DIY Self Cleaning Products

Window Cleaning Companies can now get into the technology of applying self cleaning coatings to window glass.  This is fast becoming a specialty line of work that only the Window Cleaner is truly qualified to take on.  It is another service that can substantially increase your bottom line.  The chemistry and technology exists right now.  If you chose to not get involved you will miss out.  Lets check out the technology of making glass dirt resistant and hence "self cleaning".  We will also look at some eye opening videos that demontrate what is now being done.

Self cleaning glass is either hydrophylic or even hydrophobic.  Most of us are familiar with the former which is coated in the factory with a titanium dioxide chemistry.  This type of coating is water loving.  Pure water drops should spread out and not bead up.  The idea is that first there should be no spots if there are no drops.  The rain should hit the glass, spread out, and "drain off".  TiO2 is supposed to also be photocatalytic.  Which means the energy of the Suns UVC transfers to the dirt by means of the TiO2 surface causing the particles to break up and dissolve in the rain.  Then as the rain drains off the glass it carries the dissolved dirt with it.  Self cleaning coatings based on TiO2 are usually applied in the factory by a vacuum sputtering process.  We could not duplicate such a process in the field on old glass.  However there are now DIY products that can be applied in the field.  Check out some of these educational videos.

This product comes from Denmark and is obviously also based on a TiO2 chemistry.  If I were to apply it for testing I would first polish the glass with a cerium or optical silica compound so as to remove all hydrocarbon residue.  Which tend to make glass hydrophobic.  Then I would apply Shine On and wait to see if it really does photocatalytically remove all dirt and hydrocarbons that would cause the surface to become hydrophobic.  This would be a very effective test to see if these coatings really do work.  I would also do a side by side test on the same plate of glass.


The other selfcleaning coating is water hating.  It is designed to purposely cause water to bead up.  This effect is intended to cause the water drops to "roll off" the window when rain hits it.  The more hydrophobic it is the better it works.  The best example in nature of a hydrophobic surface is the lotus leaf.  This is actually a superhydrophobic surface.  The water drops hardly make any contact with the surface.  So much so that a superhydrophobic surface is considered a totally different animal, although the effect is very similar to a hydrophobic surface.  This type of surface is self cleaning in that the water drops actually pick up dirt as they roll down the window.  This acitivity can be easily demonstrated.  I have included a link to a couple videos showing that here.

Although again I should interject the question, does it really work in the field.  I have done things on glass in my basement that I could not duplicate in the field.  So I am always in question of what people create.  Even when a product does work in the field I always ask questions.  Like how well does it work?  Or does it really work better than another product that I can buy off the shelf?  I get it that education is necessary before someone can correctly apply products.  I would never put a squeegee in the hands of a homeowner expecting even adequate results.  But why make out like your product is better than everyone else's and demand a premium price just to get in?  You know pay to pay.

So lets put these different products and coatings to the test.  Then when we know the results we can speak confidently from experience to our customers and they will believe us.  We will believe us.  So lets start by setting up the first experiment.  Because our work as Window Cleaners is absolutely changing my friends.  We are cleaning surfaces that are not glass surfaces anymore.  We also are being given the ability to alter glass surfaces ourselves.  Products are coming onto the market that allow us to transform window glass.  We can make it selfcleaning by adding a tatanium dioxide hydrophylic coating.  Or make it selfcleaning by adding a superhydrophobic coating.

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Written by Henry Grover Jr.

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