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What is Pure Water Window Cleaning?
The term Pure Water in window cleaning describes ordinary tap water that has been filtered through a purification system, to remove all the natural minerals. This water is often described as ‘deionised water’ due to the type of filtration used (this is explained further HERE). The reason for this is that pure water dries to leave a completely crystal clear finish, as opposed to general tap water that dries to leave minerals on the windows, which is the reason for hard water stains and unsightly white spotting.
When applied to Window Cleaning, using pure water means that there is no need to squeegee the water from the window. Providing you have agitated (scrubbed) the dirt and rinsed the window thoroughly, you can leave it wet!
Pure Water Systems come in varying capacities, from many different brands & to fit any need & budget.
Here’s an overview of how the process works:
- Agitating the dirt!
Once water is purified, it is ready to clean with. However it’s not just a case of ‘splash & dash’, there is some knowhow required. The first step is to agitate (scrub) the windows with a water-fed pole & brush designed specifically for the task. By scrubbing the windows you’re loosening any dirt or build up on the window, frame and surrounding plastics.
- Effective Rinsing
Rinsing the loosened dirt and debris is important, as anything except pure water left on the window will ruin the perfect finish. The deionised water will attract the dirt and minerals scrubbed from the window, creating a non-pure solution. This needs to then be rinsed thoroughly from the window, leaving only Pure Water left to dry clear in a matter of minutes (the same applies to sills and frames).
It’s simple in principle, though of course like anything, there is a learning curve and it will take time to become completely proficient in this method of cleaning.
Pure Water Window Cleaning is becoming increasingly popular for a number of reasons, these include:
- No need for ladders, pure water Window Cleaning can be carried out at height, from the ground.
- Allows you to reach over awkward obstacles and clean plastics, frames, sills and other uPVC from the ground.
- Environmentally friendly, effective cleaning without chemicals or soaps.
- No ladders mean a safer work environment, and less risk of property damage.
- Added privacy for the customer (nobody looking through upstairs windows)
For aspiring commercial Window Cleaners, the added safety benefit of cleaning from the ground is an excellent selling point, and even a requirement for some buildings.
Regardless of your preferred method of cleaning Windows, the smart modern Window Cleaner will have a means to utilise purified water, even if it is not the primary method of cleaning.
What is Pure Water?
In addition to Hydrogen & Oxygen (H20), tap water also contains minerals. For drinking purposes, this isn’t a problem, however when it comes to cleaning the likes of calcium, magnesium and other minerals remain, when the water evaporates away. This leaves hard water stains and unsightly spotting. You’ll notice these build up on any glass surrounding showers or taps at home, or even after washing your car.
Generally water is classified as either hard or soft. This refers to the abundance of minerals built up in the water, the harder the water the more costly it is to purify, and this is usually location dependent. For example most of South Wales & Scotland have soft water (TDS readings of 150 or less), whereas Bristol & London have very hard water (up to 350ppm). To find out which purification method suits best, click HERE).
How Do I Test Water Purity?
You can test your tap water with a TDS Meter which measures electrical conductivity and produces a value indicating the level of dissolved solids (minerals) in the water. For window cleaning purposes, a value of 000ppm (parts per million) of dissolved solids is considered pure and will produce a streak and spot free finish on the glass. It’s reasonable to effectively clean windows with readings of 0-7ppm, though this is just a rule of thumb, you may be able to clean with readings higher than this depending on what specifically is in your water. Trial and error will help you determine where the line is drawn.
HM Digital produce a high standard of TDS meters, and are regularly available from most suppliers, you can pick one up HERE
What To Do Next?
So you have decided Pure Water Cleaning may be for you. Next you need to consider how you’re going to purify water:
—> Types of Filtration Explained – 4 Stage RO/DI or DI Only