Professional window cleaners work from a short, settled tool list: something to wet the glass, something to remove the water, something to reach, and something to deal with what the squeegee will not shift. The list below is what that looks like in practice, and which of it we stock.
If you are buying rather than researching, start at our window cleaning equipment range.
Squeegee
The squeegee is the tool a professional actually cleans with. A 35cm stainless-steel channel suits most domestic and shopfront glass; the rubber blade is the wearing part and gets replaced, not the handle. Our 35cm Pullex squeegee takes a 71cm replacement rubber, which is cut down to fit and gives roughly two channels per length.
Scraper
A scraper removes paint flecks, cement splash and adhesive that a squeegee slides over. It is used wet, never dry, and always in one direction to avoid scoring the glass. The Pullex scraper fitting mounts to the same pole thread as the squeegee, so one pole carries both tools.
Extension pole (telepole)
An extension pole is what removes the ladder from most jobs. Reach is quoted at full extension: a 2m pole closes to 1m, a 4m closes to 2m, and a 9m pole closes to 3m for transport. Ground-floor and shopfront work is served by 2m to 4m; double and triple storey needs 6m or 9m.
A complete kit
Buying the pole, squeegee and washer separately usually costs more than the matched kit. The 2m kit covers single storey, the 4m kit single storey with high internal glass, and the 6m kit reaches triple storey from the ground.
see the matched window cleaning kits
Bucket
A wide-based bucket holds the water and cleaning solution and resists tipping when the washer is loaded. Professionals size the bucket to the washer width so the sleeve charges in one pass.
Microfibre washer sleeve
The washer wets the glass and lifts the dirt before the squeegee removes it. Microfibre holds more solution than cotton and releases grit rather than dragging it across the pane.
Water-fed pole system
A water-fed pole feeds purified water up the pole to a brush head, so the glass dries spot-free with no squeegee and no ladder. Purified means the dissolved solids are stripped out first, by reverse osmosis or de-ionising resin. It is the standard method for large commercial frontage.
Safety harness and access equipment
Work at height above the reach of a pole needs proper access equipment and fall protection. A harness is inspected before every use and retired after any arrested fall.
Wet floor sign
Interior and shopfront work leaves water on the floor. A caution sign is the cheapest liability control a cleaner owns and is expected on any commercial site.
Gloves
Gloves protect against cleaning chemicals and give grip on a wet pole. They are replaced when the grip surface glazes over.
The minimum kit to start
A cleaner starting out needs a squeegee, a washer, a bucket and one pole. Everything else is added as the work demands it: a scraper for building sites, a longer pole for double storey, a water-fed system when frontage gets too large to squeegee by hand. Our window cleaning kits bundle the first four so the thread sizes match.