So what is the best window cleaning tool? A lot of people ask me that. I just saw a mail out from a window cleaning company advertising that they exclusively use squeegees, which they promise results in a longer lasting and deeper cleaning than a Pure Water Cleaning system. Is the old school tool really what cleans windows best? There’s some suspicion floating around the internet about these new-fangled water fed pole systems. I have objections.
If anyone is skeptical about Pure Water Cleaning’s effectiveness, it’s because of encounters with bad cleaners, not bad tools.
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Demystifying Window Cleaning
At 8 years old I was a master with Windex and Paper Towel. In talking to customers I’ve heard a lot of tales of the perfect window cleaning tools: Norwex cloths, Vinegar and Newspaper, or ammonia and prefold diapers (laundered of course). Someone who knows what they’re doing can likely get great results with any one of those processes. Someone who doesn’t know what they’re doing can make any of them look ineffective.
All window cleaning techniques are essentially the same. One wets the window with water, agitates the grime to bring it into solution (possibly using some additive to the water to make this easier), then gets all the dirty water off the window, leaving behind clean glass. That’s it. There’s no magic ingredient. The best window cleaning technique is the one that does it fast, well, and safely.
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A window can be cleaned with Windex and a Paper Towel just fine. Spray the window (the ammonia starts to break up dirt), then buff it dry with a paper towel. The paper towel agitates stubborn dirt into the cleaning fluid and absorbs it off the window. Any streakiness left behind comes from unabsorbed moisture that evaporates leaving dirt. It can be done well!
The reason you probably won’t see this technique if you’re hiring window cleaners is it can take a lot of elbow grease, a lot of paper towel, and a lot of time to clean a house this way.
Windex and Paper Towel isn’t a bad technique for getting windows clean; it’s a bad technique for getting windows clean quickly.
Most pro window cleaners use a mop and squeegee and/or a pure water cleaning system. With one tool we agitate dirt into solution with a mop full of soapy water, and get all the dirty water off the window by sluicing it off with a rubber bladed squeegee. With the other we agitate dirt into solution with a brush and purified water, and get all the dirty water off the window by rinsing it off with more purified water.
The Job at Hand Determines The Best Window Cleaning Tool
Poor results can be had with either mop and squeegee or a pure water cleaning system, but those results are caused by poorly maintained equipment or a lack of user skill, not an inherent flaw in the tools. The best window cleaning technique isn’t universal, it’s situational. There are some unique benefits and drawbacks to each tool set that may make one or the other better for a given application.
Best Window Cleaning Tool Comparison
Pure Water Information
- Cleans windows safely from the ground
- Cleans easily on hot days and in direct sunlight
- Cannot clean windows in freezing weather
- Chemical free and uses 10-30 gallons of water for most houses
- Up front cost of $5000+ and regular expensive filter changes
- Gets into every nook and cranny and cleans frames and sills beautifully
Squeegee Information
- Must risk using ladders for high windows
- Difficult to clean glass fast enough to avoid streaking on hot days
- Methanol can be added to water to clean windows below zero.
- Just need a squeeze of soap and a bucket of water for most houses.
- Up front cost of $30 and inexpensive rubber changes.
- Doesn’t clean frames and sills well.
Working safely and getting great results for my customers are my biggest concerns on any site. I love my Pure Water Cleaning system. I have customers who love it; customers have asked me to do their ground floor windows with it because they say the windows stay clean longer than with squeegee window cleaning.
Where Suspicion about Pure Water Comes From
So what is the company behind this baloney mailout talking about: that squeegee cleaning is longer lasting and deeper cleaning than a pure water cleaning system? I have some guesses.
Part of the fault lies with the companies that make these things. In early days they marketed them towards property managers and maintenance people as a $5000 purchase that would mean they’d never have to hire window cleaners again, as the best window cleaning technique for all situations.
They should have sold them with a training course. It takes some skill to use this system successfully. The promise of not having to train someone to use ladders safely has resulted in a lot of green workers being sent out with a pure water cleaning system. Without training they have not been able to produce results customers are happy with.
These tools also require more technical know-how. When a tech is cleaning with a mop and squeegee, as soon as they’re done, they can look and see if the window is clean. The path between the problem with the tool/technique and the result on the window is short and obvious.
What’s inside a pure water cleaning system is a little more mysterious. If a filter hasn’t been changed on schedule, there could be just a little more contaminant in the water than is acceptable and no matter what the tech does, they still get spotting on the window.
Finally, it’s expedient for a company that doesn’t want to put up the cash to invest in one of these to spread the idea that Squeegee is the only way. There are still some good situations to use a horse, but they’re not better than a car.
A Pure Water Cleaning system isn’t a replacement for a mop and squeegee in all situations. However, it is a safer tool for work at heights that produces exceptional results in the hands of a knowledgeable technician.
The best window cleaning technique, after all, is the one that leaves happy customers. And we’ve got a ton of those. Don’t brook any nonsense about the superiority of squeegee cleaning. If you’ve hired out cleaning and your windows don’t come out awesome, look to the technician, not the tool.
Like to know more about our window cleaning services?
We service Edmonton and Surrounding Areas
How do Norwex Cloths compare for Window Cleaning?
Norwex cloths are a specific brand of microfibre towel. Good microfibre towels (they come in many qualities) can do a great job of polishing glass. It doesn’t qualify as one of the best window cleaning tools because it’s a much slower process than either of the main pro tools, and it would take an awful lot of cloths to clean even a modest house’s filthy exterior windows.
How about Windex or Vinegar and Paper Towel?
Both ammonia (the main ingredient in Windex) and vinegar can be effective for loosening the dirt and grime on windows. Vinegar has the added benefit that the acidity can remove some light hard water staining. The challenging part of this technique is getting all the fluid (and the dirt it’s carrying) off the glass. Any moisture left behind will streak. Paper Towel is absorbent, but also tends to leave bits of paper lint behind. Some folks use newspaper (if you can find any) to avoid the lint bits. Good results can be gotten, but the level of effort it takes to avoid smearing or streaks is greater than with a squeegee, making it less than the best window cleaning tool.
What about the Spray on Window Cleaners you Attach to a Garden Hose?
Oh, these are terrible products! I’m shocked they still sell. You may be able to get good looking results the first time you use them, but they leave behind a sticky residual layer on the glass that attracts dirt. They don’t look good for long. What’s worse is, that sticky residue is difficult to clean off, meaning when you try to get the glass done the right way, it’s far harder!
What Kind of Squeegee is Best?
Want to get a hold of one of the best window cleaning tools? If you’d like to take a crack at cleaning your own windows the way pros do, the squeegee you pick is important. Look for a squeegee with replaceable rubbers (and ensure that replacements are available). Many consumer targeted squeegees do not have replaceable blades and have to be completely replaced when they wear out. Even a pro can’t clean windows well with a worn rubber. Home Depot has a selection of acceptable squeegees. You’ll find the good ones at a janitorial supply store.
