Key takeaways
- Customer-facing frontages usually need monthly cleaning; general offices manage on quarterly.
- Location matters more than building type — coastal, roadside and construction-adjacent sites soil far faster.
- Leaving glass too long allows staining that takes specialist work to remove.
- Scheduled rounds cost less per visit than ad hoc calls.
Window cleaning is the easiest line to cut from a facilities budget and one of the most visible when you do. Dirty glass reads as neglect to anyone approaching the building, and it's the first thing a visitor sees before they've spoken to anybody.
Recommended frequencies
| Building type | Exterior | Interior |
|---|---|---|
| Retail units and showrooms | Weekly to fortnightly | Monthly |
| Retail park common areas | Monthly | Quarterly |
| Offices with client visitors | Monthly | Quarterly |
| General offices | Quarterly | Twice yearly |
| Managed residential blocks | Quarterly | Twice yearly |
| Industrial and warehousing | Twice yearly | Annually |
Ground-floor and entrance glass almost always needs more attention than upper floors. Many buildings run a split schedule: entrance and ground floor monthly, upper elevations quarterly.
What makes glass dirty faster
- Proximity to a main road or bus route
- Coastal locations — salt spray dries onto glass
- Nearby construction or demolition
- Trees, pollen and bird activity
- Extraction vents and kitchen exhausts
- Hard water in the local supply
- North-facing elevations that stay damp
- Car park frontage and vehicle spray
Left long enough, mineral deposits and pollutants etch into the glass surface. At that point normal cleaning won't restore it — you need glass restoration, or replacement. Regular cleaning is cheaper than either.
Methods and what they suit
- Traditional applicator and squeegeeBest for ground floor, internal glass and detailed frames. Fast and precise where it can be reached safely.
- Reach-and-wash water-fed polePurified water on an extendable pole reaches several storeys from the ground. No ladders, no residue, and glass stays cleaner longer because there's no soap film to attract dirt.
- Rope access or powered platformFor high-rise and complex facades. Specialist, planned and priced per project.
Most commercial buildings are covered entirely by the first two. If a provider proposes ladders where a pole would do, ask why.
Why a schedule beats ad hoc
Booking cleans as and when you notice the glass is dirty costs more per visit, and the building spends much of the year looking neglected because "we noticed" is a lagging indicator. A fixed round means the provider is on site anyway, the price per visit is lower, and the building never reaches the point where anyone comments.
We agree a frequency, put the site on a round and log every visit, so you have a record of when the glass was last done rather than a memory of it.
Frequently asked questions
Do you clean in the rain?
Light rain doesn't affect purified-water cleaning — the glass still dries clean. Heavy weather or high winds mean rescheduling for safety.
Do you clean frames and sills too?
Yes, frames, sills and rubbers are cleaned as part of the visit. Say so in the specification so it's not assumed.
Can window cleaning be added to our cleaning contract?
Yes, and it usually works out cheaper than buying it separately.
How high can you reach without access equipment?
Water-fed poles typically cover up to around four storeys from ground level. Above that we'll advise the safest method for your building.
More reading
Other guides from AMA
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Want your glass on a proper schedule?
Tell us the building and we'll recommend a frequency and quote a fixed price per visit.