3 Mistakes in Selecting an Indoor Window Cleaning Solution
If you think clean windows and glass inside a facility is simply an aesthetic goal, keep reading. Just like a specific indoor environment contributes to the health of a facility and its occupants, you may be surprised to learn how much indoor window and glass surfaces contribute to a building’s overall health score. When these surfaces are not cleaned as frequently and properly as they should be, then you’re potentially causing more harm than you may be aware of. And without understanding the full impact of effective window cleaning, your first mistake may be the indoor window cleaning solution you’re using.
Making the Case for Cleaner Indoor Windows and Glass
Clean windows, glass and plexiglass barriers are especially important now as we’re doubling down on combatting the spread of infectious disease. When your windows and surfaces are clean, the virus load in your facility is lowered because clean windows allow more light, specifically ultraviolet light into the space. That type of light is a disinfectant that can kill some bacteria that is present in your facility. On the other hand, dirty windows can reduce the amount of natural light (your natural disinfectant) coming into your facility by about 40%.
According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, poor indoor air quality can be found in about 30 percent of new and remodeled buildings. Dirty windows can impact indoor air quality by restricting the light coming into a space and the subsequent chemicals released into the air from indoor window cleaning solutions.
Poor air quality can impact building occupants differently, anywhere from throat irritation, headache and runny nose to allergy-like symptoms, such as sneezing; Some people may not experience any symptoms at all. Although you may not be able to pinpoint one single cause of poor indoor air quality, you can eliminate possible risk factors, such as maintaining clean windows and glass surfaces inside your facility. Not only is frequent cleaning important for air quality, but sourcing the right indoor window cleaning solution you can contribute positively in a multitude of ways to the health and safety of all building occupants.
Common Mistakes When Sourcing an Indoor Window and Glass Cleaning Solution
Window and glass cleaning has technologically advanced since the early days where simply a washer and a squeegee sufficed. Today, these advancements, along with the goal of bettering facility air quality, mandates changes in the way windows are cleaned.
At Unger, we’ve been in the commercial window cleaning industry for over 50 years and work daily with facility managers and building service contractors on what window cleaning technology is best for their needs. With an abundance of available options, it’s critical that the indoor window cleaning solution sourced not only maximize cleaning effectiveness, but also consider the health and safety of the workers performing the tasks at hand and other building occupants. Sourcing the right solution can be difficult to navigate, but hopefully made easier by avoiding these most common mistakes:
Mistake #1: Investing in Cotton Instead of Microfiber-Based Cleaning Products
Eliminating the need for a squeegee, microfiber cleaning pads and cloths remove heavy dirt and grime while leaving a streak-free and drip-free cleaning on windows, mirrors and plexiglass. Simply put, microfiber is one of the most important developments in cleaning technology in years. Microfiber cloths, when compared to cotton, absorb over 6 times its weight in water and collects fine dust through static charge. The inherent ultrafine fibers that make up the microfiber material give it a superior cleaning power that is lint free and easy to glide while collecting dust, fingerprints, grease and other light dirt, leaving behind less airborne contaminants.
Mistake #2 : Buying Ladders for use in cleaning windows
Facilities must consider the fall risk to cleaning staff when using scaffolding, ladders and lifts as well as the risk of repetitive stress injuries (RSIs), also referred to as repetitive motion injuries or repetitive strain injuries – one of the fastest growing occupational injuries, according to the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA).
The repetitive movements and manual handling required by window cleaning operatives have long caused those in the industry to be concerned, prompting a review of ladders and other access equipment for cleaning high indoor windows. Alternatives to window cleaning tools for hard-to-reach windows include extension poles that enable you to clean high access areas without the use of ladders and lifts, reducing the risk of falls.
By sourcing an indoor window and glass cleaning solution that incorporates an ergonomic, lightweight telescoping pole in its design, you can also minimize other factors that contribute to RSIs, including: working in awkward positions, using equipment that’s poorly designed and lifting items that are awkwardly shaped or have a disproportionate weight distribution. With today’s modern window cleaning solutions, trading in those risks doesn’t jeopardize the level of cleaning effectiveness.
Mistake #3: Assuming You Can’t Avoid Chemical Exposure
Cleaning staff can be exposed to a variety of chemicals in the indoor window cleaning solutions they use and so too can building occupants. Knowing that better air quality in a building can facilitate better cognitive performance among occupants, the window cleaning solution you choose can impact nearly every person in your building. To minimize airborne chemicals, modern window cleaning kits include a cleaning pad design that incorporates a protective cut-out for precise liquid application, reducing the chance of inhaling chemicals. Coupled with the use of a telescoping pole that increases the distance between janitorial staff and the cleaning solution, and your investment creates a healthier environment in terms of airborne chemicals.
Cleaner Windows, Better Air, and Safer Staff
Unger is the industry leader in innovative commercial window cleaning products and floor cleaning solutions. Our promise is to innovate with purpose which means we’re constantly in the field talking with those people that source and use cleaning solutions daily. Taking into consideration what we see and hear from those with first-hand knowledge of the cleaning experience, we’re able to deliver quality tools designed to make the cleaning experience cleaner, faster and safer.
View of all our facility cleaning solutions or if you want to see our commercial window cleaning products in action, request a personal demonstration, delivered to you virtually or in person, at your convenience.