Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: James Styles on July 24, 2019, 07:34:30 pm
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Hi guys just had a few questions about the brushes on wfps.
How long do you usually keep or use a brush for?
I’ve had mine for over 3 months and some bristles are pulled out or just hanging on lol but it’s still in good nick overall.
I’m looking at ordering a new brush soon so that when the one I have gets more worn down I have a new brush ready, what brush would you guys recommend?
What’s you’re favourite brush to use?
I like the look of the sill brushes as they have decent coverage, but are they also good for use on the glass? Or really only meant for sills, PVC and conservatory roofs etc?
The flocked brushes also look good.
I’d like a brush that has good coverage, can also do sills and frames well and has good longevity. Cheers. 🍻
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I have several brushes for different types of windows...I usually use the ultimate range of brushes from gardeners.
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i only use a few types of brushes these days....
26cm xtreme stiff
26cm ultimate stiff
both these brushes are good because they are very light,esp the xtreme which is great if your cleaning a lot of windows over connys/extensions/pitched roofs(which i am on this weeks work)...
the ultimate has more coverage and is more robust with very little added weight compared to the xtreme and is my normal day to day brush for most work.i will soon be trying out the 35cm ultimate brush with 4 jets for larger jobs too....
brush choice is a personal thing but these are my most used brushes,i do have flocked brushes but use them for car and van cleaning now! ;D
sill brushes are too narrow and heavy for day to day work IMO,I dont even use them for f/s/g/cleans anymore as i find an old xtreme brush much easier,less strain and they clean easier around the gutter brackets at height,etc......i will use sill brushes for conny roof cleaning though but i dont clean many of these either these days......
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ultimate brushes last around 4 months for me....
xtreme brushes 2 or 3 months.....
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ultimate brushes last around 4 months for me....
xtreme brushes 2 or 3 months.....
Dazmond is using hot water which will send his brushes to an early grave.
Someone made the point that the new cill brushes Gardiner's have aren't as good at getting into the corners of the frames due to their rounded edges.
I have an old cill brush that I do like, but I find it a little too heavy for continual use.
I like the Ultimate range and alternate between the yellow medium brush and the Dupont medium soft mix. I prefer the Dupont but its the yellow one on the pole ATM as it has the swivel and rinse bar on it. I'm taking my time and getting the feel of both accessories.
We also have a flocked brush on another pole that either of us can use when the house has leaded windows.
My son prefers a stiff brush.
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I was gonna say 3-4 months is a short time :o
Thanks for the replies guys, I will not bother with the cill brushes then, it seems the ultimate brushes are popular I will check them out.
What’s the advantage/disadvantages with picking the soft brushes/medium/stiff?
Can you still be rough & robust with the stiff brushes without scratching the glass etc
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Xtreme brushes, nothing else, ever.
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I was gonna say 3-4 months is a short time :o
Thanks for the replies guys, I will not bother with the cill brushes then, it seems the ultimate brushes are popular I will check them out.
What’s the advantage/disadvantages with picking the soft brushes/medium/stiff?
Can you still be rough & robust with the stiff brushes without scratching the glass etc
The old hot potato.
None of the brushes sold for window cleaning will scratch glass.
Stiff is recommended for hot water. My son says that his stiff brush removes dirt and baked on bird lime better than my softer brushes do.
If he spots a mark on a window I didn't remove he will blame my soft brush. If I spot a mark on a window he cleaned then I blame his stiff brush. ;D
But I also have a scraper on the back of my brush for those more 'hard to remove' bird strikes. We also do have a Unger wide blade scraper that fits on the end of an Unger Teleplus pole for those 'welded on' bird strikes.
I honestly prefer the feel of my softer brush on the glass.
But like most windies will tell you, we have an array of brushes we have bought, used for a couple of cleans and stored them away. I still have a brand new Vikan flocked oval brush which must have been in the cupboard for 13 years.
I still have enough nearly new brushes on the van to last me for the rest of my life. Buying brushes reminds me of the old desktop computer races. Buy a computer and as soon as you get it home a faster, quicker one comes out and you just got to have the latest one.
Here's a good read for you.
https://gardinerpolesystems.co.uk/all-products/water-fed-poles/brushes/brush-suitability-guide.html
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ultimate brushes last around 4 months for me....
xtreme brushes 2 or 3 months.....
Dazmond is using hot water which will send his brushes to an early grave.
Someone made the point that the new cill brushes Gardiner's have aren't as good at getting into the corners of the frames due to their rounded edges.
I have an old cill brush that I do like, but I find it a little too heavy for continual use.
I like the Ultimate range and alternate between the yellow medium brush and the Dupont medium soft mix. I prefer the Dupont but its the yellow one on the pole ATM as it has the swivel and rinse bar on it. I'm taking my time and getting the feel of both accessories.
We also have a flocked brush on another pole that either of us can use when the house has leaded windows.
My son prefers a stiff brush.
im surprised you dont use extreme brushes spruce at your age.....they cut down strain a fair bit esp those awkward windows at angles....
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wow that was a quick decision based on just a few answers
The new sill brushes from gardeners are excellent - the guys say they scrub better than any of the SL brushes they have used and get into corners really well - yes a little heavier but less time on the glass (swings and roundabouts)
can't tell you how long they will last as its only been a few weeks
SL brushes lasted between 4 to 6 months depending on the operator - we usually turn them around 180 degrees after 3 months to keep the worn bristles at the bottom
going forward its sill brushes all the way on windows - however they are not good for soffit fascia gutter cleaning work
Darran
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For guidance, Gardiners have a brush guide on their website
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Basically James, for the easiest work, try an xtreme hybrid.
I don’t use any other brushes, doesn’t matter if I’m doing a builders clean, first clean or regular clean, the xtreme is all I use and it’s never struggling.
Personally I don’t think there is much difference between any of the brushes, they all work. I have used sill brushes, supreme, ultimate and super light, never noticed any real difference in scrubbing power.
The biggest difference is weight, and the xtreme brushes are a joy to work with. Give them a go mate.
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I only have two brushes a sill brush and the superlite, however I don't know how people work without a swivel you should at least try one!
You have to keep your clamps in good nick to stop the pole sections spinning which is a good thing.
I prefer the long swivel they get over deeper sills if you can't stand back from the window.
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ultimate brushes last around 4 months for me....
xtreme brushes 2 or 3 months.....
Dazmond is using hot water which will send his brushes to an early grave.
Someone made the point that the new cill brushes Gardiner's have aren't as good at getting into the corners of the frames due to their rounded edges.
I have an old cill brush that I do like, but I find it a little too heavy for continual use.
I like the Ultimate range and alternate between the yellow medium brush and the Dupont medium soft mix. I prefer the Dupont but its the yellow one on the pole ATM as it has the swivel and rinse bar on it. I'm taking my time and getting the feel of both accessories.
We also have a flocked brush on another pole that either of us can use when the house has leaded windows.
My son prefers a stiff brush.
im surprised you dont use extreme brushes spruce at your age.....they cut down strain a fair bit esp those awkward windows at angles....
Daz, you make a good point. I'm starting to really feel the weight of these Ultimate brushes these last few days - I've been doing the clean I did today for years and I really struggled getting the brush up to the windows today. I've got an old Extreme stiff brush I should put on and see what the difference is.
Suddenly I've lost all strength in my upper arms. In the old days we would fit a Vikan Oval back on the pole - this quickly gave us a jolt back to reality. But I don't think I could do it now.
I don't know if its the heat or if something has gone wrong. I can hardly lift my arms - its as though I have had a mini stroke. Or maybe its the shifting of muscle I experience every so often - the muscle I build up around my arms slips down to my waste and I have to start building muscle again. ;D
Sometimes we need a reality check. We saw a teenage today walking along the pavement where we were going to park the van. My son noticed she had 2 patches on each side inner arm. Never seen them before. I went back to the van to get some cleaning paste and saw her walking past the other way. So being noisey, I asked her if she didn't mind me asking what the patches were. She said she was a stage 2 diabetic. The one 'patch' was monitoring her blood sugar levels and the other was injecting insulin as her body needed it. And I thought I was badly off for a moment.
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James
Asking which brush to use, is like being in a nightclub and asking 'which girl do you fancy'?
Or being on Autotrader and saying which car do you like?
You are going to get 10 different answers.
And that is exactly how it is!
You need to decide, what YOU want in a brush and pick the one (or two that suits you).
For me, I have dodgy elbows, quite painful, so I need the lightest brushes possible; the Xtreme
They basically have the stiff, (which I use mostly) and the natural bristle, (which scrubs the glass better, but drags across the glass), this 'dragging', motion, cleans better but takes longer and asserts more effort. Not good for me!
For leaded I use an old Xtreme flocked (which they don't make anymore). It is totally knackered, but moves across (even square lead) like it isn't there. I also have another flocked (never been used), that I found in my garage, that I use for fsg cleaning as it is so light. I put fan jets on that one too.
As an everyday brush, the Ultimate medium (orange and red, I think) is hard to beat and for leaded the new superlite flocked is amazing.
Although I have all the brushes mentioned above, I stick with the Xtremes.
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ultimate brushes last around 4 months for me....
xtreme brushes 2 or 3 months.....
Dazmond is using hot water which will send his brushes to an early grave.
Someone made the point that the new cill brushes Gardiner's have aren't as good at getting into the corners of the frames due to their rounded edges.
I have an old cill brush that I do like, but I find it a little too heavy for continual use.
I like the Ultimate range and alternate between the yellow medium brush and the Dupont medium soft mix. I prefer the Dupont but its the yellow one on the pole ATM as it has the swivel and rinse bar on it. I'm taking my time and getting the feel of both accessories.
We also have a flocked brush on another pole that either of us can use when the house has leaded windows.
My son prefers a stiff brush.
im surprised you dont use extreme brushes spruce at your age.....they cut down strain a fair bit esp those awkward windows at angles....
Daz, you make a good point. I'm starting to really feel the weight of these Ultimate brushes these last few days - I've been doing the clean I did today for years and I really struggled getting the brush up the the windows today. I've got an old Extreme stiff brush I should put on and see what the difference is.
Suddenly I've lost all strength in my upper arms. In the old days we would fit a Vikan Oval back on the pole - this quickly gave us a jolt back to reality. But I don't think I could do it now.
I don't know if its the heat or if something has gone wrong. I can hardly lift my arms - its as though I have had a mini stroke. Or maybe its the shifting of muscle I experience every so often - the muscle I build up around my arms slips down to my waste and I have to start building muscle again. ;D
Sometimes we need a reality check. We saw a teenage today walking along the pavement where we were going to park the van. My son noticed she had 2 patches on each side inner arm. Never seen them before. I went back to the van to get some cleaning paste and saw her walking past the other way. So being noisey, I asked her if she didn't mind me asking what the patches were. She said she was a stage 2 diabetic. The one 'patch' was monitoring her blood sugar levels and the other was injecting insulin as her body needed it. And I thought I was badly off for a moment.
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spruce im only 47 years old and have large powerful arms and a strong upper back but even i feel the strain a bit more after 5 hours of extending my pole over connys and extensions(some parts of my round ill be doing this 20+ times in a day) if im using a brush heavier than an extreme brush.......its my go to brush for my estate work...makes the day a lot easier... :)
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James,
I wouldn't recommend using extreme brushes on 1st cleans. Not robust enough, rubbish on spiders nests and ground-in dirt.
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The extremes are ace, a one of a kind brush.
I have all three and the 14" is still way lighter than the ultimate range and covers glass really weel while still feeling agile. I have 4 pencil jets at 1.8mm in it and makes easy work.
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James,
I wouldn't recommend using extreme brushes on 1st cleans. Not robust enough, rubbish on spiders nests and ground-in dirt.
no problem if you use very hot pure water for cleaning.....i dont generally use them for dirty first cleans though,the ultimate is my brush of choice for the really dirty cleans.....
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James,
I wouldn't recommend using extreme brushes on 1st cleans. Not robust enough, rubbish on spiders nests and ground-in dirt.
That may be an issue for me then as I will be doing many first cleans as I’m still building, cheers for the heads up.
Edit: Just re-Reading through the thread and Zesty mentions that extreme hybrid works well on first cleans and even construction cleans.....
I’m in no rush and will weigh up the options over the next few weeks and will research some more.
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For guidance, Gardiners have a brush guide on their website
Cheers mate I will look through that aswell just wanted to also hear what window cleaners who work with the brushes everyday also think about them
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(http://www.cleanitup.co.uk/smf/1564107019_Screenshot_20190726-030927_Gallery.jpg)
(http://www.cleanitup.co.uk/smf/1564107035_Screenshot_20190726-030942_Gallery.jpg)
My 3 brushes from gardiners have arrived.....
1)35cm ultimate stiff(4 jets)....larger domestic and commercial jobs
2)26cm ultimate stiff.....regular day to day brush
3)26cm xtreme stiff.......compact estate work with lots of awkward angle windows to clean,f/s/g cleans at height,etc.....
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Daz why didn’t you do for the wide xtreme? Much lighter and you won’t see any more scrubbing power out of the ultimate. (Not that’s noticeable)
Then again if your only using it for one job...
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Daz why didn’t you do for the wide xtreme? Much lighter and you won’t see any more scrubbing power out of the ultimate. (Not that’s noticeable)
Then again if your only using it for one job...
I dont think the natural bristle holds up too well with hot water
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Daz why didn’t you do for the wide xtreme? Much lighter and you won’t see any more scrubbing power out of the ultimate. (Not that’s noticeable)
Then again if your only using it for one job...
i didnt see the point of going for the wide extreme as this brush will be used on offices,care homes,childrens nurseries and large stand alone domestic jobs with large windows...the whole point was to get more brush coverage,not less.... :)
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Bristles are bristles.
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(http://www.cleanitup.co.uk/smf/1564107019_Screenshot_20190726-030927_Gallery.jpg)
(http://www.cleanitup.co.uk/smf/1564107035_Screenshot_20190726-030942_Gallery.jpg)
My 3 brushes from gardiners have arrived.....
1)35cm ultimate stiff(4 jets)....larger domestic and commercial jobs
2)26cm ultimate stiff.....regular day to day brush
3)26cm xtreme stiff.......compact estate work with lots of awkward angle windows to clean,f/s/g cleans at height,etc.....
I can sense the drool from Daz's bubbling lips😍👍👌
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Get yourself to the show in September, look out for some of the members on here perhaps. Have a look at all the brushes on show, so you can physically see them etc, then make a choice if need be. Even pop in and listen to Lee ;D.
Just don't believe the sales pitch from all the companies
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Daz why didn’t you do for the wide xtreme? Much lighter and you won’t see any more scrubbing power out of the ultimate. (Not that’s noticeable)
Then again if your only using it for one job...
i didnt see the point of going for the wide extreme as this brush will be used on offices,care homes,childrens nurseries and large stand alone domestic jobs with large windows...the whole point was to get more brush coverage,not less.... :)
Daz the wide xtreme is still, well, WIDE ;D
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Get yourself to the show in September, look out for some of the members on here perhaps. Have a look at all the brushes on show, so you can physically see them etc, then make a choice if need be. Even pop in and listen to Lee ;D.
Just don't believe the sales pitch from all the companies
ill be in a 5 star hotel in lanzarote........ 8)......(lava beach hotel).........
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A pine table and chairs Daz! Get a grip man. It's not 1975
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A pine table and chairs Daz! Get a grip man. It's not 1975
Ah yes but he does have a silk table runner and diamond encrusted table mats , it’s all bling bling with Daz you know ;D
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A pine table and chairs Daz! Get a grip man. It's not 1975
Ah yes but he does have a silk table runner and diamond encrusted table mats , it’s all bling bling with Daz you know ;D
thats what happens when you have an interior designer for a girlfriend trying to pimp up your flat...nothing to do with me rich! ;D
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Yeah , yeah 🤣
What does concern me is the empty fruit bowl , how will you cope 😁
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Nice one daz, I do like the look of the 26cm ultimate with the red bristles 8)
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Just going to order my new brush now I’m going for the ultimate 26cm stiff, it has option to order quick loq socket are they worth it?
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I’d say go for a stiff only if you have a hot water system. But maybe that’s only me :)
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Just going to order my new brush now I’m going for the ultimate 26cm stiff, it has option to order quick loq socket are they worth it?
I wouldn't order a stiff brush if you use cold water...a medium soft brush would be better for you mate.....
The quick loc is great....I use it on all my brushes.....👍
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Just for comparisons sake with people saying that the Extreme doesn't last as long I've got two brushes below, Ultimate med soft and an extreme softish! Wasn't what I ordered but anyway it's older but been in use pretty much all this year with the other been used for around six months. You can see the extreme center bristles are absolutely fine and it's only the corners going miss shaped.(http://www.cleanitup.co.uk/smf/1565374302_Screenshot_20190809-190010_Gallery.jpg)
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Ok I think I’ll go for the ultimate 26cm mixed soft then and I’ll order the quick loq with it, I think I’m gonna order the super scraper attachment and scrubbing pad, also another ez snap female hose connector for spare as my one has bit of rust
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Periodically you may want to spray the ez snap connection with wd40, as they can stiffen etc but only periodically do this as part of the maintenance on your tools.
Ps, well done on nearly hitting the hundred mark
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Cheers mate and Yeah I need to get some wd40 it will hopefully sort it been slacking there a bit, also still need to get some spray for pole maintenance etc.
Would the ultimate 26cm medium brush be good with cold water?
I’m just thinking I’ve already got a mixed/soft brush and would like to try a different one
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The thing with brushes, is, that we all have our favourite ones we like to use and that's why you will always get a mix of answers on here.
I personally like stiff bristles which dont splay too much but I found that out from trying various brushes particularly in my first Yr of using wfp.
Daz buys things and hates them, only to like them later 😂 so if your happy with the brush you've got and it still has life leftin it. Then I would go for a different one and build your experience and find which one suits you and your needs.
Haha, sorry for the waffle, but basically the answer is yes, it will be fine with cold