You guys got me rethinking this God damn it!. Worst case scenario I can always bring my Muck Boots With Me, maybe even a bar of soap. I was just going by YouTube videos they look like they had to stand away from them cuz they were spraying pretty wildly. Seems like you guys like them and I’ll take your word for it for the quality. You talked me into it I’m going to buy one next spring. And lastly my screen cleaning method now it’s probably the same way you guys used to do it in the past. If they’re Dusty just use a brush, Next Level of dirt brush them and then wipe screen and frame with a rag and dish soap and water. If they are really shity I’ll spray them with a pump sprayer and Simple Green then the hose them off then wipe (that would be an extra charge) boy that sounds like a lot of work I’m definitely getting one next spring. How to use it with my Muck Boots and then put on my inside only sneakers
I never get wet, you could I suppose.
Like everything you’ll learn some techniques to make it easier. Youll notice quickly you dont need the water pressure full on, this will eliminate the user getting wet.
I really believe you will look back and laugh, wishing you bought one sooner.
Why not just use an electric power washer?
Yet another caveat, I often run into ‘custom size’ windows where a couple mystery screens won’t fit in with the mainstream.
I much prefer to clean each screen as I do the window so there’s zero chance of getting them mixed up. Plus there’s no dry time involved, no worries about water retention in the channels with resulting water on their (as usual) freshly cleaned carpets.
My .02c, I bought a screen washer in January, before this my methods evolved over time.
To begin with in the early days, the screen cleaning was a basic dust off, around my area this wasn’t really providing a decent clean(but cleaning them was included in price so I wasn’t too worried, but customers wanted “CLEAN” screens)
Then I started to use my t bar covered in soapy water to wet up the screen then flick dry with a rag and wipe frames, this didn’t do a bad job. However what I did notice on future cleans on the windows behind the screens was 3-4 times more dirty than the non screened window, also the window behind the screen became quite hydrophobic and was difficult to clean with WFP.
The next evolution in my screen cleaning methods was where I would use a small downstream botttle attached to a hose to soap up the screens, then aggitate with a brush and then rinse off, slap dry and wipe the frames. This method was the best as far as the end result being screens that are clean with no soapy residue left behind
And now where I still use the soap downstreamed onto the screens from the side angle so all the holes in the screen fill with soap then run them thru the screen washer, I normally do about 20-30 screens in about 10-15 mins from start to finsh( not including removal and installation).
So bottom line imo unless you rinse off the soap on the screen the window behind the screen will soil far faster and may make the glass hydrophobic.
I dont find a pressure washer would save any time to set it up, I have also had some customers who in the past had a window cleaner that used a pressure cleaner and damaged the screens.
That is exactly what I was going to do this summer when I initially posted this topic
I rarely, if ever, clean screens inside the home. Screens are dirt magnets and need to be cleaned outdoors.
I have the IPC and it is a great tool. I chose that one over the Aztec only because of the foot control.
I almost always clean the screens on the driveway or grass. I never, never, clean them if there is any chance of standing in mud or muck.
As part of the whole job I tag each screen with a sharpie pen on the top with which window it came from, i.e left to right - Frnt 1, Frnt 2, Rgt 1, Rgt 2 etc.
I collect all of the screens that way and take them outside and put on my show with the screen cleaner for the neighbors to see the screens getting cleaned. I also pre-scrub the frames with a soapy white pad because often the frames get a bit crusty. Tap them to remove excess water and then go about cleaning the tracks and windows. When that is done I towel dry the remainder of what is on the screens sitting out in the sun and return them to their respective windows that I tagged on the screens after the windows are done.
It doesn’t take all that much time and I find it to be faster with the screen cleaner than by hand.
As far as soaking wet shoes - it hasn’t happened. My shoes get a little wet but if they are bad, then a quick towel dry of them before going back inside fixes that issue.
Benefits from either unit:
- Streamlines your screen cleaning procedure
- Pretty thoroughly cleans dust and dirt off of the mesh
- Less bending over screen after screen
- Alerts people watching that you are a professional window cleaner and novel enough for them to be interested in having their windows done too!
