"Dry" cleaning interior storefronts

So i came up with a trick and was wondering if anyone else does this…

For storefront interiors that don’t get dirty - in particular ones that are generally free from fingerprints and smudges - i just use my 18" excelerator fliq pad dry to quickly wipe the window. The results are just as good but it’s significantly faster. Of course, it’s not appropriate for all situations, but when it is, it’s awesome.

Doesn’t your mop pick up dirt all day? Or are you talking about a clean pad?

I’ve used the unger indoor pads quite a bit, but don’t think I’d use a mop.

So far just brushing it off has sufficed, but if i was doing a ton in a row, i think a pad specifically designed for that purpose would prolly be even better.

I do something similar but with the unger “polishing” pads. They look like little dust mops and work great for low traffic interior glass.

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Hmm. I don’t know if I would personally want my window cleaning to do something I could easily do myself. So, I suppose that it depends on your customer. I would personally not do this, at least not on all windows. On high, out of the way windows, this could make more sense I suppose. Again, my fear would be customer perception…

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Yeah definitely a consideration. The majority of the glass is still getting wet cleaned, of course. I think the time savings are worth the risk if the results are still excellent and i guess it depends on how closely they are watching.

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If I can get away with it on an unnoticeable window I’ll dry towel the dust off real quick every other time. It’s usually small panes here and there on side walls or something to that sort.

Sure, IF I can get away with skipping something I will. I just don’t ever do it when managers or customers are looking. Lol

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Same here. On regular accounts, I don’t clean a clean window. But I’ll buff out any lines from previous cleanings and dust off the frames.
The older guy that taught me years ago emphasized that we are in the Window maintenance business. Keeps you moving quickly and profitably.

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Man even if those windows don’t NEED cleaning, ya gotta put on the show! Nothing shady about it, but it is expected they will be cleaned, so you clean them and clean them good.

I know where you used to work in New York. Tell me it didn’t work the same way there.

Edit: Sorry if that sounded harsh. I forgot to put a smiley face at the end to let you know my jabs are always good-natured @WVWindowWashing :grinning:

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Are you certain it looks good in all lighting situations? Does it still look good in direct sunlight? I ask because I once used a friend’s Unger stingray on a 6 million dollar home’s high trapezoid windows. It looked perfect; got the seal of approval on the walkthrough with the house manager. A week later he sent me a photo of the windows in direct sunlight. They look like absolute garbage!

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:+1::+1:

But you thought it looked great. The guys on this thread sound lazy to me. I wonder if their windows really look great. I wonder if ALL the customers are truly happy?

As a general rule most customers are to polite to complain. You’re lucky. They usually just find another cleaner next time around. Just saying.

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With that reasoning, would you say it’s lazy to use a wfp? You’re skipping setting a ladder, soaping the window, and even squeegeeing.

Sometimes it is definitely lazy to use a waterfed pole. It’s been discussed here before. Splash and dash when the guys really should’ve laddered up but couldn’t be bothered. Customers usually do not complain so it’s easy to get away with.

For the record I only skip easy, unnoticeable, windows here and there and if time is on a crunch. I also get the sun angle thing so I look on an angle to make sure spots are gone. Would I ever skip a resi window? No way. Those people are too particular. Can I get away with skipping an obscure regular commercial window here and there that is cleaned properly every other time? Sure I’m in a hurry. Dust it off with a clean dry blue towel and onto the next. Lol

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I can see that. However, not only am I not lazy, I’m way more particular than my customers. The feedback I regularly receive indicates to me that they aren’t just being polite.

Plus, I wouldn’t do it for residential anyway. Like I said, certain situations where I deem it appropriate.

Haha, nah. I didn’t take offence at all…in fact your comment made me smile (and look back nostalgically to the first time I heard the saying, “If you’re standing you could be sweeping.”).

This is a concept I definitely believe in. Can’t remember if I actually started a thread or only wanted to on the topic of “theater.” I saw an interesting Adam Ruins Everything episode on security theater and how it’s used at our airports. I talked about it with a friend of mine in the office machine repair business and he mentioned too how the techs always make sure to hook up a laptop to the machine whether they need it or not because customers just expect to see that. I make it a point on resi to vacuum the tracks even if a simple wipe would suffice because I like for the customer to not only see me working, but hear it all over the house. I think a huge part of results is the feeling you give the customer. So I can understand if many would argue that it looks bad to just dry mop windows that don’t get smudged but only get dusty. (I think if I illustrated a scenario or two it might be clearer, but to each their own.)

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I understand what you guys are saying, but me personally, I can’t do it. I gotta clean the window, I priced the job to clean everywindow and if I dont, it feels like I’m scamming them. I had a compititor that is now out of business that would regularly do what you guys are saying. Clients would call me and complain about how the last window cleaner would skip windows or just wipe them with a dry rag. you may not think people notice but they do, so just be carefull and choose your battles wisely. we are proffesional window cleaners so let’s keep it proffesional.

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Also when you start doing something like dry cleaning a window it becomes a bad habit, just like pressing down to hard on your squegee or not checking over your work.

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All in good fun guys. :smiley:

I know nobody here is lazy but it certainly looks lazy to the customer when they don’t get what they are paying for. :smiley:

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I can see where they’re coming from because most of the “clean” windows from other guys I see are shotty to say the least. They never take the bug crap off. Soo, I venture to say, my dry toweled windows are cleaner still than 85% of the other cleaners glass is. Because they we’re clean to begin with.

My commercial customers are paying me to maintain the cleanliness of the glass. If they’re clean and bug crap free that’s enough for them. If they’re dirty clean them. Why waste time cleaning clean glass when you’re already cleaning glass all day anyway?

If they were anal and breathing down my throat sure I’d clean them that’s what they want. The truth is they could care less. Show up make them clean and leave. That’s the extent of corporate Americas window cleaning world.

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