Window washing has seen a number of technological improvements in the last ten years, ranging from how they are cleaned to what they are cleaned with. As the technology continues to develop and refine, the options offered by window washing businesses to facility and building managers will mean the right choices are available not just for cleaning, but for the aims of the business too – as Interclean points out.
The window-cleaning service providers also face all the main challenges of the facility management industry: a shortage of skilled labour, the attraction of young talent, increasing cost pressure and improvements in sustainability. In this field technology can also help with recruitment, fighting perceptions of intense labour and appealing to younger generations while refined processes help businesses combat inflationary costs and practise sustainability in their operations. Keeping these in mind, Interclean has collected the four main trends of the industry.
Sustainable simple solution – Pure Water
Pure water window cleaning is a process where filtered water – using special filtration systems – is used, cleaned of any impurities and reduce to its most basic chemical form of H2O. This pure water is then fed through a water-fed brush directly to the window. This provides an improved cleaning process and offers efficiency by combing things into a single-step process, rather than multiple steps of soaping, wiping and detailing. Pure water window cleaning also creates a sustainability boost for facilities and organisations that employ it as a system. Without the need for any kind of detergent, natural or synthetic, the only resource in use is water and the only by-product is water, which has no detrimental effect on the environment in the same way that detergent-infused runoff may have.
Exoskeletons to keep an eye on
Machine technology has also started to find window-washing applications in both cobotic and robotic settings. Cobotic exoskeletons work in partnership with humans and continue to be an area of development. It is a trend professionals should keep an eye on as it might move towards a system that elevates the window-washing work of humans, allowing them to be more dynamic and less restricted by alleviating physical stress and ensuring safer and wider ranges of movement.
Fleet of drones
Another developing window-washing technology is drone cleaning of external windows. Like with exoskeletons, drones are also a partnership tool with humans. The dynamism of a fleet of drones can offer greater efficiency than that of workers in a cradle or using an exoskeleton. A fleet of flying cleaners that work in unison, cleaning a whole storey at a time has clear benefits for the operators who can remain in the building overseeing the work as it goes on. With changes in power technology and adaptations in refill processes, window-washing drones might provide a useful tool for operators.
Ultrasonics
Either with or without additional cleaning solutions, ultrasonic systems work on a variety of surfaces such as metals, plastics, and glass. They create small “bubbles” that remove dirt and contaminants when they explode making them ideal for surfaces as well as individual corners and crevices where contaminants build up.