I just got the Unger Pads in today for the inside of a biweekly restaurant that I have. I was blown away at how poorly they both worked. I have had significantly better results using a huck towel on a stick with a mist of spray way.
What gives? I put only a mist of 0 TDS pure water out of my water fed pole filter. After not getting great results with just the cleaning pad, went back with the washing pad, then hit it with the cleaning pad again. The washing pad wouldn’t even get off simple finger smudges. These were not what I would consider dirty windows when I started but they sure look like it now. I hit these not 2 weeks ago with a strip washer and squeegee and now they look like they’ve been wiped down with a grease towel from the kitchen.
Sounds like you may have washed them in soap which will clog up the microfiber. If so run them through the washing machine with only hot water and double rinse. Also use lots of alcohol in your spray or use the Unger Stingray Chemical or Sprayaway. I promise you will find the perfect amount of mist and will fall in love with the indoor pure water. It says so much time and is perfect for some windows.
I think restaurants may be a tough barometer for the indoor pads because air borne contaminants such as oils and cooking grease waft through the air and stick to everything.
Perhaps if you must use the Unger indoor pads, try it much wetter than you ordinarily would the first pass or two, then finish up as normal with fresh pads dampened with your choice of cleaner. (Sprayway or alcohol/DI water). Yes, it is a little extra work, but sometimes certain windows just require that.
I started using 70% alcohol because of some smears left behind when using 50/50. Play around with the dilution of pure water and alcohol. I rarely use a squeegee for route work interior glass anymore
I’ve only ever used Sprayway with the green pads. There’s definitely a learning curve of figuring out how to use them. Knowing how wet or dry to keep them, when to change pads, when squeegee is better, etc…
I currently don’t have a WFP or a indoor kit & one of the things I have wondered about is how often do y’all squeegee?
All I hear is that WFP & the unger speed kit are so much more efficient then trad methods.
I am just starting off & plan on getting both eventually. Me starting off & not having the clientelle established yet has made me hold of but I have wondered if I should go ahead & make the investment. If it doubles my efficiency it would more then pay itself but having never used it I don’t know wether I would use them most of the time, half the time or less.
Do traditional until you can add other options. WFP makes some hard to reach jobs way quicker, but not an end all to trad. Indoor kits work well to keep from dripping and detailing, but trad has been tried and true for decades.
New tools come on the market to make jobs easier. Don’t fret about it and as you build your business you can add these and other tools. Meanwhile get out there and kick it.
I used Invisible Glass on my pads. Have used them a few times now, including crusty outdoor windows high up. I got a cleaning pad quite wet, worked window, then went over with a dry cleaning pad. (Thanks Hoosier) Then I final detail with the micro flat pads with just a spritz of Invisible Glass. A process. But recently I did indoor high house windows. Had not been cleaned in 11 years. They were over stairs, about 16 feet up. I stood on a landing in two locations, reached out with pole and cleaned 6 windows with this process. Took 2 hours. They looked invisible when I was done…I did the learning curve…every situation is different…trial and error…try, fail, adjust.
I’ve become a staunch user of cleaning pads. I appreciate getting even more ideas from this thread.
They work for me at a lot of restaurants like Dairy Queen, Burger King and a McDonald’s that we just did after it hadn’t been cleaned in two weeks.
Some windows where fingerprints are a serious issue I still do with trad tools, even if it’s cleaning pads for the top half and mop and squeegee for the bottom half.
Yes to both, plus easier. Using the pure water and the brush to not only clean the glass but the frame as well. Even dealing with wasp nests is better at distance.
Calculate the time it takes to set up and move the ladder from window to window - then calculate the time to simply move from window to window with feet firmly on the ground.
The decision making time for me was after a string of 2 & 3 story homes with aggravating landscaping obstacles. I was to the point of decline the job or take the plunge and buy a WFP set up. Haven’t looked back.
Edit: Sorry, I looked at it as WFP question. The Unger pads DO make some interior jobs faster and neater. Cleaning a picture window behind a huge piano; heavy furniture in front of windows - just “Indoor-Kit” them and no muss no fuss; stairwell windows. All great opportunities to use the Unger pads indoors.
