At work, we have a lot of mirrors to clean, out in the desert. I am proposing a truck mounted power washing rig, with some kind of pre rinse that is something like environmentally friendly. I don't want to scrub these things, because there is a LOT of them. About 1400 mirrors. :huh But, scrubbing is occasionally necessary, and that's what I am thinking the pre rinse will help with. Suggestions?
Presoak and wipe? I know that Methyl Hydrate is about the best there is to remove films from glass.All them particulates from the air have a certain ashy/greasy content and can be hard to cut through. Certainly not friendly when absorbed through the skin, but sure evaporates fast. Not sure about presoak and rinse, may evaporate too fast and may cause environmental concerns even diluted with a rinse. Environmentaly friendly glass cleaners ? there are some or so they claim to be but that's debatable how friendly some of them products are, don't always believe their claims. Don't remember what we had at work but sure did not work well on SS or glass, streaky so we went back to Windex. But we don't use that much and just me not wanting to clean then have to polish off streaks after. Stripping/cleaning vinegar? higher acetic acid content and may dissolve some of the alkalis, not an expert on that but they may be common in desert conditions and do build up on glass and very hard to remove.Lots of old bottles in my collection with that "problem". Good on glass stripping vinegar but......undiluted sure kills the weeds in my driveway real good.:eek1
Car dealerships wash the cars on the lot with de-ionized water and a pressure washer. The "DI" doesn't leave water spots. Google it.
Here you go. Now if you could just get them to take themselves to and from the jobsite... http://www.ecovacs.com/bot/Winbot-Winbot 7 Series.html
I have a lot of windows at my house. They used to be a real pain to clean, until I followed the recommendation of a professional window cleaner. Here is the link: http://www.amazon.com/Ettore-30116-Squeegee-Cleaning-16-Ounce/dp/B007UTM0AW/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1359688849&sr=8-4&keywords=window+cleaning+supplies Use as directed. Soap the window with a sponge/scubber at the end of a pole, squeegee and your done. No rinsing, no streaks. Not harmful to the environment. It works best if the windows are not hot or in the sun. You've got to squeegee before it starts drying. So for me it's an early morning start if I want to get it all done in one time. It really does work better than any other soap I've tried. One pass and the dirt, grime, bird dropping come right off.
Check out commercial window cleaning recommendations for high rise glass buildings. I know they use a combination of a spray solution that is non-spotty and quick drying as to not soak the peds, and a stronger solution with a nappy wool applicator on a pole and a squeegee. Jim
Sounds like what I need also, only 200 or so little panes to clean in my house. Well overdue and usually a full day work.And I really need something that won't dry out the oils in the putty, took way to long to restore all that. Before I go to Amazon and find a seller that will ship to my default address in Canada....more and more difficult these days that over there, what's the dilution, can't seem to find specs online??? And who knew? there are "window washers" forums.Of course that would have a "squeege off" thread. http://windowcleaningresource.com/vBulletin/residential-window-cleaning/12549-squeegee-off.html
They recommend we take two hour lunches, and most of the year off. Needless to say, they are european. Also, they are having enough trouble reading specs, I don't take their recommendations very seriously. In our test fields, there is few enough of them that we can wash them with DI water in buckets with professional window washing tools. But, 430 or so of these presents a new problem. We do use DI water (first time I heard that, I thought of the thrift store DI). I am just making recommendations, especially since I might be the sad sap doing this washing. I figured one tall truck with a power wash rig, a large tank, a driver and a washer. Drive down the line, hose them off. Yes, we are a similar outfit to that one pictured. Powerdish.com. We have some new stuff going in out in Tooele. I will practically be living there soon. I already live in Utah, but somewhere greener.