Key Takeaways:
Let's talk about something our industry doesn't always like talking about.
Window cleaning has a reputation. For some people, the words "window cleaner" still bring up an image of a guy in an old T-shirt, driving a beat-up truck with a bucket and a squeegee thrown in the back. It isn't exactly the image most people associate with a professional contractor.
And if we're being fair, that stereotype didn't appear out of nowhere.
There are window cleaning companies that show up looking unprepared. There are contractors with disorganized equipment, poor communication, questionable safety practices, and very little concern for how they represent themselves on someone else's property. Those companies exist, and pretending otherwise doesn't do the rest of the industry any favors.
The dirty truth about the window cleaning industry is that some companies have helped create the reputation the rest of us are trying to change.
But there's another side of this industry that customers don't always get to see. Professional window cleaning can involve extensive safety training, specialized equipment, building access planning, fall protection, water purification systems, insurance, site assessments, and technicians who take their trade seriously.
Those are two very different versions of "window cleaning," and customers deserve to know the difference.
There's no point pretending otherwise. We clean dirt for a living.
Technicians encounter dust, pollen, bird droppings, mineral deposits, dirty water, cobwebs, construction debris, and years of buildup on neglected glass. Add Oklahoma heat, wind, rooftops, lifts, hoses, buckets, and physical labor, and sometimes you're going to finish a job looking like you actually worked.
There's nothing unprofessional about that. A technician getting dirty while performing physical work and a company operating like a mess are two completely different things.
Think about almost any other trade. A mechanic might have grease on his uniform halfway through the day, but that doesn't mean his tools should be scattered across your parking lot. A construction worker might be covered in dust, but you would still expect the company to maintain its equipment and properly manage the jobsite.
Window cleaning should be viewed the same way. Dirty work is part of the job. Disorganization and poor professionalism don't have to be.
This is the uncomfortable part of the conversation.
Our industry has companies that reinforce almost every negative stereotype associated with window cleaners. You've probably seen some version of it. Someone arrives without an identifiable uniform. Equipment gets thrown around the entrance. Nobody tells the property manager what's happening. The crew disappears halfway through the day. Calls go unanswered, or the job gets pushed back without explanation.
Maybe the windows still get cleaned, but that's not the only thing a commercial customer is paying for.
When you hire a company to work on your building, you're trusting its employees around tenants, customers, vehicles, landscaping, entrances, expensive equipment, and potentially millions of dollars worth of property. The people working outside your building are also visible to everyone entering it.
That's a bigger responsibility than simply removing dirt from glass. A professional window cleaning company should understand that the way its employees behave on a property is part of the service being provided.
One of the biggest misconceptions about window cleaning is that the equipment is the profession.
The barrier to entry for basic window cleaning can appear relatively low. Someone can purchase a bucket, squeegee, extension pole, and a few other tools and begin offering basic services. From the customer's perspective, that can make one window cleaner look very similar to another.
But the further you move into professional commercial window cleaning, the more complicated the work becomes.
Professional window cleaning can involve site assessments, chemical safety, fall protection, rooftop hazards, electrical hazards, specialized access equipment, pedestrian control, water-fed poles, lifts, and understanding how to safely work around building occupants. OSHA's walking-working surfaces standards specifically cover window cleaning among the general-industry activities subject to requirements involving fall protection, equipment, inspections, and worker training. OSHA explains those requirements here.
That starts painting a very different picture of the trade.
The tool in someone's hand doesn't tell you how professional the company behind it actually is. What matters is the knowledge, training, systems, and accountability surrounding the person using it.
High-rise window cleaning makes that difference even clearer.
From the sidewalk, someone descending the side of a building can look like they're simply sitting on a rope cleaning windows. You see the technician, the squeegee, and eventually the clean glass. What you don't necessarily see is everything required to safely put that technician in front of the window.
According to OSHA's requirements for walking-working surfaces and rope descent systems, a rope descent system can include roof anchorages, support ropes, descent devices, connectors, and a seatboard. OSHA also requires employers to address matters such as equipment inspection, proper rigging, independent fall arrest systems, training, hazardous weather, and certified permanent anchorages when applicable.
That's a long way from simply buying a squeegee and deciding to clean windows.
It's also one reason judging this industry solely by the simplicity of the finished product can be misleading. Customers see clean glass. They don't necessarily see the planning, equipment, training, and precautions required to safely get someone there.
Some of the biggest differences between window cleaning companies have nothing to do with cleaning windows.
Professionalism starts with the first phone call or email. Does someone respond? Does the company provide clear expectations? Does the property manager know when the crew is coming and what areas of the property will be affected?
It continues when the technicians arrive. Employees should be identifiable, equipment should be maintained and organized, and crews should understand how their work could affect pedestrians, tenants, customers, and employees. If something changes during the job, there should be communication instead of leaving the customer wondering what happened.
Then there's everything customers rarely think about until something goes wrong. Does the company carry appropriate insurance? Are technicians trained for the equipment they're using? Is there a process for inspecting completed work? What happens if weather interrupts the schedule? Who is responsible for solving problems?
These things aren't nearly as exciting as watching someone rappel down a building, but they're part of what you're actually purchasing when you hire a professional service company.
Professionalism is a system, not a uniform. The uniform is simply one visible piece of it.
We also don't think the industry should be afraid to say this: how you present yourself matters.
That doesn't mean technicians should somehow stay spotless while cleaning dirty buildings in 95-degree weather. That's unrealistic. Someone who has spent six hours working outside may have sweat, water, or dirt on their clothes.
Professional appearance is more about effort and standards. Did the technician begin the day in appropriate, identifiable workwear? Is the equipment organized? Is the vehicle maintained? Does the crew communicate professionally? Do technicians respect tenants and customers? Is the work area cleaned up before they leave?
Those details send a message. They tell customers that the people working on their property understand they're representing a business, not simply completing another stop on a route.
At the same time, appearance alone isn't enough. A company can purchase nice uniforms tomorrow. Building a professional operation takes considerably longer.
This is where appearances can become especially deceiving.
Two window cleaning crews might look almost identical from the parking lot. Both might have uniforms, ladders, buckets, and a company vehicle. Behind the scenes, however, their approach to safety could be completely different.
One company may have documented training, inspected equipment, established procedures, appropriate fall protection, and employees who understand the hazards they're working around. Another may rely primarily on experience and the belief that nothing bad has happened yet.
That's a significant distinction, especially when technicians are working from roofs, ladders, lifts, or rope descent systems.
OSHA and the International Window Cleaning Association have worked through an industry alliance focused on safety and health issues affecting professional window cleaners. Their resources address hazards associated with professional window cleaning, including topics such as falls and water-fed pole work. You can view OSHA's International Window Cleaning Association alliance resources here.
When you're hiring someone to clean ground-floor storefront glass, some of these considerations may never come into play. When you're hiring a company to work from lifts, rooftops, ladders, or ropes, they become much harder to ignore.
It's important to make another distinction here. We're not saying an inexpensive window cleaner is automatically unprofessional.
There are smaller operators doing excellent work. There are owner-operators who maintain their equipment, communicate exceptionally well, follow safety procedures, and take enormous pride in their trade. A smaller company doesn't deserve to be labeled unprofessional simply because it doesn't have a fleet of wrapped vehicles or dozens of employees.
The opposite is also true. A large company isn't automatically professional because it has branded trucks, nice uniforms, and an impressive website.
Professionalism isn't determined by the size of the company. It's demonstrated by how the company operates.
That's why customers should ask questions instead of making assumptions. The systems behind the company usually tell you much more than the logo on the truck.
Window cleaners sometimes get frustrated by the way people view the profession, and we understand why.
There are highly skilled people in this industry performing difficult work every day. Some technicians work hundreds of feet above the ground. Others operate specialized equipment, work around busy commercial properties, troubleshoot difficult glass conditions, and spend years developing their skills.
But demanding respect isn't going to change the stereotype.
Our industry has to earn it by investing in training, maintaining equipment, taking safety seriously, communicating with customers, showing up when promised, respecting the property, taking pride in appearance, and standing behind the finished product.
Those standards won't eliminate every negative perception overnight. They do, however, give customers a very different experience from the stereotype they may have expected.
Don't judge a window cleaning company because someone has dirt on their shirt at 3:00 in the afternoon. Look at the bigger picture.
Pay attention to how the company communicates from the beginning. Look at how technicians arrive on the property and how they manage their equipment. Ask about insurance. Ask about safety procedures when access equipment is required. Watch how the crew interacts with people around the building and whether the property looks as organized when they leave as it did when they arrived.
Most importantly, pay attention to what happens when something doesn't go perfectly.
Almost any company can look professional when everything goes according to plan. How they respond when weather changes, equipment fails, a scheduling issue occurs, or a customer has a concern tells you much more about the organization you're actually working with.
At Squeegee Squad Tulsa, we don't want to distance ourselves from the term "window cleaner."
That's what we are, and we're proud of the work.
It's a skilled trade filled with people who work hard, solve unusual problems, operate specialized equipment, battle unpredictable Oklahoma weather, and sometimes go places most people wouldn't even consider climbing.
We simply believe the standard should be higher.
There are professional window cleaning companies doing incredible work every day, including companies we compete against. There are also companies that continue reinforcing some of the industry's worst stereotypes. Pretending otherwise doesn't help customers, and it doesn't help the professionals trying to move the industry forward.
The dirty truth about the window cleaning industry isn't that window cleaners get dirty. Of course we do. The dirty truth is that customers sometimes have to look harder than they should to tell the professionals from everyone else.
Our job as an industry is to make that difference impossible to miss.
About the Author:
Tre Williams is the Content Manager at Squeegee Squad Tulsa, where he works directly alongside the people, crews, and leadership behind the company’s residential, commercial, and high-rise window cleaning operations.
While Tre isn’t a professional window cleaner himself, his role gives him a front-row view of the industry.