WHETHER its April showers, drizzle or a full force storm you may wonder if there is any value in having window cleaning carried out? According to the Met Office there are 3 types of rain and depending on the area you live in or the pollution level where you live – this can affect how long your window clean lasts.

How clean is rain water?

Rain water is actually quite clean comparative to drinking water. See our article on pure water for details and measurements of relative purity. Often the direction in which rain falls from the sky can reveal the ability of rain to clean dirt from windows. On dirty windows you’ll notice that the top of most windows will be worst, remaining dirty. This is because falling droplets wash away dirt from the rest of the lower part of the glass, the top often shielded from the elements. Therefore, on a window that has just had pure water cleaning, rain will not affect this in a detrimental way nor make the glass dirty.

Is it a waste having my windows cleaned in the rain?

You may feel that the work carried out will be wasted. You may feel that the reach and wash cleaning with pure water will be contaminated or rinsed away giving you no benefit. In fact as mentioned above rain water will not leave streaks but will only continue to rinse the glass.

What about window cleaning and storms?

Perhaps the only rare exception involving British weather might be a storm. The combination of wind and rain can drive particles in the air onto the glass. We normally don’t work in extreme wind either as this proves hazardous when cleaning with our reach and wash poles.

So in summary, we will endeavour to keep cleaning schedules and arrangements unless there is an extreme circumstance. Reachnshine window cleaning seek to maintain a constant and reliable window cleaning service.

What is pure water? Does pure water window cleaning work? How impure is other water?

PURE water is a collective term used to describe water that has been filtered or processed to remove impurities and contaminants. Other names some use are deionised or distilled water. The resulting pure water is perfect for window cleaning and is also environmentally friendly.

What is pure water?

Pure water has been mechanically filtered from its original state as tap water or drinking water. By passing this water through pre-filters and a semi-permeable membrane, it reduces impurities by 97-98%. This process is called reverse osmosis. Rather than absorbing, this process separates molecules and particles from the water. Its purity can be measured in ppm (parts per million). Original tap water can contain 250-300 particles of chemicals or contaminates per million parts of water, depending on which part of the country you live in.

Although that may seem low (1ppm is equivalent comparatively to 32 seconds out of a year or 1 mm of error per km of distance traversed) it is noticeable. Wash your car or pressure wash your patio and you’ll see water marks and staining on glass surfaces as it evaporates. The trace elements remain and are highly visible.

After reverse osmosis the pure water reading can be as low as 5-10 ppm of impurities. A final “polish” is applied by passing the water through ion-exchange resin. The result is 0 ppm – pure water!

Does pure water clean windows?

Window cleaning benefits greatly from pure water. The water not only dissolves dirt and dust but also washes it away. Window frames, doors, solar panels, signs etc can all be cleaned,. See our gallery for window cleaning videos and photos. Once thoroughly scrubbed and washed the only thing left on the glass is pure water. Once evaporated the glass is left sparkling clean.

In fact, we find in using this water we need to clean less often and would therefore recommend 8 weeks between visits.

How impure is other water?

Interested in testing your own water? We can test it for you if you’re interested. However Bristol Water has an online water checker, all you need is your postcode.

Below are some examples of the levels of impurities in different types of water.

Is window cleaning affected by the weather and the seasons?

SOME customers ask us about window cleaning at certain times of the year due to the weather. They may even hesitate to have their windows cleaned because of the changing seasons, especially with Bristol’s microclimate.

This article will discuss how Reachnshine window cleaning carry out our service all year round. It’ll address any issues related to each season and how we can continue safely while achieving quality window cleaning.

The Seasons of Window Cleaning

Perhaps one of the most challenging seasons for us is winter, for a variety of reasons. Firstly we clean with water and that can freeze, both in our system and on the floor. The shorter days also present a challenge. And finally this season can become congested with the holiday period, many would like their windows done before the end of the year.

To cope with this we keep a close eye on the temperature. Prevention is better than cure, so we remove many items from our van overnight to prevent frozen poles and hoses in the morning. We also bring rocksalt with us in case day time temperatures are not very high.

This is by far the most popular time of year for window cleaning and for good reason. Spring cleaning makes everyone feel better, so looking out of clean windows is a clear priority. We get the most new enquiries this time of year so scheduling is important.

Many other jobs around the home are also done in spring. Some attempt internal window cleaning, with mixed results. This is something we can assist with if requested.

A time for shorts and sunglasses! We love this time of year for window cleaning. The added benefit is that the warmer weather makes for warmer pure water. So at least once or twice a year you’ll get a warm water cleaning of your windows and frames.

It can be challenging for customers to remember to close their windows in summer, understandably. This can be one of the only issues we face in summer, aside from sunburn.

It can be windy in Autumn which will send dust and pollution up into the air and along with rain, onto the windows. Particularly alley-ways and the narrow sides of buildings. Rain doesn’t on its own make windows dirty due to its almost pure water nature.

A nice time of year to see the changing colour of the trees. What better time to have your windows cleaned and enjoy all that nature has to offer. Look at our twitter feed for more up to date details.

Explore our new redesigned window cleaning website!

Welcome to the new website for Reachnshine Window Cleaning. We’ll use this page to update you of any worthwhile information. This could be related to our availability, adjustments due to the weather etc. Check out the gallery too with pictures of our typical work.

We’ll be looking for ways to improve the use of the site both for ourselves and you the customer.