Brush choice for toughly stained windows

[DeLaCruz]

I clean using a cold water van mount system and am located on the coast. I come across a lot of seagull ? and a lot of older run down properties with really tough stains to remove. I have soaked brushed, soaked brushed some windows several times and still notice the marks are not removed.

Ideally i would have a hot water system but can't afford this at the moment (although did here you could set up a low budget DIY version of these - any links to this would be appreciated). 

Right now i am using Gardiner ultimate brushes with Dupont bristles. Is this a good choice for these tough stained windows ? If not what would you guys recommend ? 

Also are there any additional products i could use on the windows to attack the toughest stains ? I have Ubik 2000 but was thinking that was for UPVC rather than glass. 

 

[Part Timer]

Don't you just love the bones you get in seagull  :1f4a9: , they must digest superglue as well. Get the Gardiner pole scraper, gets them off after a short while.

 

[DeLaCruz]

Don't you just love the bones you get in seagull  :1f4a9: , they must digest superglue as well. Get the Gardiner pole scraper, gets them off after a short while.

Owe man they must have Araldite in there asses ?

 

[Pjj]

Ubick , Virosol or similar can all be used for a first clean we use Virosol diluted 10-1  in a back pack spray it on the whole window including the frames , give it a good scrub and rinse job done , we do use hot water that helps a lot though . You need to identify what the staining on the glass is is it a metal oxide from run off from lead or something else ?? If it’s just organic matter the chemicals mentioned should remove it ok 

 

[dazmond]

I clean using a cold water van mount system and am located on the coast. I come across a lot of seagull ? and a lot of older run down properties with really tough stains to remove. I have soaked brushed, soaked brushed some windows several times and still notice the marks are not removed.

Ideally i would have a hot water system but can't afford this at the moment (although did here you could set up a low budget DIY version of these - any links to this would be appreciated). 

Right now i am using Gardiner ultimate brushes with Dupont bristles. Is this a good choice for these tough stained windows ? If not what would you guys recommend ? 

Also are there any additional products i could use on the windows to attack the toughest stains ? I have Ubik 2000 but was thinking that was for UPVC rather than glass. 

when you can afford it get a 9kw diesel hot water system fitted,itll help a lot with the salt,seagull poop.....

 

[paul alan]

I get a lot of seagul splatter, you want a stiff brush. Try the red ultimate. Give it a good soak first.

The hybrid is great for snail trails and run marks and light bird muck, but if the splatter is a few mm thick and dried on you want some stiff bristles.

If its really bad you can pop a 4" scraper/razor on the end of your pole and gently scrape it off, wet the glass first though. Whip your brush off and pop one of these on the Quikloq:

https://gardinerpolesystems.co.uk/all-products/water-fed-poles/goosenecks-pole-fittings/gooseneck-parts/quick-loqtm-brush-adapter.html..

Then you can put a razor onto the fitting.

 

[dazmond]

I get a lot of seagul splatter, you want a stiff brush. Try the red ultimate. Give it a good soak first.

The hybrid is great for snail trails and run marks and light bird muck, but if the splatter is a few mm thick and dried on you want some stiff bristles.

If its really bad you can pop a 4" scraper/razor on the end of your pole and gently scrape it off, wet the glass first though. Whip your brush off and pop one of these on the Quikloq:

https://gardinerpolesystems.co.uk/all-products/water-fed-poles/goosenecks-pole-fittings/gooseneck-parts/quick-loqtm-brush-adapter.html..

Then you can put a razor onto the fitting.

hot water would help a lot paul if you work on the coast.......plastic gardiner scraper too permanently on your pole....

 

[DeLaCruz]

when you can afford it get a 9kw diesel hot water system fitted,itll help a lot with the salt,seagull poop.....

What kind of ballpark cost are these ? 

 

[Part Timer]

What kind of ballpark cost are these ? 

£3k

 

[dazmond]

What kind of ballpark cost are these ? 

a grippatank hydroheat 9kw diesel heater with frost stat,2 x 105ah numax batteries/boxes,cabinet,controller,smart b to b charger(if you have a new van with regenerative braking and the latest alternators)will cost you around £4.5k including VAT and fitting,,,,,?

 

[paul alan]

a grippatank hydroheat 9kw diesel heater with frost stat,2 x 105ah numax batteries/boxes,cabinet,controller,smart b to b charger(if you have a new van with regenerative braking and the latest alternators)will cost you around £4.5k including VAT and fitting,,,,,?

And how much per year in running and servicing? Bet it comes to few quid, I would love some burning hot water but I prolly couldn't afford it.

 

[Daniel Perkins]

Yeah hot water would be great to have to costs are a joke

 

[dazmond]

And how much per year in running and servicing? Bet it comes to few quid, I would love some burning hot water but I prolly couldn't afford it.

i dont know why you cant afford it......you earn around £20k more than me a year according to your posts!i paid £3k cash and slapped the rest on an interest free credit card....no probs...

it costs me around £20 a week to use hot water every day,ive never had it serviced (it doesnt need servicing)until the burner clogs up which could be 5-10 years after installation....

 

[dazmond]

Yeah hot water would be great to have to costs are a joke

if your planning on staying in the cleaning industry for a long time(10+years) then see it as an investment...get the heater installed in a brand new van and keep it for 10-15 years,youll make a lot of money in that time which will easily pay for the investment 10 times over......?

it makes your working days easier for sure!?

 

[paul alan]

i dont know why you cant afford it......you earn around £20k more than me a year according to your posts!i paid £3k cash and slapped the rest on an interest free credit card....no probs...

it costs me around £20 a week to use hot water every day,ive never had it serviced (it doesnt need servicing)until the burner clogs up which could be 5-10 years after installation....

I'm currently sitting at £67.5k per year, but I still can't justify spending that much on something that's a "nice to have" and not a "need to have" and probably doesn't speed things up by a noticeable amount. Besides, I've two little un's, cost me a bomb.

 

[Pjj]

I'm currently sitting at £67.5k per year, but I still can't justify spending that much on something that's a "nice to have" and not a "need to have" and probably doesn't speed things up by a noticeable amount. Besides, I've two little un's, cost me a bomb.

If you are earning that I guess you are paying a lot of tax , a diesel heater is a good tax reducing expense ???. Seriously you can work with cold but I have had hot  for the last 4:5 years and would never go back it was the single best investment I have made , I don’t know what type of work you do or where you are but we do a lot of costal work covered in salt and gull?? hot is so much quicker and especialy with  salt it’s desolved  and gone first pass with the brush with cold it was a nightmare . Hot makes the working day so much easier with hose management in the winter to , plastic cleans and industrial building cleans it halves the time taken . Without being rude until you have it you don’t realise the huge benefits , if I had dropped a clang with spending what I did on my hot system and it cost far more than dazmonds did I would be the first to say don’t waist your money but as far as Ime concerned it’s the best thing since sliced bread , I would thoroughly recomend it , avoid these gas shower units though a friend of mine had one and it didn’t perform well and he ended up removing it . 

 

[Iron Giant]

I'm currently sitting at £67.5k per year, but I still can't justify spending that much on something that's a "nice to have" and not a "need to have" and probably doesn't speed things up by a noticeable amount. Besides, I've two little un's, cost me a bomb.

I think you need to get a better accountant, paying a reasonable amount of tax is fine which I have no issue with at all but there is a point when investing in the business brings a greater benefit financially, but as with all with all things there is a balance 

 

[paul alan]

I think you need to get a better accountant, paying a reasonable amount of tax is fine which I have no issue with at all but there is a point when investing in the business brings a greater benefit financially, but as with all with all things there is a balance 

I have a good accountant this year, the tax won't be too bad as my wife works in the business too.

We pay ourselves 17k each and the corporation tax will get paid on what's left at year end. The business costs between 8-10k to run with the 34k wage which the tax is paid on and around £500 in dividends per month makes roughly 50k, there isn't a huge amount left to tax.

If it was up to I would have a new van with all the bells and whistles, but my wife is a director too and doesn't have the same views as me with regards to buying equipment.

 

[paul alan]

If you are earning that I guess you are paying a lot of tax , a diesel heater is a good tax reducing expense ???. Seriously you can work with cold but I have had hot  for the last 4:5 years and would never go back it was the single best investment I have made , I don’t know what type of work you do or where you are but we do a lot of costal work covered in salt and gull?? hot is so much quicker and especialy with  salt it’s desolved  and gone first pass with the brush with cold it was a nightmare . Hot makes the working day so much easier with hose management in the winter to , plastic cleans and industrial building cleans it halves the time taken . Without being rude until you have it you don’t realise the huge benefits , if I had dropped a clang with spending what I did on my hot system and it cost far more than dazmonds did I would be the first to say don’t waist your money but as far as Ime concerned it’s the best thing since sliced bread , I would thoroughly recomend it , avoid these gas shower units though a friend of mine had one and it didn’t perform well and he ended up removing it . 

I also work on the coast, in a rural town so we get loads of "stuff" on the windows.

I have a 3kw immersion that can give close to hot water if left on long enough, I use that in the winter and I have to agree about the hoses. And who wouldn't want an easier day? I know I would.

If my thinking is correct and a diesel heater is 5k, then I would get 30ish % tax relief? I think then I would rather pay the tax and keep the rest. I could be wrong I'm no accountant myself.

 

[Pjj]

I also work on the coast, in a rural town so we get loads of "stuff" on the windows.

I have a 3kw immersion that can give close to hot water if left on long enough, I use that in the winter and I have to agree about the hoses. And who wouldn't want an easier day? I know I would.

If my thinking is correct and a diesel heater is 5k, then I would get 30ish % tax relief? I think then I would rather pay the tax and keep the rest. I could be wrong I'm no accountant myself.

Mine cost 7k with all the bells and whistles along with a load of other stuff done by Grippatank at the same time so not exactley sure  what the heater on it’s own cost , I have the stainless steel cabinet , two heat exchangers two return to tank feeds . As for costs I still say it’s the best thing I ever spent money on we use hot all year round now , I don’t believe in wasting money but it definitely makes the working day easier 

 

[Iron Giant]

I have a good accountant this year, the tax won't be too bad as my wife works in the business too.

We pay ourselves 17k each and the corporation tax will get paid on what's left at year end. The business costs between 8-10k to run with the 34k wage which the tax is paid on and around £500 in dividends per month makes roughly 50k, there isn't a huge amount left to tax.

If it was up to I would have a new van with all the bells and whistles, but my wife is a director too and doesn't have the same views as me with regards to buying equipment.

I get what you are saying on average over the last 18 years I have changed motors every 2 years, my accountant mentioned buying a new van just this week after a serious jump in my tax liability so as to reduce my tax bill this would also get me a potential rebate at some point, but ultimately after a decent discussion I would have a 15k debt around my neck and I would be swapping one bill for another as tempting as it is I don't see the point as I have invested quite a bit of time, effort and money in my current van recently.