Exterior cleaning by drone · Coming Coming

Exterior cleaning by drone, launching soon

DroneLink is adding tethered cleaning drones for windows, facades, roofs and solar panels. The equipment is being acquired now, and you can register your building so it is assessed first.

Coming

This service is launching. Register your site and we'll contact you when it opens in your area.

Status

Where this service stands today

Drone cleaning is coming, not flying. We are acquiring the aircraft, ground equipment and water treatment now, and we will not describe a job we have not done. What you can do today is register your building, tell us what needs cleaning and book a site assessment, so your building is in the first round of work when the service opens.

On Vancouver Island, DroneLink flights are flown by Elite Drone Solutions of Victoria, a Transport Canada certified operator with Advanced Operations certified pilots. Outside the Island, cleaning will run through partners and licensed operators as that network is built. Tell us where your building is; we confirm a certified local operator before you commit to anything.

The rest of this page explains how drone cleaning works, what it does well, where it does not fit, and what the people around a building need from each other to get it done. Most of it applies whoever you hire.

Where this service stands today: Illustration

How it works

How a tethered cleaning drone actually cleans

A cleaning drone does not carry a tank. Water is heavy, so the aircraft carries a spray lance and nozzle, and a hose runs from the drone down to a ground unit, usually called a skid or cart. The skid holds the pump, the water treatment, any cleaning solution and a hose reel. Some systems also send power up the tether so the aircraft is not limited by battery time; others run on batteries that are swapped between passes.

Most glass and facade work uses pure water: tap water run through reverse osmosis and deionizing resin until almost no dissolved minerals remain. Pure water pulls dirt into itself and dries without spots, which is why it is also used by ground crews on water-fed poles. Where there is organic growth (algae, moss, lichen, mildew), the method is a soft wash: a cleaning solution applied at low pressure, left to dwell, then rinsed. A surfactant helps the solution wet the surface and cling instead of running straight off.

The pilot flies overlapping passes from the top of a wall down, and modern systems hold a set distance from the surface. A second person manages the hose, the skid and the ground area. The practical height limit is usually set by hose weight, pump pressure and airspace rules, not by the aircraft.

How a tethered cleaning drone actually cleans: Illustration

Fit

What a drone can clean, and what it cannot

Surface	Usual method	Good fit when	Needs another method when
Windows and curtain wall	Pure water rinse, sometimes a mild detergent first	Large flat areas are hard to reach from the ground	Glass has hard-water etching, paint, stickers or construction residue
Metal panel, fibre cement, stucco	Low-pressure soft wash and rinse	Dirt and organic staining are on the surface	Coatings are failing or sealant joints are open
Brick and stone	Low-pressure wash with a compatible cleaner	Staining is biological or surface dirt	Efflorescence, rust or mortar staining needs a restoration contractor
Asphalt shingle, tile, metal roofs	Soft wash, low-pressure rinse	Algae streaks or light growth, fragile surfaces that should not be walked on	Thick moss mats need physical removal first
Solar arrays	Pure water, low pressure, no harsh chemicals	Arrays are on roofs or structures that are hard or risky to walk	The array has damage or electrical faults that need an inspection first
Gutters, ledges, recesses	Limited	Rarely	Almost always: debris needs hands and tools

What goes wrong

Why exterior cleaning keeps slipping on the schedule

Access costs more than the cleaning

Rope access, swing stages and lifts all need anchors, rigging, set-up time and ground closures. On many buildings, getting a person to the wall is most of the job.

How we handle itComing: a drone keeps the crew on the ground. We will say plainly on the assessment where rope or lift work is still the better tool. →

Roof anchors are out of certification

Suspended work depends on anchors that must be inspected and certified. When they lapse, cleaning waits for an engineer.

How we handle itComing: drone cleaning does not use roof anchors, so a lapsed anchor stops rope work but not a drone wash. →

Wash water ends up in the storm drain

Many municipalities allow only rainwater into storm drains. Soapy or chemical runoff from a careless wash is a bylaw problem and a creek problem.

How we handle itComing: every assessment maps drains, sets containment and records where the water goes. →

Coatings and warranties are damaged

High pressure strips granules from shingles, forces water behind cladding and can void glass or solar warranties.

How we handle itComing: low-pressure methods matched to manufacturer cleaning instructions, checked on a small test area first. →

Residents are surprised

A face at the window, a hose across the entry, spray on a balcony. Complaints stop jobs faster than weather.

How we handle itComing: notice templates and a schedule shared through the building's project record. →

How it will work

From registration to a clean building

Register the building

Address, building type and height, what you want cleaned and roughly when. Photos help. This puts you in the queue for assessments when equipment is in service.

Site assessment

We check airspace (airports, heliports, controlled airspace), the surfaces and their finishes, the water source, drains, set-up area, overhead wires and trees, and who uses the ground below. If the building has not been inspected recently, an envelope inspection first often makes sense.

Method and plan

Pure water or soft wash per surface, what the drone does and what hand crews do, containment, notices to occupants, and the weather window.

Test area

A small section cleaned and signed off before the whole building. This is where coating and warranty questions get answered with evidence, not assumptions.

Cleaning days

Ground area closed off, pilot and ground crew on site, flights in passes, rinse and check. Wind and rain decide the day, not the calendar.

Record and follow-up

Before and after photos, notes and any defects spotted go into the building's DroneLink project, where the next clean starts from.

From registration to a clean building: Illustration

The people around the job

Who needs what from whom

Property manager or strata council

They need from you: A clear scope, a date range, notices for residents and proof of insurance.
You need from them: Access to the roof or set-up area, a water source, parking for the skid and a council decision on scope.
On the DroneLink record: One project record holds the scope, notices, schedule and results, so the next council sees what was done. See for property managers and strata.

Building envelope consultant

They need from you: To know what products touch sealants, coatings and cladding.
You need from them: Their view on which areas are sensitive or already failing.
On the DroneLink record: Findings from the assessment are shared on the record with photos pinned to the problem.

Window cleaning contractor

They need from you: To keep the client relationship and the ground-level and detail work.
You need from them: Their knowledge of the building and its history.
On the DroneLink record: Partnership: they keep the client, the drone does the high work. See window cleaning partners.

Municipality

They need from you: Wash water kept out of storm drains, no sidewalk hazards.
You need from them: Clarity on any permit for sidewalk or road use during set-up.
On the DroneLink record: The drainage plan is written before the job, not after a complaint.

Before you register

What to have ready

Building address, number of storeys and approximate height.
Which surfaces: glass, cladding, roof, solar, or all of them.
When the building was last cleaned, and how (rope, lift, ground poles).
Any known envelope issues, leaks or recent repairs.
Warranty paperwork for glass, roofing, cladding or solar, if you have it.
Who approves the work: owner, strata council, developer or manager.
Where water can be drawn on site, and where wash water could be collected.

Questions

Can a drone clean windows on a high-rise?

Tethered cleaning drones are used on tall buildings, with water and sometimes power supplied through the hose. The limits are usually hose weight, pump pressure, wind at height and airspace rules. We will confirm on the site assessment whether your building suits a drone, a rope crew or a mix.

Is DroneLink drone cleaning available now?

Not yet. The equipment is being acquired and the service is coming. You can register your building now and book a site assessment so it is scheduled early.

Does drone window cleaning leave streaks?

Pure water systems remove dissolved minerals so the water dries without spots. Streaks usually come from residue that needs agitation, such as construction film or old sealant, which a drone does not scrub. Those areas get hand work.

Do drones use chemicals to clean buildings?

Glass is usually cleaned with pure water alone. Organic growth on cladding and roofs is treated with a soft wash solution at low pressure, then rinsed. The product has to suit the surface, the warranty and the runoff plan, and anything sold to kill moss is a regulated pesticide.

Is drone cleaning safer than rope access?

It removes the need for a worker to hang on the side of the building, which is the largest hazard in rope and swing stage work. It adds its own risks: an aircraft near people, a pressurized hose and spray drift. Those are managed with ground closures and flight rules.

Do I need permission to clean a building with a drone in Canada?

The pilot needs the right Transport Canada certificate for the aircraft and the environment, and flights near airports or in controlled airspace need NAV CANADA authorization. Some payloads and operations need a special flight operations certificate. See drone rules in Canada.

How often should a building exterior be cleaned?

It depends on exposure, nearby traffic and construction, trees, and coastal salt. Many buildings clean glass once or twice a year and cladding less often. Your envelope consultant or depreciation report may already suggest an interval.

Where does the dirty water go?

Plain water on some surfaces can go to landscaping, but water with cleaners should be collected and sent to the sanitary sewer where the local rules allow. Storm drains are protected before work starts.

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