ANTHONY L. LEWIS:

WINDOW CLEANER

By Carroll G. Lamb

Anthony Lewis set out to improve on the window cleaners he was using. As stated in his patent specifications, “The object of my present invention is to improve window-cleaners of this class; and to this end my invention consists in certain features of novelty that are particularly pointed out in the claims herein after.”

Lewis’s window washer was patented on September 27, 1882.

The four parts of his window cleaner are the handle; the body, made from a block of wood; and a flexible reservoir to absorb water made of India rubber; and the scraper. Lewis’s invention was capable of cleaning several windows in succession because the reservoir could absorb a good amount of water. When applied, it thoroughly wets the window, loosens, and dissolves the soil. The scraper is used to remove the dirty water.

Current window washers follow Lewis’s design and can be purchased in most hardware stores for just a few dollars. n