What You Need to Know Before Cleaning Tempered Glass
Many commercial cleaning companies in today's rebounding economy are finding new revenue potential by providing post construction cleaning services. New office building and commercial facilities are being remodeled or constructed and the need for post construction cleanup has spiked considerably. Although this type of cleaning service can be very lucrative, there are certain cautions to be aware of. One being tempered glass.
Window cleaning in general can be a cleaner's worst nightmare. You'll find windows covered with dirt, dust, construction debris, mud, paint, and manufacturer window stickers. Decades ago, this almost always meant the use of a razor/scraper and normally there would be no issues with damaged glass.
Glass scrapers, when properly used, will not scratch or cause damage to windows. However, today's new buildings are being furnished with something called tempered glass and you need to use caution when it comes to this type of glass.
Why the need for tempered glass? The number one reason is safety and toughness. Tempered glass is a safety glass that when broken, will crumble into small granular pieces rather than splintering into jagged shards like plate glass, reducing the chance of injury should the glass break. It is also much stronger compared to normal glass. This type of glass is common in automobile windshields, shower doors, table tops, and of course, commercial building doors, foyer/entrance glass and windows.
What do I need to know about tempered glass?
Tempered glass is manufactured using a heat treatment, followed by rapid cooling. This produces a compressive surface layer. During this tempering process, fabricating debris can remain and become baked onto the surface. When the cleaner comes to clean the tempered window glass with a scraper, they can dislodge and break off this debris, resulting in scratches. In most cases, you'll be able to tell if it's a tempered glass window because it should have a tempered glass stamp located in a corner.
So what exactly is fabricating debris?
Fabricating debris are tiny, abrasive particles (debris, dust, dirt, or tiny glass particles) that become fused to the glass during the manufacturing process. Tempered glass and "heat strengthened" glass can contain these defects if the glass comes in contact with the tempering oven rollers. Unfortunately, there are no industry standards to address this issue. It's a quality control problem that some manufacturers refuse to follow and a problem that could be reduced or eliminated if they followed their recommended maintenance procedures for their equipment.
If tempered glass has defects of fabricating debris, the window can easily become scratched, even if the contractor protects the windows during construction. If the cleaning company scratches tempered glass during construction cleaning, who is responsible? The scratches may have already been on the glass before cleaning, just unnoticeable until the cleaning company washed the windows. Or the scratches could have happened because the cleaner loosened the fabricating debris during cleaning process, which is a defect caused by the manufacturer.
How do I protect my cleaning company from tempered glass damage?
It is important to protect your cleaning company by having the building owner or contractor sign a waiver that states your company is not responsible for scratches caused by fabricating debris. Also make sure that the building owner or contractor is aware of the current condition of the windows before agreeing to the project. Many times there is plaster, spackling, and paint splatter that needs to be removed. It's much better to address these issues before you start cleaning then to debate damage or additional charged time after the fact.
How do you know if a scratch is the result of fabricating debris? These scratches are normally lighter than scratches created by other types of abrasives. If you look at the scratch with a magnifying glass the scratches will look like comets. The comet's "head" is the actual fabricating debris. When it is broken and trapped by a scraper, it forms a "tail".
Even though fabricating debris is invisible to the eye, you can feel it -- there is a distinct "gritty" type sound heard when you move your scraper over the surface. But it should not be the responsibility of a window cleaner to spend time checking a window for fabricating debris that should be the builders' responsibility. They also should not hold cleaning and/or window washing companies responsible for problems associated with poorly constructed tempered glass. Having a waiver signed before cleaning the windows can save you not only headaches but the expensive price tag that comes with replacing windows.
Fabricating debris does not affect the structural integrity of the glass and the glass will still most likely meet the industry standards. Therefore, it is important that cleaners use waivers and educate the building owners to avoid problems and liability. Also, remember that tempered glass is subject to damage not only during construction, but throughout the life of the glass. To be better safe than sorry, always have the building owner sign a waiver before taking on any tempered glass window cleaning jobs. You'll save yourself time, money and headaches!
You may be interested in the following forms. (These forms are free to The Janitorial Store members):
Window Washing Work Request
Tempered Glass Waiver
Post Construction Sign Off Sheet
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