Top 12 Window Cleaner Skills to Put on Your Resume
Hiring managers skim fast. A clean, credible resume that shows the right skills—without fluff—gets traction. If you’re washing glass for a living, the mix below signals safety, speed, and polish.
Window Cleaner Skills
- Squeegee Proficiency
- Water-Fed Pole
- Ladder Safety
- Rope Access (IRATA)
- High-Rise Techniques
- Glass Restoration
- Pressure Washing
- Chemical Handling
- Pure Water System
- Harness Usage
- Scraper Skills
- Fall Protection
1. Squeegee Proficiency
Squeegee proficiency means moving a rubber blade with control so glass dries clear, fast, and streak-free.
Why It's Important
Speed and finish live here. Fewer touch-ups, fewer callbacks, happier clients.
How to Improve Squeegee Proficiency Skills
Pick the right tool: Comfortable handle, rigid channel, fresh rubber. Brands like Ettore or Unger are common on pro belts.
Blade angle and pressure: About 45 degrees, smooth and even. Don’t death-grip; let the rubber do the work.
Straight pulls: Start high, overlap strokes, wipe the blade after each pass.
Fan/S-technique: Lead with the top corner, flow side to side with tight overlaps to control water.
Detail edges: Dry borders and corners with a separate microfiber or detailing towel.
Practice on variety: Different pane sizes, frames, and sun angles reveal weak spots fast.
Maintain gear: Rotate rubber often, keep everything clean and dry between jobs.
How to Display Squeegee Proficiency Skills on Your Resume
2. Water-Fed Pole
A water-fed pole uses purified water pumped to a brush at height, so you can wash and rinse from the ground with no detergent—and no ladders for most work.
Why It's Important
Safer reach, faster rinse, fewer chemicals. High windows without the climb.
How to Improve Water-Fed Pole Skills
Go light and stiff: Carbon fiber poles cut fatigue and wobble.
Dial in purification: Use RO/DI or DI depending on local TDS. Aim for 0 ppm for spotless results.
Match the brush: Soft bristles for delicate glass, stiffer for grime. Add rinse bars or pencil jets to suit the soil load.
Manage flow: Adjust pressure and water volume to lift dirt without flooding frames.
Refine technique: Top frame first to flush debris, then glass. Agitate, then thorough rinse—edges included.
How to Display Water-Fed Pole Skills on Your Resume
3. Ladder Safety
Ladder safety means choosing, setting, and climbing correctly—stable base, correct angle, solid top contact, and disciplined movement.
Why It's Important
Most falls are preventable. Good setup and habits keep you working, not recovering.
How to Improve Ladder Safety Skills
Right ladder, right job: Height, duty rating, levelers or stabilizers when needed.
Inspect before use: Rails, rungs, feet, ropes, locks. If it’s cracked or bent, it’s benched.
Set the angle: 4:1 rule and firm, level footing. Extend 3 feet above the landing.
Three points of contact: Always. No armfuls of tools—use a belt or hoist line.
No overreaching: Belly button between rails. When in doubt, climb down and move it.
Secure it: Tie-off at the top or have a spotter when conditions demand.
Train and refresh: Practice safe setups, carries, and takedowns until automatic.
How to Display Ladder Safety Skills on Your Resume
4. Rope Access (IRATA)
Rope access uses harnesses, ropes, and rigging to reach and work on glass at height without big platforms. IRATA training standardizes safe methods and rescue readiness.
Why It's Important
Efficient access with strict controls. Less disruption, high precision, strong safety culture.
How to Improve Rope Access (IRATA) Skills
Stay current: Refresh training on schedule and practice rescues, changeovers, and deviations regularly.
Drill routinely: Build speed only after redundancy and checks become second nature.
Use compliant gear: CE/EN or ANSI-rated components matched as a system. Note: IRATA trains people; it does not “approve” equipment.
Peer learning: Debrief jobs, share near-misses, refine rigging plans as a team.
Document everything: Pre-use checks, rope logs, anchor verification, rescue plans—written and ready.
How to Display Rope Access (IRATA) Skills on Your Resume
5. High-Rise Techniques
High-rise work blends rope systems, suspended platforms, and strict procedures to clean tall facades safely and consistently.
Why It's Important
Safe access is the difference between smooth operations and shutdowns. It expands your service range and your credibility.
How to Improve High-Rise Techniques Skills
Modernize tools: Quality squeegees, pure-water setups, rope descent systems, and well-maintained platforms matter.
Safety training: Rope access, platform operations, and emergency procedures—rehearsed, not guessed.
Pure-water for mid-rise: Extend reach and reduce time on ropes or lifts where feasible.
Consider robotics: Automated or semi-automated cleaners can reduce exposure on certain curtain walls.
Inspect relentlessly: Ropes, rigging, anchors, davits, hoists—follow manufacturer intervals and keep records.
Eco-conscious chemistry: Low-impact agents where detergent is required; rinse thoroughly to protect facades and landscaping.
Know the rules: In the U.S., rope descent systems are generally limited to 300 feet; local regulations and building anchor certifications apply.
How to Display High-Rise Techniques Skills on Your Resume
6. Glass Restoration
Glass restoration removes mineral deposits, staining, or light scratching to bring clarity back without replacement.
Why It's Important
Restored glass looks new again, extends service life, and saves clients serious money.
How to Improve Glass Restoration Skills
Choose the right chemistry: Professional hard-water removers and polishes for the specific defect and glass type.
Use correct media: Non-abrasive pads for stains; cerium oxide with felt pads for certain fine scratches—within manufacturer limits.
Protective sealants: Hydrophobic coatings post-restore help slow future buildup.
Know your substrates: Low‑E coatings, tinted films, or tempered glass with fabrication debris can be delicate. Test a small area first; some damage is irreversible and replacement is safer.
Train and document: Before/after photos, patch tests, and client sign-offs control expectations and risk.
How to Display Glass Restoration Skills on Your Resume
7. Pressure Washing
Pressure washing uses high-pressure water to blast away grime—best aimed at frames, sills, screens, and adjacent surfaces. Direct, high-pressure spray on glass is risky.
Why It's Important
Used wisely, it speeds prep work and restores frames so the finished window looks truly clean.
How to Improve Pressure Washing Skills
Right machine, adjustable output: Lower PSI and higher flow are friendlier for building exteriors.
Nozzle choice: Favor wide fans (25°–40°). Keep distance—at least two feet—and avoid seals and edges.
Detergents that fit: Use pressure-washer-safe soaps when needed; rinse thoroughly.
Technique: Work from the top down, lift soil with overlap, and never drive water behind siding or gaskets.
Safety: Eye protection, gloves, stable footing, and clear work zones. Never on a ladder with a live gun.
How to Display Pressure Washing Skills on Your Resume
8. Chemical Handling
Chemical handling means reading labels and Safety Data Sheets, mixing and storing properly, and disposing responsibly—without guesswork.
Why It's Important
Protects people, property, and the environment. Keeps your kit effective and compliant.
How to Improve Chemical Handling Skills
Know the hazards: SDS review before use. Understand pictograms and first-aid steps.
PPE every time: Gloves, goggles, and, when needed, respirators suited to the task.
Ventilation: Open air where possible; avoid confined, fume-heavy spaces.
Storage discipline: Original containers, labeled, separated by compatibility, away from heat and sun.
Spill readiness: Absorbents, neutralizers, and a simple written plan.
Training cadence: Onboarding plus periodic refreshers. Documented.
Never mix bleach and ammonia: Full stop. Follow local disposal rules for hazardous waste.
How to Display Chemical Handling Skills on Your Resume
9. Pure Water System
A pure water system strips minerals from water so windows dry spotless—no squeegee needed for many exterior jobs.
Why It's Important
Cleaner results, fewer chemicals, safer reach. It’s a production booster.
How to Improve Pure Water System Skills
Pre-filtration: Sediment and carbon to protect membranes and keep flow up.
RO/DI layout: High-efficiency RO, then DI for final polish. DI-only works in low‑TDS areas.
Resin management: Track exhaustion; swap before spots appear.
Clean plumbing: Flush tanks and hoses; prevent biofilm.
Test relentlessly: TDS meter readings near 0 ppm at the brush.
Ergonomic hardware: Light poles, smart clamps, rinse bars—less strain, better finish. Gardiner-style designs are widely used.
How to Display Pure Water System Skills on Your Resume
10. Harness Usage
Harness usage is the art of fitting, connecting, and working while secured—no slack mistakes, no mismatched parts.
Why It's Important
One lapse at height can be final. A correct setup saves lives.
How to Improve Harness Usage Skills
Right harness for the task: Full-body with proper attachment points for work positioning, fall arrest, or suspension.
Fit matters: Snug leg, chest, and shoulder straps; sub-pelvic strap aligned. Recheck after you start moving.
Pre-use inspection: Webbing, stitching, D-rings, buckles, labels—no frays, cuts, or corrosion.
Compatible components: Lanyards, connectors, and devices rated and intended to work together.
Attachment discipline: Proper anchor, correct knot or connector orientation, backups where required.
Practice transitions: Donning, doffing, edge transfers, and self-rescue basics—rehearsed, not improvised.
How to Display Harness Usage Skills on Your Resume
11. Scraper Skills
Scraper skills are about lifting paint, stickers, or stubborn grit without carving the glass.
Why It's Important
When washing won’t budge it, a blade—used correctly—saves the day and the pane.
How to Improve Scraper Skills Skills
Right tool, right blade: Window-safe scrapers with new, clean blades. Dull blades scratch.
Always wet first: Lubrication prevents grabs and gouges.
Angle and pressure: 30–45 degrees, steady, overlapping passes. No digging at edges.
Know the risks: Tempered glass can have fabrication debris; low‑E and films are sensitive. Test a small, inconspicuous spot. Avoid scraping films altogether.
Prep adhesives: Soften with appropriate remover before you scrape; less force, better finish.
How to Display Scraper Skills Skills on Your Resume
12. Fall Protection
Fall protection bundles planning, equipment, and behavior to keep you attached, backed up, and ready if something slips.
Why It's Important
Falls are severe, swift, and unforgiving. Proper systems turn danger into managed risk.
How to Improve Fall Protection Skills
Train thoroughly: Hazard recognition, equipment use, and rescue. Refresh at set intervals.
Use proper PPE: Full-body harnesses, shock-absorbing lanyards or SRLs, rope grabs, and backups—inspected before each use.
Certified anchors: Rated and documented. Typical requirement: capacity of 5,000 lb per attached worker or per an equivalent engineered system.
Regular inspections: Gear, anchors, ladders, scaffolds, and work areas—record defects and pull suspect items from service.
Rescue plan: Written, drilled, and realistic for the site and method.
Know your jurisdiction: For example, U.S. rules limit rope descent systems to 300 feet and require qualified anchors and training under general industry fall protection standards.
How to Display Fall Protection Skills on Your Resume
