Commercial Window Cleaning Program

Purpose

Define the commercial window cleaning service. Two business models live here: recurring storefront + periodic high-rise / multi-story office . Recurring routes are the cash cow - predictable, high-density, low setup. This SOP covers both ground-accessible storefront work + the equipment / safety baseline for multi-story.

Scope

Applies to:

• Storefront single-story commercial glass (retail, restaurant, office ground floor)
• Multi-story exterior glass reachable from ground via water-fed pole (up to 65 ft)
• Building common-area interior glass

Excludes high-rise work above 65 ft requiring rope access or boom lift (specialty discipline - IRATA / SPRAT certification required; not covered here).

Responsibilities

• Window tech runs the route; carries water + tools per vehicle inventory
• Supervisor manages route density, customer schedule, complaints
• Customer clears immediate work area; cars moved from below upper stories on appointment day

Procedure

Storefront recurring (per stop)

1. Park + setup. Sidewalk-side parking when possible. Out-of-vehicle in 3 minutes.
2. Tools per stop: bucket + Ettore squeegee + 14" or 18" T-bar washer + Dawn soap solution + microfiber finishing towels + razor (4" handle) + ladder if needed.
3. Inspect first. Walk the storefront. Identify decals, paint splatter, hard-water stains, frame oxidation. Note anything not solvable with standard wash; communicate to manager.
4. Wet the glass. Apply soap solution with T-bar washer top-to-bottom. Saturate fully - dry glass + dry squeegee = streaks.
5. Squeegee technique. Start top-left corner. Fan or straight-pull (choose by glass shape). Wipe blade with clean towel between passes. Overlap each pull by 1".
6. Detail. Wipe edges + corners with microfiber. Check sills + frames; quick wipe.
7. Inside the window (if contracted). Same technique, slower - interior streaks are more visible.

Multi-story water-fed pole (per stop)

1. Survey. Identify obstacles: trees, awnings, signage, power lines (>10 ft clearance mandatory).
2. Water prep. Purified water (DI or RO, <10 ppm TDS) - tap water mineral content leaves spots after evaporation.
3. Extend pole. Start at the top course of glass. Wet thoroughly with brush head.
4. Scrub. Light pressure, vertical strokes. Don't gouge frames.
5. Rinse. Brush off-glass; rinse pure-water spray down the pane. Walk away wet - pure water dries spot-free.
6. Lower courses. Work top to bottom; rinse upper courses last as runoff washes lower courses.

Hard-water stains + mineral deposits

1. Test with white vinegar 5 minutes; rinse + squeegee.
2. If unsuccessful, professional restoration product (Bio-Clean, A1 Razor) + 0000 steel wool gently.
3. If etched into the glass surface (you can feel ridges), the glass is permanently damaged. Communicate to customer; quote restoration polishing or replacement.

Route economics

• Storefront density target: 8 - 14 stops per day per tech
• Insurance: GL + auto + workers' comp; required by every commercial customer
• Recurring contract win rate is the leading indicator - drop-in single jobs are 25 - 40% margin; recurring monthly is 55 - 70%

Acceptance Criteria

• All contracted panes washed; no streaks visible at normal viewing distance
• Frames + sills wiped
• No equipment marks or chemistry on adjacent surfaces (storefront paint, signage)
• Customer signs the field report; recurring customers get monthly recap

References

• IWCA Industry Standard for Window Cleaning
• ANSI/IWCA I-14.1 (window cleaning safety)
• Manufacturer guides: Unger, Ettore, Tucker (water-fed pole systems)
• Manuall internal: Commercial Cleaning Specification Reference, Cleaning Equipment Investment Guide