Window Cleaners have been responsible for making dirty glass windows in homes, offices, shops, and high-rise buildings clean and shiny. Because we often work in harsh, physically demanding conditions — outside, on stairs, on scales, or on formal stands — window cleaners have a much more dangerous job than most people, but it for sure has its benefits!
Here are 8 secrets of our often-fun trade:
1. THE WORD "WINDOW WASHER" MAKES US CRY!
The word “window washer” is incorrect. “Most of the time we call ourselves window cleaners… we are not sure why, but for some reason most of us are reluctant when people call us window washers, we feel like an appliance! “Window cleaner,” a word that may also imply respect and professionalism, is widely used in the posting of window cleaning jobs.
2. WE LOVE THE FREEDOM OF WORKING OUTSIDE ...
We value having the freedom to spend our days outside rather than sitting in an office. We work independently and find solitude and peace that hangs high in the air, far from the rest of the world. With the wind in our air and the blue sky as our background, we absolutely love our job!
3. ... BUT FEAR IS STILL A MAJOR PART OF WORK.
Despite the feeling of peace some window cleaners feel when they work, fear is still a natural part of the job. If you do not feel intimidated by this job, you would be wrong … This is one of the most dangerous jobs sometimes, we often have to scale huge heights and precariously dangle off some of the most dangerous surfaces.
4. WE HAVE SEEN SOME UNUSUAL THINGS THROUGH THE WINDOWS
As window cleaners, we are often given unusual access to the inside of private spaces (or work indoors, when cleaning the interior of windows), so understanding is a must for work. You see all kinds of things through the windows, but we always make sure to value the privacy of our clients and keep being absolute professionals in our industry.
Because of our commitment to safety, we begin our day’s work by checking our tools to ensure that all safety features are in place. And while accidents may scare away window cleaners, they usually do not kill. Data from the International Window Cleaning Association shows that between 2010 and 2014, a high-quality window cleaner is killed every year. That was a major improvement over 1932 when 1 out of every 200 New York window cleaners was killed every year.
The biggest misconception is that the window cleaning industry is full of unskilled workers and it’s an easy task, people think cleaning a window is a simpler task than art, while in fact, we require several hours of training and certifications, from some of the following organizations; The International Window Cleaning Association, The Industrial Rope Access Trade Association, The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, and/or The International Powered Access Federation.
Its often said that we don’t look down because of fear! However, when working on high ground, window cleaners do not look down, because we say, we have no time to look down and see pedestrians on the road or the scenes below. We simply do not look down because we are busy working!
It is misconstrued that most window cleaning jobs are for men, but women window cleaners are attracted to the look and feel. The industry is seeing some of the fastest-growing female entrepreneurs and workers and we are no exception!
If your business is searching for quality Commercial Window Cleaning and needs a professional team of window cleaners, then you have come to the right place. At Olaf’s window cleaning, we go the extra mile for our customers. Our commercial window cleaning team will work around your schedule to avoid disruption of your work by cleaning windows outside of business hours (if requested).
We provide commercial window cleaning for restaurants, small businesses, retail centers, storefronts, apartment complexes, and more!