as you may already know, some of the teachings from this website come from my 14 years of personal experiences as a professional window cleaner. but, there's much more than my personal experiences, i'm always researching new trends in the industry by visiting different window cleaning websites and talking to window cleaners one on one.
...window cleaner's climbing ladders without the aid of a window cleaner's tool belt!
during the course of this article, you'll discover how to use a tool belt to increase workplace efficiency, make more money, and minimize the risk of a life threatening fall.
specifically i'm going to show you...
why osha, the united state's occupational safety & health administration, recommends the use of tool belts when working on ladders, scaffolding and other climbing equipment
step by step instructions on how to utilize a special tool belt holster that will allow you to clean windows all day with just 2 gallons of solution
how to earn $100's of dollars window washing using only $0.37 worth of window cleaning soap
how to minimize the risk of water damage when cleaning interior windows using a tool belt holster technique
a tool belt with holsters designed to hold squeegees, strip washer, glass scraper, towels and sponges is an essential item to have if you are planning on becoming a professional window cleaner. even for diy, do it yourselfers, using a window cleaner's tool belt will allow you to move about window cleaning jobsites more efficiently and safely than constantly hand carrying your tools from location to location...
...in my opinion, tool belt use is an absolute must when window cleaning via ladders!
but, don't take my word for it.
here's what osha has to say about the risks of carrying tools up a ladder:
osha regulations (standards - 29 cfr)
ladders. - 1926105
1926105(b)(21) each employee shall use at least one hand to grasp the ladder when progressing up and/or down the ladder.
1926105(b)(22) an employee shall not carry any object or load that could cause the employee to lose balance and fall.
in regard to which objects can be carried safely, please be guided by the following discussion from the preamble of the final rule (55 fr 4768982) which was published on november 14, 1990:
standard interpretations
04/02/1992 - loads carried by persons climbing or descending a ladder.
"although osha believes that small items such as hammers, pliers, measuring tapes, nails, paint brushes, and similar items should be carried in pouches, holsters, or belt loops, the language in the final rule would not preclude an employee from carrying such items while climbing a ladder so long as the items don't impede the employee's ability to maintain full control while climbing or descending the ladder.
it is osha's belief that the employee's focus and attention while climbing up and/or down a ladder should be on making a safe ascent or descent and not on transporting items up and down the ladder."
for more information on ladder safety, check out my article on extension ladder safety and setup.
when i started window cleaning in 1995, i started with the essential window cleaning tools but, had no place to put those tools when climbing ladders to access windows for cleaning.
up and down the ladders, i'd carry my squeegees, scraper, strip washer and towel thus, making it difficult and dangerous to secure myself to the ladder. before my first job ended, i knew i needed a tool belt to carry my supplies.
luckily, the window cleaning industry was way ahead of me...
...they'd already developed numerous different holsters and belt loops to accommodate the needs of the professional window cleaner. they've developed tool belt loops and holsters that are designed to:
to see pictures of an excellent combination of tool belt items, check out my article, what's in a window cleaner's tool belt?
there's more to a tool belt than just making your movements safer on a ladder, scaffolding and other climbing equipment...
...a window cleaners tool belt can help you earn $100's of dollars a day using only $0.37 worth of window cleaning soap!
here's the math:
(i'm going to use ettore's 16oz. bottle of liquid soap concentrate as an example)
16oz costs $6.00 divided by 16 uses =
$0.375 per use / per ounce =
soap and water ratio to make 2 gallons of solution =
enough solution to effectively clean windows all day =
$100's in earnings from just $0.37 worth of window cleaning soap!
you can easily use just 2 gallons of water and soap for window cleaning jobs that take up to 8 hours to complete...
...as long as you use a special "water reservoir holster" and not your bucket to dip your strip washer into! dipping dirty strip washer into your bucket will contaminate solution and you'll need to dump it out and refill as needed. clean, non contaminated solution, produces clearer window cleaning results. so, you'll want to keep your solution clean by using your reservoir and not your bucket to wet strip washer.
step 1
unclick your sidekick when remaining solution in reservoir becomes too dirty to effectively clean glass or gets completely used up.
step 2
pour out remaining dirty solution.
step 3
wring out excess dirty solution from strip washer before placing back into sidekick holster.
step 4
refill sidekick holster with clean solution and stop just before it starts to "brim" over the top of containment edge.
step 5
reclick holster into tool belt side female end of holster, and you're ready to resume window cleaning!
side note: of course, when you are using an extension pole or cleaning interior windows, most likely you'll be dipping straight into your bucket to re-wet your strip washer. this process will contaminate your cleaning solution faster and you'll have to dump remaining solution out as it gets too dirty to effectively clean windows.
so to conserve water, keep solution cleaner and increase your profit margin, use this tool belt reservoir technique as often as possible.
when cleaning interior windows, you'll want to minimize drips and spills by sufficiently wringing out your strip washer before scrubbing window glass. remember, the exact same amount of cleaning solution you add to glass, will come off glass when you squeegee it dry. so, if you are in a situation where you need to limit the amount of solution run-off...
...wring out strip washer, over your bucket, until washer no longer drips.
also, interior window cleaning is an appropriate time to use your sidekick holster 'empty and not full' of solution. use your bucket to re-wet and wring excess solution from strip washer then, carry wrung-out washer in dry holster from window to window. you can clean several windows using this technique...
...reducing water drips on furniture and other household / office items and, without having to move your bucket from window to window -- very fast and efficient.
as you've learned, window cleaner's tool belt use has many advantages over carrying tools in hand. it's recommended by osha for ladder work. it can minimize business expense and create higher profit margins. it can reduce the chance of water damage by minimizing drips and spills. it will make your window cleaning jobs a heck of a lot easier and more enjoyable and, most importantly...
...using a window cleaner's tool belt will quickly define you as a 'true professional window cleaner'.
it's just another way of telling yourself and your customers that you are in business to be in business. after all, every industry that performs work from ladders uses tool belts that are designed for their industry -- why not you?
if you'd like to check out a window cleaning tool belt system that can effectively carry your squeegees, strip washer, razor blade, dry towel and more.
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