There is no single right answer to how often a building’s windows should be cleaned. It depends on where the building is, what it is used for and how the owners want it to look. This guide sets out the usual starting points for Sydney buildings and what pushes a schedule up or down.
Typical cleaning frequencies
- Commercial and office buildings: often cleaned every three months, and more often for prestige buildings or shopfronts where presentation matters.
- Residential strata buildings: commonly cleaned two to four times a year, with many committees settling on twice a year for external glass that owners cannot reach safely.
- Hotels and public buildings: usually on a regular programme set by the operator, often quarterly or more.
- Ground-floor glass and entries: often cleaned weekly or fortnightly from the ground, separately from the high-level clean.
These are starting points, not rules. A strata committee may choose a lower frequency to manage costs, then add a clean before an important date such as a sale campaign or the AGM.
What changes the schedule
- Salt air: buildings near the coast, such as on the Northern Beaches, build up salt on glass and frames. Salt left for a long time can mark glass and corrode frames, so coastal buildings are often cleaned more often.
- Traffic and construction: buildings on busy roads or near building sites collect grime and dust faster.
- Trees and birds: sap, leaves and droppings can mean some elevations need more attention than others.
- Runoff stains: water running off concrete, render or metal can leave mineral stains on glass that are harder to remove the longer they stay.
- Building use: offices, retail and hotels usually put a higher value on presentation than residential buildings do.
Combining cleaning with other maintenance
Setting up rope access is a large part of the cost of any high-level work. Planning window cleaning in the same visit as other tasks can reduce the number of setups across the year, for example:
- Façade washing or pressure cleaning
- Checking window seals and replacing failed sealant
- Gutter cleaning and roof maintenance
- Photographing any defects for the maintenance plan
Our strata building maintenance calendar shows how these tasks fit across a year.
Before a rope access clean is booked
High-level window cleaning by rope access relies on the building’s roof anchor points. Under AS/NZS 1891.4, anchors should be inspected at intervals of no more than 12 months. If the inspection is out of date, it needs to be done first, so check the date on the anchor tags or in the height safety logbook. See anchor point inspection.
The building manager should also give residents or tenants the dates, ask them to close windows and blinds where needed, and keep balconies clear of loose items. Our resident notice template covers what to include.
Rope access, BMU or EWP?
Many Sydney buildings do not have a building maintenance unit (BMU) on the roof, and elevated work platforms cannot reach the upper floors of most high-rise buildings. For these buildings, rope access is often the practical method. Read the full comparison: rope access vs BMU vs EWP.
Common questions
How often should apartment windows be cleaned in Sydney?
Most strata buildings clean external windows two to four times a year. Coastal buildings and buildings on busy roads usually need the higher end of that range.
How often should office windows be cleaned?
Commercial buildings are often cleaned quarterly, with ground-floor glass cleaned more often. Prestige buildings may choose a shorter cycle.
Who arranges window cleaning in a strata building?
Glass that owners cannot safely reach is usually cleaned by the owners corporation as part of building maintenance. Check the by-laws and ask the strata manager how your building handles it.
Need a window cleaning programme? Request a quote or call 1300 926 176. See our high-rise window cleaning service.
