Water Fed Pole

Taking a look back in time

Whether you’re new to the industry or a veteran have you ever wondered how window cleaning came about? The history of glass making goes back to 3500 BC. In Britain, the first glass window that was manufactured was in Roman times and was known as broadsheet glass. Poor quality and the size of the sheets meant that it was often made into leaded lights. The high cost of glass, however, led to a decline in production and it wasn’t until the early seventeenth century that glass become commonplace in ordinary homes.

Glass started to be mass produced in the mid to late 19th century and it was at this point that it started being used to produce windows. Dealing exclusively with window cleaning Marius Moussy founded the French Cleaning Institute in Berlin in 1878 and it was then that the industry really started to take off. And the rest as they say is history!

The Squeegee

In 1936 Ettore Steccone revolutionised the market with an early version design of the modern squeegee that we use today. Quick and easy to use compared to the Chicago Squeegee (12 screws that had to be loosened just to change the blades), it became known as a far superior tool. That is until the introduction of the Water Fed Pole. 

The Water Fed Pole

As buildings became higher and more buildings were designed with glass, the need to be able to reach windows more safely became a priority. And so, the Water Fed Pole came into play. Long enough to clean up to 83ft (with modular extensions) from the safety of the ground, they also clean using pure water, guaranteeing a streak free finish. Of course, now it’s commonplace to see window cleaners using Van Mounted Systems. Crash tested and fully certified the Van Mounted System from GrippaTank is 100% future proof, scalable and fully transferable.

One thing’s for sure whilst there’s a need for window cleaning, we’ll continue to look for ways to drive technology forward to help support the profession.