I’ve always used whatever water is coming out of the cold tap when filling my bucket. I don’t make it a point to be sure the water is ice cold or anything. I’ve never had any issues getting window cleaned plus there is less evaporation of any alcohol type additive in your winter solution.
And aren’t you waterfed guys shooting water up you poles from the customers outside tap? That’s cold water.
this time of year, on my commercial routes my guys will fill up their first bucket of the day in the kitchen of whatever restaurant they’re starting at. Residential it doesn’t matter much, cuz outside is WFP still.
(edit: As Larry said below, using warm water is more of a comfort thing, and as the water cools over the course of the day, the day also warms up enough to where it’s usually not that big a deal. We don’t get into really cold weather until January usually.)
I’ll start the day with warm/hot water, but refill with cold onsite water (except two commercial locations with hot water in janitorial closets.)
Mostly as a comfort thing, though warm/hot water aids in cleaning.
Hey Mark,
Your right cold water from the tap works fine, but warm water is sweet…
I know you don’t like to put your hands in the water bucket and especially in the winter…I do though and that’s why I’ll put warm water in my bucket if I can…
WFP guys mainly use cold water from there tank and or Bib but lately on this forum and MWCoA I’m reading about WFP guys hooking up to a heater of some type to heat their water and they are very sure at its high end work ability !
Are you getting cold in Toronto yet !
Dange
just starting to get cold. Today was the first day to get a little wet snow.
Oh, and thanks for your input.
I’ve never thought about using hot or warm water except for heavy tobacco stained glass. Mostly because cold water is always availale and it cleans fine. but also hot or warm water will evaporate quicker.
Always warm. Never hot, never cold.
Yeah it does but I’m to quick to worry about evaporation, LOL !
Oh I love your poll and I voted on the #3 one …
Dave
Mark,
I’d rather wash my hands in warm water than cold water because it does a better job. Sometimes I have to wash my hands in cold water because warm water isn’t available. Same thing with windows.
They have hot water units now for WFPing because everybody on the planet knows that warm water cleans better and faster than cold water. Well maybe not everybody. 
People who clean for a living usually know.
First bucket of the day is hot. Then I refill wherever convenient. Although today I had clean water from yesterday and didn’t realize until my first job is had ice chunks in it. And my mop was frozen. Ugh…
was that a shot?
Hey Mark,
That comment was not directed at you individually. However I do find it hard to believe that you think cold water cleans as well as warm water. You started this poll to prove me wrong. Most of us get our water outside from garden faucets and the water is cold. Can we clean with cold water? Sure we can. I have cleaned thousands of windows with cold water. 
i use cold + antifeeze only when its frozen. im thinking if somebody sold a small 12/240v heater that dropped in the bucket it might sell reasonably well as my buckets stay in my van
No Mike, not to prove you wrong. Just to see what other cleaners are doing. It never seemed odd to me to use anything other than what came out of the side of the house tap unless you were dealing with very soiled windows. I guess also most of the year I prefer the cooler water because it cools me down.
Just the way you put it made me feel like those in the know use hot water and anyone who doesn’t…well you said something about it being obvious and those who clean professionally know this. So far the poll show people are using mostly cold with the occasional warm/hot water so I’m not alone.
Sure I like to clean my hands with warm water versus cold, who doesn’t. But I don’t always have access to hot/warm so I’ve stuck with what’s most convenient. I do leave the house with my own water and just use what comes out the cold tap. I don’t wait for it to get cold, I just pour and fill.
Here you go Jonny - http://www.amazon.com/MARSHALLTOWN-Premier-742G-Bucket-Heater/dp/B000BDB4UG
Mark,
Most of the guys use what’s available. I wouldn’t go out of my way to get warm water even though I know it cleans better either. I think the poll proves that cold water is easier to obtain than warm water so that’s what we usually use most of the time. JMO
Yes I agree with you Mike and remember, none of my posts say cleaning with hot/warm water is wrong, it’s just not what I do. Cold water only bothers me in the dead of winter. I think when I work I go, go, go that I generate alot of heat and like the coolness of my water.
When I leave the house I have a bucket of hot water that is usually warm by the time I start using it. If I need to refill or add water as the day goes on, it’s what ever I can get at the location, usually cold from a hose bib.
Georgia? Really cold weather? You dont have a clue
Depends on the time of year. Who wants to work with hot water in July and cold water in January? (except for our friends down-under lol)
has anyone tried the electric bucket warmer? It takes about 1 55 gal drum of methanol per full time cleaner to continue to run our commercial routes all year long here in wisconsin. Not to mention freezing cold water with anti freeze + your hands + -20 air temp = why did I choose this career? Or this State. Anyways I guess I was wondering if, under these conditions, warm water is going to stay warm long enough to clean glass w/out anti-freeze in the water, or will it start to freeze up before you can get the window done (assuming you spend an average of 1 minute on each window)? It would increase my bottom line significantly if I could just purchase a few of the heaters. Also, it concerns me using hot / warm water in these tempuratures with risk to breaking glass. I’m no scientist so anyone with experience plz fill me in.
