How do you guys clean windows with security bars? I spent my entire day cleaning windows with bars and I am wondering if there is an easier way to do it. I clean scrub with a standard soaker and loosen my squeegee so I can slide the channel side to side so it doesn’t hit the vertical bars. Is there a better way?
We clean our fair share of windows with bars over them here in the DC area. Depending on how spaced the bars are and how far out they are from the window, we either do what you do, take the bars off if possible, use a 4-6 inch squeegee, WFP, Or just hose them if the bars are too tight against the window. Sometimes I use a channel with no handle.
I don’t think there is a best or better way. It all depends on the type of bars. But your method is used most often by us I’d say. We also wipe the bars down as they seem to always have spider webs and dust all over them.
They’re a PITA, aren’t they?
Sounds like a good spot to use a foam.
My arms are black from the paint. I think the thing I hate most is that we have one company down here that installs the bars just a bit to big and then cuts off the excess once they are installed. Then they grind down most of the sharp edges. so now you have a trashed window from the grinding and when it comes to cleaning them you get cut up by all the edges they missed. I was just hoping there was some sort of magic solution. I have gone the DI/hog hair brush route before. Is there a place where you can buy the tools to take them off? All the bars I’ve seen here have a odd bolt patern.
How about a wfp?
I don’t think I could rinse well enough and getting the brush in and out of the bars would be tricky. Normally if I know it’s a big job with lots of bars I will bring a DI tank scrub with a soaker or hog hair and then rinse with DI water. similar to wfp. I just use small brushes 6-8 inches. now if I had a pole that was only say 8- 18 inches long and a brush that was may 6 inches wide… like a mini wfp. that would be slick. Is anything like this available? Or should I try and make a home brew? think it would work?
I’d bet RHG or WCR would be able to come up w/ something to fit.
I think we may be on to something here…not sure but I think
Will a small 6’’ strip washer fit? If it did, you could scrub the window, and then use the new RHG backpack sprayer to rinse the windows with pure water…
I like that idea too. I knew there had to be an easier way.
So I got done eairly today and was tooling around the shop and made a handheld wfp with out the pole. WFBrush to be exact. I just pulled the hose out of a old tucker of mine. I then took the brush and gooseneck off, reattached the hose to the end of the gooseneck. Hooked it all up to try it. It worked cleaning the window but rinseing with the bar in the way kinda sucked. Plan b…found a old insect spray tank (2 gal size) filled it up with DI water (after I cleaned the tank of course) Washed the window with a regular scrubber. I then used the sprayer with the wand and rinsed from the top of the window. Worked great. Looks like that backpack from RHG will be in my future.
If you decide you need the “one-way” screw removers to pull the bars let me know, after contorting my arm all day at a house with security bars, I found them at Habitat for Humanity ReStore in Amarillo the next week, brand new for like $5. You never know what you’ll find in those stores!
But I’ve got the family hook up down there so they could probably throw some in the mail for you.
Thanks, I will let you know if I need one. Right I am going to try the sprayer scrub method to see if it works. I just got pretty bent the other day messing with bars. This job had 47 single hung windows with bars. they had not been cleaned in years, and I woke up in a bad mood. So the bars got the brunt of my stress.
Yeah, the house up here with bars sits ON the golf course, not exactly crime central, especially in a village that the weekly police report consists of 2 speeding tickets and 1 ski bum caught with weed. Really nice people , but I just wanted to tell them to PLEASE just let me take those bars off the window, trust me, you will be safe!
I use a pump up spray bottle with a paintbrush - works well. You may have to cut the hairs down to get a good scrubbing action. Heres one of Jeffs…
I’m afraid mines much simpler - I just attach the paintbrush to the fan nozzle on the wand with some cable ties for overall sheeting. The wands are usually a couple of feet long so plenty of space.
The brushes rust after a while if they are incased in the metal, so if you can get a plastic version, the better.
