The age old question and one that we get asked on a regular basis by our customers…”is the water fed pole system as good as the old fashioned soap and a squeegee method??”
I say asked…sometimes we got told that it’s not. Plain and simple. (Not as a result of any bad experiences with Whirlwind by the way!)
What we’ll always tell the customers is that, when done carefully and thoroughly, the water fed pole system produces just as good of a finish on your windows as the traditional method. That’s the caveat, like anything it’s got to be done properly.
Let’s break down the differences and the boring science-y bit to help understand how it works and why you may have had a bad experience in the past.
Traditional Window Cleaning
Traditional window cleaning is straightforward. You lather soapy tap water onto the windows then squeegee off and wipe down the frames and sills.
If it’s not broken, why fix it I hear you ask!
Well, first of all, this process takes time. Then there’s the added safety risk of needing to use ladders to reach high windows. Using ladders also takes time. It also means carrying round a bucket of water with you all day. What happens to the water once you’ve cleaned a few windows? It get’s dirty and needs changing. More time.
The longer it takes, the less work can be done in the day. Add in the safety issues of using ladders and it’s no wonder many window cleaners welcomed an alternative solution.
There’s also the difficulty that comes with those tricky window frames that drip after your window cleaner has left or them having to use microfiber cloths to get a good finish around dodgy seals (not the animals).
Water Fed Pole Cleaning
These systems utilise “treated” water which travels up the pole and comes out at the brush head onto the windows.
There’s a couple of different methods of treating your water, however at Whirlwind we use what we consider the best. Our van fitted, Reverse Osmosis system produces purified water.
(Here’s the science-y bit…..Reverse Osmosis is a technology that removes impurities and contaminants from water by pushing it through a semi-permeable membrane under pressure. See the image below.) Our pre-filters also help remove minerals from the water prior to this process.
This pure water can then be brushed directly onto the windows to lift any dirt. Once this process is complete it’s crucial that the windows are rinsed with the pure water to ensure no dirty water is left on the glass.
Because the water that’s left on the glass is pure water (we measure our water daily to ensure it has a zero ppm reading) it doesn’t need to be squeegee’d off and can be left to dry naturally, leaving a clear finish.
There’s still a need however to be wary of any dirt left on the top frames that could run down the glass or drips from a window above that might pick up dirt as it runs down the building!
SO…in theory, when done properly, both methods should produce an equally clean window.
There’s room for human error in both methods and the truth is that’s what has probably accounted for any issues you’ve had in the past, rather than the system itself.
They’re different. And some people don’t like different. Which is fine but the world’s changing and we’ve got to move with the times!