Scratches are inevitable. Due care and process of cleaning to minimize it is likely the best that any of us can do. Look at the glass against all different angles of light and you may be surprised at what you see. Never say never.
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Windows have been cleaned using scrapers for decades, why change the method.
Windows aren’t supposed to look pretty anyway
Its faster to use scraper
Either that or just tell the builder your methods of cleaning and see what they say. Simple
if all the quality window cleaners stop using blades and start charging more, their option will be pay more for a scratch free job or hire a hack who scratches windows on the cheep. pretty soon builders will see their choice will reflect in them to their buyer.
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The only chemical that works that we’ve tried out of all of them is Cement off. The rest of the chemicals are stinky junk that will just make the job harder on you. Best bet is a white scrub pad and go a little heavy on the soap. Or do like we did and stop doing new construction all together. We stopped two years ago and we haven’t missed it or missed out on anything. Let it he someone else’s problem.
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There is no spoon…
Glass fines are what was thought to be FD, since FD isn’t real glass fines are not present.
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This is one of the best threads I have followed. Up until now, I thought razoring was the norm. Thanks pros for the invaluable education on this web site. I’m pretty good at what I do. So I am a convert. Oh…it’s gonna be fun finding user specific chemicals to address this. There is so much junk out there to buy. And now, a lot of it is corn based; so we can be green and healthy. But corn cleans terribly. Yup, this journey’s gonna be fun…Henry, here I come. And yeah, I’ve seen the peel off stuff used. It’s still a mess to detail out. What I want to know is, why haven’t glass mfr.'s found a film on there end that will work through the building process? Oh, well…break’s over, now back to work. 
Now you are just finding ways to keep this thread alive for the number of hits. I’ll kick back and enjoy watching fray for a while.
Not at all, you posted information that related to the theory of fabrication debris that has already been debunked.
If you have ever seen any of my videos I never ask for likes or subscribers, I honestly don’t care about things like number of hits and views and such.
I will admit that I have for the past few years been adamant about the use or lack there of scrapers of tempered glass and that our number one goal as a window cleaner is to not damage the surface until this post few took it seriously and the blame was always assumed to be poor quality glass and a manufactures problem.
Oh I agree with you on that.
And thanks for the hook up on the product I’ve never heard of it.
I think I wrote that wrong in my post about an approved method, I had the scraper on my brain.
cement off sucks, it ruins concrete and stucco and only works if you keep applying it and keep it wet try doing that on a lift or in 100 degree weather.
windows looking pretty isn’t part of their function is it? when you buy a paint job on your car its so you can look at it correct? when you buy a transparent window its to look through let light in and keep the elements out? correct thats why people buy homes with views, and if a window is scratched, from the outside looking in the home looks just as beautiful as one without scratches. Therefore if you don’t want scratches, do not allow stucco crew paint crew stone crew etc to be sloppy and work without covering every window before work begins and uncovering each window after work is complete.
I have been peeling off plastic protective covers and they are usually left on too long so they are hard to get off and if they get splattered with adhesives it burns right through the plastic and sticks to the window, hardly ever just peel right off then detailing that 1/4 to and 1/8th of an inch around the edges still takes a while and the frames take a while so while I do prefer plastic coating it doesn’t go any faster it may prevent scratches to an extent I suppose but then if their is residue from the plastic in the glass then you still have scrub which can cause scratches. 1st surface, forget it, you can scratch that from touching it with your finger.
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But most of those windows aren’t tempered. Usually just the patio doors and front door. Most residential windows are just double paned thermals. Razor away.
Also tempered window locations are kitchen, bathroom and any window with sill under 36" from floor
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Around here it’s bathrooms, kitchens, all doors and any glass 18" from the floor or from a door.
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Blockquote
I would say… " We are hired to clean stuff off the glass and we use razors and scrapers. Unless other written instructions are provided by contractor to sub contractor before work begins this is acceptable. Payment is due upon completion and some stuff shouldn’t have been on their in the first place we do the best we can to clean it off for the price we agreed. If it is a nightmare and scratches appear we will talk to you about a change order and back charging the subs who made the mess in the first place.
sign here X______________________________________________________________________________
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And you would be negligent (lying by omission) to leave out your knowledge that
all glass manufacturers say not to use razors. If that fact were in the waiver then the contractor knows fully what he is taking on and making the choice to go against manufacturers warranty guidelines.
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People like you need to stop cleaning windows or posting. What experience do I have? I guess none. No really the bottom line is you are all lacking the ability to communicate with your customers at this point. You can’t all look for science to pardon you because people have been screwed over trying to do their job. Then the Jersey Shore think tank creates a save-all false-dogma called scratch waiver, then when science says, “you’re all a bunch of morons for believing that rhetoric”, jump down my suggestions by shutting down the natural defense I have for my fellow window cleaner.
I’ve spent hours and days and weeks agonizing on job after job. I’ve replaced windows, I’ve discussed fabricating debris and fabrication debris, been turned away for requesting a waiver that is scientifically stupid (supposedly), yelled at employees, had pains in my head and my stomach over this only to come up with a human conclusion that it’s all a bunch of bs. If you haven’t figured it out by now go fly a kite!
Probably some billion dollar window manufacturing lobbyists paid off the scientists to give them the efficacy they wanted to make you all look stupid when all you had to do was say, “That sub-mess shouldn’t be on the glass in the first place what the heck you want me to do? It’s probably going to scratch”. And wait for their answer.
Anything else is a waste of my life and energy even disputing. Otherwise my dispute about the paint job is valid!
I like this guy.
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This is a great thread. Let’s keep it going
