Whats Good To Clean Salt Off Windows?

[S.W. Window Cleaning]

Hi ,

I live neat the seaside. I was cleaning windows yesterday but there was a lot of salt on them. I use wfp and even with hot water it wasn`t coming up that good. Anybody else have this problem?

Cheers,

Steve

 

[Smurf]

I can't answer that one myself as don't live by the coast but the likes of @shazzy692002 might be able to help.

 

[shazzy692002]

Yes I live on the coast. I also have houses on the coastline and all I use is my pure water(wfp). Even after the winds with the sand and salt, they came up fine.

 

[spruce]

We occassionally get windows that are greasy in appearance. A little squirt of Ubik or some other cleaner (even Fairy) on the brush head will remove it. We wouldn't do it too often as so much rinsing is required to get the soap off.

Not had a problem of late TBH. We live and work on the North East Coast.

 

[Luke Elliott]

We have a lot of work on the sea front. Never have a problem getting salt off and don't use heat either. When you say they aren't coming up that good, what are you seeing? Describe how the glass looks?

My first thoughts would be; what kind of frames are they? What kind of glass? What brush are you using? And what technique do you use with the pole?

I mean no one any disrespect, especially on a window cleaning forum. But I have seem many a window cleaner not know how to adapt technique for different windows and conditions. Assuming your equipment is maintained in good order, and the brush is the correct brush for window type, then would look at technique. If you can smear the salt with your finger you should be able to remove it with WFP.

 

[S.W. Window Cleaning]

Hi,

When the window started to dry there was smeares all down it. It looked like salt all down it. Frames are plastic. Trouble is the problem ones were 3 stores up. You can`t get the same pressure on the brush as the lower down ones. I go across at the top and then like a W motion. Its a Gardiner Dual trim mixed bristles brush I have but I also have a 10" Scrubber brush although I did not try it. I thought maybe trying a spot of ecover the next time. Any advice welcomed.

Cheers,

Steve

 

[Luke Elliott]

The height is most likely the biggest factor here. How are you rinsing at that height? Ecover probably won't help. Sounds like rinsing the salt off is possibly the problem. If you can't lift the pole off the window to rinse then I would be using a superlight monofilament brush. Turn your water pressure right up and to rinse lift the brush so that it's touching the window but that bristles aren't bent. Rinse like that. Monofilament brushes don't hold onto dirt particles the same way and high water pressure helps blow dirt out of the bristles. You can also tilt / twist the pole so that the brush only touches on one side and rinse across like that. Then switch and rinse the other way. If the windows don't sheet then the more water pressure the better.

No doubt the frames have vents? Common problem is that only the windows with vents streak. In this case it's the vent releasing dirty water after you've rinsed the window. The solution to this is to rinse more than once. Do your normal clean and rinse then move onto the next window. After completing the window go back to the first one and rinse from the glass down avoiding the head of the window and the vent. Hold the brush close enough to the glass so that you don't get any splatter from the jet hitting the glass which will shoot up into the vent again. On real problem windows three rinses may be necessary. Space the rinses again but don't let the glass dry between rinses. Keep in mind weather conditions. In direct sunlight the glass will dry far quicker so the rinses can be closer together.

Make a thoroughly good job of cleaning the head too. Are you only going across the head once? Try three times. Again a monofilament brush will get into the frame better. Don't come off the head until it's clean and don't go back to it once it's done.

When you go across in a W motion do you then go back the other way too? Remembering to put an extra stroke in before you change direction? Or do you just brush across once? Most occasions just going across once will leave a far higher risk of only wetting dirt and not loosening it. I go across twice on all windows. More on first cleans.

What's room below like? Are you restricted on pole angle / steepness? On high stuff you can still get enough weight behind the brush if A) your pole is long enough and B) you can stand far enough back? If you can't stand back as you would like then carbon poles help as they are stiffer and allow you to apply a little force. For best results use a carbon pole that you don't have to fully extend. But to be honest the other factors above should fix the issue.

 

[S.W. Window Cleaning]

Thanks Luke for the advice. Yes I only did across once so will try a few times. I did the W action a few times so that should not have been a problem. Im not restricted on pole angle although im using a 30ft SLX and its just barely enough to reach the top of the window. There also was bird dirt just at the top which took a lot of scrubbing to get off. Anyway I will be speaking to the customer over the weekend so I will find out how they dried out completely.

Cheers,

Steve

 

[tench0771]

i wrk buy the sea an salt can b a rite pain leaving smears an streaks its worse when its a hot day i scrub then rinse very slowly, do all tops then go bk to the first an give it a nother quick scrub glass only that it an rinse heavly again i have my water set on 50/60 on a purefreedom flo con that usly wrks for me hope that helps! i also sometimes spray ubik2000 on the brush if there greasy to shift it.

 

[S.W. Window Cleaning]

Is ubik2000 similar to ecover?

 

[spruce]

Is ubik2000 similar to ecover?

Yes.

 

[tench0771]

ubik is a degreaser very good stuff indeedwrks a treat on first cleans