Abseiling window cleaning in London
Above six floors a water-fed pole will not reach, and on a lot of Central London buildings there is nowhere to put a cherry picker even if you wanted one. That is what rope access is for.
Above six floors a water-fed pole will not reach, and on a lot of Central London buildings there is nowhere to put a cherry picker even if you wanted one. That is what rope access is for.
Abseiling lets us work high-level glass on buildings where the street is too narrow, too busy or too built-up for a machine. It is the method that makes tower blocks, period offices and anything on a tight London street possible at all.
One thing worth saying plainly: on the ropes we clean windows and nothing else. We do not paint off a rope. If a building needs both, the painting is done separately and properly.
Worth knowing
Ropes or a machine? How we decide
Both get you to high glass and the right answer is entirely about what is underneath. We will tell you which before we quote, because the wrong one wastes a day.
As a rule: if the street can take a machine and be closed off safely, a cherry picker is quicker. If it cannot — and in the City it usually cannot — it is ropes.
- Narrow or busy streetRopes. There is nowhere to put a machine and nothing to be gained by pretending otherwise.
- Forecourt, yard or car parkA cherry picker will usually be faster, and we will say so.
- Awkward elevationRopes reach what a boom cannot: inset glass, light wells and anything set back from the frontage.
- Either way£5 million public liability, and the same five uniformed staff.
Where we work
Across Central London
Point at any part of London. If it is shaded, we clean there, and the panel will tell you what the work looks like. If it is not, it will say so.
We clean here
Window cleaning in the West End
That changes what the job is. Street-level glass in the West End picks up traffic film, handprints and spray from the road faster than almost anywhere else, and it shows every mark. Most of this work is traditional cleaning, done regularly enough that the window never reaches the state where a customer notices it.
- Traditional at street levelCloth and blade on shop fronts and showrooms, inside and out.
- Regular rather than occasionalFrontages here need doing often, because the glass is the first thing a customer sees.
- Reach and wash aboveOffices and flats over the shop, worked from the pavement up to six floors.
We clean here
Window cleaning in Central London
It is the most mixed work we do, and it is where having four different ways of reaching the glass actually earns its keep. A mansion block, a converted warehouse and a ground-floor restaurant all want something different, and the firm that only owns a pole will do two of the three badly.
- Every kind of buildingOffices, mansion blocks, converted warehouses, restaurants and private houses.
- Four ways upReach and wash, rope access, cherry picker or traditional — whichever the building actually wants.
- Commercial and residentialMainly commercial, but houses and flats are welcome and always have been.
We clean here
Window cleaning in the City of London
That shapes how the work gets done. Reach and wash handles everything up to six floors from the pavement, and above that it is rope access, because there is rarely anywhere to stand a cherry picker. Most of it is arranged around the building’s hours rather than ours — the phone is on 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and a good deal of City work happens before people arrive.
- Mostly rope accessAbove six floors, on streets where nothing can be parked, abseiling is usually the only practical way to the glass.
- Out of hoursThe phone is on seven days a week, and a lot of City work is done before the building opens.
- Insurance on file£5 million public liability, ready for the managing agent who asks.
City, West End, Central London and the surrounding areas. If your building is just outside and the job suits, ring Dean on 07983 258476 and ask.
Frequently asked questions
Questions about this service
Why use abseiling rather than a cherry picker?
Usually because there is nowhere to put the machine. A lot of Central London streets are too narrow or too busy to close off, and rope access needs nothing at ground level.
Do you paint from ropes as well?
No. On the ropes we clean windows only. Painting and decorating is a separate service and is done from proper access.
Is rope access insured?
We carry £5 million of public liability insurance, and any managing agent who wants to see it before we start is welcome to.
More questions people ask us
How high can you reach?
From the ground, up to six floors with the reach and wash pole, and up to five floors for gutters with the vacuum. Above that we go on ropes, or use a cherry picker where there is room for one.
Do you put ladders against my building?
Not for the window cleaning or the gutters. Both are worked from the ground — the pole and the gutter vacuum are designed exactly so that nothing has to lean on your brickwork and nobody has to be up there.
Why purified water rather than soap?
Ordinary tap water carries dissolved minerals, and when it dries on glass it leaves them behind as spots. Purified water has had them taken out, so the glass dries clear on its own. It also means no detergent running down your wall.
Do you do houses as well as offices?
Yes. Most of our work is commercial, but we do residential too and always have.
Are you insured?
£5 million of public liability. If your managing agent wants to see it before we start, that is no problem at all.
Is your team in uniform?
Yes, all five of us. On a commercial building that matters — people should be able to see at a glance who is meant to be there.
What if I am not happy with the job?
Tell us. Dean guarantees the work 100%, and the whole point of a guarantee is that you use it. We will come back and put it right.
When can you come?
The phone is on 24 hours a day, seven days a week. A lot of commercial work gets done before the building opens or after it closes, which suits us fine.
Do you only do windows?
No. Gutters, pressure washing, painting and decorating, wallpapering and general maintenance as well — the same team, already on site.
How much does it cost?
It depends on the building, the height and how often you want it done, so we would rather look at it and give you a straight price than quote a number that turns out to be wrong. Ring Dean and tell him what you have got.
The rest of what we do
Other services
Window cleaningThe main job, and the one we are known for.
Cherry picker window cleaningWhere the ground will take a machine and the elevation suits it, a cherry picker is often the quickest and safest way up.
Traditional window cleaningCloth, blade and a bucket.
Gutter clearanceBlocked gutters are how water gets into a building, and it is always cheaper to clear them than to deal with what happens when you do not.
Pressure jet washingHigh-powered jet washing for the hard surfaces around a building — forecourts, paving, steps, brickwork and render.
Painting and decoratingHigh-end painting, decorating and wallpapering, inside and out.
Property maintenanceThe jobs that are too small to get a specialist in for and too annoying to leave.
Get a quote
Tell us what the building is.
We will come back with a price.
Roughly how high, what you want cleaning and how often. Dean reads every one of these himself.
07983 258476 · hello@londonwindowclean.co.uk · 24 hours, Monday to Sunday