Celebrating the 2026 Winner: Craig Hendzel
Each year, the Window Cleaner of the Year award recognizes someone who goes beyond the daily work of cleaning glass and truly impacts the industry. Sponsored by Window Cleaning Resource and the Squeegee Life Podcast, the award honors a professional who embodies craftsmanship, leadership, and a genuine commitment to the window-cleaning community.
This recognition isn’t handed out for speed alone or for the cleanest pane. It celebrates those who strengthen the industry: the educators, the mentors, the historians, and the personalities who make this industry something special. It’s about the individuals who inspire others to take pride in their work and invest in the future of the craft.
For 2026, that stand out window cleaner is Craig Hendzel.
A Trade Rooted in Family
Craig is a third-generation window cleaner who grew up learning the business from his father. Today, he continues that legacy alongside his daughter, Grace, a fourth-generation cleaner who has stepped confidently into the profession and is already earning respect for her skill and passion.
Together, they represent something rare: a living continuation of the trade across generations. The knowledge passed down through experience is now shared forward with a new wave of cleaners.
A Legacy in the Making
Craig and Grace run Rolling With the Window Cleaner, a window-cleaning brand and community that has grown into one of the most recognizable names in the industry. Through their YouTube channel and social platforms, they share real-world techniques, product insights, stories from the field, and a genuine love for the craft.
What sets Rolling With the Window Cleaner apart is not just instruction, but heart. Craig’s unfiltered honesty, sense of humor, and unmistakable enthusiasm, including his iconic bunny suit, have made him a familiar and beloved presence in online forums, Facebook groups, and trade show floors across the country. Whether he’s demonstrating a technique, sharing a laugh, or engaging with fellow cleaners, his energy is contagious.
Rolling With the Window Cleaner
Craig’s passion doesn’t stop at the present-day craft. He has become one of the most dedicated stewards of window-cleaning history in the industry. He founded the Rolling With the Window Cleaner Museum, a growing exhibit dedicated to celebrating the craft of window cleaning. He has assembled an impressive collection of vintage tools, historical catalogs, photographs, memorabilia, and artifacts that trace the evolution of the trade. His traveling exhibit has appeared at trade shows and industry events, giving cleaners a chance to see firsthand how the profession has developed over time.
The mission behind the museum is simple but powerful: preserve the heritage of window cleaning and educate today’s professionals about the foundations they stand on. By connecting past and present, Craig reinforces that this isn’t just a service, it’s a skilled craft with decades of innovation and tradition behind it.
A Well-Earned Recognition
As he continues to carry forward a multi-generational legacy while helping shape the next generation of cleaners, Craig exemplifies what it means to represent this trade with integrity and pride.
Congratulations to Craig Hendzel, the 2026 Window Cleaner of the Year, a true ambassador for the craft and the community that surrounds it.