So on this newish house above the main kitchen window, the stone above the window is rolling down and is staining the glass! The customer has said they got it off with patio cleaner before so I’m not sure what to do to get this off. This customer is very fussy so I can’t make any mistakes, would ye guys even attempt to clean it? If so what would ye use?
Welcome to the UK Window Cleaning Forums
Starting or own a window cleaning business? We're a network of window cleaners sharing advice, tips & experience. Rounds for sale & more. Join us today!
Any tips how to get this off the glass?
- Thread starter IWCC
- Start date
Help Support WCF:
WindyinNorfolk
Well-known member
- Messages
- 147
If its etching into the glass - walk away you will be there for a long time and chances of getting perfect is virtually zero
patio cleaner will be a strong acid - I personally would avoid
patio cleaner will be a strong acid - I personally would avoid
Totally agree with @WindyinNorfolk . I've seen a few windows with rundown from stone etc above and it's a nightmare to try and get off. I would avoid if I were you mate @PR Cleaning Solutions but someone on here maybe able to give you some tips.
Deleted member 7446
Well-known member
- Messages
- 4,349
Looks to me like staining from a degrading lead tray.
Try commercial strength white vinegar
dazmond
Well-known member
- Messages
- 2,503
- Location
- salford, manchester
I would try viakal....if that didnt work then at least ive tried and wouldn't bother with anything else
IME extra fussy customers are not worth it.plenty of less fussy customers around!
Armistead Cleaning
Well-known member
- Messages
- 104
- Location
- Barnet, London
What if you do try something and it works this time? The stone is going to keep having run-off. Are you going to get it off the window every time?
- Messages
- 96
Fussy = Headache
Do yourself a favour and leave it.
Do yourself a favour and leave it.
DS WC west midlands
Well-known member
- Messages
- 111
- Location
- Wolverhampton
yeah, you can try unger rubout stick a little on the brush & work it in to the glass even better if you can get up there with a yellow & green sponge pad, leave it on & then rinse if that does not work nothing will except maybe the pink stuff..
- Messages
- 96
Sometimes nothing will work without polishing it with compound and abrasive pads. Even then you be at it for ages and possibly still no get it out. I've never been able to make it worth the hassle. Certainly not on a fusspot.
I suppose it's worth a go with something less abrasive as suggested above.
Bottom line is these are most often or not a massive pain I'm butt sadly
I suppose it's worth a go with something less abrasive as suggested above.
Bottom line is these are most often or not a massive pain I'm butt sadly
DS WC west midlands
Well-known member
- Messages
- 111
- Location
- Wolverhampton
I suppose it's down to how much you are prepared to do for your customers, it takes seconds to try everything in the book & if all else fails, you tried that's the job. Most cleaners just rinse & go they don't care enough to try and sort this stuff out. I know i have kept more customers because i went the extra mile for them. Mind you after 15 years, other cleaners have accused me of being a perfectionist, as if it's a bad thing, maybe they feel shamed because they don't go to the trouble I do to make my window cleans pop. Not to sure but unger rubout or the pink stuff when used correctly will get rid of almost anything..Sometimes nothing will work without polishing it with compound and abrasive pads. Even then you be at it for ages and possibly still no get it out. I've never been able to make it worth the hassle. Certainly not on a fusspot.
I suppose it's worth a go with something less abrasive as suggested above.
Bottom line is these are most often or not a massive pain I'm butt sadly
- Messages
- 11,586
- Location
- Sunderland Tyne and Wear
I think saying they don't care enough is harsh. The problem with this particular job is it looks like it will just keep coming back.
The OP has already said the customer is fussy, I translate that as a PITA, and therefore not someone I'd go the extra mile for.
davewindowcleaner
Well-known member
- Messages
- 691
- Location
- London
Do you need this job? There are plenty more work out there. I couldn't be **** with this. This is their problem, not yours.
Wow thanks everyone for so much feedback, that was great! So I have told the customer I won’t be risking any strong chemicals and that I will try rubbing it out with hot water and cif cream and a scrubby tomorrow and if that fails I won’t be trying anything more. I would normally just leave it but these windows are included in cleaning the whole home of gutters, fascia’s, interior windows etc, it’s a mansion and is 4 days of work so I don’t mind spending a few mins to try get it out as a once off!
Thanks again everyone for the replies! The amount of times I’ve popped on here and got amazing feedback from you all when needing advice, it’s reassuring!
Thanks again everyone for the replies! The amount of times I’ve popped on here and got amazing feedback from you all when needing advice, it’s reassuring!
- Messages
- 96
That's exactly my point of view. For a friendly, reasonable new customer id definitely try a couple of things. But no way pedro for a fussy customer.
However having said all that it would be interesting to see how this all goes if you feel inclined to give it a bash
Mattymarske
Well-known member
- Messages
- 156
- Location
- Redcar & Cleveland
Try Barkeeper's Friend powder.
Might work but like others allude to it'll return anytime it rains.
I have a few front porches with a flat felt roof but no gutters. You can bet your bottom dollar the top openers on the porch window will have rain run off stains every month but I always carry BKF and 10 secs quick wipe gets it off before I rinse.
Might work but like others allude to it'll return anytime it rains.
I have a few front porches with a flat felt roof but no gutters. You can bet your bottom dollar the top openers on the porch window will have rain run off stains every month but I always carry BKF and 10 secs quick wipe gets it off before I rinse.
- Messages
- 14,038
- Location
- Cornwall
I wouldn’t want to be rubbing ciff cream cleaner onto glass it is an abrasive and could make the situation worse ,
WindyinNorfolk
Well-known member
- Messages
- 147
Its not about caring enough -the reply's are about our experience - you can spend hours on these things - and rarely does the customer want to pay for your time - in all honesty it would be cheaper to put in new glass than fix - assuming you are going to charge for the time and aggro - lets say 2 hours ( 2 x your regular window rate = £100 ) is that customer going to pay that? - doubt it
fair enough you want to be charitable and you can spare the time to faff but these things come up rarely so overall the whole thing is a waste of time/effort IMO
fair enough you want to be charitable and you can spare the time to faff but these things come up rarely so overall the whole thing is a waste of time/effort IMO
- Messages
- 9,366
- Location
- Teesside
If they have also had a go at removing it, what damage have they done to the glass that you could get blamed for?
As @WindyinNorfolk says, cheaper for the customer to replace the glass. They also need to fit a drip tray to divert this water away from the glass as it's going to continue to happen.
As @WindyinNorfolk says, cheaper for the customer to replace the glass. They also need to fit a drip tray to divert this water away from the glass as it's going to continue to happen.
DS WC west midlands
Well-known member
- Messages
- 111
- Location
- Wolverhampton
A customer being Fussy is based on your perception of them, in my world if there attitude is friendly & they are simply asking if there is anything you can do, then they are not being fussy.
it's not harsh to say that many cleaners don't care enough, because i see so many of those who don't & spend my time cleaning up what they didn't clean.
Simple stuff like carbon stains rust stains, left for years at a time by other cleaners, then i come in a reset them frames & glass and get paid properly for it..
comments from the customer are always the same " they were only here five minutes" or " they still looked dirty" funny because these guys who don't care enough, seem to have three or four vans, but don't do the job properly...
- Messages
- 1,278
- Location
- Rotherham, South Yorkshire
Same as dazmond I'd recommend Viakal. It's an acid but unlikely to damage anything. It's probably calcium based deposit (limescale) that will dissolve with some Viakal and a scouring/scrubbing pad.
The question remains though, should you?
The question remains though, should you?
- Messages
- 9,366
- Location
- Teesside
For those of us who do care and spend a little extra time on minor detail, this is a good question. Where do we draw the line?
We try to provide a customer service that exceeds our customers expectations, but I personally don't think we should go to these extremes.
We carry a tub of The Pink Stuff, a bottle of CIF liquid and some CIF for mould on the van - nothing else. If any of those don't work, then we can't help. In this case, I would just say that it's cheaper to replace the glass and either rectify the drip problem or install a drip tray to divert the contaminated water away from the window completely.
In the early days, we would have done our best to try to solve a similar problem, but with limited success. I even tried Harpic which is supposed to remove calcium deposits on a couple of our customer's window. Now days, a quick look then I offer my solution to replace the glass panel and rectify the issue to prevent it happening again.
