Don't clean timber windows like this!

[JoceAndChris]

http://www.omnipole.com/omnipole_trailer_systems.htm

I haven't used that particular company, but for three years they've been pressure washed monthly with a very similar system of a van filled with chemically treated water and a hose blasting this water - no rubbing or squeegee required as the water is treated to dry smear-free. It has cost me just £15 a month for the 17 exterior windows -but look:

Admittedly, I ought to have gouged this rot out sooner and done something about it, but there's no doubt in my mind now that this window cleaning system is not suitable for antique windows, and it probably isn't great for the house either where the water flows down. I've just phoned Holkams and their sales lady said I should not use this type of cleaning on linseed paint. The windows are still in their old, cracked exterior gloss but the plan is linseed paint ASAP.

Now for the difficult task of telling this poor window cleaner he's lost a job.

Interestingly, this comes from a very good summary of do's and don'ts with older buildings:

"Chemical cleaning agents such as acids and alkalis react with stone and brick as well as dirt layers, causing damage, and all can leave harmful residues behind.Water even under low pressure soaks masonry and can cause surface staining and efflorescence (salt crystallisation), and in the worst cases may lead to the decay of masonry."

http://www.buildingconservation.com/articles/ten/tenways.htm

I'm now wondering what to do with the rotted out sections. My dad is urging me to paint on "Wet Rot Wood Hardener", and when he has a chance (which will be October) he will help me splice and repair them. I wonder if "Wet Rot Wood Hardener" is really a good idea, and if it combines well with linseed oil paint. Any thoughts?

 

[Juju]

Hi Joce - no idea about the technical stuff but I did wonder whether your windows need cleaning every month anyway? I get my front windows cleaned every other month but I usually have to do the downstairs ones myself in the meantime cos we live straight on to a narrow pavement and we get all the dirt from cars, passersby and of course water splashes from cars when it rains. Our upstairs rear windows haven't been cleaned outside for about 4 years! Terrible I know but to be honest they don't get that dirty.

I too worry that too much cleaning etc is going to damage the fragile wood on some of our windows.

Juju

 

[JoceAndChris]

I agree with you Juju - it's a worry. Dirtiness is clearly better in this case!

The windows certainly don't need cleaning every month and to be honest I just let the situation continue as the man needs his living. He never arranges to come, just turns up when he feels like it and in the winter it's more like every other month. Maybe I could get him to hose down the greenhouse, car, and garage windows instead, I hate depriving him of work.

 

[88v8]

I agree with you Juju - it's a worry. Dirtiness is clearly better in this case!

The windows certainly don't need cleaning every month and to be honest I just let the situation continue as the man needs his living. He never arranges to come, just turns up when he feels like it and in the winter it's more like every other month. Maybe I could get him to hose down the greenhouse, car, and garage windows instead, I hate depriving him of work.

Some of our windows haven't been cleaned for 30 years, apart from the edges when I paint. After a while they reach a sort of dirt stasis.
I wouldn't let him and his chemicals near your greenhouse... chemicals,... plants.

Ivor

 

[JoceAndChris]

Good point. Thanks!

 

[JoceAndChris]

At last I found a window cleaner who'll clean in the old fashioned way. It's £50 for around 18 windows to be cleaned inside and out, by means of soapy cloth and chamois, and he's happy to come every 2 months.

He concurred that the pole system can do awful damage to fragile timbers and finishes.

 

[tobydog]

Just went through a similar issue. We use a company called Wash 'n' Glow which I believe is a franchise. The two young lads who operate it are based in Ipswich and are excellent. They always call the day before they turn up, they are in uniforms, professionally polite and follow any instructions you give them. I think they use a purified water system (not sure about chemicals). I had to ask them to stop using their running water system in certain parts of the house last month where cracks have opened up in the cement render over the timber frame. Also where our new front door had continued drying, openings have appeared in the beading. Water was getting in and causing problems in the joint. They were happy to do these areas by hand. The base of the frames in our new extension are bare but these still look fine. I just lightly oil them once a year. I get charged £19 every two months. It doesn't get much better than that.

 

[JoceAndChris]

Oh, that's very good Toby. I was paying £15 for all exterior windows with the purified water system last year ( I was wrong about the chemicals). It's excellent that your cleaners will accommodate a bit of cloth cleaning in fragile areas - every area is fragile here so I can't strike such a deal. But well done to you for identifying what was going wrong.

The difference in time is great - 20 mins with the pole system and 2 hours with a cloth and step-up ( we have a single story building, mostly). But I think my window cleaner is glad of the exercise as he's very into weight training so is quite nice to look at, not that I was looking, of course.

 

[biffvernon]

I do hope that nobody ever goes anywhere near any of my windows with a pressure washer. Nasty, unnatural things.

(A little white vinegar on a cloth, if you want glass to be really clean. Otherwise, newspaper gets the best polish.)

 

[tobydog]

Biff - thankfully there is no pressure washing involved with these units. The water just trickles out but is still enough (as Joce showed) to cause problems if you have cavities where you shouldn't have cavities!

 

[AMc]

I'm not sure how much the washing system is to blame as opposed to wear and tear of regular washing. In our case we hadn't cleaned our windows regularly for the first 5 years we were here because of the various work going on and parts being unoccupied. Last summer we got a knock on the door from one of these brush on a pole guys and agreed to have him come monthly. We've since noticed that where the bottom edges of the sash uprights were skimmed with 2 part filler by my joiner before painting, the skim has come off exposing the bare wood underneath. At first I was tempted to blame the cleaner, but on closer inspection 1mm of filler on a super smooth sanded bit of new timber was a stupid idea and would always have cracked and then fallen off. I think any kind of bump while washing would probably have knocked it off (as I've done elsewhere preparing for painting). It's obviously more difficult to be gentle with a brush on the end of a 3m pole than it would be up a ladder with a wash cloth but I don't think I can blame the brush and pole bloke.

I have noticed on our modern timber sashes there is some water pushed under the bottom of the sash. If you use this kind of system then it may be worth opening the sashes after they're done and squeeging (?) or mopping up anything left there.

We also have a small inaccessible window above the vinery. When he washes that I get a cup full of water cascading down the inside wall. Thankfully this is painted brick over a solid pamment floor so there is no real damage. Again he's not at fault, a fillet of mortar fell off almost as soon as the builders had left, because of the location it never gets penetrating rain and only leaks under torrential rain or snow melt. It's on the list to be looked at, but someone will either need to scale the 4.5m angled glass roof to get to it or bring in a cherry picker for a 5 minute bit of brick pointing - neither of which will be cheap or easy

I now need to catch him to ask him not to wash the window I've just discovered has barely any putty holding the glass in until I've had a chance to clamber up the roof and reglaze it - old houses eh?