A complete guide from GoClear Window Cleaning.
The answer often depends on the particular job. When cleaning indoors, traditional is nearly always the only option. Pure water cleaning would be too messy for this type. When cleaning exterior windows, pure water cleaning is often the winner! The best thing about pure water cleaning is that the whole window is deep cleaned.
| Traditional | Pure Water |
| Uses Soap | Uses Purified Water |
| Squeegee Finish | Brush and Rinse |
| Great Indoors | Great Outdoors |
| Ladder Required | Safer From the Ground |
The specialist brushes we use get right into every crevice of the frames and flush out dirt that a microfibre would not get! Because the water is filtered down to 0ppm there is no residues in the water to cause streaking or ‘spotting’ that tap water would leave behind. The key is the technique! When we clean your windows we start by giving the frames a thorough cleanse with jets of pure water, using our brushes to agitate and rinse away the dirt.
Once the frames are nice and clean, this sets us up to move on to the window panes themselves! Starting at the top of the window we ‘swipe’ back and forth to remove any dirt from the top 1/3rd of the window. We then work down the glass scrubbing up and down until no build up remains on the glass. We then focus our attention to rinsing. Rinsing is an important part of the process — It pushes the now contaminated pure water down the glass so that it can be fully removed once the sills are cleaned the window is entirely cleaned and you will notice that they are much brighter and often have a nice shimmer to them! The downside? You must wait for the windows to dry before you can see the final results! Sometimes pure water alone won’t be enough to clean a window! ingrained dirt can be stubborn and may need a soak in some light chemical solution such as UBIK 2000 or Pureseal’s Synergy.
However! Sometimes it’s best to use traditional methods! Often we will clean doorways the old fashioned way — using a mop, squeegee, and towel to dry down! This is because water can pool in these areas, creating a hazard to occupants! We area always mindful of using the right method for the job. Sometimes it’s appropriate to clean windows above extension roofs with traditional methods due to the awkward angle needed to reach windows from the ground.
Pure water cleaning makes cleaning 1st floor and above windows much safer… We don’t use ladders when cleaning with pure water systems! We simply extend our carbon fibre poles and scrub from the ground! This will have undoubtably saved lives and prevented countless injuries! Pure water is generally considered safer as it reduces the need for ladders! However, with carbon fibre poles, the risk becomes power lines and potentially lightening strikes! The poles we use have insulated handles, but we would not risk anything when it comes to high voltage electricity! We can pretty much eradicate the risk of shocks by not operating near to these electric shock risk areas.
So in summary to which one is better?
Traditional, you have an instant finished result. Pure water, you must wait for the windows to dry out before the results can be enjoyed! When used correctly, pure water cleaning is extremely efficient and gets great results, but will at times, not be enough to clean a window fully! The results really do depend on the method you use. Done correctly, the results are impressive! Traditional cleaning is a safer option for slippery pathways or enclosed front door areas where water can pool and take time to dry! Water fed pole provides a safer way to clean generally due to ladders being higher risk when used so frequently. The best method is the most appropriate one for each scenario!
Hope that helps! Sam (GoClear)
