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Saturday, September 28, 2013

Developing A Window Cleaning Soap

The very best window cleaning soap is truly subjective.  Not everyone has the same likes and dislikes.  Although I will tell you this.  No one enjoys bleed.  No one wants a heavy film that leaves white lines in the direct sun.  And no one wants their blade to chatter across the glass.  I think everyone will agree with me on this.

So.  In order to eliminate bleed we must choose a molecule that will not break down the surface tension of water so much that the cleaning solution just runs out from the edge.  We test by cutting the solution with our squeegee and looking at the line of delineation.  The dry line or wet line.  Whichever you want to call it.  If it is straight you are good.  If it has legs then not. Next the film.  Typically long molecules will leave a film.  We like short molecules.  Maybe with chains of just four carbons long. If a surfactant turns to a white solid when left outside in fifty degree weather, this is not a good thing.  If it stays liquid down to ten degrees this is a good thing.  Your blade should not chatter if the surfactant breaks down the surface tension of water adequately.  This is also true of the slip products or chems out there.  TSP has a very short molecule.  It gives you tremendous slip.  No film.  However it will bleed like crazy. Sodium metasilicate or water glass is very similar.  Another slip chem. But enough on the slip chems.

It isn't possible to control the humidity in the air.  If the humidity is high your solution will cause your squeegee to glide better.  But when it is low your rubber will chatter more.  The bottom line is once again the length of the syn-det molecule.  If it is short you will leave very little film.  You see as the rubber moves across the glass your water solution evaporates behind the blade.  It only takes a split second.  But it does take time.  It might only travel out behind the blade by a tenth of an inch or so before it evaporates.  But as it evaporates a film is left.  Every time.  It is the length of the syn-det molecule that determines exactly how thick this film is.  The cleaner surface is always attained by using a short molecule.

Now that we have got this down we know where to go.  We want a single short molecule or a blend of different ones.  We need to break down the surface tension of water to just the right amount.  And we will want to generate just the right amount of sudz.  Certain surfactants will generate more sudz than others. Therefore you must choose the one that you want.

My job is to come up with a number of different surfactants of the four different families and let you mix your own to your own liking.  This will be a non ending work in progress.  But I will let you know as it develops.  Currently I am looking at many contenders.  And am even looking at fluorosurfactants or teflon soaps.  These have so far proven to be the most fascinating to work with. Although they are extremely expensive.  For that reason I see them as small add ins.  Not the main ingredient in the blend.

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Written by Henry Grover Jr.

For product sales henrygroverjr@gmail.com

Monday, September 23, 2013

Beta Testing Professional Cleaners

To be a better beta we need to look at many things.  I personally think sometimes we really don't know exactly why we like a certain product.  It just seems right.  I know I am like that. Years ago I liked a certain professional product called Sansco Window Cleaning Concentrate.  Used it for years.  It gave me fantastic slip for my blade, and enough sudz to see what I was doing.  Left a nice shine on the glass.  And smelled good too. Almost hypnotic.  But it cost over a hundred bux for a case of four gallons.  Compared to a bottle of Dawn at the local supermarket for three bux.  That worked quite well enough for me.  I tried many dish soaps over the years but settled on Dawn. I can make it more slippery by adding a little ammonia or a little sodium bicarbonate.  It leaves the least amount of film and cleans well.

After studying the different synthetic detergents somewhat I have started once again to experiment with the various families. Long or short chain, branched or not, various side chains, etc. They all have different properties.  Lets talk about some of these properties and what we might look for when testing.  I am now putting together a list of these which I will test first myself. Then I will be making samples available to the window cleaning industry as a service.  There will be a small cost since it cost me for samples, mailing, and takes time away from my own window cleaning business to do this.

Bleeding.  This is when the solution runs away from the edge of the window causing runouts into the clean dry glass.  You can test for this by wetting the window then running the squeegee down the middle.  This creates a line that seperates the wet side from the dry side.  No bleed means a perfect straight line.  Try this with a very powerful slip chem such as TSP.  You will get bleed.  Bleed is worse on wet days and varies from window to window.  Not all surfaces are the same.  The best way to cross compare different syn-dets is to use the same exact detergent concentration per gallon of water, test on the same day, use the same plate of glass, and completely rince your applicator every time.

Overlapping.  When performing the swirl motion or S curve you will be moving somewhat over dry areas. As you do this the blade will drag a little each time.  There are some detergents that give you enough slip to easily bridge the dry glass.  It tends to be that those which give you this extra slip also leave more of a haze. Some that don't might create streaks that can be seen quite well in the direct sunlight.  The key is to find a syn-det or syn-det chem blend that will give maximum  slip but not streak or leave a film.  

Sudz.  Some people absolutely abhor little bubbles.  Personally I like just enough.  So this test is purely subjective.  Although it is true that excessive sudz can be a real aggravation for several reasons.  Especially when detailing with your points having dog eared the channel ends you want nothing left.  Too much sudz will get in the way.

Cleaning ability.  Alkaline cleaners will clean glass more effectively than acid based cleaners.  This is because organic deposits on glass are acidic.  Cleaning solutions must neutralize in order to work.  Alkaline solutions neutralize acids.  Some syn-dets are more alkaline than others.  You might also want to add a slip chem which is highly alkaline.  Certain syn-dets will be much less affected by higher pH solutions than others.  So this also matters.

Beyond these things you will have your own likes and dislikes. But the bottom line here is the more you look at the better beta you will be.  So be a better beta.

Written by Henry Grover Jr.

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For product sales henrygroverjr@gmail.com

Thursday, September 12, 2013

Beta Testing Plastee Gritt

Plastee Gritt abrasive is a urea powder of approximately 100 microns particle size.  Since it is made of plastic it is softer than glass and shouldn't scratch.  Even at this large particle size.  I suggest mixing it with various solvents such as Oil Flo from Titan Lab, or Goo Gone, or a DLimonene product which the WCR has samples of right now.  It can be applied to a small flat applicator and rubbed.  I have used it for removing water based paint that was very old.  I just mixed it with soapy water and it ate the paint right off.  I mixed it with the WCRs DLimonene product and put it on a paper towel on the tip of a pole and it ate off some old thick runs of tree sap in seconds.  I have glued it to a cloth, so as to make a type of plastic abrasive "sandpaper". Then put this "compopaper" on a flat applicator and knocked off shotgun fungi with a pole and soapy water.  The abrasive particles are just large enough, hard enough, and sharp enough to cut through most soft stuff.  Even silicone residue.  But they are softer than glass.  

If you do any testing please post your results on my SURFACES subforum in the garage section of the WCR Forum.

Also, if anyone would like any small samples of this Plastee Gritt just send your name, business name, and shipping address to my email henrygroverjr@gmail.com

If you would like these posts to come straight into your inbox just put your email address in the box to the top right, "Follow By Email".

Written by Henry Grover Jr.

For product sales henrygroverjr@gmail.com