If the windows are extra dirty I would clean them the normal way first, then use steel wool selectively where necessary.
Some Wal-Marts carry #0000.
If the windows are really dirty I don’t mess around. They automatically get a wooling and they come out sparkling clean.
[MENTION=153]danwagner[/MENTION] I like to do it this way too, mainly so that I can tell if the wool is definitely not scratching the window. When the window is dry, you can tell instantly. When the window is all soaped up, you could accidentally scratch the whole window and not know it 'till you squeegee it clear.
This might be a humid weather advantage, though. When it’s really dry out (i.e. some place like Arizona) I think the hot dry glass might cause a lot of drag and leave little wool fibers everywhere.
I swear, in so many of these WCR discussions, humidity is a big factor.
There was a FB thread talking about this. I am still afraid to use anything coarser than 0000. My hands will probably fall off from overuse in a couple more years, though lol
I should get the knuckler - easier to grab with my tired window cleaning hands.
I’ve only ever washed windows in Salt Lake City which is a pretty dry climate. I’ve never thought about humidity as a factor. It’s crazy, the thought of using steel wool on dry glass makes me cringe still! Something I’m gonna have to get used to.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Window Cleaning Resource mobile app
… I’m just down the road from you in AZ. Dry wooling I find is usually ok. On some glass though
there is a lot of drag on the wool and it shreds it. I don’t really know why. Could be FD? or maybe when in direct sun?
This is what I love cleaning with bronze wool… Sticker residue, dry or wet it comes out perfect
Mike Radzik
Pro Window Cleaning
Central Massachusetts
Sent from my iPhone using Window Cleaning Resource
I just used 0000 steel wool today to remove heavy nicotine residue from interior residential glass. It worked great. I also like using steel wool on glass that has not been cleaned in years, it cuts the grime better than just a scraper.
A few years back I did 200’ of high windows (30+’ up) in a welding shop. They were opaque orange from decades of welding gases. The only thing that touched it was steel wool. The next day the Purchasing Agent said he will need blinds on his office windows now, as it was the first time he had seen sun come in since he had worked in the plant.
It works great on silicone. It works great on brick sealer over spray (scraper wouldn’t touch it). Steel wool works better at removing stuff than bronze wool, but the debris will rust when it gets wet (which it will, inside or out) resulting in small rust stains sometime after you finish the job, unless you clean up the debris really really good. Bronze wool does not rust, so I prefer it, especially when working inside.
I prefer bronze/wool pad (wool pad with bronze wool on one side), rather than bronze wool by itself, as it leaves less debris. I keep a small one in a tool belt pouch, and use a 5x7 one on unger pad holder for pole work. The unger pad holder is the only one that you can rotate and get it to essentially ‘lock’ in place with the pad parallel to the pole, allowing you to put all the pressure on top edge of the pad holder (pad applied to holder so the bronze wool over hangs the top edge) and get very aggressive with stubborn stuff. Last week I used this technique to remove some big smudges of silicone on a high store front window with a queen size bed in front of it.
Unger pad holder is euro thread, so fits right onto your wfp. Get one of the aluminum euro thread pole tip adapters to use with an unger type pole. All available from WCR.
Do the pads scrub as well as plain bronze wool in your hand? Do they last longer?
Steel wool lasts longer than bronze, unless it rusts. The small bronze/wool pad works about the same as bronze wool, except it will fit in a knuckler, which can be easier to use in some situations (e.g. large silicone or sealer overspray). There is no comparison for the large 5x7 pad, as it is the only one that easily goes on a pole. Sometimes when using an Unger pad to buff out and I notice something I will drape the bronze pad over the end, then use it to remove whatever I saw. The large pad lasts a long time. The biggest wear factor is folding it, so keep it reasonable flat when not in use. I keep mine with my clean Unger pads.
Sent from my HUAWEI Y300-0151 using Window Cleaning Resource mobile app
you can use 0000 or 000 steel wool. anything coarser than 000 will scratch. for a bigger pad unroll 2 pieces and re roll one piece the size you want it and then roll the second one around the first for a nice big piece of wool that will cover a lot more ground than one little tightly wrapped piece.
I rarely use steel wool anymore because I use a hogs hair brush on first time cleans. Its quicker than steel wool, easier on the hands, doesn’t rust, and doesn’t cost less money.
I’ve been meaning to try the hogs hair brush. Do you use it in your hand or with a pole?
I find the steel at the hardware storw but it’s cheaper at the WCR shop. The bronze is more expensiver but it like it. I usually have 2 wads. 1 I use wet to scrub dirty windows. Blading them requires rewetting. I use a dry wad for detailing. To me steel wool is a window cleaners best kept secret. I feel disabled without it. It helps me buzz through french panels and windows that are already essentially clean. I highly recommend it. The word on the street is that glass is harder than steel so that’s why it doesn’t scratch.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using Window Cleaning Resource mobile app
I do both. I have one with a brass squeegee handle attached to it so I can do the ground floor with a pole. I don’t use a water fed pole but traditional. With the attached squeegee handle it works great, slips on and off real quick. Someone posted it on a mod thread a while back. I jumped on it real quick. I had been looking for a way to use a pole on the first floor windows on first time cleans. The only hold up was the in ability to break up the dirt build up on the glass and that solved the problem. I’m not sure it would work as well with just pure water. It seems the added soap helps break up the dirt. As far as carrying it I just use a pouch instead of a bucket on a belt. I generally have to razor the corners to make sure it gets the dirt all the way off the corners. It works great. I’v been wanting to try the green synthetic brush WCR sells. I’v heard it does just as well and would seem to last longer.
I use steel wool every once in a blue moon now. When I do I use the brass wool dual pads that have the brass wool woven into the cloth pad. They last for several cleanings and do real well. They don’t shed as much as the brass wool and don’t rust like steel wool.
Which one is it?
I have to agree with all the hogs hair brush fans. Nothing cleans like a hogger! I’ve been using my old RHG WFP hogs hair brush for traditional residential window cleaning because it fits in my Unger BOAB. I also modified it a bit. I shaved off the the protrusion with the pole threads. Great for ladder work.
