We all know that the days of the bucket, mop, and pole are gone. Even when we are doing trad work we cannot avoid problem surfaces! Bad glass, frictive glass, coated (reflective, low e, antireflective) glass, solar (mylar) film, acrylic, polycarbonate, and the list goes on. When any of these different surfaces become contaminated with paint, wood stain, urethane, silicone caulk, concrete, stucco, concrete sealer, hard water spots, etc.; we enter into what has been called non-routine window cleaning. This can present whether or not we are engaged in trad work, WFP work, or specialized restoration or preservation work. There really is no limits on how risky our line of work has now become. Coupled with the fact that we have a host of different manufacturers of products that will etch, scratch, and otherwise do irreversible damage to these different surfaces.
In the old days glass was glass and nothing more. But not any more. We now have an entirely new business. Next gen window cleaning is what I call it. It demands that we be Glass Smart! We can't go back to the old ways. It is so easy to open a can of words every time we simply clean a window. Either routine or non-routine window cleaning can be a huge risk. Simply because the process of cleaning usually "reveals" damage. This is prior damage from scratching, etching, or staining. We encounter this almost every day! When you clean a window only to reveal screen stain, hard water spots, paint spots, silicone caulk, concrete sealant runoff, or scratches. Sometimes the scratches are so fine they cannot be seen in the direct sunlight. You of course are working on a cloudy day. So when the sun comes out the next day all of the scratches become very visible. They might even look like streaks.
There is much learning to be addressed here. I encourage you to give me a call. And take a look at my brand new website. I am very sure you will find the information, pictures, and videos fascinating and useful.
Written by Henry Grover Jr.
GlassSmart@ProtonMail.com
