Neither blade scratches glass.

The problem is, when you get any abrasive debris embedded in the edge of a plastic scraper - like fabricating debris defects on poor quality tempered glass - the debris will keep scratching glass until the blade is replaced.

I wouldn't know how often that happens - maybe you do have a "reduced chance" - but it doesn't happen at all with metal scrapers.

And when it happens to plastic scrapers, you can expect a customer to be angrier because they were promised no scratching. And even if you had a tempered glass scratch waiver, you don't stand a very good chance of proving annealed glass was scratched by defects on nearby tempered glass.

Sometimes it's merely a waste of time, effort and intellect to treat all glass surfaces as poor quality that will scratch themselves when cleaned with the classic, standard method of simply wetting and scraping. Sometimes - like with plastic blades - it can actually backfire on you.

Gary Mauer
Window Cleaning Network - Oconomowoc, WI

They are however fantastic for use, along with a heat gun, in removing the old vinyl lettering or tape without gouging paint.

Brian P. Smith
Extreme Cleaning - Salt Lake City, UT

We have ridge hooks which attach to the end of ladders and hold it to a roof. They are pretty easy to find online. Just search for "ladder ridge hooks".

David Webb
Wellbuilt Equipment - Crete, IL

Fire fighters often have a single section ladder like that to use for roof work. I was in Lowe’s the other day, and they had a bucket of roof safety equipment. It has a harness, life rope with shock stop, and roof plate that sold for 99 bucks.

Kim Little
Clear Carolina Window Cleaning - Candor, NC

This is known as a roof ladder in the fire service and is used when a fire department cuts a hole in a roof to ventilate the structure. It usually comes in lengths of 10, 12 and 14 feet. It has two hooks which you can deploy over the peak of the roof to hold the ladder. You can use the rungs to climb the roof or to displace your weight better. I use a roof ladder on several of my houses in which the angle of the roof is too steep.

John Adank
Crystal Clear Window Cleaning LLC - Onalaska, WI

Usually, I believe, the self cleaning part is a titanium dioxide coating, which cannot be scraped, or much of anything else. Best bet is to get the instructions from the manufacturer of the windows. The builder may have already voided the warranty if construction debris is on the window.

Dan Lloyd
Red Wagon Cleaning Service, Inc - NC

I had a construction cleanup that the builder waited too long to peel the plastic off the glass, and left all of the glue. It took me about 9 hours with a white pad and Windex to get it all off. It was absolutely ridiculous but that is all they authorized to use.

Chris Thompson
Attention to Detail - West Branch, MI

Sounds like its "Waiver" time again. I would not take this job if there is any construction debris on the glass.

Of course some believe it's our responsibility to accept any liability to help our client, even though they have destroyed their glass before we got there and don't have a clue what they have done or what kind of glass they have for that matter.

Do not clean this glass without full instructions from the supplier AND make sure everyone knows you will not be liable for removing any construction debris.

Dan Fields
Fields Construction Services Inc. - Livermore, CA

Aluminum didn't scratch the glass. More likely, some of the aluminum rubbed off onto the glass.
You can probably rub that off by hand with the right compound.

Gary Mauer
Window Cleaning Network - Oconomowoc, WI

I had this happen about 20 years ago. I just used auto rubbing compound.

Randy Feuillerat
Randy’s Window Cleaning – Beloit, WI

When I got up on the ladder to see it, you can feel it slightly. From the ground, it does look white. So you think it is possible that the aluminum left the mark. Is there any way to tell for sure?

Chris Thompson
Attention to Detail - West Branch, MI

You could try to reproduce this mark on one of your own windows or a piece of free glass (without dropping the pole).

That would give you a better look at it - and a chance to experiment with rubbing it out. Aluminum is too soft to scratch glass. It could possibly crush the surface on impact, but that would be very localized. (A point blemish, not a long scratch.)

Gary Mauer
Window Cleaning Network - Oconomowoc, WI

It may be a scratch if the aluminum is anything less than pristine. Though aluminum comes in at 3-point-something on the Mohs scale, aluminum oxide is 9.0, well above the 5.5 quoted for glass. Anybody that has seen scratches caused by a heavy suspended stage knows it can happen.

Evan B. Pyle
Expert Window Cleaning - Baton Rouge, LA

I have had similar situations with customers that have scratches on their glass (whether from a scraper or whatever) and they always think (or act like or tell you) you’re making it all up. They see it as a scapegoat.

I guess we’re giving them information they don’t want to hear and doesn’t remove the scratches from their windows.

Is there some sort of bulletin that lists different window cleaning type tools (scraper, glass, aluminum ladder, etc.)?

Chris Pitkin
Karin's Services, LLC - Minneapolis, MN

You can tell them this is the CSI era, and it is possible to study scratches and prove/disprove a lot of theories. Most of us look at a scratch with the naked eye and we're not even sure which direction it went, but under magnification - if you know what to look for - there won't be any doubt. (That kind of glass scratch analysis is part of the training cops get - it's in their forensics textbooks.)

I show slides at the Picnic of a few different scratches - rock, sandpaper, drill bit - and fabricating debris. Under magnification they don't look anything alike. So it's not all guesswork - your word against theirs.

But there's no bulletin ranking tools by hardness. The Mohs scale we talk about was developed as a tool to help mineralogists identify rocks by their ability or inability to scratch other minerals Mohs ranked by hardness. It was meant to aid the process of elimination - it's useful outside mineralogy, but it's not really a universal measurement.

Glass is harder than lead - but a bullet can break a window without scratching it, and so can a ladder. It's always improper use you have to worry about.

Gary Mauer
Window Cleaning Network - Oconomowoc, WI

Anyway, it should come off easily because it's an aluminum deposit, not a scratch into the glass. The aluminum deposit might be white looking against tinted glass, but that doesn't matter. Apply some Polishing compound on a clean soft towel and rub out the deposit.

Dan Fields
Fields Construction Services Inc. - Livermore, CA

I have a company that does only power washing do any that my customers want. He in turn calls me for any window cleaning that his customers want. It works out nicely.

Jack Nelson
MWCoA - Cumberland, MD

Since you have been offering the pressure cleaning service for many years, you likely know who the other quality providers are, in your area. Pick one or two and point your customers their way.

I have one company that I like very much. I carry a set of their business cards with me and pass it on to the home owner when they inquire. I don’t have any arrangement for a referral fee, since he regularly recommends my company to his customers too.

Every job I’ve recommended them for has turned out well, so I stick with what works.

Peter West
All About Windows - Chesterfield, VA

I feel your pain my brother. I heavily suggest getting the hardcopy or audio book version of Michael Gerber's "E-Myth" which is a business philosophy used by many large companies. It helped me understand why I was dealing with many of the same challenges you are dealing with going from an owner/operator to a larger company with several employees.

Michael A Fitzgerald
Window Pros, Inc - Fredericksburg, VA

If you choose to go the “employee” way, then your potential to raise revenue is increased, thus raising profits (though your profit margin will actually go down). I sit down every winter and compare what I would make keeping my cherry customers and running solo with one helper versus having 6-8 employees. The money is in employees. You just have to implement a good system to deal with the employee headaches. It’s just a fact of business.

Geof White
Valley Window Cleaning, Inc - Kaukauna, WI

When I first started in 1999, one of my goals was to hire employees. To be honest, I am not good at delegating tasks or managing people. I've gotten tired of dealing with the call ins, no shows, late shows, alcohol/drug problems, poor attitudes and such. I just cannot let go and trust the work will be done to my satisfaction. I am just not an E-myth owner. I realize there is more money to be made with employees, but I do not want to deal with the problems.

Mark Mastio
Shoreline - Freeport, FL

One of our customers is a small business attorney and he told me recently that all of his customers (business owners) are having problems with finding and keeping quality employees in the last year or so.

Some days I contemplate getting rid of everybody and “cherry picking” the jobs – but I don’t want to be a ladder monkey when I’m 40, 45 50, etc. Every once in a while when there are too many problems I remind my employees that I will be the last person to lose his job at our company. Someone else here said it best: you can choose a backache or headache. You’ll make better money with the headaches. You just have to get good at managing them. (we’re still working at that.)

Chris Pitkin
Karin's Services, LLC - Minneapolis, MN