Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: Mike 108 on April 02, 2007, 07:11:56 pm
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Started the day with all clean cloths and scrims but just couldn't eliminate 'smears' (or whatever it was they were!).
Every time I polished a pane, it looked good when I'd finished but then a white haze appeared a couple of minutes later.
Also, while detailing - if a loose part of my scrim grazed the glass, it deposited a fine white powder on it!
Packed in after 3 houses and went home to practice on my own house. It looked worse after I'd done it than before I started!
Hope the gremlins have gone tomorrow!
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It's the suns ultra-violet that breaks down the outer surface of the paint on the frames...UPVC is the worst offender!
Here's what you do.....
Clean window per usual.
Go onto next window (thus giving 1st to dry off completely)
Return to 1st and buff-off "white bloom" being carefull not to touch frames!
It's a bloody nightmare mate and one of the trades hazards...oh well 8)
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Iv been blaming the scrims for this as it doesnt seem to happen when im using microfibre. ::)
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I did a house just this Saturday...all UPVC frames. Wet the end of my finger...rubbed it down the frame and then down the glass...guess what?...The glass looked like I'd dipped my finger in whitewash.
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You can some times get this white powdery look when the owner has washed her windows with windowlene, its a pain in the a**e.
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We have this problem with a couple of jobs (thankfully not too many) we do 2 panes at a time let them dry after detailing them then with a clean dry scrim polish the offending panes trying to stay away from the seals.
al
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Simon.
That's interesting. Your right - it did buff off later - but what a 'ball-ache'. How come I've never experienced it so bad before?
Cheers, anyway
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Mike,
I honestly think it takes a few years to become a quick and competant trad window cleaner; at least.
Even then, you'll find you can still greatly improve your speed.
Okay, window cleaning isn't rocket science; but to do it quickly and ergonomically; it's definately an art.
You just need to be determined enough to stick at it long enough to learn the skills.
I think I'm pretty good; I've been doing it for over four years now (I know, I'm still wet behind the ears), but when I see guys cleaning windows, who've been doing it ten and twenty years plus; I know I'm no-where near as skilfull as some of them.
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Tosh.
Yeah. somedays everything goes great and I think I've cracked it - other days it seems really hard work. Ah well!
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Tosh.
Yeah. somedays everything goes great and I think I've cracked it - other days it seems really hard work. Ah well!
What size squeegie are you using for your routine domestic work? Do you change your rubbers everyday; switching them around at lunchtime?
Have you a big bag of scrims and microfibre?
Are you charging a good price?
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Tosh.
I use 10" squeegees for most glass and a 14" squeegee for large panes.
I only average 8 houses a day - so I only turn the rubbers round once a week (unless there's a nick in it).
I have about a dozen small microfibres that I use for detailing and the same number of scrims that I use for polishing off smears, or to polish small panes.
I have just changed from Glimmer Glean to Sqeegee Off and my son-in-law has just pointed out that the instructions say NOT to use in direct sunlight - but you have to, don't you?
What do you think?
Cheers
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BIG MAC, in a perfect world, you shouldnt have any smears, obviously something is wrong, otherwise he would not be asking the question!
What do you call (a wrong detergent) as he has stated he is using squeegee off! ::) ::)
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macmac.
Ah but you don't get as much sun in The Borders, do you?
Only joking!
Obviously, it is my technique and/or rubbers, but today was particularly weird. I always clean the frames but the first 2 houses were 'first cleans' after previous cleaner had not shown for 3 months. Could the applicator and scrims been contaminated?
Anyway, I persivered until the jobs were right - but I was well 'browned off'.
Mike
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you should try wfp they are great ;D :o ::) I am going to get one ;D
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Tosh.
I use 10" squeegees for most glass and a 14" squeegee for large panes.
I only average 8 houses a day - so I only turn the rubbers round once a week (unless there's a nick in it).
I have about a dozen small microfibres that I use for detailing and the same number of scrims that I use for polishing off smears, or to polish small panes.
I have just changed from Glimmer Glean to Sqeegee Off and my son-in-law has just pointed out that the instructions say NOT to use in direct sunlight - but you have to, don't you?
What do you think?
Cheers
I usually do over 100 houses, before the squeegee rubbers need changing sometimes more, the minute it isnt performing, it gets changed, I use ettore rubbers
personally I dont like squeegee off, I find it doesnt glide too well, I use fairy liquid applying plenty of water to the window, and I put Unger gel on the applicator once or twice a day, it seems to work well.
Ive been cleaning windows for around 7 years and there has been plenty of disheartening days, but stick with it and it will get loads better, you will get quicker and you find the methods that suit you.
Hope tomorrow goes better
Scrimit
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Thanks, Scrimit.
Mike
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If you are washing and squeegee-ing, on oxidised frames the only problem you should have is the odd line on the glass where perhaps you were not as accurate with your squeegee passes as you should have been, and perhaps teeth gritting frustration with detailing >:(
If the frames are oxidised it is a good idea to pre-detail priior to squeegee-ing the glass, this way you should eliminate the need to dry-detail the glass, and thereby avoid your scrim or microfibre cloth getting in contact with the frame.
But keep the cloth you use for any pre-detailing separate from any that you use for normal detailing, you wantto try and avoid getting your clean cloth's free of contanimation from the oxidised frames as much as possible.
If you go back onto a window to buff it clean, and the glass is dry, then you are almost certainly going to leave marks and smears behind that will be visible from the inside.
If your detergent solution is too strong you will have problems, doesn't matter whether you are using washing up liquid or specialised liquids.
The more detergent you put in, the bigger the film you leave behind.
That glass you have just made a squeegee pass over may look perfect, and to all intents and purposes it is, but there is still a microscopic film left behind.
Don't believe me?
clean an inside window, get it so perfect that niether you nor I could fault it.
If that pane isn't cleaned for a few weeks then as a film of dust/weathering/smoke and so on slowly settles on it, those microscopic particles will highlight every pass you made, and every turn you made of the squeegee.
It only does this becuase of that iinvisible film you left behind that is 'sticky' to these particles.
Pub windows are an absolute sod for showing this up, even after just a few days :-\
you may have wonderful 'glide' when you have a lovely slippery solution in your bucket, but you are far better off developing your squeegee technique instead, you'll find that the specialist detergents work fine then...and as their dilution rates are so much lower than you would use with the likes of fairy liquid, thte residue they leave behind is infinitely less than that left behind by water with washing up liquid in.
And that will also have a bearing on oxidised frames....
Ian
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Mike,
A guy called Mark has produced a Window Cleaning DVD. It tells you all you need to know (mostly) about working trad and gives you lots of time saving tips.
It costs 20 quid, but will make you lots LOTS more in return for your time.
I haven't got a link to his DVD, but if you do a search on this site for 'Window Cleaning DVD' you'll find it.
I 100% recommend this DVD to you; in fact I'm so sure you'll find it usefull I'll give you your payment back if you don't like it.
FIND IT AND BUY IT.
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http://www.windowcleaningresources.co.uk/html/window_cleaning_dvd_tutorials.html
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Thanks, Ian,Tosh & Propole
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Tosh, I bought that DVD and I didn't like it. Can I have my money back please. ;D
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Do you use soap powder on them? How do you clean them?
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Just a thought, have you bolied your new scrim or are you using it from new as this will leave horrid results??
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So how did today go?
Trevor made a good point scrims take a while to work well, if you have pre washed or un washed scrim, they will both benefit from being boiled.
Scrimit
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To Scrimit and everybody else.
Today went well. Changed squeegee rubbers before setting off and had no problems until last house of the day.
Last but one house was a 'first clean' (including frames) - upstairs windows not been done for 12 months.
Moved to the house next door where I cleaned some small panes of glass with damp cloth. Removed excess moisture with microfibre and gave final polish with scrim. Noticed a white haze appearing AGAIN (same as yesterday but nowhere near as bad).
Cleaned it off using a different scrim
I think it was down to the cloth and/or scrim that I'd just used on the 'first clean'. Although they both looked clean and felt dry, I should have used new ones.
Cheers all,
Mike
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Today went well. Changed squeegee rubbers before setting off and had no problems until last house of the day.
Mike
Mike,
Until you realise the difference between bad squeegying and a bad rubber, change your rubber every day; turning it round at midday.
It's demoralising trying to work with a bad rubber; you spend more time scrimming marks off windows; it's even worse when you've got a bad technique and a bad squeegie; but think it's purely your technique. I know this from experience. I think it was about two months before I changed my rubber when I first started. You can imagine the 'hell' I went through!
I buy pulex from an e-bay seller; and they're cheap and good.
Have you bought that DVD yet?
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I had the white powder thing on the frames. Found was best not to detail at all. Do with the squeegee and thats it. If you do a good job of mopping and blading you shouldn't have to detail anyway!
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Sounds like he`s wiping the frames with the scrim,stay away from frames with scrims that`s what sill cloths are for.