Window cleaning gear for small crews: five picks by job

A small window crew needs two useful setups: water-fed gear for suitable exterior glass, and a washer–squeegee kit for the hand finish. Build those around the properties on your round, then stock the refills that keep them working: resin, rubber and clean sleeves.

Our five picks cover those jobs without filling the van with five versions of the same tool. The pole kit includes its brush and hose; the DI tank is a separate purchase. The hand tools give you a straightforward wash, blade and carry setup for glass you finish yourself.

Quick picks: give the glass the right setup

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• Water-fed exterior work: Unger C10BH nLITE Carbon 16K kit — a seven-section, 33-foot pole with brush, hose and angle adapter.
• Remove spot-forming minerals: Unger HydroPower Ultra UHP01 — a small DI tank with a TDS meter and one green resin pack.
• Hand finish on wider panes: Ettore 10018 brass squeegee — the complete 18-inch handle, channel and rubber tool.
• Wash before the blade: Unger 983920 window scrubber — a complete 14-inch washer with a machine-washable microfiber sleeve.
• Keep the hand tools beside you: Unger BB010 Bucket on a Belt — a quick-release holder for the washer, squeegees and small tools.

The fit table

Job	Pick	Size / contents	Plan around this
Water-fed exterior glass	Unger C10BH	33-foot / 10m pole; seven sections; 11-inch brush; 82-foot hose	Pole kit, separate water treatment
Deionized cleaning water	Unger UHP01	Small tank; one green Ultra Resin Pack; TDS meter	Feed-water TDS affects resin life
Squeegee wider panes	Ettore 10018	Complete 18-inch brass squeegee	Blade width must fit the pane
Apply solution and scrub	Unger 983920	Complete 14-inch washer and microfiber sleeve	Handheld or matching Connect & Clean pole
Carry the hand kit	Unger BB010	Two squeegees, one washer and one scraper	Tool holder, rather than a complete cleaning kit

Start with the missing job in your existing loadout. A crew already equipped for hand work can add the pole and treatment setup; a storefront round can start with the washer, blade and holder.

Water-fed work: buy the pole kit, then supply the water

The Unger C10BH is our water-fed pick for a crew that wants the pole, brush and hose together. The kit uses a 33-foot / 10m C100T carbon-fibre pole with seven telescopic sections. It collapses to 5.7 feet for transport.

The included parts are useful buying details: an 11-inch NFF28 flagged brush, 82-foot DLS25 DuroFlex hose and angle adapter. Unger lists them on its C10BH starter-kit page. That gives you the glass-cleaning end of the setup; add the separate treatment tank below for a deionized-water supply.

Use the pole’s actual length when planning access and storage. Measure the van space, the path to the windows and the working area around planting beds. Keep the hand kit ready for the glass and edges you finish at close range.

Work from the ground where practical; for ladder work, use level footing, avoid power lines and maintain three points of contact while climbing.

Pure-water treatment: let the TDS reading drive the refill

The HydroPower Ultra UHP01 is the small DI-tank pick. Its mixed-bed ion-exchange resin removes dissolved minerals responsible for water spots and limescale marks. The built-in TDS meter reports dissolved solids in parts per million, so the crew has a reading to use instead of guessing when the resin is spent.

Unger specifies one green Ultra Resin Pack in the UHP01. Fresh output should read 000; its manual calls for replacement when the outlet reading reaches 10 ppm or higher. Higher feed-water TDS reduces capacity, so the local water supply helps determine how often you refill.

Keep the refill code with the tank

UHPR1 is the single green small-tank replacement pack. UHPR2 supplies three small-tank packs for your refill stock; the UHP01 still takes one at a time. Keep that distinct from the large-tank green/red set. The maker’s Ultra Resin Pack listing identifies the refill codes.

For a change, shut off the feed and release pressure as directed in the tank manual before opening it. Replace the pack with its handle facing up, reassemble the tank and retest the outlet water. Put the refill code and the last reading beside the tank in your loadout notes.

On the glass, wash and rinse from top to bottom. Keep pure water off varnished, glazed or oiled wooden frames, following Unger’s material guidance. The HydroPower Ultra manual covers mineral removal, the TDS threshold, resin replacement and those cleaning instructions.

The hand kit: wash, blade, carry

Ettore 10018: a complete brass squeegee for wider glass

Pick the Ettore 10018 for an 18-inch brass squeegee with its handle, channel and rubber together. The interchangeable channel and replaceable rubber make it a useful hand-finishing tool that you can maintain instead of treating as a disposable.

Choose the width around the panes you actually clean. An 18-inch blade has a clear job on wider glass; narrow panes call for a smaller channel. Ettore lists the complete-tool sizes and replacement-rubber design on its ProSeries brass squeegee page.

Apply solution with the washer, overlap your squeegee passes and wipe the rubber between strokes. Keep a clean edge cloth with the tool so the finish doesn’t end at the middle of the pane.

Unger 983920: the washer, not just its sleeve

The 983920 fills the scrubbing slot with a complete 14-inch washer. Its absorbent microfiber sleeve is machine-washable, and the cushioned handle gives you a dedicated grip for hand work.

Use it handheld or with its matching Unger Connect & Clean pole. Keep that traditional setup distinct from the nLITE water-fed brush above. The 983920 maker page identifies the full tool and sleeve, so you can separate the working washer from a refill-only listing when ordering spares.

Unger BB010: stop parking wet tools on the sill

The ErgoTec Ninja BB010 Bucket on a Belt puts the hand tools beside you. Unger gives it room for two squeegees, one washer, one scraper and cleaning liquid, with right- or left-side use and a quick-release strap.

Treat it as the holder in your loadout, then choose the belt and tools around the work. The BB010 specifications cover capacity and the release system. Give clean cloths their own place so the wet-tool holder stays a wet-tool holder.

Pack for the next round, not just the next pane

Keep the refill stock simple: the correct green resin pack, rubber for the channel sizes you carry, and a clean washer sleeve. Record the tank’s outlet reading before the next water-fed run and put the hand kit back together after cleaning it.

For the office record, save window counts, access notes, the water point and useful finish photos with the job. Our window-cleaning software guide starts with Jobber for organising quotes and repeat rounds around that work.

If the same route includes driveways, our pressure-washing gear guide covers that separate accessory setup. For visits through the customer’s house, keep boot covers and floor runners with the interior kit.