Nothing is more satisfying to window cleaners than seeing a sheet of water rinsing a window down after scrubbing with a waterfed system. Sometimes you will not get the satisfying rinse, but that does not mean the window is not clean. The surface of the glass will depend on if the glass is hydrophobic or hydrophilic, this shows how the glass reacts to water.
HYDROPHILIC
Hydrophilic glass is the idea glass with pure water cleaning. The surface of the glass Or, rather, the coating makes the water run off the glass in nice big satisfying sheets, which is great for the window washer. Typically, the rinsing process is much shorter with this glass because you can see the water touching each and every inch of the glass. Unfortunately, the cost for hydrophilic coatings is about twice that of hydrophobic, so you will probably run across it less.
HYDROPHOBIC
Hydrophobic, which technically means fear of water, repels water like no one’s business. It is designed to make the water bead up and run off quickly. This can make cleaning with a water fed system tricky because the water beads and does not rinse the whole surface of the glass. Although it is not impossible to clean the glass. Hydrophobic glass requires you to work slowly, scrub well, and it will get done. Sometimes a window will require a second scrub and rinse.
RINSE BARS
One product that may help with the rinsing of the hydrophobic glass, and really the hydrophilic as well, is a rinse bar. Top brands for pure water cleaning like Unger, Gardiner, Tucker offer rinse bars. Some waterfed brushes already have them attached, others offer it as an add on to any of the brand’s brushes.
Gardiner offers a Micro Jet Rinse Bar in either 10 or 14 inches. This is a great option for Gardiner brushes to get you the rinse coverage you need. The rinse bar has 16 micro jets (10 inch) or 32 micro jets (14 inch) to provide precise but gentle rinsing. The bracket fits between the brush and brush socket on any 10- or 14-inch Gardiner brush, excluding the Sill or Supreme brushes. The Gardiner rinse bar is very lightweight at 41g (10 inch) or 48g (14 inch).
Tucker offers most brushes with rinse bars attached but they can also be purchased separately. The rinse bars are 12– or 18-inches. Tucker rinse bars are made of high quality, lightweight plastic and guaranteed to perform. Use it to get even water flow over the entire length of the brush. It easily attaches to all Tucker brushes, be sure to purchase the right size for the right brush.
Lastly, Unger has come out with a line of nLite brushes which all include a rinse bar. The brushes are outstanding down to the last detail. The rinse bar has the most complete rinsing coverage that will leave even hydrophobic windows spot free once they dry even on the most hydrophobic glass.
If you have questions about glass or any window cleaning tools, please reach out to our team. Detroit Sponge is dedicated to being a knowledgeable resource to their customers.