When a facilities manager asks a window cleaning contractor about a tall building, the question is rarely "which method will you use?" It is simply: can you clean it?
The answer depends on the building, not on the contractor's preference. A six-storey office with clear ground access, a twelve-storey block with a busy pavement on three sides, and an atrium over an occupied reception all need different approaches. Choosing the wrong one costs money, causes disruption, or simply does not work.
This guide sets out the four access methods used for commercial window cleaning at height, when each one applies, and what each means for cost, timing and disruption to your building.
The four methods, and where each one stops
Reach and wash (water-fed pole). Purified water delivered through a telescopic pole from ground level. The operative never leaves the ground, which removes the fall risk entirely. Water-fed pole systems typically clean up to around 20 metres — roughly six storeys — and 15 to 20 metres is the commonly accepted working limit for most professional systems. It is the cheapest method per visit, needs no permits and no road closure, and can usually be scheduled without disrupting the building at all. It is the method we reach for first on lower elevations, as part of our window cleaning service.
MEWP (powered access). Scissor lifts and boom lifts — cherry pickers — used where glazing is above pole reach or where the elevation cannot be reached from directly below. Requires firm, level ground capable of taking outrigger loads, sufficient manoeuvring space, and a pedestrian exclusion zone underneath. Often needs a permit if it stands on the highway, and sometimes a traffic management plan. Operators are IPAF-certified.
Mobile access tower. Alloy towers and podium units, used mainly internally — atria, entrance halls, sports halls, high-level internal glazing — and externally where the ground is level and the height is moderate. Practical to around 12 metres. Slower to reposition than a MEWP, but works in spaces where a machine cannot go. Operators are PASMA-certified.
Rope access (abseiling). Technicians descend on twin-rope systems from certified roof anchor points. This is the method for genuine high rise work, for elevations where a MEWP cannot be positioned — over a river, a railway, a listed forecourt, a pedestrianised street — and for buildings where the geometry defeats a machine. Requires certified anchors with current test records, and an IRATA Level 3 supervisor on site. Technicians are IRATA-certified at Levels 1 to 3.
How the method is actually chosen
Four factors decide it, usually in this order.
Height. Below roughly 20 metres, reach and wash is normally the first option considered, because working from the ground removes the fall risk rather than managing it. Above that, the question becomes which form of access at height.
Ground conditions and space. A MEWP needs somewhere to stand. A building surrounded by pavement, parked cars, a service road or soft landscaping may rule out powered access on some elevations even when the height would allow it. This is the factor most often underestimated at quotation stage, and the reason a proper site visit matters more than a photograph.
What is underneath. Every method at height needs an exclusion zone below the work. Over a car park that is straightforward. Over a main entrance during trading hours it is not, and the work moves to evenings, weekends or a phased programme by elevation.
Anchor provision. Rope access depends on certified anchor points with current test certificates. Many commercial buildings have them; some have anchors that have not been tested in years, and testing must be arranged before work can proceed. Worth checking early, because it affects the programme.
Whichever method applies, the contractor's accreditations and paperwork should be verified first — see what to check before hiring a high level cleaning contractor.
In practice most tall buildings are cleaned with a combination. Lower elevations by pole, upper elevations by rope, the atrium by tower, one awkward face by MEWP. A quotation that proposes a single method for an entire building has usually not looked at all four sides of it.
What each method means for your budget
Costs are driven less by the glass than by the access.
Reach and wash is the lowest cost per visit, and the gap widens with frequency. A building cleaned monthly by pole costs a fraction of the same building cleaned monthly by machine.
MEWP adds machine hire, delivery, an operator, and often permits or traffic management. It is efficient where a machine can be positioned and left in place, and expensive where it must be repeatedly repositioned.
Tower is low equipment cost but labour-intensive, since the tower must be dismantled and rebuilt to move. It suits concentrated areas rather than long runs.
Rope access carries a higher day rate but no machine hire, no permits and no ground footprint. On genuinely tall buildings it is frequently the cheapest option, not the most expensive — a fact that surprises building owners who assume abseiling is a premium service.
The practical consequence: ask for a quotation itemised by elevation and method. A single lump sum for a complex building hides the assumptions, and it is where disputes begin.
Façades, not just glass
Once access is arranged, the cost of cleaning the rest of the elevation is marginal. Cladding panels, render, stone, curtain walling frames and signage are all reachable by the same method on the same visit.
Building owners often clean glass on a frequent cycle and the façade never, which is why buildings develop the streaking and staining that makes them look older than they are. If access is being mobilised anyway, exterior and cladding cleaning at the same time is significantly cheaper than a separate mobilisation later.
Frequently asked questions
How high can reach and wash window cleaning go? Water-fed pole systems typically clean to around 20 metres from ground level, roughly six storeys. Fifteen to twenty metres is the commonly accepted working limit for professional systems. Above that, cleaning normally requires powered access or rope access.
Is rope access more expensive than a cherry picker? Not usually, on tall buildings. Rope access has a higher day rate but no machine hire, no permits and no ground footprint. On buildings where a MEWP would need repositioning or highway permits, rope access is often the cheaper option overall.
Can high rise windows be cleaned while the building is occupied? Yes, with planning. Every method needs an exclusion zone beneath the work, so the programme is usually phased by elevation and scheduled around entrance use, deliveries and trading hours. Occupied buildings are cleaned routinely; they simply need a sequencing plan.
What is needed before rope access work can start? Certified anchor points with current test certificates, a site-specific RAMS including a rescue plan, and an IRATA Level 3 supervisor on site. If anchors have not been tested recently, testing must be arranged first, which affects the programme.
Do you need permission to clean windows above a public pavement? Where a MEWP or exclusion zone occupies the highway, a permit from the local authority is normally required, and sometimes a traffic management plan. Rope access with a managed exclusion zone often avoids this, which is one reason it suits dense urban sites.
High rise and commercial window cleaning across London and the Home Counties
FG Cleaning has cleaned commercial buildings since 2003, from a base in Enfield, working across London, Hertfordshire, Essex and Kent.
We survey the building, advise which access method suits each elevation, and carry out the work. Height is not an obstacle: we operate a team of trained abseilers for genuine high rise work, and we have cherry pickers and access platforms available for elevations where powered access suits the building better. For lower elevations we use reach and wash from ground level. You deal with one contractor, one programme and one invoice, whatever combination of methods the building needs.
Our services include window cleaning, exterior and cladding cleaning and gutter and fascia clearance, across Hertfordshire and the surrounding counties. If you are unsure which method your building needs, that is exactly what a site survey is for — and it costs nothing.
Or call 0800 612 9349.