Window cleaning has come a long way since the old days of cleaning with the use of soapy water. If that’s your idea of how modern window cleaners do things, then you’re in for quite a surprise. In fact, nowadays it may not even be necessary to use soap at all. There’s this thing we call de-ionized water, and it’s amazingly effective in getting rid of grime off windows.

What is de-ionized water?

It’s exactly what it sounds like: water that had its ions taken out. You see, tap water has lots of ions. These ions may come from the soil, such as Ca²⁺ and Na⁺. Then the pipes may also put in some ions as well, such as Cu²⁺ and Fe²⁺. Those are the two main sources of ions, but with tap water there may be other sources as well. You just never know. It may have more ions present than just calcium, magnesium, potassium, and sodium.

It is the ions which make it so frustrating to use water in cleaning windows. The impurities (the ions) it contains are called Total Dissolved Solids or TDS, and they’re usually measured in hundreds of parts per million. Now when you wash a window with tap water and leave it under the sun to dry, the TDS elements don’t’ evaporate with the water. They stay in place and turn to residue. They cause spots to show on your windows which means that all your efforts at cleaning your window will only be in vain. The same thing happens with your car when you leave it out in the rain. The rain water has impurities too, and those impurities remain when the water evaporates.

With de-ionized water, most of those ions are removed. This is usually done through an ion exchange process. After it is done, the de-ionized water or (DI water for short) becomes a much more effective cleaning agent. There are hardly any impurities left, so you don’t get that spotting effect.

You don’t have to waste all your efforts at cleaning your windows. The second effect is that the DI water cleans windows in much the same way that soapy water does. With soap, the soap molecules cling to the dirt, to make it easier to wash them away. DI water behaves the same way, and it clings to the dirt on the glass window, which makes it easier to scrub away the dirt.

Our DI water machines is really high tech. They are water-fed poles which extend 20 meters or about 65 feet. These poles are then taken and hooked up to our own filtration system. It has a special resin which really purifies the water. All the ions and impurities are taken out, and the parts per million measurement of these ions becomes zero. This super-pure water then goes up the pole and reaches the glass of the window. With just a tiny bit if scrubbing, the dirt on the glass is taken out completely. This is one of the most effective and efficient ways of cleaning a window without getting the spotting effect as a result. With de-ionized water, you don’t have to use detergent, and you don’t have to use harsh chemicals.

Let’s list down all the benefits of using DI water:

• It’s much safer. With the poles measuring 65 feet, we can deliver the water up to several floors up, without having to use ladders and similar equipment. That makes it eminently safer.
• Safer for the environment. Remember, there are no detergents and harsh chemicals used in our window cleaning service. It’s just pure water, which makes it A-OK for the environment.
• It takes less time and effort. Compared to having to use ladders, using the irrigated poles for the DI water is much more efficient with less effort needed and less time wasted.
• Higher and wider reach. With the poles, we can easily reach more areas with the DI water, compared with what we can reach when our workers are all attached to harnesses and other physical constraints.

Not every window cleaning company uses de-ionized water, and even those that do may not have the same quality of materials compared to what we use. If you really want the best, then there’s no one else to call but J&J Window Wash.