Is anybody out there still using a chamois? If so, what do you use it for - wiping the squeegee, detailing the edges ? I am always looking to try new tools and techniques and I was wondering if the old school chamois still had some value.
It has been replaced with the scrim. It dries much fsster
John Lee Window Cleaning
Maryville TN
865 310 0728
http://johnwcr.com
Hey Jess…
The chamois is to be used as a detailing implement, not as a squeegee wiper or a ledge wiper a slop picker upper, the natural sea-sponge is the implement for these functions !
May I say the natural sea-sponge is a top of the line tool.
The chamois is only for detailing the edges and should always be rung out and clean…
To clean a chamois in the field is to dip it into a bucket of clean soapy water and then place it on a concrete or aggregated surface and stomp on it…Do this 3 or 4 times…
Then change the water with no soap and dip the chamois and stomp on it again 3 or 4 times, ring out the chamois between each time you stomp on it and before you dip it again ! after the last ring out your chamois will be clean as a whistle and will leave no marks on the glass when detailing !
The scrim is like a rag of sorts and for the most part is to be used for detailing and not to pick up slop !
Anything you use to pick up slop then use to detail with will leave crap on the window when detailing ! The sponge is not used for detailing. Rags, scrims, chamois, huck towels, diapers, your dry index finger are to be used for detailing !
I worked with the chamois for many years and it works great, But cleaning it is a pain so I go through 1 or 2 or maybe 3 hucks in a day… I’ve never used a scrim but I’ve heard good things about it, so some day I’ll need to[COLOR=“red”] TEST[/COLOR] it out !
Dange
P.S.
Don’t wash your chamois in the washing machine…
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We use scrim as our detailing tool and there is nothing better (and yes I’ve tried a chamois). For a pick up tool we use a PVA towel. It’s durable and easy to clean.
Yo Tony…
I’m getting ready to re-post about that PVA tool-ski…So keep your feelers out because I’m coming out with it real soon !
Dangerous
i saw a w/cleaner using a folded wet chamois to clean upper house windows recently and he was very quick and knew what he was doing
. ive not tried a chamois ,but i love the scrim .i use it dry ,for detailing but been informed reliably it should be washed in bucket and wrung out at start of the day and always used damp like that . i read on karl robinsons blog that scrim is not woven ,the threads are glued together and ,looking closely,i see thats the case
at the local seafront market here,a stall sells chamois and my brother bought one last week,to use when cleaning his car. i overheard the stallholder telling him it would be very good for cleaning windows too
[FONT=“Georgia”]I’ve used a chamois before while cleaning my vehicle. I didn’t really find it very impressive and I can’t really see it being used in window cleaning. I don’t think it would work well for detailing because it is wet and will leave marks on the glass. Maybe it would work for getting all the water on the sill, however my sea sponge works very well and doesn’t require two hands to wring out.
Hey guys, what’s a PVA towel? Never heard of one- unless its called something else.[/FONT]
I’ve got a chamois but it’s deep in hibernation. I’ve used it do clean divided lites in the sunshine when even hucks were leaving lint.
Dange, you should dip the scrim in a tsp mixture and see what you can do with that;)
Here’s some links - PVA Drying Towel by The Absorber - part# 34900
The absorber Drying Towel
There are different ones out there. I have one called the AquaDry but can’t find it around here right now. Richard (nuvudude) turned me on to these!
Thanks, I’ll check it out.
I’ve used chamois for over 25 years, and they do a wonderful job. If they leave water on the glass it’s because it’s too wet, wring it out. They have to be damp. I did try a huck I think it’s called, it was a microfibre towel anyway, total garbage. I never tried a scrim, they don’t sell around here but I imagine it’s much the same as a microfibre towel.
btw, a good chamois should cost around $25, if you get a $10 one it will be useless.
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[B][COLOR=“red”] [SIZE=“7”]Mikie …
Dude your back…oh my word good to see you here.
I’m so glad your back my friend !!!
Oooooooh Yeah…[/SIZE][/COLOR][/B]
dange
Hi Dange nice to see you again, though I still look at the pics of your wfp set at the 4 story building, I think I’ll get some of those round leveler feet you have and a sectional ladder. Oh, and Happy Birthday, eh?
Your posts look like the font I used on my fliers, except I only used two colours cause I’m cheap, LOL. And deal with Canadian money. I have a big drop coming out on Wednesday for power raking and aeration. 15,000, spring just started up here but as soon as power raking is done I’m getting back into windows big time, I miss it (and the low over head). I even hired a guy that wants to be trained to clean windows. I’m going to train him traditional ways though… green brush and chamois:D
Mikie…
Sounds great Ice-Man…When you thaw out you’ll be ready to clean windows again ! Your right about the chamois it a great window cleaning tool, the the “Sons of Ettore” used it as a regular everyday tool. Even now it does work great but there’s high maintanace keeping it clean to get it to preform in high quality.
Dangerous / My Friend
A thought just occurred to me… I knew a lot about window cleaning before I even got my fist job as a window cleaner, in fact, my friend got me my first job and we became chair partners on the day I started. All those years I worked for other people I was almost exclusive to commercial height work and on commercial height work you almost never detail. Maybe… THAT’S why I love my chamois, because I almost never used it.
But no, in my own business it was almost exclusive to residential and the chamois really is a great tool. It can be a pain in some houses to keep in right shape, I usally wash it out in their sinks when I get water at the start of the house and I wash it out at teh end of the day, it’s really only a couple minutes. I just can’t imagine something better working for detailing, even if a scrim is “as good”, I would have to do it myself to see that it is better. On the plus side, if I ever did start using something cheap to detail I could start using tsp again. (though I was very happy with GG3, never saw such shiney windows).
ps. I do intend to make an order from Toronto in a few weeks, I want a wagtail but I get free shipping over $250 (i think it is) so I’ll do some shopping and I’m going to try a scrim, but I’m not holding my breath.
Mike the window cleaner
You can order the Scrim here. It has been around longer than the chamois. It is made of irish Lenin. I used the chamois for about 20 years, the Scrim wrings out much faster and works on rainy days with high humidity. The scrim is imported by Unger to the US. Give it a try
I’m going to train him traditional ways though… green brush and chamois
what’s a green brush Mike?
Hey
John…
I think in the real old days before window cleaners used the squeegee they used the natural sea-sponge to scrub the glass and the scrim was used in drying the glass…I’ve seen that old timer on u-tube cleaning windows that way ! But your right about it being around window cleaning before the chamois ! I’d have to say that it is among the “Tried and True”.
I’ve never used one before but I’m thinking about getting one and I bet I’ll be able to kick it right into service !
My brother window cleaner born on the same day as me !
Dangerous Dave
Dange
Many wcers in Europe and UK still use the two scrim method to clean windows. The first wcers in the US were immigrants that came to NY. They used the two chamios methods to clean windows. Ettore has some old footage of this that they usually have at their booths at trade shows
