Which lift should I use to clean windows and a glass façade from the outside?

When there is a level, hard-surfaced strip under the windows and nothing protrudes, an electric scissor lift is enough (up to 14.3 m working height in our fleet): it travels vertically and the platform is large. When there is planting, a canopy, steps or parked cars in front of the façade, you need an articulating or telescopic boom lift, because the horizontal outreach lets you stand the machine further from the wall and slide the platform over the obstacle. The height is matched to the highest window to be cleaned. Some electric scissor lifts have a lower permitted height or fewer people on the platform outdoors than indoors (according to the rating plate), so it is worth stating in the enquiry that the work is outside.

Articulating, telescopic or scissor lift for cleaning windows?

A scissor lift gives the largest platform and good stability, but it must stand right under the wall. An articulating boom lift (jointed arm) goes round a canopy, a tree or a row of cars and brings the platform in above them. A telescopic boom lift has a straight boom and the greatest outreach at great height, so it suits tall buildings when the machine has to stand far away, but it cannot go round an obstacle in an arc. For large glass surfaces with a level paved strip in front, a scissor lift is often the most convenient, and for a wall with obstacles in front of it, an articulating boom lift.

Can a lift drive onto paving, a lawn or the deck of an underground garage?

On paving and other hard-surfaced ground, yes, but its load capacity and the condition of the sub-base must be checked. A lawn and soft ground need a 4×4 rough terrain machine and plates under the wheels or outriggers. The deck of an underground garage is the most sensitive place: in our fleet the electric scissor lifts up to 14.3 m weigh 1,455–5,300 kg, the electric articulating boom lifts 3,665–8,015 kg, and the diesel articulating boom lifts 4,994–21,092 kg. The load capacity of the deck and the permitted load are confirmed by the building manager or a structural engineer before the machine drives in.

Does wind get in the way of cleaning windows from a platform?

Yes. A large glass wall acts on the platform and the operator like the surface of a sail, and a wet pane and a bucket of water make it easier to lose balance. The permitted wind speed for a given machine is given in its manual and on its rating plate; in stronger wind the work is stopped and the platform lowered. At height the wind is stronger than at ground level.

How much water and equipment may I take in the platform?

The platform capacity covers everything at once: people, poles, a water tank, buckets and tools. The platforms of the articulating boom lifts in our fleet usually carry 227–270 kg (the largest up to 450 kg), the electric scissor lifts 227–565 kg. A litre of water weighs a kilogram, so a dozen or so litres and two people quickly approach the limit. Heavy tanks are better left on the ground.

Do I need a qualification to clean windows from a lift?

Yes. The person operating a mobile elevating work platform must hold a UDT qualification certificate for MEWPs (UDT is the Polish Office of Technical Inspection). A cleaning company without such a person can train an employee or rent the machine with an operator. People in the platform work in a harness with a lanyard attached to the anchor point.

Knowledge base

Lift for cleaning windows and glass façades from outside

Which lift for cleaning windows and glass façades: an electric scissor lift at a flat wall, an articulating or telescopic boom over greenery, a canopy and a car park. Height and horizontal outreach, paving and garage slab, wind, work next to a pavement.

Updated: 9 October 2026 · Published: 6 October 2026 · Author: RK Rental team

To clean windows and glass façades from the outside, you choose a cherry picker (aerial work platform, MEWP) according to what stands in front of the wall:

A level, hard-surfaced strip under the windows: an electric scissor lift (7.72–14.3 m working height in our fleet).
Planting, a canopy, steps or a car park in front of the building: an articulating or telescopic boom lift, which has horizontal outreach and slides the platform over the obstacle.

The height is calculated to the highest window to be cleaned. Below: which machine for which wall, how to choose height and outreach, what to do about the ground, wind and pavement, and who may operate the lift. Cleaning the inside of halls is covered separately in the article on cleaning halls and rooflights, and glazing installation in the article on glass façades.

Which lift for which building?

Office block with a glass façade and a hard-surfaced drive — an electric scissor lift, if the machine can stand right under the wall:
- Genie GS-3246: 11.75 m, capacity 318 kg, platform 2.26×1.15 m.
- JLG 3246ES: 11.68 m, capacity 320 kg.
- JLG 4069LE: 14.2 m, capacity 360 kg, weight 5,300 kg.
The platform is large, so it holds two people and the cleaning equipment. Note: some electric scissor lifts have a lower permitted height or fewer people on the platform when working outdoors than indoors. This is given on the rating plate and in the machine manual. State in the enquiry that the work is outside.
Showroom, shop, shop window, school: a low façade — a narrow 8 m scissor lift is enough for a low façade and fits on a narrow strip by the pavement:
- Haulotte Optimum 8: 7.77 m, width 0.79 m.
- Genie GS-1932: 7.79 m, width 0.81 m.
Block of flats or building with planting, balconies or a canopy — an articulating boom lift: a diesel 4×4 for grass and soft ground or an electric one for a hard-surfaced yard:
- Manitou 160 ATJ (diesel): 16 m, horizontal outreach 8.3 m.
- Haulotte HA16 PX (diesel): 16 m, horizontal outreach 9.2 m.
- JLG 510AJ (diesel): 17.8 m, horizontal outreach 9.48 m.
- Manitou 150 AET2 (electric): 14.85 m, outreach 8.86 m.
- Haulotte HA15 IP (electric): 14.87 m, outreach 8.65 m.
Tall building, machine far from the wall — telescopic boom lift:
- Genie S-45: 15.7 m, outreach 11.2 m.
- JLG 660SJ: 22.3 m, outreach 17.95 m.
- Haulotte H25 TPX: 25.3 m, outreach 16.9 m.
A straight boom gives great reach, but it cannot go round an obstacle in an arc.

How do you choose height and horizontal outreach?

Working height is the height of the platform floor plus about 2 m of arm reach. Take the height of the highest window to be cleaned and add a margin, because the top row of panes is cleaned with a brush on a pole, not by hand alone. As a rule of thumb one storey is about 3–3.5 m, but the actual height must be measured on site.

Horizontal outreach is the horizontal distance from the centre of the machine to the platform. Measure from the place where the machine can stand to the pane, over the planting, canopy or row of cars. The machine has full outreach only at part of its height; the reach chart shows this. More on calculating height in the article how to choose the working height.

Scissor, articulating or telescopic lift for a level glass wall?

Scissor lift — the largest platform, a stable basket, simple operation. But the platform travels only vertically, so the machine must stand by the wall, and there can be no shrubs, steps or canopy under the windows.
Articulating boom lift — the platform goes round the obstacle and reaches the windows behind it. The platform is smaller and the capacity lower (usually 227–270 kg), so it is not suitable for a large crew with water.
Telescopic boom lift — the greatest outreach at great height, when the machine stands far from the building. Good for tall façades with a wide strip of planting or a road in front of them.

Will the ground take the machine: paving, lawn, underground garage?

Under a glass façade there is often something that is not an ordinary carriageway: paving on sand, a lawn with buried services underneath, a slab over an underground garage, or manholes. Before driving in, check:

Machine weight — the electric scissor lifts up to 14.3 m in our fleet weigh 1,455–5,300 kg, the electric articulating boom lifts 3,665–8,015 kg, the diesel articulating boom lifts 4,994–21,092 kg. Details in the article how much does a lift weigh.
Underground garage deck — it is designed for cars, not for the point load of the wheels and outriggers of a heavy machine. The permitted load is confirmed by the building manager or a structural engineer; load-spreading plates are often laid down.
Lawn and soft ground — a 4×4 machine and plates under the wheels or outriggers, so that it does not sink in or damage the services.
Slope — the platform is set up level; the permitted ground slope is limited in the machine manual.

How do you work beside a pavement and pedestrians?

Water, cleaning fluid and sometimes tools fall from above, so the zone under the platform is fenced off with tape or barriers and marked. A machine standing on a pavement or in the road reserve needs the consent of the manager of that area, as with work beside roads. A showroom or bank that is open during cleaning decides which way customers walk, and the work is planned in sections so that a safe walkway always remains.

Wind, water in the platform and qualifications

Wind — a large pane and a wet platform act like a sail. The wind speed limit is given in the machine manual and on the rating plate; when it is exceeded, the platform is lowered to the ground.
Water and equipment — everything in the platform counts towards the capacity together with the people (articulating boom lifts usually 227–270 kg, electric scissor lifts 227–565 kg). Water tanks are better left on the ground, and water is fed to the platform by hose or in small buckets.
Water and power — agree with the building manager where you will get water for cleaning and where an electric machine may be charged (a socket is needed). Cables and hoses are laid so that they do not create a trip hazard on the pavement.
Qualifications — operating the platform requires a UDT certificate (UDT is Poland’s Office of Technical Inspection; see the rules). The crew can be trained (training courses with an exam) or you can rent the machine with an operator. People in the platform wear a harness with a lanyard.

In the enquiry give: the height of the highest window, the distance from the parking position to the pane (over planting or a canopy), the type of ground (paving, lawn, garage deck), the number of people in the platform and the date. On that basis we will choose the model.

Frequently asked questions

Which lift should I use to clean windows and a glass façade from the outside?: When there is a level, hard-surfaced strip under the windows and nothing protrudes, an electric scissor lift is enough (up to 14.3 m working height in our fleet): it travels vertically and the platform is large. When there is planting, a canopy, steps or parked cars in front of the façade, you need an articulating or telescopic boom lift, because the horizontal outreach lets you stand the machine further from the wall and slide the platform over the obstacle. The height is matched to the highest window to be cleaned. Some electric scissor lifts have a lower permitted height or fewer people on the platform outdoors than indoors (according to the rating plate), so it is worth stating in the enquiry that the work is outside.
Articulating, telescopic or scissor lift for cleaning windows?: A scissor lift gives the largest platform and good stability, but it must stand right under the wall. An articulating boom lift (jointed arm) goes round a canopy, a tree or a row of cars and brings the platform in above them. A telescopic boom lift has a straight boom and the greatest outreach at great height, so it suits tall buildings when the machine has to stand far away, but it cannot go round an obstacle in an arc. For large glass surfaces with a level paved strip in front, a scissor lift is often the most convenient, and for a wall with obstacles in front of it, an articulating boom lift.
Can a lift drive onto paving, a lawn or the deck of an underground garage?: On paving and other hard-surfaced ground, yes, but its load capacity and the condition of the sub-base must be checked. A lawn and soft ground need a 4×4 rough terrain machine and plates under the wheels or outriggers. The deck of an underground garage is the most sensitive place: in our fleet the electric scissor lifts up to 14.3 m weigh 1,455–5,300 kg, the electric articulating boom lifts 3,665–8,015 kg, and the diesel articulating boom lifts 4,994–21,092 kg. The load capacity of the deck and the permitted load are confirmed by the building manager or a structural engineer before the machine drives in.
Does wind get in the way of cleaning windows from a platform?: Yes. A large glass wall acts on the platform and the operator like the surface of a sail, and a wet pane and a bucket of water make it easier to lose balance. The permitted wind speed for a given machine is given in its manual and on its rating plate; in stronger wind the work is stopped and the platform lowered. At height the wind is stronger than at ground level.
How much water and equipment may I take in the platform?: The platform capacity covers everything at once: people, poles, a water tank, buckets and tools. The platforms of the articulating boom lifts in our fleet usually carry 227–270 kg (the largest up to 450 kg), the electric scissor lifts 227–565 kg. A litre of water weighs a kilogram, so a dozen or so litres and two people quickly approach the limit. Heavy tanks are better left on the ground.
Do I need a qualification to clean windows from a lift?: Yes. The person operating a mobile elevating work platform must hold a UDT qualification certificate for MEWPs (UDT is the Polish Office of Technical Inspection). A cleaning company without such a person can train an employee or rent the machine with an operator. People in the platform work in a harness with a lanyard attached to the anchor point.