Window and glass cleaning in Fish Hoek
Cobus aims to reply to WhatsApp messages within an hour, Monday to Saturday, 08:00–17:00.
How does pure-water window cleaning work?
Pure-water window cleaning uses a soft brush and purified water instead of soap and a squeegee. Here's how a clean works:
- Our filter unit purifies ordinary tap water by reverse osmosis, which removes most of its dissolved minerals.
- The water runs up a water-fed pole: an extending pole that carries water to a soft brush.
- The brush loosens the dirt on the glass, and the purified water rinses it away.
Purified water has almost no dissolved minerals, so it dries without leaving mineral spots. Because there's no soap or detergent, no soapy film is left behind either, as the cleaning-equipment maker Unger explains.
Why not just use tap water and soap?
Cape Town's tap water is soft, but it still carries dissolved minerals that dry on glass as spots.
The City of Cape Town's tap-water reports cover the supplies that serve our area. Their hardness was 22–46 mg/L (milligrams per litre) in 2024/25 and April–June 2026. The US Geological Survey classes water with 0–60 mg/L of hardness as soft.
Soft doesn't mean empty. The same City reports show these supplies carry about 60–260 mg/L of TDS (total dissolved solids, the minerals in water). When a drop of tap water dries, those minerals stay on the glass as a spot.
The highest readings are in Simon's Town, where the tap water carries the most minerals: its Brooklands supply measured 247–258 mg/L. The City reports figures per supply; its list of which supply serves which suburb dates from 2018/19, and the network is interconnected.
Soap adds a second residue. If any is left on the glass, it dries as a thin film.
Both methods can leave glass clean. The difference is what's left behind to dry:
| Purified water and a water-fed pole | Tap water, soap and a squeegee | |
|---|---|---|
| What cleans the glass | A soft brush and purified water | Soapy water, wiped off with a squeegee |
| Soap or detergent | None | Yes |
| What's left to dry | Purified water, with almost no dissolved minerals | Any water or soap the squeegee misses |
Can you clean upstairs windows without a ladder?
Mostly, yes. On single- and double-storey buildings, most glass is cleaned from the ground with water-fed poles.
Glass cleaned from the ground needs no ladder leaning on your walls. We work on single- and double-storey homes, shopfronts and offices only. For anything taller, you'll need a high-access specialist.
Water-fed poles conduct electricity, so they must be kept away from overhead power lines, a British Window Cleaning Association safety sheet warns. If power lines run close to your windows, mention it when you ask for a quote.
Does sea air make windows dirtier?
Near the sea, glass collects salt from the air as well as everyday dust.
The study's site nearest Fish Hoek, at Muizenberg, 150 m from False Bay, recorded 30.7 mg/m²/day (milligrams per square metre per day). That is the same coast, not a Fish Hoek reading.
Salt also makes dirt harder to shift. Dew dissolves it, and as the dew dries, the salt recrystallises and cements dust to the glass, according to the International Energy Agency's soiling report. So a passing shower can leave the film behind.
If your home or shop faces the sea, tell Cobus. He'll take it into account when he suggests how often to clean.
Do you clean shopfronts and offices in Fish Hoek?
Yes. We clean shopfront glass and office windows on single- and double-storey buildings in Fish Hoek and the rest of our area. That covers Noordhoek, Kommetjie, Simon's Town, Hout Bay, Camps Bay, Constantia and Claremont.
Regular cleans and maintenance plans are available on request, with the terms agreed in writing before the first clean.
Estates and body corporates are welcome to ask for a quote too. Tell Cobus your trading hours, and he'll suggest a time between 08:00 and 17:00, Monday to Saturday.
Will pure water remove old water stains?
Not always. Pure water may not remove old hard-water stains, etching or old sealant marks on glass.
Purified water and a soft brush lift everyday dirt and salt film. Older marks can be a different matter. Send Cobus a photo of the marks, and he'll tell you what to expect before any work starts.
Can you clean my windows and solar panels in one visit?
Ask Cobus. The same purified water, poles and soft brushes are used for windows, solar panels and solar geysers.
When you ask for a window quote, you can also add solar panel cleaning or ask about your solar geyser collector glass. List everything in one WhatsApp message, and Cobus will tell you whether it can all be done on the same visit and quote for the whole job.
How is window cleaning priced?
Window cleaning is quoted per job, from photos or a short video of your windows that you send on WhatsApp.
| Service | How it's priced | What changes the price |
|---|---|---|
| Windows and glass on homes | Quoted per job, from your photos or a short video | The size of your home, whether it's single- or double-storey, how easy the glass is to reach, and the distance from Fish Hoek |
| Shopfront and office glass | Quoted per job, from your photos or a short video | The size of the shopfront or office, how easy the glass is to reach, the distance from Fish Hoek, and how often you'd like it cleaned |
What every quote includes. Every quote is all-in. Travel is included. The price is agreed on WhatsApp from your photos or video before any work starts, and nothing is added on the day.
Bigger jobs and regular cleans can be discounted, so just ask. No VAT is charged; we're not VAT-registered.
Our window cleaning prices sit on one page with solar panel and solar geyser pricing, along with what every quote includes.
What don't you do?
We keep to glass. These are the jobs we don't take on:
- Paving, driveway or patio washing. Cape Town's Water By-law doesn't allow hosing down paved areas with municipal drinking water without the City's written permission.
- Anything above double-storey. We clean single- and double-storey buildings only.
Last updated: 8 October 2026
Frequently asked questions
Will pure water remove hard-water stains?
Not always. At Solar & Window Clean, purified water and a soft brush lift everyday dirt and salt film. They may not remove old hard-water stains, etching or old sealant marks on glass. Send Cobus a photo of the marks, and he'll tell you what to expect before any work starts.
How high can you clean?
Solar & Window Clean works on single- and double-storey homes, shopfronts and offices only. Most glass is cleaned from the ground with water-fed poles, so it needs no ladder against your walls. We don't take on anything taller.
Do you do regular shopfront cleans?
Yes. Solar & Window Clean offers regular cleans for shopfronts and offices on request, from Fish Hoek and Simon's Town to Claremont and Camps Bay. The terms are agreed in writing before the first clean. Bigger jobs and regular cleans can be discounted, so just ask.
Do you wash paving or driveways?
No. Cape Town's Water By-law doesn't allow hosing down paving, driveways or other hard surfaces with municipal drinking water without the City's written permission. It's a permanent rule, so Solar & Window Clean doesn't offer paving or driveway washing.
How do I get a window cleaning quote?
Window cleaning at Solar & Window Clean is quoted per job. WhatsApp Cobus your suburb and a few photos or a short video of your windows. He'll send an all-in quote, with travel included, before any work starts, and nothing is added on the day. Our prices page explains how every quote works.
Sources
- Unger, Pure water cleaning: which pure water filter you should use (accessed October 2026)
- City of Cape Town, Annual Tap Water Quality Analysis, 1 July 2024 to 30 June 2025 (2025)
- City of Cape Town, Quarterly tap water quality report, April to June 2026 (2026)
- City of Cape Town, Water Quality Analysis Report 2018/19 (2019), for which supply serves which suburb
- U.S. Geological Survey, Hardness of Water (accessed October 2026)
- British Window Cleaning Association, Safe use of water-fed poles, information sheet hosted by Ionic Systems (2025)
- Alao, O.O., University of Cape Town, Refinement of air-borne chloride exposure classes for RC structures in the Cape Peninsula (MSc thesis, 2015)
- IEA PVPS Task 13, Soiling Losses: Impact on the Performance of Photovoltaic Power Plants, Report IEA-PVPS T13-21:2022, p.23 (2022)
- City of Cape Town, Water By-law, 2010, as amended 2018: unofficial consolidation, Schedule 1 item 3 (2018)
- City of Cape Town, Water use regulations permanently in place (2020)