Final Inspection & Customer Walkthrough: the full procedure

Verify every cleaned surface against the standard and walk the customer through the finished work before leaving.

• Applies to: Cleaners, crew leads
• Frequency: End of every job
• Scope: Covers the close-out inspection of glass, frames, screens, tracks, and the site, plus the customer walkthrough and sign-off. Any re-check requiring a ladder or height defers to OSHA fall-protection standards, ANSI/IWCA I-14.1, and the safety plan; high-rise/suspended access is out of scope.

What you need

• Microfiber detailing cloths
• Scrim/huck towel
• Flashlight (raking light for streaks)
• Touch-up squeegee
• Job checklist/work order
• Camera/phone (before-after record)

The procedure, step by step

1. Inspect glass at an angle and in raking light — View every pane from inside and outside at an angle and against the light to expose streaks, haze, and missed marks invisible head-on.
2. Check edges, corners, and frames — Confirm the squeegee water line is detailed out at all edges and corners and that frames show no drips or smears.
3. Verify screens, tracks, and sills — Confirm screens are reinstalled in correct openings and seated, tracks are clear, and sills are dry.
4. Touch up any findings — Re-detail any streaks or marks found, and re-inspect that specific pane before counting it done.
5. Reset the site — Remove drop cloths and towels, return any moved items, and confirm no water, debris, or equipment is left behind indoors or out.
6. Walk the customer through — Invite the customer to view the work, point out completed scope, and note anything excluded (e.g., disclosed etching or skipped panes).
7. Record and confirm — Mark the checklist complete, capture after photos if used, and confirm the customer is satisfied or log any concern for follow-up.
8. Close out the job — Confirm scope matches the work order for invoicing and schedule any agreed recurring visit per the route plan.

Quality check before you finish

• Every pane checked at an angle and in raking light — streak- and haze-free
• Edges, corners, and frames detailed — no water lines or smears
• Screens reinstalled correctly; tracks clear; sills dry
• Site reset — no water, debris, or equipment left behind
• Customer walked through and concerns logged or confirmed satisfied
• Completed scope matches the work order for invoicing

This is a free, source-anchored standard operating procedure (SOP) you can print and hand to staff. It documents the work sequence for a Window Cleaning business — not safety or regulatory rulings, which defer to the cited authorities, the applicable code, and your own health-and-safety plan. Open the tool above to print it, toggle ink-saver, or (with a free ToolFluency Business account) edit it to match your own workflow.

Sources

• International Window Cleaning Association (IWCA) (iwca.org)
• Window Cleaning Resource (windowcleaner.com)
• Occupational Safety and Health Administration (ladders/fall protection) (osha.gov)