I know a ton of guys use and love the natural sea sponge and I’ve used them in the past. I have however used a different tool for a few years now at the recommendation of another forum member - the PVA towel. It is the best sill clean up tool I’ve ever used. Here’s a video I did a while back on it -
I have Also been using the Pva towel and love it. It stores better in the pouch
Good video, Tony. I looked once for them but couldn’t find them here. I also have a natural sponge which I haven’t really tried much either. Time for some testing on my part.
Hey Tony,
Can you squeeze out a PVA towel with one hand while you squeegee the window with the other hand? 
Since I don’t do storefront I’ve never needed to try. I doubt it though. I guess for me the ease of use and quick clean up save any time that might be lost because I can’t squeeze it out w/ one hand. For instance If I’m cleaning sills that have peeling paint and using a sponge the loose paint in it takes a while to get out. If I’m using a degreaser like Simple green I find it takes a lot of rinsing to get all the suds out. I’ve also heard from guys using Dawn and comparable dish soaps that suds are a major drawback. For those reasons I feel the PVA towel excels over the sponge.
I totally agree. I don’t use the exact same thing as you for sills, but something similar. This is what I use The Window Clean Centre | Sill Cloths - Pack 10
A few days ago I tried a natural sea sponge, just because I had heard so many good things about them on here, but after 10 minutes I went back to my sill cloths, the sea sponge did not work nearly as well.
Hey Tony,
On houses I use a wet huck towel to wipe sills, never my sea sponge. The sea sponge is my go to tool for storefronts because there is a lot more water to pick up than at a home. And squeezing with one hand is important if you want to move fast and be productive.
Of course on the outs a quick squeegee of the sill removes most water then a quick wipe w/ the PVA towel would be as effective. On the insides there is no place to squeeze out the sponge that I can see. How do you handle those? I used less water and squeegeed the sill into the strip washer so again a quick wipe w/ the PVA towel and I’m done. Just a thought.
Picked up a PVA towel at Auto Zone after work.
I’m willing to give it a try.
Can’t wait to see how it works for you.
I picked one up and tried it out today. It is definitely a great tool. I had my reserve because I bought a shamsuck a while back and it was just a sham. It quickly absorbs and holds a lot of water. When you wring it out the water comes out easily and then its pretty dry. It works just like a leather sham. Although with the PVA you can’t detail without leaving water on the glass like you can with a leather sham. It does seem to hold more water than the leather though and wrings out easier.
As far as the sea sponge. I have used one for years. It soaks up a lot of water really quickly and releases it really quickly and easily. It does not hold water well without dripping or releasing the water with light contact. It also picks up dirt really well. Because of this the sponge is best used for when you want to pick up a lot of water and dirt without the need for the surface to be bone dry afterwards. I use the sponge for cleaning residential window tracks because i can flush the track with water and then pick up the dirt and water out of the track quickly and just wring it out quickly and its ready for the next track. I also use it to wipe commercial frames and often as an applicator to clean small windows or leaded glass and a host of other things.
The PVA is a great tool but I would not use it for the same things as a sponge. It does not pick up dirt well and it does not release water as easily and quickly as the sponge. It does not hold as much water as the sponge for its size either so you can’t use it one handed when wringing it out. I would use the PVA for residential and commercial interiors because you can pick up alot of water quickely and it will hold that water without dripping or releasing it. You could use the towel for the insides all day and it will still be ready for the next day. Fantastic! It would do well on commercial sills too. The sponge removes the water but still leaves a little water on the frames and the water dries and leaves dirt on the sill. The PVA would remove it all and leave it dry with one wipe.
All in all the PVA is a great tool for the arsenal! For me it would not replace my other favorites, sea sponge and leather sham. The only one I have not tried yet, which I have been dying to try for about 7 years now is the Scrim. I first saw one at the local supply store ten years ago. Ever since its been on WCR I’ve wanted to order one. I guess I am just too lazy. I know I will love it. After today I was thinking it might replace the Leather sham and PVA? Sorry for the lengthy post.
P.S. whenever I write a novel and go to hit the quick reply button I laugh to myself and think its not much of a quick reply but oh well.
The PVA is my pick up and sill cleaning towel and the scrim is my detailing cloth.
Tony,
For now let’s just agree that a PVA towel isn’t a sea sponge and therefore can’t do the same things a sea sponge can do. I like the sea sponge better, because its faster. Next week when I have time to screw around with the PVA towel I’ll be able to explain why. Right now I’ve got work to do and I want to be as productive as possible.
I wish Tony would make a video showing us how to use a PVA the correct way. I must be doing something wrong because it is NOT as efficient as using a sea sponge. The sea sponge is way better. I must not know how to use a PVA towel.
Mike - I don’t do storefronts. Do you use the sponge on residentials?
Nope. Wet huck towel for sills and tracks and screens in residential jobs.
I started out using a Scotch yellow sponge with the green scrubby on the back, for wiping up sills and wiping my squeegee in between windows, and used blue huck towels for detailing the edges of the glass. A few months ago I tried using the SCRIM for detailing, and It’s been the best thing ever. I still use Scotch sponges (blue ones now; I’m moving up in the world- ha ha) for soaking up water and wiping my squeegee, but I use the SCRIM for all detailing, final wipes on window frames and sills, and cleaning up any large amounts of water on wood or concrete floors inside residential jobs. Except for my WFP’s, I think Scrim has got every other window cleaning tool beat. Why use the PVA towel also Tony?
I have a guy who strictly uses towels (frames, wipe rubber, etc…)
By the end of the day he’s got a sloppy mess of nasty, dirty, wet towels for ME to wash.
- he’s the reason I bought the scrim… I just can’t stand it anymore.
Me? I use one towel per day, maybe two.
Hey shawn,
I ordered my scrim today. I’ve been wanting to try one for years now. I can’t believe i held off for so long in ordering one.
When you wipe the sill with it does it get too wet to then use to detail? I’m hoping not. I would like to use one towel for wiping up and detailing when needed. I love the idea that it can be used wet also. I was using a leather sham for a while and I loved it. I could keep it in my bucket and when I got to the job just wring it out and it was ready to go. I like the PVA but its only good for wiping up a lot of water when you want to leave a dry surface.
I don’t think any tool will ever replace my sea sponge though. Its the perfect tool for saturating and picking up a lot of water and dirt quickly, and can be used with one hand.
Every day I am going to come home and look for my UPS package! I can’t wait!
