Apartment living has its perks – city views, shared gyms, rooftop pools.
Now add this to the list: your building getting a bath from what looks like a giant flying garden hose.
Two viral videos showing an apartment complex being cleaned by drone have racked up over 12 million views, sparking a flood of jokes – and a serious conversation about the future of strata property maintenance.
The footage, shared by California-based Sullivan Soft Wash, shows two men casually sitting on the ground of an apartment complex, calmly operating a drone as it hovers several storeys up, spraying down the building’s exterior.
There’s no scaffolding wrapped around the facade.
No rope-access workers dangling past balconies.
No boom lifts blocking car parks.
Just two operators, slouched against a wall, steering what looks like a very expensive remote-controlled toy.
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Think you’ve got a tough job? Two drone operators were recently captured in a now-gone-viral video, washing an apartment complex in the US, is the most relaxed way possible. Source: Sullivan Soft Wash/Instagram
“Finally gamers have a purpose,” one person commented online.
“My guidance counsellor really failed me,” another wrote.
“Getting paid to play with their toys. Gentlemen, these guys are geniuses,” a third added.
For strata managers and apartment owners, though, the video isn’t just entertaining – it’s potentially game-changing.
High-rise exterior cleaning is one of the more costly and disruptive line items in an owners corporation budget.
Traditional methods can involve scaffolding for weeks, rope-access technicians, traffic management plans and serious insurance costs.
Drone pressure washing flips that model on its head.
The video depicted the operators using a drone to pressure wash a building. Source: Sullivan Soft Wash/Instagram
Using specialised unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), operators can clean facades, windows and roofs from the air. Many systems are tethered to a ground-based water supply, allowing workers to remain safely below while the drone handles the heights.
The result? Reduced fall risk, less street disruption, lower equipment overheads — and often faster turnaround times.
In a market where apartment owners are already grappling with rising strata levies, insurance premiums and maintenance blowouts, any technology promising safer and potentially cheaper upkeep is bound to grab attention.
Still, not everyone was convinced.
Many viewers zeroed in on the water pressure, claiming the spray looked more like a backyard hose than an industrial wash.
“I’m 55 and I have more pressure,” one commenter joked.
However, others were quick to explain that buildings are typically treated first with a cleaning solution – similar to a car wash – before being rinsed off, meaning the lighter stream is part of the process rather than a sign of underperformance.
Resident cat Pretzel is watching on. Source: Sullivan Soft Wash/Instagram
Pretzel getting the scare of her life when the drone starts shooting water. Source: Sullivan Soft Wash/Instagram
A follow-up video only fuelled the viral frenzy.
As the drone hovered outside a resident’s window, she could be heard reacting in real time.
“What is that Pretzel? Am I about to get shot,” she said, before she’s heard squealing as the drone sprayed her glass, startling her cat.
“We can confirm there’s pressure,” the video concluded, neatly shutting down the internet debate.
While the clips have been played for laughs, they also spotlight a broader shift happening quietly across global property markets: technology stepping in where risk and cost once dominated.
Pretzel’s owner was impressed by the drone’s water pressure.
From robotic window cleaners to AI-powered building management systems, apartment blocks are becoming smarter – and increasingly less reliant on humans hanging off the side of them.
For residents, it might mean fewer weeks staring at scaffolding – or, as it was the case for a Gold Coast woman, not having to put her own life at risk for the sake of clean windows.
A Surfers Paradise resident recently filmed an occupant of the Peninsula Apartments on Clifford Street attempting some amateur window cleaning.
Perched 16 floors above the ground, this person climbed out of a window, placed a chair on a narrow open ledge, stood upon it and proceeded to vigorously wipe the external glass.
The videographer, who captured the terrifying scene, admitted to filming in “absolute shock” before immediately dialling triple-0.
It goes without saying that for apartment owners, the use of drones could mean leaner maintenance budgets while maintaining resident’s safety.
And for gamers?
Apparently, it’s proof there really is a career path after all.
English (US) · 