You clean windows with a water fed pole by scrubbing the glass with the brush while purified water flows through the jets, then giving a final rinse from the top down and letting the window air dry. Because the water has had its minerals removed, it dries with no spots and no streaks, so there is no squeegee, no ladder and no drying step. The technique matters though. Get the order and the rinse right and the glass comes up perfect every time. Get it wrong and you will blame the pole for what the water, or the rinse, actually did. Here is the full method, including the video below where we run through it on a real job.
Why window cleaners use those long poles
When you see someone cleaning second storey windows from the ground with a long pole, you are watching the method most professional window cleaners in Australia now use. There are four reasons it took over from the ladder and squeegee:
- Safety. Working at height is the biggest risk in window cleaning. A water fed pole keeps both feet on the ground for anything up to two or three storeys.
- Speed. No climbing, no repositioning ladders, no drying. A whole house takes a fraction of the time.
- A better finish up high. You cannot squeegee a window you can barely reach. The pure water rinse dries perfectly on its own, even on glass you never touch by hand.
- The frames get cleaned too. The brush washes frames, sills and tracks in the same pass, which a squeegee never does.
The part most people miss is that the pole is only half the system. The result comes from what is in the water.
The water does the real work
Tap water is full of dissolved minerals. Every drop that dries on glass leaves those minerals behind as a spot or a streak, which is exactly why washing windows with a hose looks worse than not washing them at all. A water fed pole system runs the water through a deionised water tank first. The resin inside strips the minerals out, so the water reads near 0 ppm on a TDS meter, and water with nothing dissolved in it dries clean. No spots, no streaks, no wiping.
That is the whole trick. The brush loosens the dirt, the pure water carries it away, and the final rinse leaves only mineral free water on the glass, which evaporates to nothing.
Check your tank's output with the TDS meter before you start. It should read at or near 0 ppm while the resin is fresh. When the reading starts climbing, the resin is reaching the end of its life and it is time for a resin replacement.
The technique, step by step
- Connect and set your flow. Hook the pole hose to the tank outlet and open the flow. You want a steady, gentle stream at the brush, not a pressure blast. More flow does not clean better, it just empties resin life faster.
- Start with the frames, sills and tracks. Scrub the frame around the glass first, top edge, sides, then sill. Frames hold the most dirt, and if you do them last the dirty water runs down over glass you have already cleaned.
- Scrub the glass from the top down. Keep the brush flat against the glass and work side to side, moving down as you go. Let the bristle tips do the work with light pressure. Leaning hard on the pole just bends it and slows you down. Give the corners and edges a deliberate pass, that is where the dirt hides.
- Give a dirty window a second scrub. On a first clean or a coastal house, scrub, let the water flush, then scrub again. It costs thirty seconds and saves a redo.
- The final rinse decides everything. Lift the brush off the glass so the jets alone rinse the window, starting at the top and moving down in slow, even passes. You are flooding the glass with pure water so every trace of dirty water sheets off. Rushing this step is the number one cause of a streaky result.
- Do not dry anything. Walk to the next window. The water on the glass is near 0 ppm, so it air dries invisible. Wiping it with a cloth can only add lint and smears to a window that was going to dry perfectly on its own.
First clean of neglected windows
When you clean windows that have not been properly washed in years, the first result is sometimes not perfect, and it is worth knowing why. Old dirt sits packed into the rubber seals and frame joints, and for a day or two after a deep clean it can leach out and dribble a faint line down the glass. Professionals call it first clean syndrome. The fix is simple: give the windows a quick second rinse a few days later. From then on, every clean comes up perfect, because the frames and seals are actually clean.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Rinsing too fast. The final rinse should be slow and deliberate. This is the step that leaves the glass spotless.
- Skipping the frames. Dirty frames re-contaminate clean glass the first time it rains.
- Too much pressure on the brush. Light and flat beats hard and angled, and your arms will thank you on a full house.
- Ignoring the TDS meter. Spent resin means mineral water at the brush, and mineral water means spots. Check the reading, it takes five seconds.
- Wiping the glass afterwards. Trust the water. Wiping undoes the whole point of the pure water rinse.
- Cleaning in direct midday sun on a first attempt. Pure water dries clean in the sun, but while you are still learning the rinse technique, a milder time of day is more forgiving.
The gear you need
| Component | What it does |
|---|---|
| Telescopic water fed pole | Reaches the glass. A 22ft pole covers most two and three storey homes from the ground |
| Brush head with jets | Scrubs the frame and glass while delivering water right where you are working |
| Deionised water tank | Turns your tap water into near 0 ppm pure water, the part that makes the finish spot free |
| Hose and fittings | Connects tank to pole. A flow control adapter lets you set the stream at the tap |
Our 22ft Hybrid Water Fed Pole Kit covers the pole side, and the tank and pole bundle gives you the complete setup in one box: tank with resin pre-filled, pole, hose, fittings and TDS meter, assembled and tested in Brisbane with free shipping. The same tank also handles your car and solar panels, so it earns its spot in the shed well beyond the windows. For the complete equipment rundown, kit costs included, see our window cleaning equipment guide.
Frequently asked questions
Why do window cleaners use long poles instead of ladders?
Because it is safer, faster and gives a better result. A water fed pole cleans upper storey glass and frames from the ground, and the purified water rinse dries spot free without any squeegee work at height.
How does a water fed pole clean windows without detergent?
The brush loosens the dirt and deionised water flushes it away. With no minerals dissolved in the water, the glass dries with no streaks or spots, so no detergent or squeegee is needed.
Do you need to dry the windows afterwards?
No. The final rinse leaves only near 0 ppm water on the glass, and it air dries invisible. Wiping can only add marks.
Why are my windows still streaky after using a water fed pole?
Almost always one of three things: the final rinse was rushed, the frames were cleaned after the glass instead of before, or the resin is spent and the water is no longer pure. Check your TDS meter first.
Can you use a water fed pole at home?
Yes. With a portable deionised water tank and a telescopic pole you can clean upper storey home windows safely from the ground, no ladders required.
Can the same setup clean solar panels and cars?
Yes. The same pure water works on solar panels, which should never be cleaned with hard water or detergents, and as a final rinse on your car or caravan.
