Opening Hours
Monday - Saturday 6:00am - 5:00pm | (619)779-5858| 2498 Roll Drive #1436, San Diego, CA 92154

How To Clean and Maintain “Self Cleaning Glass”

Maintaining Self Cleaning Glass

Glass manufacturers have been producing self cleaning glass for a number of years now, and since it’s availability and popularity is wide-spread, many are installing these windows in order to save money in operating/maintenance budgets in years to come. Many home owners have purchased this upgrade and installed these self cleaning windows for various reasons.

They will still need to be cleaned, and maintained. From delivery to the building site during construction and during the window’s lifespan, it will need to be cared for in a very particular way. If these specific cleaning procedures aren’t adhered to it will damage the window beyond repair and void the warranty.

What Is Self Cleaning Glass?

Glass makers will use different formulas, so the actual correct answer can only be given by the manufacturers themselves. However, generally speaking the answer is this; it is a mixture where the active ingredient is titanium dioxide which is applied to side one, pane one (the side of the window which faces the exterior of your home).

If you would like to read more information on the actual chemical process of how it works you can find that here.

How To Correctly Clean and Maintain Self Cleaning Glass

Identification

At the time of this writing (November 27, 2012) there are no identifying stamps or markings on the glass that would indicate that its a self cleaning panel. When it’s delivered or newly purchased it does come with identifying stickers, some with holographic images. However, for the person cleaning the window; if this person is not informed of the presence of self cleaning windows then it is highly probable that the windows will be damaged.

**UPDATE**

As of this update, 04/29/2018, there are a great number of variants and formula’s of self cleaning glass. This article also applies to any coating that is on either side (facing outside or facing inside).

 

Unfortunately, once the coating has been damaged, repair is impossible.

One company which was extremely helpful to me, sent me their maintenance guide which is pretty specific in how to clean these windows.

  • Do not use soap that has any type of dye in it.
  • Do not use ANY type of abrasives (including sponges that usually can be used on glass)
  • Use of squeegees are NOT recommended
  • Never touch metal of any kind to the coating
  • Using a purified water cleaning system is highly recommended, and in most cases it is the only approved way to clean the glass so as not to avoid the warranty. (Always check with the manufacturer of the glass and find out what the approved methods for cleaning are)

If you are a homeowner or a builder, please inform your window cleaning vendor of the presence of this type of window before any estimate is given or any work is to be performed so that your windows can remain in pristine condition, and won’t be damaged.

 

Pravada & Alterra at Grossmont Trolley

One of Elite’s Large Scale Window Cleaning Projects

Located in La Mesa, California is one of Fairfield Properties’ prized gems. These condo’s are located on Fletcher Parkway between Trolley Court, and Grossmont Blvd. This was the very first time they have had the windows cleaned since the LEED Silver Certified buildings were finished with construction.

This project was expected to be completed in 7 working days at 10 hours per day with 6 team members divided into two teams with 1 on-site foreman and one jobsite manager.

Methods Used

Two boom lifts were utilized for the exterior perimeter of both properties. One 60 foot, and one 80 foot articulating knuckle boom.

Two scissor lifts with “diapers” were used on the interior perimeters of both properties as well as stack ladders.

The original plan of execution was to essentially spread out the men and work in sections where one team would be responsible to the corresponding area. Initially, this looked as though it would be the best way to work.

Those of you who either have ran a large scale project or have managed a large scale property can understand when I say that each property has its own “personality” and methods that work on one property may not work on another even if they are from the same builder using the same glass manufacturer.

So, the method of execution changed within just an hour or two when it simply wasn’t working at all. Many reasons why this is the case, I will mention only a few such as:

A. The properties were so large that our teams were too far apart for the leaders/foremen to be able to gauge progress and quality control while maintaining a safe work zone.

B. It was impossible to work as a unit if the team is not working together.

 

Using both booms in tandem kept morale high, lowered the risk of accidents or near misses due to better supervision and a healthy competitive spirit, and actually shaved 6 hours off of the projected completion on this phase.

We love large window cleaning jobs!

This action freed up 2 team members so that other areas of the project could be completed that we couldn’t use the boom lift on.

For the interior perimeter of the all 6 buildings, there was no access for a boom lift, and our choices for scissor lifts were limited because there was only one area for access and the width was only 2 feet. The majority of the work was done using stack ladders, which is no easy task even for light weight ladders such as these.

Results

Injuries: 0

Near Misses: 0

Complaints: 0

At the end of this project, after 2 days passed, we followed up with both managers to find out if there were any complaints that came in after we left the site since there was none during the work.

Usually, there is at LEAST one. This project had ZERO complaints! Our teams did an excellent job.

Window washing pro's teams one and two using boom lifts in tandem

 

The New Children’s Museum of San Diego

View of some hard to reach windows for the upcoming window cleaning project.

Interior view of some of the windows we need to clean

A true San Diego icon, a unique gem of a building is what we see when we look at the New Children’s Museum in Downtown.

One of the few LEED Certified museums, NCM uses nature to maximize efficiency. Take another peek at that photo to your right.

Do you see any artificial light? Air conditioning vents?

Although the building is beautiful, and memorable; the cleaning of that glass is one thing nature hasn’t been able to handle. Yes, the windows still need to be cleaned.

NCM certainly has its share of presenting seemingly insurmountable deadlines. What you are looking at, isn’t even close to half of the glass that needs to be clean.

The Challenges

  • Must be COMPLETED in one day.
  • High Pedestrian Foot Traffic.
  • No roof access on 2 of the “Saw tooth” roof areas

My company, Elite Window Washing, has cleaned the windows at NCM for the last 5 years now. Each and every year it has been a challenge because of the different art pieces because we have to work around them, and find ways to do so without damaging the art.

The unique architecture (by renowned architect Mr. Robert Quigley), brings about yet MORE challenges. The windows on the east side of the building are all slanted at an angle, which means that each panel can only be cleaned one way: in sections. Windows up high can normally be cleaned using a variety of different methods depending on the glass, obstructions etc…

However; use of water fed pole systems do not work-which would make this project a whole lot quicker which means we can all go home early. Unfortunately, the windows at NCM, every single year, have an oily film on the glass which makes it impossible for purified water to work. Even a pre-scrub didn’t work.

There are no tie backs or anchors on the roof which rules out descending from the roof down. Our only option is by operating a boom lift. The panels seen in this photo on the upper right side give you a view of the roof and also the height of the panels, which are approx. 10 feet high with butt joints on the outside. (the butt joints collect organic material and pollutants. This means that more than likely we will have to do this section twice because it’s inevitable that we will get some bleeds on that section and the other 2 that are identical.

On this particular project, our team uses this as one of our testing grounds for new methods of execution on-site. Upon completion of each project, our team members and I get together and see if there may be areas where we can improve as a unit and on that particular project. Sometimes ideas get put on the “shelf” because they are not practical in the field yet, or we simply do not have the margins to be testing them out on any given project. So this project, NCM, gives us that opportunity.

San Diego Top Pro’s Unite For The New Children’s Museum

New Children’s Museum Inspires Kids and Window Cleaners alike!

Do you remember when you were 8 or 9 years old? How about 12 or 13?  What was it that shaped who you are today?Witnessing the birth of innovation

Most people would probably mention their parents. Some might mention a favorite teacher or two. Think back to what your dreams were. What did you want to be when you grew up?

Are you what you thought you’d be? Did you create what you intended back when you were a youngster? That inspiration, that imagination is the product of how you are reading this article. It’s the foundation for making dreams come to life!

Cultivating and encouraging that creativity is what the New Children’s Museum does, and much more.

The New Children’s Museum (NCM), has been inspiring young people through art for many years with ever changing galleries that are unique.

My company, Elite Window Washing, has been cleaning the windows since they build built the place.

It wasn’t until last year (2010) when my son was born that I began seeing the Museum in a different way.

So much good is accomplished by the Museum for our kids. Every member that works there, their eyes have this “sparkle” when I see how they interact with the parents and their children-its obvious that they love kids.

This Window Cleaner Was Inspired Too!

Since they are a non-profit organisation, I decided to see if I could get it done for free this year. So, I began my mission since I couldn’t do it alone by enlisting some help.

After calling up several peers in the industry, I was happy to announce to the museum that San Diego’s best will be coming to help out too! Noe and Tony of Sky High Window Cleaning, Brian of BC Window Cleaning, Trevor of Clarion Window Cleaning, Justin of Glass Works, David of San Diego Window Cleaning. These business owners won’t be sending out men to do the work, they’re coming themselves!

How It Was Done

Each company present has a unique skill set in different areas that together as a unit will be the most efficient team anyone’s ever seen.

Boom lift operations will be performed on the perimeter of the building, in tandem in some cases with one ground man for each boom.

Water fed pole work will not be performed on this project. All windows will be done “old school” style. Nothing but squeegee skill on this job.

Elite will be leading, coordinating and logistics as well as part of Team 2.

The Results:

The windows were done in RECORD TIME!

We finished the whole museum in only 6 hours! My company usually takes 9 to 11 hours to complete the project! That was something I’ve never experienced before; the energy was indescribable.

NCM, touching young minds and old hearts

We all believe in what the Museum does for the children, and even though our industry is but a micro-business compared to the movers and shakers of San Diego who are the key sponsors that donate their hard earned money to keep the doors to the Museum open…it certainly feels good to be able to have just a small part in what the Museum does.

Are You Inspired?

If window cleaners can all pitch in and help, why not you as well? Anything helps.

If you would like to become a member then please follow this link to their site and become a member today! You will be doing your part in shaping the world of tomorrow.

Window Cleaning Client New Children's Museum of San Diego

Window Cleaning La Jolla

New low prices for La Jolla!

You demand the best for those who maintain your beautiful home, and you don’t want to be charged more than if you lived farther from the beach!

We listened to you.

Previously, Elite Window Washing took pride in being absolutely the most expensive window cleaning company in San Diego. After all, window cleaning is a luxury service. However, the values that our company holds, its soul if you will; would be suffocated if its leaders did not pay attention to circumstances surrounding us.

So, extensive research was made on the systems currently in place for our operations and we have found a way to  consistently deliver outstanding results, high quality workmanship and the level of customer service that our friends and acquaintances have come to expect.

How do we do it? Sorry, trade secret. Rest assured, the same guarantees hold true even with the new low prices. If you are not happy, you don’t pay. Not even a frown will be given.

So, how much is it?

Well that depends. La Jolla is very unique in many ways. There are so many different styles of architecture. So many homes that are on Soledad Mountain, with either their backyard having a hill behind it or descending from it revealing a breath taking view of the ocean.

Some homes are in canyons at the peak of a hill, where bee poop tends to get on the glass (and just about everything else).

So it depends on;

  • Access to your windows
  • Condition of the glass
  • Size of your home
  • Frequency of services

Not the size of your income!

We carry the highest quality tools on the market, which allow our teams access to previously inaccessible areas that would have cost a pretty penny because of the risk involved.

You don’t even need to hire us, if you need a solution to finding a way to safely clean the windows on your own- please give us a call. A representative would be glad to meet with you and draw up a plan of execution and an itemized list of what tools you need to complete the job. Quickly, without a squeegee in most cases, and most importantly- safely.

Go ahead. Give us a call or send an email for a quote. You will be glad you did.

Proof Of Insurance

Here are our insurance certs for anyone to review. If your company requires higher limits than the 2 mil listed, please call us to discuss the possibility of raising the limits for your specific property.

If you would like to be named additionally insured, please allow 24 to 48 hours for our insurance agents to add you to our policy.

Click this link to view our General Liability Insurance.

Click here to view a copy of our Workmans Compensation Certificate.

Double Output On Your Solar Panels

Solar Panel Cleaning

You made a great investment that will cut the costs of your heating and electricity bill and help to protect the environment. Solar panels are made to last at least 30 years, or more. Over the course of time though, bird droppings, dust and pollution can get baked in on the glass and actually lower the output.

So, how do you double the output? Of course, if your solar panels are dirty- by having them cleaned. There was a study done by Google on the effect of cleaning the solar panels at their facilities, and the output before and after the cleaning, and the results were phenomenal! You can see the study done by clicking the link Google Study.

What you will see is pretty amazing.

cleaning solar panels

So, what is the absolute best way to clean your solar panels? If your set up is at an angle, then minimal maintenance is required. Many suggest to use just a garden hose and rinse the dust off. While this is effective to some degree, the problem is the TDS (total dissolved solids) in the water. Just running regular hose water will not clean the glass on the surface, only rinse the dust off the glass.

The process to cleaning your solar panels is very much the same as it is for window cleaning. After all, the photo-voltaic cells are protected by a glass window. You can not clean the windows with a garden hose, you know what will happen; it’s going to leave a bunch of spots. Which in the long run will reduce the clarity of the glass on your windows because of the spots, output on your solar panels would not be 100% under those same conditions.

What about the baked in contaminants?

Especially if your solar panels lay flat, or at a very slight angle they do need to be maintained.

The best possible way to clean those panels is by using a pure water system and a water fed pole. Purification systems bring the TDS of the water to zero, and the water fed pole can clean the angled panels from the ground in most cases removing all contaminants (if regularly maintained). On roofs or areas where the panels lay flat or at a slight angle, the same system is used, which makes the cleaning fast, efficient, Eco friendly and affordable.

If you live in the San Diego area, and would like to have your solar panels professionally cleaned, simply go to the Estimates page or call us and we will be happy to clean them for you. If however, you would like to do so yourself please feel free to give us a call and one of our experts will gladly walk thru the process with you.

Cleaning different types of glass

Window cleaning, the types of glass:

In our homes or on our commercial buildings many times the last thing we think about is the type of glass that the window is made from. This article will help to inform you of those differences, why it matters, and how to clean them.

We will also discuss briefly the reason of what causes glass to scratch.

There are basically 5 types of glass that we deal with, and those types are Annealed, Heat Strengthened, Tempered, Low- E, and Insulated Glass Units (IG Units).

Annealed Glass: This type of glass is easy to clean, and when using a razor blade (or a scraper) to remove debris, DOES NOT SCRATCH when cleaning when proper methods are used while using a scraper.  Annealing is a process of slowly cooling the glass to relieve internal stresses after it was formed. This type of glass is the kind that if it breaks, will break in big shards. Much annealed glass is flat glass.  Almost all flat glass made is called float glass, named for the process invented in England in the 1950s by Sir Alastair Pilkington of Pilkington Glass. His breakthrough was to pour molten glass over molten tin in a mold. The glass actually floats on the tin, smoothing out to evenly fill the form.

Heat Strengthened Glass: Heat-strengthened glass is glass that has been heat treated to induce surface compression, but not to the extent of causing it to “dice” on breaking in the manner of tempered glass. On breaking, heat-strengthened glass breaks into sharp pieces that are typically somewhat smaller than those found on breaking annealed glass, and is intermediate in strength between annealed and toughened glasses. This type of glass, when it comes to window cleaning, can have fabricating debris…which will be briefly discussed later.

Tempered Glass: This type of glass is heat strengthened four or five times stronger than annealed glass. This type of glass is also called safety glass, because of the way that it breaks. When it breaks, it does so in small pieces, just like the windows on your vehicle. It protects people from serious cuts and lacerations. Tempered glass is normally stamped or etched identifying is as such. In most cases the manufacturer of the glass has their label or brand on it as well. This type of glass, when it comes to window cleaning is also the most problematic. The reason why is because of the way that it is made. If it is made correctly, then usually there is not a problem cleaning it.

When tempered glass is made, first it is cut to the size of the window or door, whatever its to be used for. Then, the edges of that glass are sanded down so there aren’t any sharp edges on it. After that, it is washed before it is heated. Then it is super heated to 5000 degrees F, and then cooled quickly. That’s what makes it break into tiny peices.

Low-E:This type of glass was made to cool down homes and buildings. It has a film that limits UV rays from passing through. It is a coating that is applied durring the making of the glass, and another coating after the glass is made.

Insulated Glass Units: An insulated glass unit, or IG unit, is two pieces of glass separated by a spacer to allow air or gas to be sealed between the panes. These types of glass are also tempered, and unfortunately, there is no standard for stamping this glass for identification.

So what causes glass to scratch?

There are a few reasons why the glass gets scratched. Most common is carelessness on the part of the people working on or near the glass. Workers that put their tools on the glass. Wiping debris off of the glass. Painters and stucco crews trying to scrape off excess paint and stucco, even concrete, and not being trained on how to properly remove debris off of glass. Uneducated and untrained window cleaners, and finally fabricating debris.

We will talk about the issue of fabricating debris in a later article, as it is an issue that has been investigated scientifically and builders, homeowners and window cleaning personnel should be aware of the subject.

All of the above mentioned types of glass can be cleaned and cared for easily by a trained window cleaning professional, as well as an informed homeowner. Please feel free to read our articles on how to clean windows for more information, and if you have any questions please feel free to call us or email us at any time and we would be happy to talk to you.

 

Window Cleaning In Coronado

Coronado Window Cleaning Services

Are you a homeowner looking for professional window cleaning? Several of your neighbors are our clients, and we take good care of their window cleaning, pressure washing and rain gutter cleaning needs.

Coronado Island is home to some very unique homes. The majority of which have french style windows (usually in a grid pattern) that compliments the style of the house. Several have stellar views of the bay, or of the beautiful San Diego skyline. The type of windows, these french style panes, often take longer to clean than it would for a traditional double hung window (one large pane of glass) if your window cleaner uses traditional methods to clean with such as using a squeegee.

If you have not heard of pure water window cleaning, behold…the wave of the future! For these types of windows, for the exterior cleaning, Elite uses a water fed pole to clean your windows. The purified water go’s thru the pole, and thru a special brush that cleans not only the glass, but also the frames and sills on the outside so much better than traditional methods that the majority of our clients request this method the most. The reason being that not only does the glass get cleaned, but also the frames as well! With traditional cleaning, usually the frame is just wiped down with a rag or towel. This way, everything is cleaned at the same time with no marks at all!

Not only is it more efficient, but it saves about 50 to 60% more time on the exterior cleaning which will lower the cost to our clients, and have our technicians finished so you can enjoy the fresh new view from your home.

So give us a call today, and find out why Elite is the obvious choice to take care of the window cleaning for your beautiful Coronado home.

Be sure to ask about our full package specials for all 3 services of cleaning your windows, pressure washing your home, or cleaning out those rain gutters and even installing Rain Flow so you never have to get your rain gutters cleaned again.

Window Cleaning in Rancho San Diego

Exclusive Window Cleaning Service

Rancho San Diego is the birthplace of some of the best homes in San Diego, with breathtaking views and lush landscapes. Those of you who live there take great pride in your home and who you hire to service it. No doubt enjoying the privacy that your community provides.

Does this describe you?

If meticulous results and unmatched customer service in a window cleaning service provider is what you are searching for, then you have just found the company that hundreds of your neighbors use and trust for window cleaning, rain gutter cleaning and pressure washing.

What makes our window cleaning service exclusive?

Our client base. Elite serves many CEO’s, and other high profile personalities in San Diego and their vacation homes.

Guaranteed results or you don’t pay. If you ever feel that our workmanship you receive simply is not the highest level possible, you simply don’t pay.

Total Peace of Mind. Elite carries 2 million dollar general liability insurance, 1 million dollar commercial auto insurance and workman’s compensation. We perform full background checks on all staff. All staff wear professional uniforms, so you will always know who is on your property. No longer will you need to worry about someone getting hurt on your property, and if you will be held responsible.

Just for your area, of Rancho San Diego, you also have an exclusive offer. If you call or email for an estimate, your first service will have a free upgrade to the premium package for any service you choose, priced on the basic package rates. This offer is given so we can show you just how we can help you with your service needs.

For more information on the methods we use to clean your windows, or how we clean rain gutters please see the appropriate pages on this site. Call or email today, and find out why Elite Window Washing creates customers for life.