"What The Professional Window Cleaner Needs To Know About Window Cleaning Cloths"

If you are going to do anything professionally, you need to be really effective and really efficient. Cleaning windows professionally is no different. If you plan to make a living cleaning glass, you will want to use the best tools and techniques.
Thankfully, I am going to give you the inside scoop on what you need to use to detail the windows. If you have been using just any old rag to wipe your squeegee and to detail edges then you need to listen up.

Ditch the old t-shirts and underwear, the terry cloth rags, and old bath towels. You need to use the right cloths! Here are some better alternatives: 1) blue surgical cloths 2) a Scrim cloth 3) a really good microfiber 4) an old-school leather chamois

Surgical Cloths - also called ""huck towels"". These are lint-free cloths they use in medical settings to absorb blood and other bodily fluids. They are super absorbent an almost lint free. They are probably the top choice for most window cleaners because they are effective and easily available. You can order them form window cleaning supply companies on the internet or get them from most janitorial supply stores.

A scrim is your next best bet. I think they are a step up from the surgical towels in terms of quality and the results that you can get from them. However, they are more expensive, and you will most likely have to order one from an internet supplier. The scrim is made from very tough but absorbent linen fibers. It is a lot bigger than the surgical towels which is beneficial in the fact that you don't have to swap them out as much but can feel clumsy to some people. It takes a bit of getting used to. Also, you will need to wash it a couple of times to break it in.

Microfiber cloths are what a lot of people are using nowadays. They are, for the most part, pretty lint-free. Microfiber cloths are made from weaving super thin strands of polyester fibers. However, some of them are not as absorbent as cloths made of natural materials. With any material the quality varies considerably from product to product. If you want to use these to detail window edges, make sure you get only very high quality ones.

A few window cleaners still stick to the old-school standard: a leather chamois. These are entirely lint free because they are 100% leather. They have the advantage of not leaving any fibers on the glass or squeegee blade. However, they have the disadvantage of maintenance. You see, you need to care for you chamois like the fine piece of Italian leather it is. It may become stiff when it dries out, so you need to break it back in each time it dries out. A lot of old-school window cleaners swear by them, so you should at least give it some consideration.

Now, I have just discussed your detailing cloths. But I should also mention that you may want a separate cloth to deal with the water that will end up on the bottom of the sill after you've squeegeed the window. After all, you don't want to use up all your good cloths just to soak up water. What you will want here is something that will soak up water well and that you can then wring out. That way, you can use just one product instead carrying around 20 bath towels.

For this task, I would recommend a natural sea sponge, or a special type of synthetic cloth such as the Aquadry towel, or the Shamwow. These cloths are made from a material called PVA. It is a super absorbent material that can be wrung out easily. It feels rubbery to the touch when dry and kind of like a leather chamois when wet.