WINDOW CLEANING WARS….KINDA

by | Jan 3, 2018 | Uncategorized

There is a war going on in the window cleaning industry, and I am willing to go out an on a limb to assume you’re really not aware of the heated battle among the old and new generation of window cleaners.  Okay, I’m being dramatic, but hear me out! 🙂

The Weapons of the Window Cleaners’ War

​Window cleaning has been around as long as windows.  In fact, common window cleaning tools,  the Squeegee, T-bar and ladder, have been around for centuries.  In 1903,  Mary Anderson patented one of the first modern  squeegees, and through the nineteenth, and most of the twentieth century, the act of window cleaning, changed very little. Squeegees, T-bars and ladders are still very much in use today, and most customers expect them to be used when hiring a window cleaning company.  However, along with the use of ladders, comes great risk.  According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, about 165,000 Americans require medical treatment from ladder-related injuries each year.

After the second world war, during the Manufacturing boom of the 50’s, a tiny company called Tucker Manufacturing was founded in Cedar Rapids, IA.  Initially, there wasn’t a solid company direction or product offering, they were just really good at recovering aluminum.  Later in the fifties, they hit on an idea by extruding the metal in to modular, light-weight pole system, coupling it with a water delivery hose, to create an affordable car and home washing kit.  The product evolved in the 60’s & 70’s to a window cleaning tool and really took off in the commercial space, allowing owners of large buildings to reach second and third story windows, without the use of ladders. However, the practical use wasn’t entirely there yet, as the tap water used in the delivery system, often times, left water spots and streaks.  This was solved in the 80’s when the water-fed pole system (WFP) was married with a water purification system.  The ultra purified water allows the windows to be perfectly and thoroughly cleaned and left to dry spot/streak free.  Today’s WFP’s are made of light weight carbon fiber and can reach heights above 60 feet, but come with a hefty price tag of $2,000 to $6,000, which includes the price of the WFP and purification system.

​So what’s the war all about…?
​
​Really, it comes down to a generational split between traditional tools vs. the common use of water-fed poles.  In the online window cleaning communities, trade meetings, or even when quoting a customer, window cleaners will strongly protest their opinions on which is the best tool to deliver the BEST results.  The window cleaners who  have been in action greater than 20 years will likely default to ladders, Squeegees, and T-Bars, whereas, the less tenured ones will quickly adopt the pure water pole systems.

​Here’s our take – we use BOTH!

To the Wash Masters we strive to deliver excellence on two fronts equally:

​1. 100% streak-free, crystal clear, windows that bring the outdoors inside.

​2. Unmatched safety to EVERY Wash Masters employee.

​       -W.M.