What Do Professional Window Cleaners Use? Tools, Machines & Pure Water

Professional window cleaners use four core tools: a stainless-steel squeegee with a sharp rubber, a microfibre washer (T-bar and sleeve), a telescopic pole for height, and — on commercial and high work — a water-fed pure-water system that washes and rinses glass spot-free from the ground. That is the whole professional toolkit; everything else is a spare or an accessory for speed. Here is what each tool does, when the pros switch from one to the other, and what the same gear costs in South Africa.

The traditional set: washer + squeegee

On ground-floor glass, pros work in pairs of strokes: the microfibre washer lays soapy water on and scrubs, then the squeegee pulls the water off in overlapping passes, leaving the pane dry and streak-free in seconds. The two sizes that cover almost every job are 35 cm for cottage panes and 45 cm for shopfronts and large panes — see professional window squeegees and washers. The rubber is the consumable: daily users replace it roughly monthly, because a nicked edge is what leaves lines on glass.

Height: telescopic poles before ladders

For first-, second- and third-storey windows, professionals reach with telescopic window cleaning poles (2 m to 9 m) instead of ladders wherever they can — it is faster and removes the fall risk. The washer and squeegee clip onto the pole, so the technique stays the same, just longer. Complete window cleaning kits pair the right pole with the tools by building height, and equipment for high windows covers the hard-to-reach cases.

The machine: water-fed pure-water systems

Ask a commercial window cleaner what machine they run and the answer is a pure-water system: an RO or DI filtration unit that strips dissolved solids out of tap water, a pump, and a water-fed pole with a brush head. Because purified water dries without leaving mineral spots, the glass is simply scrubbed, rinsed and left wet — no squeegeeing at height, no detergents. This is the standard method for office blocks, shopfront contracts and third-storey-plus glass, and the same system cleans solar panels. Deionising resin is its only consumable: when the TDS meter reads above about 10 ppm, the resin gets replaced.

What the professional loadout costs

Accessories that earn their keep

Two extras show up on nearly every professional belt: a scraper fitting for paint and stickers, and a bucket-on-a-belt holster so the squeegee and washer stay at hip height on ladders and poles. Rubbers, sleeves and resin live on the window cleaning spares and consumables page.

FAQs

What do window washers use to clean windows on tall buildings?

Up to about three storeys: water-fed poles from the ground. Above that: rope access or cradles — but the tool at the glass is still a pure-water brush or a squeegee. The equipment, not bravery, is what makes tall glass routine.

Which cleaning tool is best for windows at home?

A washer and squeegee — the same pair the professionals use. It outcleans sprays and cloths because the squeegee removes the dirty water instead of moving it around. A 35 cm squeegee suits most home panes.

Do professionals use soap or chemicals?

Traditional cleaning uses a small amount of soap for glide. Pure-water cleaning uses none at all — the deionised water itself does the cleaning and dries spotless, which is why it is the commercial standard.

Is professional window cleaning equipment worth it for home use?

Yes — the professional tools are not expensive. The same squeegee a contractor uses daily costs a few hundred rand and lasts years at home with an R85 rubber change now and then.

Kit yourself like the pros: browse the full window cleaning equipment range, or learn the stroke itself in how to squeegee windows.