfaction with the work overall.

Happy customers are paramount in any service industry, and the best way to ensure people are satisfied at the end of the service is to ensure clear communication in order to set expectations occurs.

Knowing what is included and what is not by those receiving the service is a key component to ensure things go smoothly and everyone is happy with the results.

May 21, 2014

What is Construction Residue?

How is a ‘Construction Clean’ different than a ‘Maintenance Clean’ in regards to your window cleaning service?


This article is being written in response to customer e-mails we receive like the one below.

“What do you mean, construction residue? I’m on the opposite side of the building, facing away from the construction (across the street from this strata), so it must be something else on my windows.”

The person in this example thinks we’re telling them that the construction site across the street is putting residue up into the air, which is then dirtying their windows more so than usual.

To correct this impression, let me state what we mean when we say we have found construction debris on the glazing.



During the construction of a strata building, a lot of materials can be required such as bricks, metal sheets, Stainless Steel Angle Iron, paints, metal chips, plastic sheet, etc. Though a lot of these materials might be consumed in the construction process, some of it tend to be discarded due to extra length, quality issues, broken parts, etc. This can be a major issue for builders and developers to get rid of the unused materials which can also be known as construction residue. So, as a lot of trash can be generated during the a construction process, it might often require dumpster rentals or other methods of removal. Besides all that debris, when the builder installs windows, in order to protect the surface of the glass from damage, in most cases, a blue plastic sheet is glued onto the outside surface. This reduces the number of scratches and construction material that ends up on the glass.

As the photo above demonstrates, by the time it is to be removed, the blue plastic doesn’t usually cover completely anymore. And, when it is peeled off and the windows cleaned, there is often more finishing work to be done in the building process; painting, caulking, sealing of concrete, etc.

At this point, the initial cleaning of the glass must be done before the developer turns the building over to the strata. This first clean is critical, as it must remove the glue that was used to adhere the blue plastic to the glass, as well as concrete spatter from glazing and frames, paint spatter, silicone, caulking, dirt and other gunk so that the strata will accept the building as it is turned over to them. This then releases the developer from its responsibilities.

Problem: this usually is done as the building is near completion, but usually not as the very final step. There are still trades working around the building finishing it up while this cleaning is going on. So even if the initial construction clean of the windows is done perfectly, more paint, silicone, caulking, glue, concrete and other such materials can get on the now unprotected glass in the weeks or even months before it is inspected and turned over.

But you would think that this would be noticed during the walk through inspection, right?

Not if several months have passed, and now the glass is covered in a layer of dirt. This hides the construction debris still on the glass.

Remember – this is a newly constructed building. There is dust being swept off balconies, landscapers putting down sod around the base, and all the other dust from drilling and sanding and finishing being washed down the sides of the building by the rain. The windows get dirty again fast. This dirt covers up whatever glue residue, calking, and silicone may remain on the windows.

If the building is accepted without a fresh window cleaning service being done just prior to the hand off, this will go unnoticed.

So, construction debris is materials left on the glass from the original construction of the building, that cannot be washed off with soap and water. This issue can remain hidden until the first regular maintenance window cleaning service is performed. Once the layer of regular old dirt is washed off, the stuff that remains behind is revealed.

You may wonder why this is an issue for the next window cleaners to remove. Here’s why:

Time. The quote for a maintenance clean was for labour time to clean all windows using soap and water or a tucker pole. The additional time it will take to remove construction materials is great; it may involve razoring, using chemicals, and going over each pane of glass several times to ensure this stuff is gone, rather than just once. It can increase the time needed to clean a single pane of glassfrom 45 seconds to up to ten minutes, or in bad cases, much more.

Tools. The specialized chemicals or equipment to address construction materials isn’t carried around by window cleaners when doing a maintenance clean. Using the chemicals required to do so (depending on what is actually on the glass) can require full rain gear and protective gear to ensure skin doesn’t get burned. (Muriatic acid to remove concrete spatter).

Access. In some instances, the reason why the construction material wasn’t properly cleaned off in the first place, is that the windows it is on are located in a difficult area to get to on the building.

There is one strata where we have discovered a lot of construction residue left on the top floor – an area where getting a person up to it using a lift is impossible due to the landscaping and building structure, and most glass needs to be cleaned by tucker pole. That means it was probably skipped during the initial clean, and the problem was left for the next person to come and clean the windows to try and deal with.

Understanding these issues is the first step in getting to a positive resolution between all parties. Otherwise, strata can be confused as to what is meant by construction residue and why this takes more time and is therefore more expensive to remove than regular environmental soiling removed during a regular maintenance clean. Tenants do not understand what is on the glass and why; all they see is a dirty ‘splotch’ that they expected would not be there after the window cleaning service. Hopefully this will help further understanding so that strata members know what is to be addressed, rather than just becoming frustrated when seeing that something remains on their glass. Extra time and attention may be needed and the cost for that, if caught in time, may be able to be charged back to the developer under warranty.