FREE - A Woman’s View: Professional Window Cleaning part 3

Here are some supplies that every window cleaner could use:

Nov 18 2008

FREE - A Woman’s View: Professional Window Cleaning part 3

Published by chatobstewart at 12:36 am under Window cleaning Edit This

FREE - A Woman’s View: Professional Window Cleaning part 3

A Woman’s View: Professional Window Cleaning Part

Written by: Judy Suval
Contributed & Edited by:Cleaning Solutions Magazine

Below Judy give some of the best advice I ever read about the use of a chamois vs a towel. I have to admit I even learn some thing! That is the power of having a real knowledge of the industry. Still I bet if you asked some of the other window cleaners that have been cleaning 20 plus years like me I bet they would learn a thing or two reading this part of the guide.

A chamois is an actual hide or type of leather, and thus its expense over towels and the benefit of having no lint. The best ones used to be from France but now are apparently from England. Because it is a hide it initially contains oils and residues from the tanning process and so must be thoroughly washed before use. Soak a new chamois for ½ hour in whatever cleaning solution you will be using, to “condition” the chamois. Rinse thoroughly and hang to dry. After each days use, rinse well to remove the dirt then hang to dry–never leave a chamois balled up. You can recondition the chamois every few months.

The key to using a chamois is that it must be a little damp in order to be absorbent–which at first seems illogical, but a dry chamois will just shove the water around. Chamois are mostly used for trimming the edges of window panes and sills, and for glass touch up. Don’t ball them up while using–drape them over fingertips or hand. Using them for spills or wiping equipment will just dirty them faster, so save your towels and sponges for this. Many cleaners feel that chamois are too expensive for anything but the glass.

Irish linen, also called scrims, is a type of towel used by many window cleaners. They are very good but correspondingly expensive, and are often hard to find in the US. They must be kept as dry as possible to work best. A scrim is a closely woven cloth, very stiff when first purchased–many cleaners boil them or wash them many times before use. Scrims absorb water well, and those who prefer them to chamois do so because they say they glide more easily over the glass and dirt seems to adhere more readily.

Blue/green towels, also referred to as surgical towels, are another and less expensive choice. Most cleaners consider these about 90% as effective as scrims and much more economical at about 1/3 the price. They are best when used and washed many times, and can sometimes be purchased as reclaimed surgical towels.

Today, bar rags (linen, cotton blend rags) are used quite frequently, economically, and successfully, and many window cleaners recommend these soft white rags over chamois.

The use of towels in window cleaning today is primarily to dry around the edges of a window after using the squeegee. With towels of any sort the main rule is: dryness, cleanliness, and friction (elbow grease) will take care of most streaks on glass. But any dirt, oils, or soaps in the fabric will just make the glass worse. And of course there are your die-hard cleaners who insist that nothing should ever touch the glass after the squeegee passes.

Natural sea wool sponges, harvested from the ocean floor, are superior to synthetic ones for use in window cleaning. They are highly absorbent and long lasting. Sponges are great for wiping off your squeegee rubber because they leave the right amount of moisture and will give longer life to the blade. They also cut down on the amount of laundry you have if you use the sponge instead of cloths. They allow the dirt to drain and are perfect for washing small panes of glass and wiping up window sills and floors. It is recommended that you buy uncut sponges because they are less likely to tear.

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