Condo Living

May 15, 2025 Published by British Columbia Chapter - By Sebastien Nault

The Drone Cleaning Debate: Can It Deliver for BC Strata Buildings?

From CCI BC Strata Connection Magazine, Volume 04, Spring/Summer 2025

It was a quiet morning in early September 2022 when I sat down with my coffee, scrolling through my phone like I did every day. Emails, a few work messages—and then, a notification from Mike. What now?

Mike was that friend. The guy always at the bleeding edge of technology, the one who had been talking about AI replacing entire industries long before ChatGPT was a household name. If there was some obscure tech trend gaining traction, Mike had already seen it, analyzed it, and was ready to bet his life savings on it.

This time, it was a drone. A drone cleaning a high-rise somewhere in China. The video showed the machine hovering against the side of a building, spraying some kind of chemical and then rinsing it off like a giant, very expensive, very overhyped power washer.

I rolled my eyes. “Come on, Mike,” I muttered, shaking my head as I typed a reply. “This is cute, but you’re not seriously thinking this could replace window cleaning?” I had spent years in this industry. I knew what it actually took to get buildings clean. You couldn’t just spray and pray—you had to scrub, apply pressure, and get up close to the glass and facade to make sure the job was done right. 

The idea that a drone, wobbling in the wind like some glorified toy, could handle that with any real consistency? It was laughable. I finished my coffee, closed the chat, and went on with my day. It was just another gimmick. Another viral clip to make property managers dream of a future where maintenance happened at the push of a button. It wouldn’t be the last time Mike sent me one of those videos. And, for a long time, my reaction didn’t change.

A Pattern of Disruption

Mike’s video might have seemed ridiculous, but I wasn’t blind to how industries could be upended overnight. I had seen it happen firsthand.

A friend of mine owned an airport limousine company. It had been a solid business for years—until Uber arrived. Within a few short months, his entire operation was gone. Restaurants run by seasoned chefs were struggling while ghost kitchens—virtual brands with no physical storefronts—were scaling and going public. Even something as simple as a local print shop, once a staple for contractors and architects, had shut down because online plan rooms made physical blueprints obsolete.

Technology had a way of creeping in, slowly at first, then all at once. And I often wondered when—and how—our industry would get its turn.

For years, I assumed the disruption would come from the buildings themselves. Maybe a new coating that repelled dirt and grime, eliminating the need for regular exterior cleaning.

Later, as robotics advanced, I entertained the idea that humanoid machines or task-specific robots with enough dexterity might one day take over. But the reality was, that exterior maintenance was too complex, too variable. Unlike an assembly line, where machines thrived on repetition, no two buildings were exactly alike. It seemed unlikely that a robotic system could navigate all the nuances of facades, angles, and obstacles anytime soon. Still, I kept my eye on automation.

An Underwhelming First Attempt

In 2008, I attended the IWCA trade show and saw my first so-called “window-cleaning machine.” It looked like a suspended car wash—rotating brushes meant to scrub glass as the unit moved down the face of a building. It seemed more like a gimmick than a serious innovation. It might have worked on a handful of basic structures, but there was no way it could handle the complexity of Vancouver buildings.

Fast forward to the summer of 2021, and I had another chance to see what automation could offer. We entered an NDA with a Vancouver-based robotics company working on a new window-cleaning machine. I was curious—maybe this was the breakthrough. Maybe we’d finally see something viable.

We consulted on the design, ran field tests, and gave feedback. But it didn’t take long to see the flaws. The machine was slow, clunky, and struggled with anything beyond the most basic buildings. I wasn’t adaptable enough for the structures in our region, and whatever promise it held on paper quickly faded in the real world.

If this was the best automation had to offer, I wasn’t worried. At least, not yet. 

The Return of Mike

For a while, Mike seemed to let it go. Maybe he had finally accepted that drones weren’t about to take over window cleaning. Or maybe his own AI startup was keeping him busy. But then, in September 2024, he struck again. This time, it wasn’t some random TikTok video of a drone buzzing around an office tower in China. Instead, he sent me a link to a CBC news report: “B.C. company using drones to pressure wash windows and buildings. Victoria Hospital gets a facelift thanks to window-washing drones." I sighed. Here we go again. Except this time, it wasn’t some overseas concept or a social media stunt. This was a real company, operating in British Columbia, cleaning real buildings. And the claims were big faster, safer, more efficient–and cheaper. Now, I was curious.

The questions that needed answers considering that a large percentage of our company’s clientele consists of Strata properties, endeavoured to find answers to the following questions:

• How does the quality of cleaning from a drone compare to actual hands-on cleaning, and does it vary depending on the type of surface?
• Specifically for windows, can it produce results that would be acceptable to a Vancouver Strata owner?
• Are there problems with our industry that this technology could solve—ones I may have ignored due to my skepticism?
• I understand the savings in labour, but factoring in the cost of equipment, does this technology really result in significant savings for stratas? I needed real answers. It was time to investigate.

First Stop: Lucid Bots

My first stop in this investigation was to circle back to Lucid Bots, the North Carolina-based drone manufacturer who had reached out to me shortly after the CBC report. I’ll admit—when they first contacted me, I didn’t give them much attention. But now, I was ready to listen.

I sat down with Andrew Noble from Lucid to hear the story. Lucid Bots has the kind of startup story you’d expect—except they didn’t start in a tech incubator or Silicon Valley boardroom. Back in 2018, one of their founders was sitting in class at Davidson College when he glanced out the window and noticed a window cleaner clinging to a swing stage, gripping it white-knuckled on a windy day. His immediate thought: There’s got to be a better way to do this.

He and his friends were drone enthusiasts, so naturally, the idea came up: Why not clean windows with a drone? They bought three drones from DJI, retrofitted them for pressure washing, and promptly crashed all three. Instead of giving up, they taught themselves robotics and decided to build drones specifically for exterior cleaning. That gamble paid off—they won a pitch competition at Davidson, went through Y Combinator, and by 2024, had raised a $9.1 million Series A round to keep growing. 

Today, Lucid Bots operates in 12 countries, but most of their traction has been in the U.S. market, where they’ve sold over 260 drones out of roughly 300 worldwide. Adoption in Canada lags but is picking up slowly.

I wanted to cut straight to the point—what about quality? I asked Andrew about the difference between a drone cleaning and a trained crew physically on the building, agitating the surface, and applying elbow grease. His answer was pragmatic: the drone is just a flying spray gun.

It’s all about the process behind it. They emphasize that their drones don’t work magic on their own—you still need to understand chemicals, surfaces, and proper cleaning methods. 

Sodium hypochlorite, specialized window cleaners, restore it’s the same cleaning knowledge, just delivered via drone. In other words, a Lucid Bot won’t turn someone into a professional cleaner overnight. It’s just a tool, one designed to do the job safer and potentially more efficiently, but not necessarily better unless the operator knows how to clean properly in the first place.

When I asked where he sees things going, Andrew predicted that in five to ten years, drones will be standard in most companies’ tool belts. Not for every job, but definitely for many, particularly in public sector contracts, where safety and liability concerns are pushing drone-only solutions.

Interestingly, they’re also working toward making the process fully autonomous. Thanks to their acquisition of Aviana, they’re already at the point where the drone can clean vertical columns on its own. Horizontal movements are next. Soon, it may be as simple as mapping out a building, pressing start, and letting the drone handle the rest. But what about quality control from a distance?How do you inspect work when there’s no one physically on the glass? His answer: it comes down to knowing which jobs drones are right for and which aren’t. 

Experience is key.

For me, the conversation didn’t erase my skepticism, but it did shift it. Clearly, they weren’t some fly-night operation. And if they were selling hundreds of units, maybe there was more to this than I’d given credit for.

Field Insights: David Wheeler, DroneClean USA

Next, I connected with David Wheeler from DroneClean USA, someone who’s been flying drones for exterior cleaning for a couple of years now. His entry into the industry came after a fall from a ladder—a literal wake-up call that pushed him to look for safer ways to get the job done. Drones became his answer. David’s perspective was refreshingly practical. When I asked him how the transition felt, he downplayed the challenge of actually flying the drone. “If you’ve ever played a video game, you can fly one of these,” he joked. The real learning curve, he explained, wasn’t the drone itself but everything around it—the environmental factors, the right chemicals, and understanding how to clean different surfaces properly. 

What stood out was David’s blunt honesty about the quality of cleaning. I pushed him specifically about windows—how does drone cleaning compare to a mop and squeegee or water-fed pole work? His answer: it gets about 98.5% of the way there. For most clients, he said, the difference is negligible. Customers routinely compliment their results, but he admitted that someone who’s spent years on the glass—like me—might notice that final 1.5%. David emphasized that drones aren’t magic. It’s a two-step process: apply the solution (each company has their secret sauce), give it a bit of dwell time, and then rinse with deionized water. The drone is a delivery system; the key is knowing what chemicals to use and when. 

One area where drones shine, according to him, is speed.“You’re cleaning 500 feet a minute,” he told me. The time savings on certain building envelopes can be significant compared to sending ROP access teams down repeatedly. But the drones do have limits.

For instance, FAA regulations in the U.S. cap drone weight at 55 lbs, meaning most drones can comfortably clean up to 18 floors from the ground before hose weight becomes an issue.

David explained how they work around this—taking off from rooftops for higher sections, understanding wind shear patterns, and knowing when traditional methods are still the best option. When it comes to residential condos, he’s had some success, but he’s selective. Anything reachable safely from the ground, he still cleans manually. For taller buildings or hard-to-reach areas, the drone becomes the go-to tool. One point that stuck with me was his focus on risk mitigation. “Nothing beats a sponge and squeegee,” he said, but drones reduce the human risk factor dramatically. For property managers and building owners, that’s a selling point in itself.

His prediction? Within the next 7 to 10 years, drone cleaning will be standard—just another accepted part of life, much like other tech we couldn’t imagine a decade ago. But even he acknowledged that, for now, drones aren’t replacing everything—they’re a tool to be used wisely, not a universal solution.

Industry Veterans & Final Thoughts

To round out my research, I reached out to Matt Pierce, a 30-year veteran of the window cleaning and envelope restoration industry and one of the major players in the Boston market. Matt has seen more than his fair share of new tools, gadgets, and 'game-changing' technologies over the decades. Many of them ended up gathering dust after the initial excitement wore off. He’s skeptical about drones as a major disruptor. For him, the barrier is not just technology, but also the reality of training crews, maintaining quality, and ensuring reliable performance across varied building types. Still, he’s not dismissive. Like me, Matt believes in keeping a close eye on the evolving landscape—staying on the cutting edge is part of the job, and drones, he agrees, may have some specific applications down the road.

After diving into conversations with manufacturers like Lucid Bots, operators like David Wheeler, and long-standing industry pros like Matt, my initial skepticism has definitely softened. I’m not ready to declare drones the future of all exterior cleaning just yet—but I can see where they’re heading. Quality remains my biggest concern. Despite the claims, and even after seeing successful demos, the window cleaning I’ve personally observed here in Vancouver leaves something to be desired—particularly for our Strata clients. Residential Strata properties come with their own set of challenges: private balconies, sensitive surfaces, and high expectations. Overspray, potential property damage, and inconsistent results are all valid concerns. That said, drones are undeniably carving out a niche. I can see them becoming widely adopted for newer mid-rise buildings—especially 5-6-storey wood frame structures without permanent roof anchors. Mobilizing lifts or installing temporary anchors for those buildings is costly and time-consuming.

Drones could offer a viable, cost-effective alternative in those cases. If there’s an understanding between contractors, property managers and Strata councils that the finished product may not be on par with hands-on cleaning—but that the cost savings justify it—then I can see drones becoming a standard part of the toolkit.

For now, I don’t believe they’ll fully replace traditional methods, especially where high-end, detailed work is expected. But in the right applications?

The disruption might already be here.

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Sebastien Nault, Black Tie Property Services Founder and CEO

Sebastien is the founder and CEO of Black Tie Property Services, a Vancouver-based company specializing in exterior building maintenance and industrial rope access, focused on the residential strata market in the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island. Passionate about constant learning, giving back and entrepreneurship, Sebastien is an active member of the Vancouver chapter of the Entrepreneurs Organization (EO) and volunteers as a mentor for the entrepreneurship program at BCIT. In his spare time, you can find him running around the seawall or behind his DJ decks.