Clean It Up

UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: tompoole on May 17, 2012, 08:37:36 pm

Title: blk hands
Post by: tompoole on May 17, 2012, 08:37:36 pm
any one else get black hands when using slx in the rain?
great pole but getting ped off with black hands
Title: Re: blk hands
Post by: AuRavelling79 on May 17, 2012, 09:14:29 pm
any one else get black hands when using slx in the rain?
great pole but getting ped off with black hands

I get black hands when using the slx in the dry! But I wear those cheap builders gloves with rubber faces and woolly backs.
Title: Re: blk hands
Post by: Griffus on May 17, 2012, 09:20:48 pm
That'll be the carbon.
Title: Re: blk hands
Post by: tompoole on May 17, 2012, 09:31:06 pm
yep i guessed that, didnt realise it would be quite so bad.
Title: Re: blk hands
Post by: Griffus on May 17, 2012, 09:35:09 pm
Have to say, I have carbon fishing rods and poles and neither make my hands black.
Title: Re: blk hands
Post by: tompoole on May 17, 2012, 09:39:59 pm
1st section is fine , its the others wear laquer off after a while.
Title: Re: blk hands
Post by: KS Cleaning on May 17, 2012, 09:55:52 pm
The newer ones have an insulation wrap around them,eliminating black hand syndrome.
Title: Re: blk hands
Post by: matthewprice on May 17, 2012, 10:21:28 pm
can you tell us more about this wrap and which poles have it   thanks
Title: Re: blk hands
Post by: dazmond on May 17, 2012, 10:21:28 pm
get some gloves!!i always wear gloves with cheap disposable nitrile liners underneath.the SHOWA 377 gloves are good for around £6 a pair.

messing with hoses all day dragging  them across the ground etc is very unhygenic!! ;D ;D
Title: Re: blk hands
Post by: KS Cleaning on May 17, 2012, 10:28:20 pm
can you tell us more about this wrap and which poles have it   thanks
I have an SLX 25 which I bought just over a year ago,it has a smooth carbon finish and you get black hands off it.I bought an SLX 22 about 6 weeks ago and the finish is different,it is more like a wrap than a smooth finish.Has anyone else bought an SLX recently with the 'wrap' finish instead of the smooth surface my old SLX has?
Title: Re: blk hands
Post by: DeLuce on May 17, 2012, 11:53:59 pm
I tried wearing gloves but they get on my nerves, I like to FEEL what I'm doing
 ;D
I just by a barrier cream and when I get in the van apply, give it a mo to absorb then off I go, you still get black hands but it comes off easier. I couldn't work happily in the summer especially, wearing gloves, it would do my head in  ;D
Title: Re: blk hands
Post by: bobby p on May 18, 2012, 08:40:40 am
read somewhere its as toxic as asbestos !
Title: Re: blk hands
Post by: mister bit on May 18, 2012, 11:58:42 am
Bloody Nora!  :o
Title: Re: blk hands
Post by: mister bit on May 18, 2012, 12:03:35 pm
Just found this not that bad just says wear gloves and don't go poking any overhead cables and wear a dust mask and goggles when putting your poles up and down  ;D

http://www.monash.edu.au/ohs/topics/info-sheets/carbon-fibres.html (http://www.monash.edu.au/ohs/topics/info-sheets/carbon-fibres.html)
Title: Re: blk hands
Post by: DaveG on May 18, 2012, 01:12:22 pm
I used to get VERY black hands off of my battered old SLX poles.

Every month or so I give them a quick rub down and spray them with clear lacquer and hey presto nice clean hands  ;D
Title: Re: blk hands
Post by: Michael Rosevear on May 18, 2012, 04:24:50 pm
I use the nitrile gloves from gardiners - keep your hands nice and clean and dry.
Title: Re: blk hands
Post by: Mike #1 on May 18, 2012, 04:45:26 pm
My Elite has a wrap very similar to the SLX  but like everything overtime it wears ,

Best to buy PTFE spray from gardiners it is a dry formula which dries like a lacquer and is durable ,                                     Best to spray sections some where sheltered in order to get a even coat on each section it does dry almost white which will change colour of sections but it works .

Wished i had used this when i first got my Elite last May 1 can will spray a 4 section pole twice , MIKE
Title: Re: blk hands
Post by: dannymack on May 18, 2012, 05:48:29 pm
gloves are for girls man up !!!!!!!!! lol !!!!!!!!!!
Title: Re: blk hands
Post by: Alex Gardiner on May 18, 2012, 06:49:56 pm
Gloves or some other protective layer should be used by all water-fed pole window cleaners.

The one downside of using pure-carbon poles (IMO) is that with age and wear they will produce carbon  residue which can cause staining on the skin. Wearing gloves of some sort will prevent this completely.

There are many reasons why water-fed pole window cleaners should wear gloves:
1. Window cleaners hands have always been prone to cracking - this is made worse by the 'drying' effect of pure water.
2. Hygiene - when working with hose that is run along the ground it ensures good hygiene for instance when you then are eating your lunch or dealing with money etc for clients.
3. Prevents carbon fibre poles from leaving black staining.

Personally I use Nitrile disposable gloves all year round, usually a pair will last all day. In the winter I then put a pair of gloves over the top of them for extra warmth. The great thing about using these is that I can quickly peel them off to drive, eat or interact with client and my hands are completely clean to do so.

Title: Re: blk hands
Post by: DaveG on May 18, 2012, 06:53:38 pm
Trouble is with gloves, you dont get an "all-over" tan  ;)
Title: Re: blk hands
Post by: KS Cleaning on May 18, 2012, 08:54:20 pm
Gloves or some other protective layer should be used by all water-fed pole window cleaners.

The one downside of using pure-carbon poles (IMO) is that with age and wear they will produce carbon  residue which can cause staining on the skin. Wearing gloves of some sort will prevent this completely.

There are many reasons why water-fed pole window cleaners should wear gloves:
1. Window cleaners hands have always been prone to cracking - this is made worse by the 'drying' effect of pure water.
2. Hygiene - when working with hose that is run along the ground it ensures good hygiene for instance when you then are eating your lunch or dealing with money etc for clients.
3. Prevents carbon fibre poles from leaving black staining.

Personally I use Nitrile disposable gloves all year round, usually a pair will last all day. In the winter I then put a pair of gloves over the top of them for extra warmth. The great thing about using these is that I can quickly peel them off to drive, eat or interact with client and my hands are completely clean to do so.


Alex,can you tell me if the SLX is manufactured differently these days,I have an SLX 25 just over a year old and the sections are a smooth carbon finish so they extend/collapse with ease.I bought an SLX 22 about 6 weeks ago and the sections are more textured/wrapped meaning it doesn't extend/collapse so smoothly.It is more like a rigid CLX.
Title: Re: blk hands
Post by: DeLuce on May 18, 2012, 10:46:30 pm

« Reply #19 on: Today at 06:53:38 pm »Trouble is with gloves, you dont get an "all-over" tan 
Lol ;D that's what I was thinking. Vanity or what   ;D
Title: Re: blk hands
Post by: FCS on May 18, 2012, 11:18:15 pm
On Ebay there're loads of sellers offering nitrile gloves with at £10 or so for TWELVE pairs. I use them all year round, they stand up to a couple of washes then dump 'em and replace (with two more)..

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/12-PAIRS-NEW-NITRILE-COATED-WORK-GLOVES-BLACK-RED-CONSTRUCTION-GARDARDENING-/180822650690?pt=UK_BOI_ProtectiveGear_RL&var=&hash=item6fc644b08e#ht_521wt_1110

I've had these, they're pretty good, thin enough to work easily in, breathable backs, cheap as chips.
Title: Re: blk hands
Post by: Mike #1 on May 19, 2012, 06:38:20 am
To much like builder's gloves for me , I prefer use disposable nitrile gloves and the gul gloves from gardiners as an outer glove .

The gul gloves last for about a year if looked after properly . MIKE
Title: Re: blk hands
Post by: JackieW on May 19, 2012, 07:33:56 am
Just curious, how  do you cope wearing gloves in the summer? I am trad and only wore my gloves for about three days in the past winter. Are these 'nitrile'? gloves breathable?
Title: Re: blk hands
Post by: dazmond on May 19, 2012, 10:41:13 am
when the weather is hot and sunny i dont bother with gloves as i like to have tanned hands as well.to be fair the hose doesnt pick up as much dirt when dry.i put up with the black hands for the few days its sunny throughout the year!! ;) ;D ;D ;D

mostly the weather is cloudy,showery and cold so i wear gloves around 80% of the time!! ;) ;D ;D ;D ;D
Title: Re: blk hands
Post by: Cliff perkins on May 19, 2012, 11:03:00 am
Lol u lot and dirty hands.
1 real easy solution as people have already said is to get a cloth or a glove like you use to wash a car to reel hose away.
Any carbon/dirt of poles themselves just keep some babywipes in van to clean hands.
Alternately we all carry masses of water on our vans so wash hands with that and carry a towel to dry them.
Sorry but its not that hard  :D :P
Title: Re: blk hands
Post by: traps7 on May 19, 2012, 02:26:58 pm
Problem is Cliff carbon fibre doesn't come off with a quick wash. It stains for days. Not nice. Even Swarfega doesn't touch it.
Title: Re: blk hands
Post by: Cliff perkins on May 19, 2012, 02:39:53 pm
Ive never had a problem with it and i use carbon poles everyday.as long as u clean hands regulary shouldnt be a problem.