What’s the most aggressive scrubber that is safe to use on windows?

Variety of aggressive scrub pads safe to use on windows.

Often time during the work day, professional window cleaners find some windows or job sites with debris that just do not come clean with the standard scrubbers and washers. This is true for water fed pole use or for squeegee/scrubber traditional tool usage. Even with all of the choices on the market for scrubbing, sometimes a more aggressive abrasive is needed. There are many cleaning choices that can cover most challenges on the job. You can see the extensive listing for traditional tools and waterfed brushes on our website. For the times when you need extra scrubbing power, lets discuss some of the most common, safe to use, aggressive options in the window cleaning supply market. 

Steel and Bronze Wool Pads

Steel and Bronze wool have become industry staples over the last decade. As there has been a transition to more cautious scrapper use for window cleaning, the metal wool products have become a go to product. The key is in the grade of the metallic wool. For window cleaning use, the safest grade of is what is referred to as 0000, or 4 zero wool. This can also be referred to as ultra-fine grade. Also, there is a difference between what the wool is made of. The steel wool is less expensive, however begins to rust sooner because it is made of steel. Besides for the pad, we also carry scrubber sleeves in 6 and 10 inches which are tough on stains and gentle on glass.

The bronze wool has become more popular as this metal is resistance to rust, making them last longer. In recent years, there have been many innovative products created in the window cleaning market that use the metal wool to provide the extra abrasive power. A new product we carry are bronze wool pads. It is fine enough to not scratch glass while strong enough to do the job! There are great choices that are not too expensive that can add extra power to your scrub listed on our site, check out the items here

Scrub Pads

Scrub pads seem to be a logical choice for extra abrasion, right? In the world of woven, synthetic scrub pads, there is an industrial grading, similar to the one for wool. There may be exceptions so be sure to read the packaging on any of your choices. The general guideline is that the white pads are safe for use on glass. Generally, green, black, brown, purple, red or others are not safe for use on glass. The white pads have been widely used by the pro window cleaning industry for years. They are inexpensive, easy to use, easy to attach and can be made in a variety of sizes and shapes. Check out the inventory on our website, here

Walnut Pads

Finally, as industry continues to adapt and evolve to the changing manufacturing world, there are new options being made available on the market. Recently, the walnut pad has become a great option for extra scrubbing power. The pad is made of walnut shells, making it organic and readily available for use in manufacture. These pads provide a great abrasion, even with a very thin pad. Shapeable, the walnut fiber pads have already shown up for use in the traditional window cleaning market as well as the water fed, water pole market. You can find this growing selection on our site, here

It is very true that sometimes, you will need a little more scrubbing power to provide the clean shine on the windows. There are products available to help make your scrubbing life less dependent on shoulder power and more dependent on abrasion. Stay in touch with us and the window pro window cleaning industry! There are more and more products being introduced every year to help your job to become more efficient and effective. Have a new idea? Think about developing it and bringing it to market! Innovation is driven by the market. For now, stay in touch and watch of new abrasive options in the future on our website.

1 Comment


  1. Such a great tool indeed, never knew there are different varieties of these. Thanks for the tips Mike, truly helps!

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