Taking your own safety seriously
DIY window cleaning doesn’t sound dangerous. It’s just wiping glass, right?
The reality is that falls and eye injuries from domestic cleaning send thousands of people to A&E every year in the UK. Most of them were doing what they thought was a quick 10-minute job. A few quid of safety kit up front saves a lot of pain later.
Here’s the full list of gear I’d recommend before you start, roughly in order of importance.
Safety glasses
This is the first thing that should go in your kit. When you’re cleaning windows — especially overhead or at an angle — water, cleaning solution and dirt run down the tools and drip into your face. Getting a drop of soapy water in your eye isn’t the end of the world, but chemical window cleaner or bird muck is a different story.
You want proper EN 166 rated safety glasses or goggles. They’re a tenner. Buy two pairs so you always have a spare.
For cleaning above head height with a pole, I’d actually recommend a wraparound pair that also blocks splashes from the sides.
Non-slip work shoes
Wet soapy water plus smooth paving is how people break wrists and ankles doing routine jobs. Don’t clean windows in flip flops or Converse.
Any proper work shoe or trainer with a rubber tread will do. Steel toe caps are overkill for home use. Just something with grip.
Waterproof gloves
You’ll have your hands in cold water for long periods. You might also be using cleaning products — even mild ones dry your skin out over an hour of cleaning.
Nitrile or latex gloves with a textured grip. Get some that fit properly — loose gloves are useless because they slip off when wet.
Keep a separate pair for window cleaning and don’t use them for anything else. Crossover from grease or chemicals ends up on your windows.
A proper waterproof jacket
Most of the year in the UK, you’ll be doing this in weather that’s not quite dry. A light waterproof jacket stops you getting wet through from your own work and from the weather.
A decent one lasts years and saves a cold. Don’t work in a soggy hoodie all afternoon.
Hat and hood
When working above your head — gutter cleaning, conservatory roofs, upstairs windows with a pole — everything you’re working on rains down. Leaf mulch, spider webs, decades of grime, bird droppings. You really do not want any of that in your hair.
A bucket hat or a brimmed waterproof hat is ideal. A hood works too but it blocks your peripheral vision.
Knee pads
If you’re cleaning ground floor windows, you’ll end up kneeling to do the lower panes, behind flower beds, against driveways. A pair of gel knee pads saves your knees.
Gardening knee pads are exactly the same thing and often cheaper. Buy a pair that fits your thigh properly so they don’t slide down.
Sun protection
I know we’re in the UK and this sounds unnecessary, but if you’re outside all afternoon on a summer day, you’ll burn. Cleaning your back windows means your neck and forearms are in the sun the whole time.
A stick of SPF 30 minimum applied before you start. A cap or a brimmed hat. Don’t underestimate it — I’ve had summer days in Watford that have given me more sunburn than a week in Spain.
A ladder stabiliser if you must use a ladder
I really want you to clean from the ground. If you absolutely cannot — for a specific window that’s awkwardly placed, for example — and you’re going up a ladder, please use a proper stabiliser.
A stabiliser is the V-shaped bar that attaches to the top of your ladder and spreads the load against the wall. Without one, your ladder is resting on two narrow points and can tip sideways with remarkably little provocation.
Also: use a ladder rated EN 131 with the right weight capacity. Don’t borrow a mate’s 20 year old ladder from the shed.
A warning light for the van / car
If you’re parking on a road to work on a front window and it’s early morning or late afternoon, passing traffic may not see you straight away. A flashing amber light or a reflective cone keeps you visible.
Sounds overkill for a home job but I’ve nearly been hit twice over the years by distracted drivers. If your front windows are right on a busy road, it matters.
First aid basics
A small first aid kit in the house. Plasters, antiseptic wipes, eye wash pods. If you do catch your eye with cleaning solution, a proper eye wash pod for rinsing is miles better than splashing water from the tap.
Hope you never need it. Glad it’s there when you do.
What you shouldn’t bother with
A few things that get pushed on home users that you don’t really need:
Full harnesses. Unless you’re working at proper height on a commercial building, a harness is overkill for DIY.
Specialist chemical-resistant gloves. Normal washing up gloves are fine. The products you’re using for window cleaning aren’t that aggressive.
Hard hats. Unless you’re under scaffolding or on a building site, don’t bother.
Expensive work boots. A grippy trainer is plenty for domestic work.
How I’d spend £50 on safety kit
If you’ve got £50 to spend before starting any DIY cleaning, here’s how I’d spend it:
- Safety glasses: £8
- Waterproof gloves (pack of 3 pairs): £12
- Gel knee pads: £10
- Bucket hat: £8
- First aid kit with eye wash: £12
That little lot will cover 90% of the risks you’ll actually face. Spend more later if you’re getting into telescopic poles or ladder work.
One last thing
The single most important safety rule in all of DIY cleaning: don’t try to do jobs you’re not comfortable with. If you’re uneasy about a particular window, a height, a roof — stop. Pay somebody to do it. The £40 or £50 you’d save isn’t worth an injury.
I’ve been doing this 20+ years and I still refuse jobs that don’t feel right. There’s no shame in it.
Need a professional instead?
If there’s a job you’re not sure about, give me a call. I cover Watford and surrounding areas and I’ve got the kit to do pretty much anything. Free quote, no obligation.
