First Job + cold weather = ouch

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Hey all, had my first job today. Was a small one, only about 14 panes, but it had work being done to it (remodeling/painting) so the windows were pretty dirty.

On top of that it was about 15 degrees F here… now I know why people hate windows cleaning in winter.

I used windshield fluid and dawn dish soap. The soap kept freezing even with the window fluid. Eventually most of my gear had soap on it (steel wool, bronze wool, magic eraser, squeegees, mops, etc). And even after rinsing them I still kept getting frozen fluid.

Any tips? Feeling pretty defeated.
Also, how in the hell do you get windows clean with extension poles? Maybe mine was bad (doca pole from Amazon), but man it was rough.

Hopefully it gets better when it gets warmer.

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Use methanol not windshield fluid. Up here in Canada we work right through the winter.

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Does that cause the soap to not freeze? Or do you not use soap?

And I believe windshield fluid has methanol in it.

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Methonal alcohol is the ingredient that is in windshield washing fluid, its diluted.

Using straight methanol you can dilute your solution less thus preventing freezing.

Or buy less diluted or “lower temp rated” windshield fluid.

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Hey SeeBee,

15 degrees isn’t bad. -15 sucks.

My procedure: get yourself a squirt bottle. Fill it with washer fluid. Get your water bucket full of hot water. Dip your mop in the hot water, add a LITTLE bit of soap to the mop, then wring out the mop. When you get to the window, soak your mop with the washer fluid and go to work. By using a squirt bottle it’ll save you from wasting washer fluid. And you can experiment with the washer fluid. Maybe at 15 you want pure washer fluid, maybe at 20 you want half water half fluid.