[texas girl]

To all window cleaners (who are the smartest people on earth),

Having been in business a very long time I have struggled with the removing of adhesives like everyone else.

Yes, scraping is the ineviteable.

But you will not believe what takes off that nasty residue, and with no heat and no harsh chemicals!

An oil based product called Orange Glo removes the stuff that adheres to the glass because glass is poreous.

 The residue actually becomes a part of the glass over a period of time; leaves a shadow that is almost impossible to take off 100 %.

There are also products made just for adhesive removal. "Desolve it" citrus solution is anther good one.

I was experimenting the last time I had to remove vinyl lettering. What a pain in the rear end. We always have to resort to scraping, but these oil based products can be found at Walmart and grocery stores.

You have to use a separate set of equipment because oil will destroy window cleaning tools until they are cleaned.

I have also bought  "adhesive remover".  It is oil based.

The orange glo is a furniture oil. Apply the oil, use a scrubber with rough texture; then scraper. You will save a lot of elbow grease without using harsh chemicals.

Hugs,

Texas Girl

[gaza]

hi texas personally Ive found meth/spirit work wonders on sticky stuff,we call it meths over here,Im sure you will call it something else but you know those little steam engines kids and Dads have, its what they use to get the steam up by burning it under the boiler,maybe that will give you an indication of what it is, its purple in colour the spirt that is
GAZA

[Jeff Brimble]

Did you know gass is a semi solid, They have a 32ft tall pane in Pilkingtons thats been there fpr a few years and is flowing down wards with gravity. The base of the glass is getting thicker and the top is getting thinner.
I think the shadow left is something to do with uv light you get the same effect when glass has had painted letters on it and then removed.

[Ian_Giles]

Where else but here could we learn that glass isn't solid afterall (sic)

Debbie, if glass is porous, surely that must be on a microscopic level?

Glass obviously has some properties that are quite fascinating, but perhaps that can be said of many things we take for granted....

Ian

[texas girl]

Hey Ian,

Have you ever cleaned off artificial snow after it has been on a window that gets direct sun?

The heat from the sun expands the pores of the glass just enough to allow the snow (or hard water minerals, or adhesive) to become a part of the glass.

Even tho the initial layer comes off, there is still a redidue that requires elbow grease and additional chemicals.

You all may not use artificial snow because you get lots of the real stuff.

In my home state(Iowa) they get a lot of it too. That is why I moved here when I was 18. I do not like really cold weather.

I always tell my clients not to paint and spray artificial snow all over their windows at Christmas time because it will cost triple to remove it.

You are right about the microscopic degree of this phenomenon.

But it explains why there is a very stubborn layer of adhesive left after vinyl letters have been initially scraped/peeled off.

I bet you all are laughing about the "artificial snow".  You probably needed a good laugh anyway.

Hope you are having a really good day.

Hugs

[karlosdaze]

Use "oilflo" for the removal of residue. Made for window cleaners, solely for this purpose. Available from all good wc stockists.

[Ian_Giles]

Must say I've never used oilflo, but I've heard it mentioned on the forums, I'll have to get hold of some of it.

Debbie,
Oh yes, we have the artificial snow over here too, my heart sinks whenever a shop sprays the stuff all over their windows
That residue is a right pain to get off
But as I'm going to be getting some of this oilflo as part of my basic stock of chemicals perhaps it won't be quite such a problem in future eh?

Ian

[windows_chepstow]

Did you know gass is a semi solid,

I've just read exactly that.  Apparantly glass is not semi-solid, it's a liquid.  Just a very dense slow moving one.  The example I read was that you find the glass is thicker at the bottom, than at the top in very old stained glass in European Cathedrals!  (Bill Bryson - A Short History of Everything).

[karlosdaze]

Yes Chepstow, its true. Glass is permanently in a state of gas/ liquid. But for all means & purposes its a solid. I had an argument with my father in law over this, only when it was written on the internet could he bend his head around to the fact.

[rosskesava]

Metal is also is some senses concidered a liquid but it's movement due to gravity is much slower but on some tall structures, such as a ship or similiar, metals within an alloy can start to become separated at the top.

Very important if you build warships or the like.

Odd but true.