How to Keep You Warm during winter?
The correct answer to this question would be Proper Layering Method.
It’s important that a professional window cleaner should wear the appropriate attire in order to preserve heat. Choose the proper outfit that suits the occasion at the same time offering comfort while working.
Being warm and dry during winter should be the main priority in order to work effectively. Working during cold conditions can be challenging compared to other seasons.
In order to have an idea what to bring and wear let’s start with the basics:
Wear a hat
This may vary from different situation especially if it’s really cold. Others will find it comfortable wearing a hat, others find it uneasy.
The key here is to keep your head warm at the same time allowing your head to breath. So any winter hat would do the trick.
Gloves
Choose what works best at your end. Some window cleaners are productive when it comes to other types of gloves while others prefer a different one.
These glove attributes should be helpful in terms of choosing the right ones:
- Durable – they should last for a while
- Great Value – affordable and reasonable in terms of price.
- Water proof – keep your hand dry in order to properly hold the replicator, squeegee, waterfed pole and other window cleaning tools.
- Warm and comfortable.
- It should be made with light materials to add more dexterity and flexibility.
- Oil Resistant
- Texture for gripping purposes while holding a pole or a squeegee.
- Not too thick and bulky.
Before purchasing your pair of gloves it’s better to ask for their sizes. Since others have different hand size from the base of the palm to the finger. And also too tight gloves can cut blood circulation resulting to numbness.
Clothing
Layering would be the best technique as you start your day. If it’s really cold early in the morning then wear a vest to maintain the core heat.
It’s advisable to choose the proper clothing that can provide comfort, not too big and bulky. The roomy effect should provide a freely feeling while working and never wear shorts.
Before you start wearing your winter armor clothes it’s best to know what to put first in a synchronized layering method.
A professional window cleaner should follow this sequence to gain both comfort and warm while avoiding excess clothing.
Base Layers
The first set of clothes that should be worn closes to your skin. The base layers will help regulate your body temperature by moving perspiration away from your skin.
Two of the best base layer clothing’s are:
- Merino Wool – antibacterial so less odor build up. You can wear it up to three consecutive days. Best for cold conditions since it can provide warm and comfort.
- Synthetic materials such as polyester, polyethylene and microfiber – Dries fast compared to wool and other fabrics. Best for high humidity and rainy conditions. But one downside of synthetic material is that it can build foul odor if worn consecutively.
Don’t wear cotton fabric as your base layers. Because the moment you start to sweat, cotton will absorb the sweat and when it gets wet it draws heat away from your body losing the warm effect.
Mid Layer (insulation Layer)
The next set of clothing that’s added over the base. Designed as an insulator, the mid layer traps warmth and body heat around. Adding more insulation warms you at the same time stacking more heat to keep you warm.
In some cases the mid layer can be the outer layer as you remove other clothing’s.
Examples of Mid Layer or Insulation Layer:
- Merino wool jackets – additional weight compared to fleece and can slow you down while working.
- Fleece – the best for mid layer because of lightweight feature.
Outer Layer (Shell Layer)
This layer should protect you from Rain, wind and snow. The Shell preserves all the warmth inside from being blown away form the wind.
An outer layer can also provide comfort from bad weather with their waterproof design, especially if you are cleaning outside properties.
If the outer layer cannot protect all the layers inside from wind and water then you will feel cold.
Hard Shells – Jacket
Advantages – This type of shell can provide excellent wind, snow and water-proof protection keeping you dry in the rain. Hard shells are very durable since they are designed for extreme activities.
Disadvantages – Hard shells are expensive or costly especially the well-known trusted brands.
Hard shells are a bit inconvenient in terms of movement since they are bulky.
Hard Shell (Pants or Bottoms)
When it comes to pants or bottoms hard shells are the perfect pick for all wet conditions. Due to their durability hard shell pants can provide superior water resistant protection.
Soft Shells – Jacket
Advantages –Soft shells are suited for window cleaning activities. They are soft, breathable, and stretchable. They are not bulky compared to hard shells so they are perfectly paired with your tool belt.
Some soft shells are waterproof and able to block wind properly retaining the core heat of the other layers.
Another advantage would be the light effect since it’s not too bulky which gives a better fit. So if it fits well then you have a roomy effect so moving freely is not a problem.
Disadvantages – Some soft shells are also expensive depending on the brand and quality.
Soft Shell (Pants or Bottoms)
Offer flexible comfort so it gives good leg movement especially climbing ladders up and down while cleaning.
Don’t get confused about the temperature in deciding what type of outer layer to choose. Since the base and the mid layer can provide you the warmth you needed. Consider also the weather condition before deciding what shell to wear.
Excellent footwear
There are lots of good quality footwear’s available so you should go for these following recommended attributes:
- Durable
- Waterproof – Keep your feet dry since no one wants to work all day with wet and soaked feet.
- Good gripping – No slip on slippery areas and while climbing ladders
- Warm and comfortable especially paired with thick cotton socks
- Should keep your feet dry
- Lightweight – some footwear are just too heavy especially if they get wet
- Protection – choose a footwear that can protect both from cold and random accidents
Miscellaneous
As a professional window cleaner being prepared is a necessity so having a second spare set of gears along with other stuffs will cover any unproductive result. Keep them organized in your car and get them out whenever you need to use some of them.
- Bring extra clothes – Bring extra just in case if you get caught up with random circumstances and inconvenience along the way
- Vest – Wear it if it’s really cold especially early in the morning.
- Extra gloves – They always get wet so it’s better to have spare ones as back up.
- Extra Socks – it’s recommended to have at least 3 pairs
- Extra shoes for interior usage – shoes you wear outside should be removed when you enter a residential house to avoid bringing dirt like mud inside the house.
- Thermal long johns – wear them under your pants to provide comfort and warm
Numbness, muscle cramps or spasm are just some of the effects that winter brings. This can cause some delays as you continue to work so it would be necessary to fight back against winter with the proper setup and window cleaning attire.
All these layers will keep a professional window cleaner warm and they can also be added or shed anytime needed depending on how the entire day runs.
The versatility of your clothing will affect your working progress no matter what the weather is.
Working on cold conditions is miserable but if well prepared then you can bring your best performance to your customers. It’s best to invest on a good and reliable window cleaning winter clothing since it pays off at the end.
P.S. If you find this window cleaning tips helpful and informative then please share it to others