[final touch]

 : I was wondering how most of you scrape the windows. If there is a better way to  scrape for construction cleaning. Would love to here how most of you are doing this.
thank you
Final Touch

[windows_chepstow]

I don't think there's an 'easy way' as it does take a bit of elbow grease.

You can make it easier though.

Use a large scraper, like this six inch one, rather than a standard two-and-a-half inch one:



Make sure the blade is new.

There's been a post on here about defective glass, so test new glass first by scraping a small discrete area first.  If it's okay:

Soap up the window, and scrape what you can see.

Squeegie!

If it's a builders clean, you'll probably have to repeat the process on each window!

It's basic, but I hope this has been some help!

[Ian_Giles]

I've used that blade, but found it a little to big and it didn't maintain good contact with the glass.
Unger do one similar to that I think? It may even have been an Unger one I used
But Unger also do a stainless steel, fold back style knife, this one is top banana, it has a replacable razor blade, and when folded back on itself it can be clipped into a standard squeegee handle (instead of the channel of course :)
Ettore used to do a brass one that did the same, but the Unger one is better (or was better, I haven't seen the Ettore equivalent for many years now)
So for major initial cleans its first rate. And of course you also use it just in your hand as against in a squeegee handle.

I know you can use a standard stanley scraper, but they are better in the hands of the decorators for tidying up their cutting in.
Stanley also do a 2 inch retractable razor style scraper, ideal to keep in your pocket or pouch for the odd bit of nibbing off, and they are top banana on the ceramic hob
Under powered for initial cleaning though.
Technique is much as windows_chepstow said, soak up up & knife off.

Warn whoever you are doing it for that if the builders have left sand & cement on the glass you can't guarantee there will be no scratches.
These razor knives won't scratch the glass, but sand & cement (compo) certainly can.
Even go so far as to have a close look at several of the windows and check for scratches, and then point them out to whoever is paying for the job.

It's a sod to defend yourself if after you have got the windows all nice and sparkly, customer then see's lots of scratches and blames you, claiming they weren't there before you started
They almost certainly would have been, but the glass will have been so dusty/dirty/grubby that they won't have noticed any scratches that were there.

DON'T GET CAUGHT OUT!!!

If like me you are a WFP user, tough for a builders initial clean you have to get up close and personal and do it the traditional way

Ian

[karlosdaze]

Only go forward with the blade never keep the blade on the glass going backwards.
Always check for tempered glass in an inconspicuous corner. Usually shop fronts, especially the doors.
Wipe the blade on your jeans going backwards, never with your fingers.
Be careful with the 6"er putting the cap back on. Use a steeper angle for the big uns to cut in.
Always push blade square to rubber and don't go up the side ripping all the silicon out.
If the blade shows a hint of rust or chipped dispose of it, straight away.  Always dispose of it seperately never at the work place.
Always let the blade do the work on construction cleans never the washer sleeve. This will only pick up the fines and scratch the windows.
Always wash a washer-sleeve in the machine after a construction clean.

[rosskesava]

One other thing I always use on those types of cleans is wirewool but if there's concrete, mortar etc on the glass you have to be a bit carfull because if you push too hard, the grit and quartz can scratch the glass.