From workers dozing at desks to employees engaging in a romantic tryst, Mike Christian of Taylorsville has witnessed many behind-the-scene office moments while perched high outside the working world.
As a window cleaner, Christian has also terrified several high-rise inhabitants.
"We've scared the crap out of people (while) coming down," Christian said. "They don't notice the rope, and then they jump out of their skin."
But despite what he's seen, Christian said being outside wiping windows is better than being behind a desk in an office.
"It's interesting," Christian said. "I'm always meeting new people. I like taking care of people and making them happy and seeing a job finished. It makes you feel good."
Christian has worked for Hi Tech Window Cleaning of Murray for eight years. On most work days, he can be found several stories above the ground, strapped into a harness and polishing window panes.
From Logan to Delta, the eight-member Hi Tech Window Cleaning crew travels across the state wiping windows. The company cleans about 35 high-rise buildings on a regular basis, including the Salt Palace and Triad Center.
When high-rise washers prepare to descend a building, they strap on a nylon harness equipped with a jumar ascender for safety purposes. Then they hoist a bosun's chair, which is similar to a swing, over the edge of the building and climb into it. The washers are also armed with a squeegee, bucket of cleaning water and a rubber suction handle that they can use while maneuvering across large window panes.
Sterling Hess, Hi Tech Window Cleaning owner, said the company's workers have never experienced a major accident while hanging from the roofs. But Hess still has to pay $1,000 a month for the company's window liability insurance.
He said his employees are actually safer on ropes than they are on ladders. Each of the ropes the cleaners use is tested to hold 5,000 pounds.
Although his company only cleans buildings that are three stories are less, Aaron Clinger, owner of All Weather Window Cleaning in Holladay, said falling is the biggest fear on his job.
"Everybody thinks high rise is the scary thing, but high-riser washers are strapped into a harness," Clinger said.
Ladder work is a lot more frightening, he added.
"If you were to fall, that would be the end of it," he said.
In the winter the employees dig holes in the snow for their ladders to sit in, but when the snow melts the ladders sink farther into the ground and Clinger said that adds to the fear.
After 20 years of window cleaning, Ted Coletti, owner of Alpine Window Cleaning of Sandy, still likes to strap on a harness and work with his fellow employees. He also said he never gets nervous.
"I'm a rock climber from way back too, so it's not too bad for me. I know how to stay safe," Coletti said.
He said he likes his job because it takes him to different places, and it can be an adventure. Employees from Alpine Window Cleaning can also be found hanging out across Utah.
Jeremy Casper has also been scrubbing Utah's glass with his own company, Casper's Window Washing Service, for about seven years. Although he lives in Eagle Mountain, Casper said he cleans windows throughout Utah. He doesn't use high-rise hanging equipment but will rent a lift that can take him up 80 feet to clean six- or eight-story buildings, if necessary.
He said cleaning windows takes practice.
"With window washing you can be sloppy, you can just do it quick and leave streaks," Casper said.
Clinger said there are a lot of bucket bums, unprofessional window washers, around town, who don't have to pay insurance and overhead so they offer to clean windows for really cheap. But they aren't as good.
"It's technical trade and it takes several years for somebody to really pick it up," Clinger said. "Often people say, 'Let me give you a hand,' but it takes several months before they can do any really good work."
Hess said people think washing windows is easy, but there are special techniques his washers use.
"Most people clean a window just by squeegeeing the window back and forth," he said. "We actually do a butterfly swipe, turning the squeegee. The squeegee never leaves the glass."
Casper said all professional window washers use some kind of dishwashing soap to get dirt, grime, fingerprints and more off windows. He prefers Lemon Joy.
"It gets dishes clean, so it cleans windows really well," Casper said.
Coletti also likes Joy, but lately he has been using Dawn.
"It's a little better these days," he said. "Plus it comes in blue, and (in) nice smelly stuff."
Although the weather is turning cold, the window washers work year round.
"We suit up in thermals and three layers of clothes," Christian said. "We also wear scuba diving gloves."
The Alpine Window Cleaning washers will be cleaning several Utah ski resorts including Snowbird, Alta and Deer Valley, for the next few months.
Clinger said the winter season is the best time to wash windows because in the summer it is really hot, and in the winter the snow doesn't get windows as dirty. Also, the sprinklers don't turn on.
"It's just a good time to do windows," Clinger said.
During the winter, Hess said, his employees put windshield washing fluid into their cleaning solution so it won't freeze.
He said people are impressed at the washers' dangling capabilities.
"People think it's amazing that we can hang off a building and clean glass," Hess said.
E-mail: nclemens@desnews.com