We all love spaces that have large windows. Whether at home or in the office, they give a feeling of spaciousness, provide a lot of light, and are much more cheerful. As long as they are spotless because inevitably, they get dirty with the course of the day today. That is why it is very important to clean them periodically since in this way you will get them to look their best. If you want to know how professional window cleaning is done, as well as the techniques and tools used to carry it out, keep reading.
Glass cleaning tools
There are many factors to consider when choosing the most suitable tools. Various glass cleaning utensils may be required for cleaning certain types of glass. We must also take its location into account since it is not the same to clean the exterior windows as the interior ones, since they will have different dirt. In addition, the location is also important if they are in height since other types of tools, such as ladders or poles, will be needed.
The main glass cleaning tools we use in SCS Group Cleaning are:
- Glass brush: it has soft bristles to avoid scratching the glass and is used when the glass has residue such as dust or cobwebs.
- Sponge and scraper: they are used to loosening the dirt most adhered to the glass.
- Soaker: it is used to wet the crystals and be able to rub them later, thus eliminating all the dirt. It is made of cotton and you can attach a stick to the handle to reach the highest areas.
- Glass cleaning scraper: its shape is the same as that of the soaker, but instead of having a cotton fleece, it has a rubber. This serves to drag all the dirt from the surface of the glass and dry it with a single pass.
- Grip clip: it is used to attach sponges and cloths to a stick and be able to use them in areas that we cannot reach with our hands.
- Glazier’s bucket: it is like that of the mop since it has a press to drain.
- Cloths and cloths: the most absorbent and professional is the chamois leather. Then we have cotton cloths and microfiber clothes. They are used to dry the rubber lip and to eliminate possible marks left by the glazing equipment.
As a general guide, we will describe the most commonly used utensils for cleaning windows. Other more specific types of cleaning, for example, high-rise window cleaning, require specific tools such as a pole. Those articles can be found in other posts on our blog but were not included in this post because of their complexity.
Glass cleaning products
As with tools, glass cleaning products depend on different factors, such as the type of glass, dirt, and the state in which they are.
Our recommendation is to use professional glass cleaning products for the interior, which do not require large solutions in water, since the drying conditions are ideal. For exteriors, the best are soapy solutions, but in this case, it is essential to make sure that we remove all the products to avoid future stains. Finally, for surfaces that contain traces of materials or glue, products containing alcohol or acetone should be used.
Glass cleaning techniques
If there are different tools and utensils, we can also talk about different glass cleaning techniques.
Horizontal standard
Using the soaker, you must first moisten the glass. The squeegee is then moistened and placed upright in the upper left corner of the window. Once positioned and without lifting it from the glass, we moved it to the other end of the window. At the end of this section, the rubber of the squeegee is dried and we repeat the same movement just in the section below the one we have just cleaned. We repeated this operation as many times as necessary until the crystal reaches the lower end of the crystal.
Besides the horizontal movement, we must also take it into account that it is necessary to tilt slightly downwards to avoid dirtying the already clean areas. Finally, dry the edges and frames of the window with a dry cloth or chamois.
Upright Standard
This technique is like the previous one, but instead of making the movements horizontally, we will make vertically them. In order to do this, we should place vertically the squeegee on the upper left corner of the glass and move it up and down until it reaches the right end.
Butterfly or fan
It is a similar technique to the horizontal one but, in this case, the squeegee never detaches itself from the glass. When one end is reached, we make a wrist movement to go to the opposite end and so on until the end.
It is a much more professional technique, which requires more experience than the previous ones, so that the result is as expected.
Standard with bar
Lastly, consider the standard barbell technique. The extension bar must reach the glass when working at height. The movements can be both vertical and horizontal, however, we must consider that in this case, it is necessary to apply more pressure for the cleaning to be effective.
Factors to consider
Besides the aspects that we have already considered, there are other factors that must also be taken into account to carry out professional window cleaning.
With large crystals, it is necessary to moisten them more or more frequently since, as they have a very large surface, they are likely to dry out before time.
We should avoid cleaning windows when they are exposed to direct sunlight, when it is windy, or when they are hot. These factors can affect the state of the glass, damaging it.
Professional glass cleaning: why do it?
As we have just verified, doing professional window cleaning is not as simple as it may seem at first. It is necessary to have different specific tools for this, to know the most appropriate techniques depending on the type of crystal and its situation, and to have enough experience to apply them correctly. In addition, there are other factors to consider, such as weather.
Another aspect that must be taken into account is that most times, the exterior cleaning of the crystals can be dangerous. For this reason, the most profitable and safest option is to contact a company of professionals who carry out the work under incorrect conditions and with a perfect finish.
