Window Cleaning Equipment List for Beginners (2026 Starter Kit)
Exactly what to buy to start window cleaning, what it costs, and the expensive kit you genuinely don't need in month one.
You can start window cleaning properly with £150–£300 of traditional kit, or £1,500–£4,000 for a full water-fed pole and van-mounted system. Most people who last in the trade start traditional, prove they can hold a round, and reinvest into pure water once the money is coming in reliably.
The traditional starter kit
- Squeegee (12in and 14in channels) plus spare rubbers — rubbers are consumable, buy plenty.
- Applicator or strip washer with a spare sleeve.
- Two buckets, or one bucket-on-a-belt for ground-floor work.
- Scrim or microfibre detailing cloths for edges and sills.
- Professional glass soap — a tiny amount, not washing-up liquid.
- A stainless scraper for paint and stickers, used wet only.
- Extension pole for first-floor reach where safe from the ground.
- Ladder plus standoff, only if you are trained and confident using one.
The water-fed pole setup
- Carbon or hybrid pole — 22ft–30ft covers almost all domestic work.
- Brush head with pencil jets or fan jets, plus hose and hose reel.
- Water purification: a DI vessel to start, an RO/DI system once volume justifies it.
- Tank (350–650L for one operator) properly baffled and secured in the van.
- 12V pump with a flow controller and a leisure battery.
- A TDS meter — you cannot manage water purity you are not measuring.
Traditional kit, then a DI vessel and pole, then a tank and pump, then an RO system. Buying the RO system first is the classic beginner mistake — it sits idle while you have no round to use it on.
Safety and compliance kit
- Public liability insurance — non-negotiable before your first paid job.
- Gloves, safety boots, and eye protection for gutter and pressure work.
- A written risk assessment for ladder use, if you use ladders at all.
- Branded polo shirt and ID — it visibly raises your win rate on the doorstep.
What to skip in month one
Skip the van wrap, the gutter vacuum, the pressure washer and the second pole. What you actually need alongside your kit is a way to look professional and reply fast: a simple website, a phone number people answer, and instant pricing so enquiries do not go cold while you are working.
A quoting page on your own site does that job from day one, long before you can afford a second van.
Turn readers of this article into booked jobs.
Squeegify quotes every website visitor in under 60 seconds — AI counts their windows, prices the job against your rules, and drops the lead into one calm dashboard.
