First I would like to say thank you to all who have respfonded to my last post with their helpul advice. Now my questions today are…What is the best standard cleaning solution ? Since im a new comer, i brought an unger formula from home depot. Is that sufficient ? Or is something as simple as dawn okay ? Also what is good to remove hard water stains without damaging storefront or residential windows ? Any help is big time. Thank you all. John.
Oh boy, another round of soap wars may begin.
GG3 here mixed with squeegee (second one hard to find).
some use dish soap like dawn (although dawn doesnt reccomend you do), ecover, etc…
others use chemicals like tsp, ammonia…
then there are professional window cleaning products. i prefer glass gleam. i think it works well and it gives you a little more credibility using professional products if a customer sees you mixing up more solution (my opinion).
I use Unger Easy Glide or Glass Gleam 3 & Glass Gleam 4. You really need to just try some out and see what your customers like the best. Dish soaps are believed to resoil faster than a actual glass cleaning soap. I tried some GG4 on one side of a window and Dawn on the other side. Both looked good for a month or two but soon after the dawn side did look like it was not as clean as the glass gleam side.
For me Unger Easy Glide is just easier to get. So I use that the most. Titan labs used to give samples if you request them. I don’t know if they still do or not. I contacted them about using Titan Green on a Cigar shop’s windows and they just said to use Titan Green. So no sample from them on that.
as far as Dawn or babby soaps/ and or any kind of soap! are not ok to use on any windows your not washing dishes. your cleaning windows ! theire is a product called GLANCE and is amonia free in Case THE WINDOWS have tint it wont damage the tint. it also cleanse grease spots left by hand prints, streak free and best of all its for windows/and or windows with film.as far as hard water stain buy CERIUM OXYDE its a polisher for glass it work great to restore windows. if that does not work than window restoration would be your last bet for the hard water stains. good luck and you can always answer your own question by researching and investing time on the type of job you are up against.
Glass gleam 4 is formulated for areas that have hard water.
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Glass Gleam 4 is my fav
Soap Wars! I love it. Its my favorite way to tease anyone I work with. Simply put, if it cleans the glass to the customers liking, and you get paid, you’re good. Thats my limited opinion.
Years ago I got into custom synthetic detergent (syn-dets) blends. There are only five different familys but thousands of different syn-det molecules. Hey, there are even syn-dets based on siloxane and silane chemistrys. By the way Chris, if you want to market your own version I’m sure me and the guys could get together and come up with something for you. I even got nutzy enough to pickup the book, “Surfactants and Interfacial Phenomena”. My concoction then was a blend of a 35% active cocamidopropyl betaine (amphoteric), linear alcohol ethoxylate (nonionic), some short chain anionic, and I might have thrown in a cationic. Totally gave up the zwitterionics. Might as well put ladders on a Lexas. I had to use about 5% alcohol to bring certain families together. Kind of like people. I think wine is around 5% by volume.
Anyhow. My opinion is the water used is more important than the “soap”. Although I REALLY like that negative bleed I get from certain cats (cationics). Thinking if the water were much more alkaline with a higher ph (not because of TDS) than it should clean WAY better than acid. Guess this gives new meaning to our term Acid Wash. Also when doing pizza shops I will throw a handful of white silica optical grade polishing powder in my bucket to remove all grease prints. Hate going back to catch what I couldn’t see the first time around. I really hate wasting time.
I could go on forever about this topic. Soap Wars. Love that!
Hey Henry. I , maybe not like the others, have tried everything. Cleaners: spray away, zep, miracle glass, $ store, perfect glass, vinegar, ammonia, windex types, bio eco friendly types, method, alcohol, TSP (both), the list goes on. For doors a simple spray would get smudges off then seem to leave a haze that wouldnt buff out. I tried paper towels (many brands), huck, cotton flour sacks, microfiber, newspaper (plain and printed). I tried a lot of stuff. I always get smudges. Squeegee water off and there is a bit of water on edge. OK, wipe off. Looks great. The next day a streak where I wiped. It was nice and shinny when I left. Heck I can use bleach on a mirror and buff out with a paper towel but cannot use windex on glass because of smudges. The cleaners work then after a while seem not to work anymore.
I really believe the glass is the culprit. I know on a new door the rubber seal seemed to express maybe a silicone. The edges always had a greasy film. It was shinny and impossible to buff off. These doors receive full heat direct sun. Glass so hot they were uncomfortable to touch. Even if I wait or do when cool the edges dry the solution so fast that no sooner than I mop the solution on it begins to dry but only around the edge about an inch or so. I have to wet and squeegee immediately. Since using WFP, I am trying my best not to use anything but pure water and a microfiber for spots, dust, and prints. I use the soaps but do not get the glide I see in videos here. Soft or hard rubber, no difference.
Pretty much if use a cleaner additive I use denatured alcohol and pure water. Might as well. Wonder if it is just the glass being produced. All hydrophobic glass and steel/bronze wool doesn’t help with that. Water still beads. Have you ran into a type slip or a product that was slick that may not leave a residue?
Guess because I am a cleaner I have the mind set cleaners are for cleaning but rinse or buff without streaks after. This is why I don’t use any polish when clean or dust Simple vinegar, denatured alcohol, any type of multi purpose cleaner like the windex with vinegar. I can wipe on and buff in 1 shot, no smudges. Clean everything with it. It does work on glass very well… I also rinse off dishes after washing with soap, to get the soap and dirt off. Why would I think wiping the soap will get it off. You seem to try a number of unconventional methods. Ever find a substance that may provide a slickness that is not a soap?
Use what feels good and keeps your customers happy
Dish soap is perfectly fine if YOU understand the steps needed
I use winsol super slip
The BEST slip out there Period.
Pax
How does the Windsol - super slip compare to the Sorbo - glide?
I don’t do sorbo products at this time.
Super slip is clear, none sudsing NOT a soap not slippery to your hands
Helps keep yer window wet in hot weather.
I use a lot less than recommended about about 1/4-1/2 teaspoon per 2.5 gallons of my super sauce.
I like it cuz it’s NOT a soap
But makes things sooooo smooooth.
With no added residue.
Pax
Do you use it all the time or only on hot days? I think I will try some! I ha e always used the Sorbo glide do I think I should expand my horizon!
