I have used all kinds of soaps, powders and special stuff and my conclusion is that it doesn’t matter much at all what you use as long as you don’t use too much.
It is a matter of preference. Do you like chocolate or vanilla?
No cleaner keeps the windows clean longer. There is no residue problem with dish soap or any of them unless you are working in the sun and it dries too fast.
Hay Pat,
Yes that was me you were talking with in Hingham. Thanks for saying hi. Give me a call we can grab lunch or a coffee.
Hey Mike are you going to the East coast regional?
Yes! I am looking forward to meeting everybody.
I am sorry. I had no idea window cleaning did not fall under the laws of science.
silly me.
This is a great point Mike! I have had many customers ask me what kind of soap I use to clean their windows. I pride myself in telling them it’s a professional window cleaning soap. May not seem like a big deal but never under estimate how far your equipment and supplies go toward establishing you as a pro in the eyes of your clients.
I want to thank everybody for their valuable input. I have tried almost everything mentioned in this conversation except for anti-cal and winsol, I have added Slick,Glide, doubling up on GG4, adding Dawn Dish Detergent just a little, and I notice more rapid resoiling.
I think GG4 is a great product. It is my experience that the customers can see the difference and the windows do stay clean about twice as long. [B]This is my experience in three coastal communities South of Boston. It may be different where you live[/B]. My water is 245TDS and there is very little dust in New England. There are so many variables to consider when evaluating what will and will not work for a window cleaning company. The detergent is only part of the equation.
I called Harv Berger at Titan Industries to get his take on my lack of glide problem. I believe he said if I add another product to GG4 it will no longer perform exactly the same way; makes sense. It is my understanding that adding another production to GG4 will leave a film on the window, causing more rapid resoiling.
John Kieser and Tony Cogan made some valuable comments on another forum that I will take to heart. Perhaps the customers will not notice if the windows resoil a little bit faster. I may be blowing this way out of proportion. I really do want the additional glide and the increased revenue that comes with increased production.
I thought I was a really good window cleaning, over ten years of experience, until I went on YouTube and saw some really good window cleaners. They raised the bar for me.
Thanks again everybody.
It is no different. period. science is science. ANY residue left behind (especially a detergent) will attract soil. THAT is what it does. Hence…that is why detergents are used to clean.
Glisten has way more glide.
I used GG4 for the first 4 years I was in business and had many a customer tell me that the windows stayed clean for a long time (something I wasn’t really sure if I should be happy about). I assumed it was in their head.
Last year I switched to a “dish” soap called 7th generation. My customers still tell me that “whatever I’m using sure keeps the windows clean longer.” I have not had a single complaint and my team likes the 7th Gen far better also for glide and gentleness to the skin. I believe since it is a totally organic and natural product, that it is actually safer too.
And when a customer asks what kind of soap I use, I just say “we use a totally organic, eco-friendly solution that won’t harm plants, pets, or people with allergies to chemicals.” They usually respond with something like “wow” or “great!”
I’m not saying that I would never go back to GG4, but the bottom line for me is the bottom line. We are doing more business than last year and have not had a single complaint about quality, yet my soap costs are a 1/3 what they were. Just facts as I see them.
[QUOTE=A Deeper Clean;19476]It is no different. period. science is science. ANY residue left behind (especially a detergent) will attract soil. THAT is what it does. Hence…that is why detergents are used to clean.
=======================================
Science means testing and results. Do you have any scientific test results that prove that detergent leaves more residue after window cleaning than GG4 or any other cleaning product?
In addition to that do you have an scientific proof that it makes any real difference that would matter to me?
The fact is that if I cannot see it, or see any of the effects of it, it does not matter to me. Why should it?
what matters to you is unimportant to anyone…but you.
My only reason for staying on this is for clarity. You made a few bold statements that completely defy the science and the experience of users who post here and others who made read this thread in search of something better.
regarding the science/testing and results. In 8th grade I learned about detergents, ionics, surfacting agents and such. I was under the impression all of us did.
But, allow me to explain it to you this way. I also clean carpets, and the biggest complaint most home owners have is how fast the carpets get dirty again after a clean. The reason is…too much detergent. or, the detergent is not countered with an acid rinse.
To avoid this, many CC’ers use a different, newer approach. Similar to the GG series of soaps.
Detergents are meant to be rinsed away…like in a dish washer. It takes LOTS of water to accomplish this. Now, the glass you clean when viewed under a microscope has pores…little tiny holes…the detergent fills those holes as your squeegee glides over them. Science.
Since the holes are now filled with detergent, there is a residue…guess what the residue does?
I matters not to me if you use cement to clean your windows. it matters that readers have access to the facts along with opinions.
As a result of using the designer soaps, the pores are stilled filled…but not with a detergent needing such a rinse. Do what you wish with the info.
===============================
The problem is that your information does not apply to window cleaning. Either there is a problem from using the cleaning product or there is not. I see no pores in the window, nor do I see the filling in the pores, so why should I care? Clean is a matter of seeing.
Do you have any scientific proof that washing windows with gg4 makes a difference in so far as what is left on the window after cleaning? That is the question that comes up from your claims.
If you have so such evidence, why do you claim science as your authority on the subject? :))
You do not see the pores so they do not exist and there is no residue because you do not see it. I get it.
Do you see electricity? 
)
Look, this has turned into the typical soap war. i really wish I had stopped long ago.
merv, use what you like bro. I wish you all the best. I hope my replies were not horribly off base. I hope you feel welcome here at our board.
Clean is not a matter of “seeing”.
When you clean a window with a squeegee it creates a static charge, and that charge attracts dirt and many other things. Now the stuff attracted by the static charge gets stuck to the solution in the PORES. This can cause windows to get dirty more frequently. Different solutions are not adhesive to dirt and debris as others are. As another window cleaner mentioned on here, he sells the fact that his windows stay cleaner longer. Obviously his solution is not as adhesive as let say Palmolive.
Science plays a major role in window cleaner. If anyone knows the complete science of window cleaning, it would be uncle phil…
Thanks again guys! According to a lot of you my customers will not notice the difference if I add a little soap to my GG4 solution. If fellow window cleaners can’t see the difference my customers probably won’t either. I think I will try mixing a little Glisten in with my GG4, just enough to give me enough glide to clean with faster techniques. It will take a couple months for me to see what happens.
yeah, uncle phil just gave me a half bottle of glisten and I like it. I’m a palmolive guy, but this really helps glide. I’m still learning the mix ratio. But yeah, it’s good.
Better glide helps keep blade sharpness longer
==========================================
If he knows the science of it, he can quote the studies that prove it. If not it is only conjecture on his part. He thinks this is better than that. Thinking does not make it true.
It is up to the individual to see for himself the truth about what is.
One thing I like with 7th gen is that it glides so good, we have eliminated chatter marks on the glass. I guess I’ll take clogged pores over streaks and chatter marks. Again, personal opinion. Another problem with GG4 we had was we constantly missed small sections of the glass while fanning because we could not see the product on the glass. It would be like shaving with an invisible shaving gel. Again, we get fewer callbacks for that problem.
Soap wars…:))
No. It is the logic wars
There is a difference between words and proof.
No hard feelings.
