My specific issue is when the film is installed on the exterior of the glass, and does not have a clear coat layer on top.
I have recently switched to gg4 (which does not foam like soap) and am noticing the the little holes are actually filled with dry soap from my previous Dawn Days. If I clean it like I normally would clean a pane of glass, you can see the strokes from my squeegee especially from the inside. And the old soap scum dries white in the holes.
Next time I am probably going to rinse the film with pure water, and maybe dry it with a bath towel or something. I don’t know. If anyone has a good method for cleaning these I would love to hear it.
I have one I do every 8 weeks with Dawn. I squeegee off what comes off initially than take huck towels folded in fourths to wipe it down, flipping over as it absorbs wet solution caught in the perforations. A 10 ft by 6 ft window takes about 3 towels.
I wouldn’t use a bath towel. Too much lint. Those little holes are abrasive on a towel. Have also wondered how to clean this holey stuff. Where I’m at, nobody cleans them, and their all sandy and crusty, looks terrible. I just live with it, nobody wants to pay to have it cleaned. And I won’t do it for a buck a pane.
Show them a one square foot section of how it looks when properly cleaned. They can look at that clean area (In a prominent spot) all day long and call you later to do the rest at your price.
They’re common here in Palm Springs on gas stations and other businesses that like to use them for a sunscreen. They always seem to be frayed at the edges and dried out from the heat. I used to squeegee and dry with a towel but the edges were knicking my rubbers, thus requiring premature replacement. Now I use an indoor pad, misted with Sprayway to run over them.
Sounds like the best idea. Based on what others have said previously, I think I need to use my backpack sprayer with distilled water to rinse all of the soap out of the holes, and once that is done, I will try to use a pad and Sprayaway like you said to maintain it.
Does sprayaway work ok in freezing temps? @ShineproWC