BLUEWATER BLOG
NEWS & HELPFUL ARTICLES
Coronavirus - Supporting Our NHS
A truly unique time for the whole world as the corona virus affects the lives of the majority of us. With effects being felt by virtually every business Nationwide, many are having to adapt or even close. Bluewater is taking very seriously all Goverment Guidance as we all do our part to minimise the spread and reduce the impact on our heroic NHS.
Amie Sadler a former worker at Bluewater Window Cleaning and Wife of Dean at Bluewater is now working as a Nurse at the Heath Hospital. Many customers would recognise Amie and she promises to return to say hi at some point. Amie would like to say a big thank you for all the support people are giving to the NHS staff, she truly appreciates it and says its very touching and a big motivating help at such a difficult time, please keep up the kind support and messages.
Update with our service. The Guidance to date is we can "travel to and from work" when it is safe to do so and where it cannot be done from home. The good news with our service, it is cashless, it is also discreet with no social contact necessary. Due to the nature of our work, we are still able to safely offer our service to our customers. We are notifying all customers prior to our visits and reminding all to keep to the important safety measures in order for us to continue working safely. If stricter guidance should come into force we will happily support it and if necessary stop all together.
Traditional Cleaning with Ladders or Water Fed Pole? Which is Best?
Most of those cleaning with ladders would usually say their method is better and similarly water fed poler's would likely say theirs is better. One thing that is clear is the water fed pole method reduces the hazard of falling off ladders so its considered to be much safer.
As an experienced window cleaner for 13 years I have used the traditional method with ladders for 7 years and more recently the water fed pole method for the last 6 years. This article will consider which is best from the aspect of which one cleans best and leaves the best results.
Water Fed Pole
The direct answer I would say is the water fed pole method leaves the best results, but only IF it is done right. Why would I say that. The water fed pole method is a very thorough wash down. Every things gets cleaned including the window frames, glazing and the sills additionally usually many workers would wash down entire doors included as standard. Provided the method is done right, including a good scrub, rinse and using sufficiently pure water the windows are left crystal clear with no smear marks what so ever. Unrivalled in my opinion.
Traditional
The traditional method relies on mopping the windows and then scraping them dry with a rubber sqeegee. The results are good but you often get marks from the rubber sqeegee where it turns on the glass. As this method is more labour intensive most workers leave out cleaning the frames as well. However some customers do prefer this method because they like the fact the windows are left dry.
Conclusion
I would say they both produce satisfactory results for the customer. Having used both methods for years, I can say in my opinion the water fed pole is the winner and cleans the windows supremely well. But if the method, or water, is wrong then the results will be terrible. Traditional window cleaning is still fine and many opt for this method because its a lot cheaper to acquire the equipment and requires with less maintenance.
What is the Best Way to Clean INSIDE Windows?
Clean windows on the outside creates one obvious problem - it shows up any dirty inside windows! Don't worry we have the best solutions for you. We'll share with you our experienced trade secrets to keep them perfectly spotless and anyone can do it. We'll compare some different methods and dispel the age-old myths of what really works. The good news is, inside windows generally stay cleaner than the outsides so they won't need cleaning quite as often but they do get dirty and especially if you have any little ones running around with greasy hands!
Method 1 - Vinegar and News Paper.
We've all heard of this old-fashioned way to clean the windows. Does it work? Yes. Is it the best or easiest way? Probably not. To get good results you’re going to need a lot of elbow grease and maybe waste a fair amount of vinegar. If you've got nothing else on hand then carry on but there are less painful ways to get good results.
Method 2 - Spray and Wipe
For this method we recommend using washing up liquid solution and a tea towel. This is similar in method to the old Vinegar and Newspaper but it can get you very good results and makes it a bit easier to do so. Instead of the newspaper, a dry tea towel or even a towel is used. Instead of the vinegar, a solution of warm water and a touch of washing up liquid is used (Fairy liquid works very well), you can also use glass cleaner. Mix warm water with a squidge of washing up liquid, apply the solution to the windows in small amounts with a spray bottle or a sponge, then rub the tea towel around in a circular motion. Keep rubbing until the pane is completely dry and smudge free. Tip, make sure the tea towel is nice and dry and don't put too much solution on the window at a time. It produces good results with items you've probably already got at home.
Method 3 -Squeegee
This method is a step up from the previous ones and is quicker, requires less elbow grease and leaves less smudges. You'll need to get hold of a squeegee from a hardware shop like B&Q, Ikea or somewhere else. They are in expensive. The method is fairly simple and you don't need much experience in using a squeegee. Apply warm water mixed with a dab of washing up liquid, apply this to the window generously with a kitchen sponge. Give it a good mopping over and cover the whole window with the soapy solution. Now use your squeegee by placing it at the top corner of the window. The rubber on the squeegee sits on the glass starting at the top on any side. Pressing down on the squeegee with a bit of pressure, pull down in a straight vertical motion. For beginners using a straight down vertical motion is easiest. The side of the squeegee channel should rest against the window frame as you pull it down. Repeat this process by moving the squeegee across to the next soapy area of the pane but overlap slightly what you've already cleaned. For perfect results get a dry tea towel to dry the wet edges. The down side to this method is that it creates a small puddle of water on the window sill and there is risk of dropping water on your carpet is you’re not careful. It can also leave vertical water marks.
Method 4 - Window Vac
A Window Vac or Window Vacuum is basically like a mechanical Squeegee and it sucks away the dirty soapy water instead of scraping it to the bottom of the window sill. You can purchase them from a hardware store from between £25-50, Karcher is a popular brand. The method is much the same as any squeegee - apply soapy water with a sponge to the window (the sponge is often supplied with the window vac as an attachment) and simply press the window vac against the pane and pull down from top to bottom. Its very user friendly and easy to use. It produces excellent results. Many models can come with attachments which extend and allow you to reach hard to reach high windows. Sucking the water away helps avoid getting water on the carpet. However, it’s a little bulky and will need charging or batteries to operate.
Conclusion
Avoid using newspaper and vinegar as there are easier ways to achieve good results. You don't need to use special cleaning solutions, washing up liquid mixed with water works best. If you don't mind investing a little money, I would recommend the Window Vac as the best way to achieve excellent results which is also easy to use. Following that, a rubber squeegee handle would be a good alternative if you’re willing to give it a try, it’s not quite as user friendly as the window vac but it’s still doable for a beginner. If you haven't got any of these to hand use a little washing up liquid in warm water and rub it into the window with a dry dish cloth as this produces good results as well.
Cleaning Windows in the Rain, is there any Point?
Something that crosses many people’s minds is: 'Will my windows still be clean if they are cleaned in the Rain?' It's a very good question and it demands a very good explanation. In our beautiful country of Wales, Rain is certainly no stranger, at some point this usually catches up with us while we are cleaning. But does it affect the results? It really depends on the weather itself. We have found that generally rain on its own does not affect the results, but if it is blowing a gale it can cause dirt to blow onto the windows. So, rain along with very heavy wind is not advisable for excellent results. If the conditions are absolutely torrential and blowing a gale we will postpone until the next day or until conditions improve. This doesn't happen too often thankfully but we are keen to deliver excellent results on every single clean so we will do what is necessary.
So why exactly does rain on its own not affect the results? Rain itself is quite a brilliant form of water, rain is naturally filtered of all impurities and is completely pure. Pure water is actually the secret ingredient to our method of cleaning your windows. We actually produce our own supply of pure water and we use it to clean your windows every single month, year-round. We use it because after we've cleaned your windows and when the pure water dries, it leaves no residue and therefore you get spot free, crystal clear windows; unlike tap water. So as rain is pure water it doesn't affect our cleaning because when the windows dry afterwards, they'll be perfectly clean as usual. Obviously cleaning in the rain isn't always such an enjoyable experience for us, but we always deliver reliable monthly cleaning so we keep to our schedules even when our lovely country gives us a shower or two. We are confident you'll be pleased with the results. Don't just take our word for it, inspect your windows after we've cleaned in the rain and you'll see for your self. Remember as an extra peace of mind, in any circumstance we also offer to re-clean if you're not 100% satisfied. We always deliver clean windows - that's our job! :)
SERVICE AREA
Cardiff North
Penarth
Dinas Powys
ABOUT US
We are experienced Window Cleaners offering a service to Cardiff. We specialise in domestic window cleaning and provide a regular, reliable and friendly service. Our modern cleaning equipment helps us achieve excellent cleaning results. If you need a Window Cleaner, look no further.
CONTACT US
Email: contact@bluewatercleaning.co.uk
Phone:07583 500 600
Office Address:45 Rhodfa Leonard, Cardiff, CF3 6YW