Window cleaning in the rain

A common misconception some people may have is that window cleaners should not be working in the rain because it makes the windows dirty.

As you know, the water I use to clean windows is pure. The total dissolved sediments (tds) reading is zero - all the minerals and sediments have been filtered out. Here in Kent, the tds reading from regular tap water is over 300 and this is what causes spotting and limescale marks on windows. Rain water is pure water too. So it's not the rain that causes windows to get dirty. The problem is actually the dirt already on the windows that can give the impression that the windows are dirtied from the rain.

Windows are designed to use rainwater and sunlight to remove natural dirt from them. But when other factors hit your windows, such as pollen, dust build up and bird droppings, they cling to them. Thus, the next time it rains, the water from this will attach itself to the existing dirt. This in turn will make the dirt look worse but only because it was already there and not simply because it rained. If your windows are free of any external dirt, when the rain comes it will simply wash away and leave your glass clean.

Avoiding having your windows cleaned in wet weather will actually, in the long term, make them worse as water stains may build up and take more time to remove. It is important to keep on top of your regular window cleaning routine, to preserve them so that you reap the maximum benefits that clean windows create.

So the next time you see a few droplets on the horizon or the forecast seems to give you a never-ending episode of rainy weather, there's no need to cancel your window cleaning service. However, if it's heavy rain and and there are storms, I certainly do not wish to work in such conditions!