[mac74]

Hello all, i done a first clean on a 3 bed house 2day, as someone had not long moved in, and they were the dirtiest windows ive ever done. The front windows with brown upvc were completely blanked out by dirt, and i reckon they haven't been cleaned in many many years, if ever? So i got up the ladder to prep it by wet clothing & blading etc. then i cleaned it thoroughly over & over with wfp. When it dried off, the front windows still had i grime haze that didn't wash off? I have never had this before? (they were not blown) So my Question is, is there a chemical that's needed to get good results on this type of scenario? Thanks m

[deeege]

I’ll occasionally give minging first cleans a spray of Virosol to help remove the baked on crap. Not always necessary but it does help on the bad ones.

[P @ F]

I’m with above , I don’t often get jobs that bad anymore but I usually get a viro or ubik  mix in the backpack , plaster the windows in it and then wash off a few at a time with the van mount , then when done start again with just pure and re do all windows , takes longer than normal so price at least double !

[nathankaye]

Curious as to why use ladders n old school to pre treat? 
 
 
 

A splash of some sort of degreaser/cleaner may help the clean go faster on such unloved windows.
However is this haze perhaps dried on limescale / water marks?  If so perhaps a spray of some remover and bronze wool on the upstairs and same on downstairs (or 000 grade steel wool).

[mac74]

Curious as to why use ladders n old school to pre treat? 
 
 
 

A splash of some sort of degreaser/cleaner may help the clean go faster on such unloved windows.
However is this haze perhaps dried on limescale / water marks?  If so perhaps a spray of some remover and bronze wool on the upstairs and same on downstairs (or 000 grade steel wool).

I dont normally use ladders to pre treat, unless its really necessary, and as i said the front windows were that bad, they were partially like frosted/opaque. I also sprayed on viakal to no avail, but i guessed it wasn't hard water marks anyway. I have g101 on board but i believe this wouldn't have done it either. I could feel it to the touch when rubbing my fingers over the glass after cleaning, its baked on crud/dirt and prob never been cleaned off b4. Anyway i was just wondering if there is a strong chemical thats used to break down this sort of thing down?  I now remember i had this problem once yrs ago on ladders, and i had to blade the sml top windows completely to remove crud, (wouldn't come off with window safe scourers). I just dont want to miss something if they ask someone else tbh. Thanks all m

[Jonny 87]

I’ve cleaned windows like that in the past but I’ve never had anything like that left on the windows.

If virisol doesn’t remove it, then it’s not just standard dirt.

We use virosol to clean gutters and upvc that are green and not been touched for decades sometimes, and it gets them gleaming.

Could it be overspray from some kind of house or roof treatment?

[Spruce]

Curious as to why use ladders n old school to pre treat? 
 
 
 

A splash of some sort of degreaser/cleaner may help the clean go faster on such unloved windows.
However is this haze perhaps dried on limescale / water marks?  If so perhaps a spray of some remover and bronze wool on the upstairs and same on downstairs (or 000 grade steel wool).

I dont normally use ladders to pre treat, unless its really necessary, and as i said the front windows were that bad, they were partially like frosted/opaque. I also sprayed on viakal to no avail, but i guessed it wasn't hard water marks anyway. I have g101 on board but i believe this wouldn't have done it either. I could feel it to the touch when rubbing my fingers over the glass after cleaning, its baked on crud/dirt and prob never been cleaned off b4. Anyway i was just wondering if there is a strong chemical thats used to break down this sort of thing down?  I now remember i had this problem once yrs ago on ladders, and i had to blade the sml top windows completely to remove crud, (wouldn't come off with window safe scourers). I just dont want to miss something if they ask someone else tbh. Thanks all m

We have to remember that we are window cleaners and not miracle workers. 

If the windows aren't blown then the glass has been affected by some form of contamination. Sometimes that can be manually polished out with something along the grounds of Jewelers Rouge. Is it worth the trouble and cost? I don't think so.

For example, we have seen contamination on the glass from grouting repairs done to the brickwork above. On the one particular glass pane I tried to rub it with some Pink Stuff in a corner. Even that abrasive paste didn't work at all.

The window has been like this for the past 10 years and never got any better.  We clean it and move onto the next window. If it bothers them then its their choice to replace the window or replace us.

Over the years I’ve come to realise that much as we want to be responsive to all our customer expectations, we can’t be all things to all people—not just because that is impossible, but because I have to work within economic constraints as a window cleaner. (The solution would be to replace all the windows but that's costly.)

[Spruce]

I’ve cleaned windows like that in the past but I’ve never had anything like that left on the windows.

If virisol doesn’t remove it, then it’s not just standard dirt.

We use virosol to clean gutters and upvc that are green and not been touched for decades sometimes, and it gets them gleaming.

Could it be overspray from some kind of house or roof treatment?

Good point. We've had roller 'spray' of resin on the windows below where a flat roof had been fibreglassed.

We have numerous windows that have been damaged by the use of angle grinders cutting steel or concrete (grouting) close by. All of this is permanent damage.

[Dry Clean]

Its more than likely to be something similar to hard water marks which if so will need scraped off, for really bad first cleans try connecting to the customers tap, the extra water pressure makes all the difference, then finish the glass with pure.

[Stoots]

i just use a degreaser such as washing up liquid or all purpose cleaner.

If it needs a bit more abrasion then cream cleaner on the brush is good.

If something wont come off then it wont come off, unless they are paying a premium im not going to worry about it.

[windowswashed]

Might have had the walls pre treated with a waterproofing spray, makes a right mess of the windows if some idiot sprayed it on in not the best of weather resulting in most of it running down over the glass. 

[dazmond]

Hello all, i done a first clean on a 3 bed house 2day, as someone had not long moved in, and they were the dirtiest windows ive ever done. The front windows with brown upvc were completely blanked out by dirt, and i reckon they haven't been cleaned in many many years, if ever? So i got up the ladder to prep it by wet clothing & blading etc. then i cleaned it thoroughly over & over with wfp. When it dried off, the front windows still had i grime haze that didn't wash off? I have never had this before? (they were not blown) So my Question is, is there a chemical that's needed to get good results on this type of scenario? Thanks m

hot water and virosol on a very dirty first clean and plenty of scrubbing and rinsing......sod getting up a ladder too.....if the windows are still not clean afterwards then ive tried my best......

[mac74]

Many Thanks All, for the feedback, like i say it was the worst first clean i have ever done, and i only took it on because it was next to my other work.  I dont think it was a over spray or anything, as i would of felt it with the blade, but just a very aged, and a never cleaned glass thing.  I do THINK that the windows i mention are knackered, and can't be put right without some sort of serious acidic cleaner for the glass or a rubbing compound? and that's the MAIN reason i asked the question tbh, because i didn't want the customer to get a second opinion off another windy, and for him to pull out some sort of miracle spray to get it clear, which wouldn't look good on me, especially as it was a recommendation.  I now feel better knowing the above feedback. Thanks again. M