Cleaning Mirrors

I did some more canvassing today and got a sale for window and mirror cleaning.

The shop is a fitness center that has 3 large mirrors ala dance studio. My question is whether I can use my window cleaning solution and squeegee to clean the mirrors?

I use the Unger Pill cleaning solution. Would it work well on mirrors?

If not, what should I use to clean the mirrors. I will likely be visiting the shop on Thursday, so any advice before then is a great help.

Thanks.

EDIT:

Nevermind. I’m such a dunce. I should have looked at the most recent post on the forum. Kennyk already asked the same question and ya’ll answered it.

Sorry for the confusion.

Your window cleaning solution should work great. We use GG4 instead of the pill but we clean lots of mirrors and it works excellent…if the pill works well on glass it’ll work well on mirrors.

Why about the dreaded black edge creep?

Black edge creep is caused by using an ammoniated product…especially on older mirrors. Mirrors are usually made with silver for reflective properties (like photo film). The nitrogen in the ammonia (NH4Oh) combines with the silver (Ag) in the emulsion on the mirror to create silver nitrate (AgNO3) which turns the mirror black on the back side

Stay away from ammoniated products to clean mirrors, keep your water “pure” clean and you should be fine

No worries here.

With all the talk of late regarding mirrors – an all the newbies aboard – I thought it was an opportunity to ask the leading question to further the discussion.

Thanks for jumping in. See you in NOLA in April at Thad’s networking event – it’s gonna be great!

For mirrors inside homes I use Sprayway glass cleaner. You’d be surprised on how well it works. But for the size of mirrors you’re talking about, squeegeeing might be quicker.

Wow thanks for the extra info.

I had no idea ammonia is so destructive to mirrors. I’m grateful for the warning.

By the way, what is considered “pure” water?

I knew I read this somewhere on this forum. I did a barber shop last week with 3 mirrors and used a strip washer and squeegee. I think the Sprayway glass cleaner and a microfiber cloth would have been better considering the size of the mirrors and the limited access.

I use head and shoulders

Maybe you should clean half of a mirror with head and shoulders then clean the other half with a professional salon shampoo and see which stays clean the longest.

And see which side gets dandruff back sooner

I also use SprayWay (S50) for cleaning mirrors. You can either towel in off or squeegee it off. This stuff is amazing. I use 3-4 cases a year. It’s a great product for interior glass. My 3 most important money making items in my business are (not in any particular order)

1. WFP
2. Sprayway Cleaner
3. Unger Ergo Tec Belt system

Tell me about the Unger Ergo Tec Belt system. I’ve always wondered about it but I’m one of those guys who rarely buys the “already-packaged-all-in-one” systems. Not that I have anything agaist them, I just usually find that putting my “whatever” together piece by piece will work better for me.

So I’m curious why you think that about your system.

I’ve been on the fence about it for a while now.

I to have started with the original packaged set up and modified it to work best for me.

I have the Unger Ergo Tech belt system with suspenders. I replaced the belt portion with a Ettore belt. It is much stiffer and does not sag with the weight of tools. I have an old Winspary bottle holder a Unger bottle holder and a Unger drink holder. Two of these hold the squirt bottles with my window cleaning solution and the other holds a can of SprayWay. I have a bucket on a belt with a 22hannel on a Contour Pro Handle and a 12 inch Ettore with Pro Grip Handle. My washer is the now discontinued wool 14 inch sleeve that was made by Ettore (heavy duty and long lasting). I hate a swinging bucket so it is tied to my leg and I have a velcro strap on the top threaded through the clip loop. On the other side I have a heavy duty leather squeegee holder with a 6 inch Ettore on a Contour Pro Handle and a new 12 inch screen brush. I have the left or right handed Triumph Scraper Holster around the back on my right side (expensive but very safe, I have had to clean for weeks with cut hands before and that’s no picnic). I had the shoulder strap pads sewn in place so that they don’t move around. I put my clean blue hucks in front between my stomach and the suspenders. This is a heavy set up but, I don’t have to bend over or go back to the truck for something I forgot. it can be tricky in tight spots but I can always shed a few items to fit in a tight spot.

What do you charge per pane for mirrors? Same as windows? Say I do a gym and charge 1.50 or so each side for windows would I charge similiarly for mirrors?

I do several gyms weekly. I just go by feel when bidding - how long will this take me? Some gyms have floor to ceiling mirrors while others are longer than high. And often there are smaller mirrors that were cut to fill a smaller spot. Factoring in the exercise equipment and proximity to the mirrors makes it hard to just count mirrors and spit out a price.