Pollen, the springtime enemy of all clean windows

As a high-rise window cleaning professional, it pays to know your enemy – the little things that make our clients’ windows smeared or streaky, dulled or partially obscured. Because only by appreciating what you’re up against can you hope to know how to best deal with them, and what method should be used to make those windows shine once more.

Did you know that those pesky pollens that make you sneeze all the way through spring and summer could also be the reason why your windows lose their lustre?

Pollen is an essential element in the spread of flower and plant life. These tiny grains are perfectly designed to stick to the legs and undersides of insects that feed on one plant and drop them off on another, or they are carried by the wind to stick to plants that are sometimes located miles away. And it’s this sticky nature that is not only an evolutionary miracle, but a pain for us humans when they mess up our windows.  

How much pollen is released in the spring can easily be seen in the red eyes and sneezes of the poor hay fever sufferers around you, but to put a figure on it, in 2000 the average pollen count was around 8,400 grains per cubic metre of air 2. As it’s blown around or carried by insects, some of it ends up sticking to your windows. Now pollens are typically too small to be seen with the naked eye, just 0.006mm in diameter, but it’s their stickiness that’s the problem. Dust and grime stick to them and cause streaks on your windows when it rains. And, because they are sticky they may be tough to clean off.

Luckily we have just the tools for the job. At London Window Cleaners we don’t use chemicals to clean windows, we just use plain old water. Now that may not sound strong enough to get rid of the sticky grime of pollen and dust but we add a secret ingredient… OK, we don’t actually add anything to the water, it’s what we take out of it that makes it amazing at cleaning. The water we use goes through a multi-stage filtration process to remove all its minerals which means windows dry streak free. This water is also warmed up in our vans and the hot water is another way to ensure the sticky pollen has no chance of hanging on. Finally, in the hands of our trained professionals, the telescopic poles we use ensure the best results every time (unless we’re using cranes, maintenance platforms or abseiling to get to your windows).

Unfortunately, if you thought that pollen counts were high right now, a new report highlighted in Live Science 2 suggests that pollen counts could double within the next 20 years due to warming temperatures around the globe.

If the windows on your high-rise building are looking streaky, dirty, grubby or dulled, then contact London Window Cleaners today, the high-rise window cleaning specialists, on 020 3954 2900.

SOURCES

1.   https://www.unitedcleaningcincy.com/blog/spring-pollen-means-dirty-windows-screens/

2.  https://www.livescience.com/24659-pollen-counts-rise-global-warming.html