Window Cleaning Services

You’ll need one whether you live in a house in Sierra Madre, a brownstone in Boston, or a penthouse condo in one of the towers along Miami Beach. You’ll need one in a big way if you manage a 72-floor apartment building along Lake Shore Dive in Chicago, the Woolworth Building in New York, or a mall in Kansas City. For anyone who lives and works indoors, the day will come when you gaze out your window, and suddenly realize, “Whoa, this glass is dirty!”

If you live in a one-room studio in Greenwich Village, you might just get a sponge, a bucket full of lukewarm water and a couple tablespoons of ammonia – then scrub away. But if you have a lot of windows, you might prefer a boutique window washer, like “Dr. Glass,” based in a tony suburb of Washington D.C.

What Is It?

A window cleaning service that takes their responsibility seriously, and enjoys what they do, wants to make your glass look invisible.

Who Needs It?

People with lots of glass.

Benefits

A first-class window-cleaning service tackles the entire panorama of window sizes, designs, and construction. Often, they will categorize jobs by building-type, whether it’s considered “low-rise,” “mid-rise,” or a “high-rise” structure.

With low- and mid-rise buildings, you want window cleaners who use tall (32-foot) sectional ladders, and are equally skilled operating boom and scissor lifts as well. With high-rise buildings, you obviously can’t get to windows from the ground; so window-cleaning services will access them from the roof. This means employing suspended equipment, known as boatswain chairs or CDA (controlled descent apparatus) systems. Usually, these systems consist of seat boards being lowered by a CDA.

Removing hard water stains, mineral deposits, and acid rain spots are all part of the glass restoration process, and you want your window cleaning service to possess in-depth knowledge of chemical interactions between glass surfaces and the elements. You also want tech-savvy window cleaners who recognize the importance of apply invisible shields so your windows remain transparent for longer periods of time.

What you can expect to pay depends on many factors, among them the style of the window, its frame, and the type of glass. Most standard one and two pane windows measuring 32” x 60” will run you around $10 or $12 each – more if access is blocked or glass scraping is required. Cleaning small pane windows will cost you the equivalent, as long as there are no more than twelve individual panes. Windows that do not open to the inside of your home or office are a little more expensive. They slide up and down and are usually wooden and have hooks outside. Tilt-in windows with metal frames run $12 to $15, too, as do storm windows. Storm windows provide better insulation from freezing temperatures and street noise, but usually require disassembling a second thin plate of glass. Pricier still are window sets composed of two sides and one picture window, big two-paneled windows that slide horizontally along tracks, and door-style windows often fixed in rows of three.

Generally speaking, window-cleaning companies charge customers the same rate for labor, whether working at ground level or on mid-level buildings. Most window-cleaning firms don’t do high-rise buildings, where crews often descend from the summit of glass-enclosed towers with CDA systems, while ensuring that sidewalks are cordoned off below. Fees for cleaning the windows of urban skyscrapers are calibrated according to the size and complexity of the job.

Risks

There are no legal requirements for special training, so it’s advisable to thoroughly check out the reputation and history of the cleaning service you’re considering, as well as confirming that the company is fully insured.

Additionally, apartment or building managers should apprise tenants of the arrival of window cleaners, so people aren’t startled by the sudden presence of squeegee-bearing men dangling outside their bedroom window. Or, for instance, window cleaners might schedule their work to nights or weekends so as not to distract employees engaged in intense negotiations or power meetings.