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What is this stuff on the glass?

Greener

Active member
Messages
436
Location
Swindon
Hi all, one of my cleans has this on some of the windows at the rear of the property is has been on the windows since being built? I have scrubbed and scrubbed and even used the old half a lemon trick, but it won't shift? Now I want to be a hero LoL ;-) and do what the last window cleaner failed to do and get rid? View attachment 4235

View attachment 4234

 
Just looks like heavy water spotting to me. Is there a hose/sprinkler near by? Put a bit of vinegar on it pet.

 
Same as you, was trying to scrub a window like that today with my freebie Trollul wire sponge and thought this was going to take it off, but no, have already tried mister muscle limescale, but no use either. The problem is there is a balcony above and the water is running down the wall and staining the glass, might try water spot removal stuff, but dont think it will shift it. I wanted to be the hero today, as well, but failed:(.

 
Does rain water run down the building onto the glass?

Usually this is from poor design, the lintel will be angled towards the glass instead if away, so rain water picks up mineral deposits and then bakes on the glass.

Chemicals may not shift it, and worse still they could even make it worse.

If your unsure then leave well alone.

Glass polish (jewellers rouge/cerium oxide) might be the only way.

 
No sprinkler near by! Yes stone house! What's best thing to do if hard water? Will try vinegar? Its on most of the lower windows on the back of the house? I can't see anything house related causing it?

 
That's a glass restoration job not a window cleaning job as the two are completely different

 
I had one similar to the pic. There was a bog overflow pipe dripping on the window below. Mr Muscle lime scale remover got rid of it.

Hey @Greener why the bad spelling for window surfer?

 
Same as you, was trying to scrub a window like that today with my freebie Trollul wire sponge and thought this was going to take it off, but no, have already tried mister muscle limescale, but no use either. The problem is there is a balcony above and the water is running down the wall and staining the glass, might try water spot removal stuff, but dont think it will shift it. I wanted to be the hero today, as well, but failed:(.
http://www.trollull.co.uk/ check out the glass cleaner, smurf got them too. I was using it to take paint off, seemed to work on that.

 
I have a few houses that are about a thousand feet up and exposed to the south west, anything dripping from top sills gets blown back onto the face of the building. Then drip drip onto the windows. I'm trying lots of things to remove decades of this. It's my new project.

 
There are many type of products you could try to use for glass clearing from off the shelf supermarket limescale removers to window cleaners hard water stain removers.

Then there are acid based glass clearing products like @H MAN uses but you can't get it in the UK.

However you can get something simular which is a USA product called winsol crystal clear 550

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They are very good on glass but the downside the steel wool is only a very thin layer stuck onto a sponge pad so they don't last me that long as when it wears becomes ineffective. Also found as it wears the fine bits of steel wool can come off too that gets on the glass. Not a real problem for me but just wished the product lasted longer. Still is a very good product though but not for regular use unless you stock up the van .

http://www.trollull.co.uk/ check out the glass cleaner, smurf got them too. I was using it to take paint off, seemed to work on that.
 
I've been using ph down' mixed with different water ratios. For me project like.

 
I dealt with a window like this today that's been bugging me a long time. It has a sprinker in front of it.

First I covered it with white vinegar then left it for about 15 minutes. The vinegar had dried by then but after cleaning by hand most of the marks had gone and Unger Rubout got rid of what was left.

I've had a look at making a water based gel on youtube and as soon as I can find the ingredients (glycerine and xanthan gum) I'll try making it with vinegar instead of water and see what happens.

 
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