[M & C Window Cleaning]

An established custy says to me today: 'We probably won't need your services anymore as we've just had the windows replaced with self cleaning glass.'
Literaly less than 10mins later I'm cleaning a new customers property WFP, and she's singing it's praises to her next door nieghbour who comes out and asks me to do hers as well. When I look at them the're filthy and guess what? They're also self cleaning glass and they are not that old. They seem to get dirtier quicker than regular glass.

Has anyone else found this?

[windowwashers]

An established custy says to me today: 'We probably won't need your services anymore as we've just had the windows replaced with self cleaning glass.'
Literaly less than 10mins later I'm cleaning a new customers property WFP, and she's singing it's praises to her next door nieghbour who comes out and asks me to do hers as well. When I look at them the're filthy and guess what? They're also self cleaning glass and they are not that old. They seem to get dirtier quicker than regular glass.

Has anyone else found this?

self clean glass is meant to replel dirt, I have founf the same it gets dirty quicker : sales gimic I think,

[LWC]

its a load of rubbish, i have a few self cleaning custie windows. and yes they are the most dirtiest i see when i go back  :

[m.b.s.]

self cleaning glass what a load of rubbish thy get dirty a lot quicker imo

[groundhog]

I have a customer who has a conservatory with self cleaning glass, I clean all of the windows in the house apart from the conservatory because of the self clean glass, which she claims works brilliantly, but it is absolutely filthy!!! but for some reason she just can't see it. I think the salesman must have brainwashed her or something!!!!

[xxmattyxx]

I have a customer who has a conservatory with self cleaning glass, I clean all of the windows in the house apart from the conservatory because of the self clean glass, which she claims works brilliantly, but it is absolutely filthy!!! but for some reason she just can't see it. I think the salesman must have brainwashed her or something!!!!

Does that make it brain-cleaning glass then ?

B-)

[michael papworth]

Groundhog: I think the salesman must have brainwashed her or something!!!!

Matt B: Does that make it brain-cleaning glass then ?

LOL. One of the funniest exchanges I've seen on here. Brilliant.

[Simon_King]

To call it self cleaning is pushing it a bit. Low maintainance at best would be better.
Trouble is you need water to sheet down the glass enough to clean the dirt off.
How you get enough rain water to hit windows especially under eaves of houses in the right quantity and regularity I dont know.
I clean a conservatory roof with self cleaning glass. Basically cos even though its a roof the customer isnt happy to wait for it to rain enough to clean his roof.
I found that it sheets brilliantly with wfp. Makes the job easy.

[M & C Window Cleaning]

It seems from all your input that the first customer I spoke of may not be a lost one after all.

Time will tell.

[michael papworth]

The science behind self cleaning glass is quite interesting.

The first thing to say is that windowwashers isn't quite right in his statement that self-cleaning glass is meant to repel dirt. If that were the case, it would mean that it has a sort of non-stick surface. The surface will accept dirt, but the glass should then clean itself in the rain. This is how it works:

The glass is given a very thin layer of titanium dioxide (TiO₂) which performs a dual function.

First of all, it is somehow activated by UV light (and I can't begin to understand how) and breaks down organic matter.

Secondly, the TiO₂ also makes the surface very hydrophilic, so water sheets down (as Simon noted) rather than runs down in rivulets (as it does on hydrophobic glass). Just as when we wash windows with 000, the rainwater (which is typically 002 to 006 ppm tds) picks up dust and loosened organic deposits and carries them away. As the surface is hydrophilic, the water sheets down and leaves the glass to dry from the top down - which is just what we observe happening on similarly hydrophic glass.

So, provided that the sun shines enough to keep the TiO₂  activated and it rains hard enough to cause the water to sheet down the glass, it should be perfectly self-cleaning.

Of course, this combination doesn't happen very often - and Pilkington knows this and actually says so on their web site.

The coating on self-cleaning glass normally breaks down even the heaviest deposits of organic dirt in time - but if the surface is so dirty that daylight cannot reach the glass, the self-cleaning action will not take effect. In such cases, clean the glass with warm soapy water and a soft cloth - in a few days the self-cleaning process will have re-activated. During very dry spells you may need to clean your windows, as there will have been no rain to wash loosened dirt away. This is easily done by simply hosing down with water - which should remove most traces of dirt. Note: organic dirt will not necessarily be removed by hosing, so some dirt may still be seen when the glass dries after the hosing treatment.

Taken from: www.pilkingtonselfcleaningglass.co.uk/howitworks;jsessionid=D4F0480D2017F993791A8FC146CACA99#2

We window cleaners DO need to be informed about these things and tell the customers the truth:

Self-cleaning glass will only work if it is kept clean!

We are not about to be redundant just yet.

[windowcleaninginessex.co.uk]

One of my customers had new windows fitted in back of property, ( front had already been done by previous owners ) self cleaning glass so she said. So could i just do the front in future, i did have a little laugh at her and told her no problem but i bet you will have me cleaning backs again within a few months. Sure enough four months later i was cleaning the whole house again.
Darren

[SherwoodCleaningSe]

Self cleaning glass just doesn't work in this country, not enough heavy rain.  For it to work you would be looking at weather condtions that wouldn't go with window cleaning any way. 

I suppose the retort to "I have self cleaning glass", is, "Do you have self cleaning frames as well?"

If you loose them and they want clean windows, they'll soon be back.

Simon.

[M & C Window Cleaning]

That's interesting info on the Pilkington site.

However, unless you get lots of torrential rain it's seldom if ever going to work. We hardly ever get rain heavy enough that it sheets down our windows where I live even when it rains all day. Also, unless the rain goes horizontal the top metre or so of the upstairs windows is never going to get cleaned.

Still, if it sheets as it should, when we get these custies back it should make our job easier.

[M & C Window Cleaning]

Hi Simon,
Didn't see your post.
I hope not too many people start hosing their windows round here as the hard water makes a right mess which is hard to clean off.
I've had 2 today who sprayed water on their windows and made them difficult to clean and three the other day whose kids had a water fight across three back gardens covering all the windows on two conservatories in white deposits.

[simon knight]

I have a customer who had self cleaning put in as replacement glass on the roof of his conservatory. After it was done he told me not to worry about the roof from then on....and I haven't. Still charge him the same money though.

What I'd like is a self cleaning van

[michael papworth]

1 - I suppose the retort to "I have self cleaning glass", is, "Do you have self cleaning frames as well?"

2 - What I'd like is a self cleaning van 


Simon.

Touché

Simon, I LOVE your sense of humour ... a master of wit and repartee.

[simon knight]

1 - I suppose the retort to "I have self cleaning glass", is, "Do you have self cleaning frames as well?"

2 - What I'd like is a self cleaning van 


Simon.

Touché

Simon, I LOVE your sense of humour ... a master of wit and repartee.

Bless you Wally. If only I could master window cleaning my life would be complete....hello...supper calls!

Bonsoir

[michael papworth]

Bon soir et bon appetit

[d s windowcleaning]

one of my best paying jobs as self cleaning glass , it aint self cleaning frames though 

[AuRavelling79]

Self cleaning glass works best for roof panes, where rain and sun can get to them - shopping malls, conservatories etc. which reduces their cleaning bills considerably.

For upright panes, for the reasons set out in the previous posts - especially on domestic, you will get filthy frames and so once the customer realises they have been sold a pup   er, do not have the right circumstances to make the system work well, they will need a window cleaner.