If you just realised that the exterior windows of your business appear unsightly due to dirt and grime that have accumulated on them over time, then you may be considering taking on the task of cleaning them on your own. However, many business owners make mistakes when cleaning their own exterior windows or hiring non-professional window cleaners that lead to their windows not appearing clean after they wash them, window damage, or even employee injuries.
Read on to learn about four common mistakes made by non-professional window cleaners.
- Cleaning Windows With a Pressure Washer
Pressure washers can be useful cleaning tools, but their use should be left to experienced professionals and they should never be used to clean windows. These cleaning tools can project water that is so highly pressurised that it can puncture human skin. In addition, a pressure washer adjusted to the wrong pounds per square inch (psi) setting can easily shatter a window you are attempting to clean and/or damage the window frames.
Finally, since these cleaning tools can only spray water that is mixed with cleaning solution onto a window and cannot remove it, they rarely leave the streak-free finish that can be achieved with other window cleaning techniques.
- Using Paper Towels or Newspaper to Clean Windows
Many non-professional window cleaners spray windows with their cleaning solution of choice and then wipe this solution away with paper towels or newspaper, as they would clean their windows at home. However, paper towels and newspapers are far from ideal window cleaning tools.
Paper towels do not remove as much dirt and debris with every wipe as many people suspect. In fact, some microfiber cloths can pick up as much as 100 times more debris than paper towels with every wipe. In addition, paper towels are prone to leaving behind lint on the windows they are being used to clean.
While newspaper does tend to leave less lint behind than paper towels when used to clean windows, and recycled newspaper is relatively eco-friendly, newspaper ink can unfortunately transfer onto window frames and other window surfaces the newspaper rubs against.
Professional window-cleaning tools, such as squeegees, remove dirt and grime from windows quickly and easily without leaving lint, ink, and/or window streaks behind.
- Cleaning Windows With Vinegar
Another mistake many amateur window washers make is cleaning windows with vinegar instead of a store-bought window cleaning solution. While vinegar can be used to clean and disinfect many surfaces and items safely without harming the environment, vinegar is acidic and can corrode some materials.
While vinegar typically does not harm glass, it can corrode many types of rubber and metal, including rubber window seals and metal window frames.
Instead of using harsh window cleaning products or their natural alternatives, professional window cleaners often use a simple cleaning solution made of mild soap and water to clean windows.
- Cleaning Multi-Story Windows Without the Proper Equipment
Cleaning the exterior windows on a multi-story building is always a much tougher and more dangerous task than cleaning ground-story level windows alone.
Since many business owners do not own the scaffolds, boom lifts, and aerial lifts that professional window cleaners use to access the exterior windows located above the ground floor of a multi-story building, they often clean these windows while standing on dangerous ladders.
According to research, falls from ladders are not uncommon and are often deadly. In fact, falls, especially from ladders, are the leading cause of deadly injuries.
To keep yourself and your employees safe, never attempt to clean business window exteriors while standing on ladders.
Non-professional window cleaners often make mistakes when cleaning their window exteriors that can damage their windows and frames and/or jeopardise their safety.
Contact FCT Surface Cleaning today to have an expert and professional window cleaning service for your commercial and residential windows. Give us a call on (08) 9204 3333!
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