Clean high windows from the ground, with a pole — not from a ladder. A telescopic pole carrying a squeegee handles up to about 6 metres and costs from R770; above that, a waterfed pole feeding purified water to a brush head is the method that actually works, because it needs no squeegee stroke at height and leaves nothing to dry on the glass. Working from a ladder above single storey is slow, needs a second person, and is what most commercial contracts now prohibit outright.
The method, start to finish
- Work top down. Dirty water runs downward, so start at the highest pane on the elevation and move down. Cleaning bottom-up means cleaning twice.
- Wet the glass and agitate. With a waterfed pole, brush the pane with the water running — edges and corners first, where dirt collects, then the field of the glass.
- Rinse from the top. Lift the brush clear and let clean water sheet down the pane.
- Leave it. This is the part people find hardest. Purified water dries clear; wiping it defeats the point and reintroduces lint.
With a telescopic pole and a squeegee, the sequence is the same but you finish each pane with a single controlled pull while the glass is still wet.
How much reach you need
| Building | Reach | Equipment |
| Single storey | 4m | 4 metre telepole, R1,090 |
| Double storey | 6m | 6 metre telepole, R1,500 |
| Triple storey | 9m | 9m fibreglass waterfed pole, R8,970 |
Full detail on reach and pole materials is on the window cleaning equipment for high windows page.
Why the water matters more than the brush
At height you cannot reach the glass to dry it, so the water has to dry clean by itself. Tap water will not — it carries 100 to 400 ppm of dissolved minerals in most South African supplies, and those minerals stay on the pane. Purified water below 10 ppm leaves nothing. See what water window cleaners use for how it is produced and measured.
What it costs to start
A telescopic pole, a 35cm squeegee at R390, a washer sleeve at R150 and a 15 litre bucket at R460 covers single- and double-storey work for well under R3,000. Moving to pure water is a step up in cost and a step change in what you can reach.
See the full window cleaning equipment range.