Nov 26 2008
FREE - A Woman’s View: Window Cleaning Techniques
FREE - A Woman’s View: Window Cleaning Techniques
A Woman’s View: Professional Window Cleaning Part
Written by: Judy Suval
Contributed & Edited by:Cleaning Solutions Magazine
Once again I need to remind you to just be careful with scrapers. It’s one the one other ways besides breaking a window that you can damage a window.
Scraping
For actual window cleaning, first determine if the entire window needs scraping. Experience will tell you. I didn’t normally totally scrape unless it was unusually dirty or new. If it does need scraping, inform the customer of its need and the additional charge.
Before scraping, be sure to determine whether or not there is any type of tinting film or coating on the window which a blade might destroy. Also determine if the glass is tempered. This type of glass will often have a blemished surface caused by tiny particles not washed off before the glass was placed in the tempering oven. These microscopic “pimples” can break off under the blade and then scrape the glass as you push them along.
For thorough scraping, use the four or six inch blade. Razor blades can scratch glass, so make sure that you have a new blade in the holder to start and check the blade often to make sure there aren’t any burrs that have developed on the blade edge which will scratch the window. Turn a double-edged blade over in the holder to a fresh side. If you’re doing a large job, you’ll have to change the blades often–maybe several times before you’re done.
Next, wet the strip washer with water from the bucket, and thoroughly wet the window. If you’re on the inside, slightly squeeze the excess water out of each end of the strip washer with your hand. Another technique is to let it drip for a few seconds, holding one end down, then flip it over and wash the window–no drips! Always thoroughly wet the glass before and during scraping and be sure you reach the edges and corners. Scrape the glass being careful not to damage the casing at the edges with the blade–or damage the blade with the casing! Scrape the windows in a one-way motion, not back and forth. If you drag the blade back, it tends to pick up grit which can scratch the glass. Also, beware of using the four inch blade on the end of the extension pole. Make sure the blade is flat against the glass; it’s easy to scratch with the ends. Make sure that the blade is retracted or is in its safety cover between uses. Cuts that require stitches are no fun!
An alternate scraping tool, preferred by some window cleaners, is the broad knife, usually a six inch sheet rock taping knife kept very sharp–sharpened up to twice daily with a file. Note–keep rust off the blades of both razor scrapers and broad knives, for rust can easily scratch glass.
This would be an appropriate time to mention CONSTRUCTION CLEANING, a specialized area of window cleaning which consists of cleaning the windows of newly built homes and buildings. It involves a thorough and often difficult scraping of windows to remove paint splashes, plaster over spray, caulking, mortar and the general heavy duty dirt and grime left over by the act of construction. This work is extremely difficult and requires particular knowledge and expertise not only to remove the various substances but to avoid damaging the glass while doing so. Because of this, construction cleaning should probably be a full-time specialty, and not an add-on opportunity to regular window cleaning. It can, however, be lucrative, often earning up to three times as much as normal window cleaning–if you are proficient you may get from $250– $450 per house/building.
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