There are many different cleaning solutions designed to help you with difficult windows. There are plenty of options on the market for detergents, degreasers, lubricants and hard water stain removers. With all of the professional window cleaning tools at Detroit Sponge, we emphasize the importance of choosing the appropriate solution for your specific challenge on the job.
The goal of cleaning windows professionally is to ultimately leave the glass as transparent and free of residue as possible. When the job is done, the glass should have nothing on it. The surface is transparent to the point when the window does not even look like it is there!
As important as it is to use the appropriate chemical to tackle your challenge, it is equally important to mix and use solutions as listed on the directions by the manufacturers. The right tool for the job is simply the right tool AND the right amount!
When you look into the bucket of a professional window cleaner, you will normally find 3 categories of chemicals:
- Everyday window cleaner, detergent or some would say soap.
- Options to provide a little more strength for heavy dirt when necessary.
- Specialty cleaners for specific challenges like cured paint, old stickers, stubborn hard water stains, screen cleaning, etc.
The first category is the cleaner mixed in the bucket for everyday window washing. While it is often said dish soap is the ultimate cleaner, you will want to consider soap solutions that have been designed specifically for professional window cleaning in mind. Dish soap works great at cutting grime and providing slide, but the engineers that designed it did not devote much attention to how it releases from the surface. In most cases dish soap is rinsed with copious amounts of water. In the window cleaning method used by professionals, windows are scrubbed and then squeegeed. They are not rinsed!
The best advice is to try out the super concentrates that are designed for washing windows with a squeegee. For instance, the Dazzle-100 is mixed 1/10 of an ounce per gallon of water. A single bottle provides many buckets, full of ready to use cleaner. Concentrates like Dazzle-100 are designed to work with a window scrubber to loosen debris, to provide slip for the squeegee and to leave no residue behind on the glass. There are other additional concentrates from some great manufacturers that supply the pro window cleaning market as well. Just a reminder, read the bottle to find out the mixture because the right amount is simply the right amount!
The other category is made up of solutions to help with dirtier than normal windows. In a commercial restaurant or home, windows around the kitchen or outside deck barbeque area tend to be more difficult to clean. Many window cleaners will either carry a squeeze bottle with them or have one in their bucket to carry a more aggressive cleaning solution. You can find the window cleaners choice of products like ammonia, vinegar, degreaser (Titan Green), or a multipurpose abrasive solution (like Bio Clean, video on YouTube).
The goal is to know which windows need extra power solutions for windows who require a tougher scrub and which ones do not. Specialty concentrates can help solve problems, make customers happier and make time spent on the site more efficient. There is a broad range of solutions for cleaning challenges to handle bad hard water stains, cleaning/sealing screens, stubborn stickers, adhesive removal, and simply water lubrication.
The last one may sound obvious but weather truly can make window cleaning more challenging. On hot summer days, solutions like Sorbo Glide, WInsol Super Slip and Glass Gleam Glide can help keep glass wet a little longer and provide more slip for your squeegee to glide. You can find more detailed articles about the products that are designed for these specific challenges and purposes here on our blog.
Head to our website to purchase or learn more about the specialty chemicals we see at Detroit Sponge. As with any professional service industry, professional window cleaners are very purposeful about what choices they make about the tools and products they use. Hopefully this article will help you consider what you need to add to your tool belt of problem-solving solutions. Our goal is to help the life of professional window cleaners better, safer and more efficient.