How long does it take to clean the Burj Khalifa?
It takes three to four months of non-stop work to clean every window on the Burj Khalifa just once.
The world's tallest building has 24,348 windows covering an area the size of 17 soccer fields. A team of 36 workers uses specialized tracks and machines for most of the tower, but the very top must be cleaned by hand while rappelling. Due to desert sand and heat, the windows are often dirty again by the time the crew finishes.
Nerd Mode
The Burj Khalifa in Dubai stands at 828 meters and features a glass facade spanning 120,000 square meters. To maintain this massive surface, the building is equipped with 18 specialized bucket machines integrated into tracks at levels 40, 73, and 109. These machines can carry a crew of two people and move horizontally and vertically to reach the majority of the 24,348 reflective glass panels.Despite this high-tech infrastructure, the top 27 tiers and the spire are too narrow for heavy machinery. For these sections, professional window cleaners must rappel down the building using traditional ropes and squeegees. This manual labor is physically demanding and occurs at heights where wind speeds are significantly higher than at ground level.The cleaning cycle is heavily influenced by the local climate of the United Arab Emirates. Frequent sandstorms and high humidity levels create a sticky layer of dust on the glass. Under normal conditions, a full cleaning cycle takes about 12 weeks, meaning the crew must start the process over almost immediately after finishing to keep the building shining.
Verified Fact
FP-0001945 · Feb 16, 2026