Can Dirty Windows Affect Your Health?
Yes. The “eyes into the building” can easily become a health risk, especially if not properly maintained. When did you last have your windows cleaned? A thorough wash to get rid of the gunk that has been piling up for weeks or months. The fact is that since windows are part of the building’s exterior, they are exposed to just as much dirt and grime as the rest of the walls and other surfaces – including the elements that pound on them with the changing seasons. If the window cleaning is neglected, they become a threat to the health of the persons on the premises. How risky can they get? Let’s delve into this and more.
Dangers Of A Soiled Window
- Dust build up
The allergens from the soiled windows largely consist of the dust that has been building up on the surfaces over time – from the glass panes to the window frames and sills. These can get transferred into the rooms, ruining the quality of the indoor air. Dust accumulates on window surfaces around the clock. Regardless of where the building is, there will be some dust particles in the atmosphere that slowly accumulate on the glass panes. Location does matter, however, especially when it comes to how fast the dust builds up. For instance, properties that are close to busy roads will see more particulate matter being raised into the atmosphere, winding up on the windows.
The dust is a combination of everything from the particles raised into the air from the roads close to the buildings, to pollen grains from the surrounding plants. Reactions from the particles range from coughs, nausea, a runny nose, headaches, itchy eyes and the like, depending on the particular allergens that has been inhaled, and the immune response of the affected individual.
You don’t want a case of your family members being exposed to these agents round the clock, or guests coming to visit you having reactions that ruin their experience. For workplaces, increased cases of allergic reactions due to the soiled environment negatively affects the productivity of your staff. Investing in building maintenance measures, including the regular window cleaning, is part and parcel of providing your employees with a healthy working environment.
More dust means more allergic reactions affecting the persons in the premises. This is especially with more particles being blown from the windows into the indoors space, putting the persons at the premises at risk. Conditions like allergic pharyngitis and cases of asthma attacks get exacerbated – and these are not issues that you want your family members at home, or the customers and staff in your workplace getting exposed to. Routine window cleaning is needed to protect them.
- Pollutants
That constant exposure to the exterior environment means that pollutants are bound to build up on the window surface. For instance, for buildings next to busy highways, there will be loads of car exhaust that gradually accumulates on the windows. The coating of grime that covers that glass panes, can even result in a higher concentration of nitrogen compounds that are linked to smog getting transferred into the indoor air space. Such aspects increase the risks that the occupants of the property are exposed to, calling for regular window cleaning to create a healthier air space.
- Mould
Can fungi really grow on your windows? Just check the window sills and frames – especially for the older buildings or for situations where the windows have been poorly maintained. The combination of wood, condensation, damp and humid air or water that remains on the section for long, causes mould to develop. Mould growths thrive on warm moisture surfaces. A dirty window where condensation has built up is prime real estate for the fungi.
Are there dark brown or black spots on the window frames and sills? Then these are indicators that an infestation has started on the affected areas. There are even cases where the mould grows undetected on the inner parts of the window, which is particularly difficult to get rid of and typically requires the services of a professional window cleaning company.
Why is mould a problem? For starters, it produces spores. Spores are allergens that trigger reactions ranging from the occasional coughs and sneezes, to watery eyes and all-out asthma attacks for susceptible individuals. Moreover, there are mould species that produce mycotoxins which can also be carried into the indoor air space by those gusts of wind, adding to the dangers for the occupants of the premises. Mycotoxins can damage body organs, especially with long term exposure.
Aesthetically, they are also a problem. No one wants to see those green, dark growths on their window frames. It drags down the curb appeal of the premises. You should be able to be proud of your home, not get a feeling of dread or shame each time you approach the house and see all those fungal growths on the exterior of the building. The longer this happens, the higher the chances that the growths will also spread into the house, especially with the spores being carried by wind into the different rooms.
- Not enough light
The more the layers of grime on the windows, the less the amount of natural sunlight getting into the space. This results in a myriad of issues.
For starters, a proper amount of UV lint is needed to reduce the concentration of bacteria and viruses that are in the indoor space. With dirty windows having the ability to reduce the amount of the sunlight getting into the rooms by as much as 40%, it provides the microbes with an environment to thrive. This directly increases the health risks to the occupants of the building.
Poor lighting also contributes to eye strains. According to numbers from research shown on workplaceinsight.net, 80% of UK office workers have suffered some form of negative symptoms attributed to poor lighting, with 49% having experienced headaches. Poor lighting can be due to a combination of different issues, from reduced natural sunlight getting into the space, to increased glare from the artificial light sources that are used. Basically, it all results in a negative working experience of the staff, with issues like lethargy and poor concentration affecting their productivity. One of the measures that you can put in place is having the regular window cleaning to ensure that sufficient sunlight is brightening up the workplace, which will bode well for your overall business performance.
The Hassle Of DIY Window Cleaning
Window cleaning is not as simple as it looks. Simply hosing down the glass panes with pressurised water isn’t enough. There are different factors to consider. For starters, the water from the mains supply itself has plenty of dissolved minerals – which often leads to hard water spots being left behind on the glass panes as the window dries. These ruin the initial look and feel of the windows – calling for another round of cleaning to be carried out, taking up more of your time and resources. This is just but one of the issues that usually affect DIY window cleaners.
Another hurdle will be getting the equipment needed for the task. Different aspects of the window cleaning have their ideal tools. For instance, if there is stubborn gunk on the glass panes that refuses to be scrubbed off, a window scraper is required. Working with “convenient” tools around the household can end up doing more harm than good, such as trying to scrape off the gunk with a screwdriver, putty knife, or razor blade.
Other gear needed for the cleaning usually include squeegees, window washers, scrubber or sponge, a bucket to hold the cleaning solution, the actual window cleaning soap, all through to lint-free towels or rags. Is it a multi-storied house? Then additional equipment is needed to get to the windows on the upper floors. While it’s common to see DIYers going for the ladders, this is actually risky. Working at heights using ladders is one of the most reported cases of injuries when it comes to window cleaning. Balancing on those rungs as you handle the cleaning solutions and reach out to the different corners of the window puts you at risk of toppling over, and the kind of injury sustained will depend on the height of the fall. You will notice that professional window cleaners have various kinds of equipment for dealing with such situations, such as working with the Reach & Wash window cleaning system that allows them to get to the windows on the upper floors without leaving the ground.
Even speed of cleaning factors into the process. For instance, after soaping up the window, a quick rinsing is required before the soapy residue dries off the glass. If it dries quickly, it becomes a dirt magnet, trapping more dust and pollutants from the surrounding airspace. This does not mean that you shouldn’t clean windows on a sunny day. It just means that more speed is needed especially when the sun is blazing hot, for you to use the cleaner and rinse it off before it dries onto the surface.
It’s also frustrating when you spend hours on the windows, and end up with streaks on the surface. You want to wind up with clear and pristine windows, not have marks on the glass panes that appear to be mocking your efforts. Mistakes like spraying the cleaning solution directly on the dirt and dirt before you start the task also prolong the duration of the job, since it first creates a muddy mess that will call for more time and effort to go into the task. In fact, there are situations where it is first recommended to use a dust attachment or brush to first remove the bulk of the dirt before proceeding to use the cleaning solution.
On the other hand, you can’t jut skimp on the window cleaner. These solutions are needed to chemically break down and suspend the dirt, that way it can be easily wiped off. Using too little cleaning solution especially on messy windows will inevitably lead to streaks forming. Note that the amount of cleaning agent needed will depend on the particular state of the windows and the cleaning method used, since there are situations where one can skip them all together, especially when working with ultra-purified water that is actually powerful enough to attract dirt particles from the surface. This latter method is seen with approaches like the Reach & Wash window cleaning, where the dual-action of the ultra-purified water and scrubbing using soft-bristled brushes dislodges the dirt and allows it to be quickly removed from the window surfaces being worked on.
What of drying? That old cotton rag is likely to leave behind fibres on the windows. Using newspapers to dry the glass panes also leaves behind smudges. Weak paper towels are a common cause of lint on the windows, which just increases your workload later on since more rinsing will be required.
Taking on all this is not how you picture spending your days off from work. You don’t have to. Leave the task to the professionals, who are already equipped with the gear needed for the task, and where the window cleaning crew have been taken through rigorous training on the different aspects of the job. Their track record is a key part of this. What has been the expertise of clients who had hired them for the job? You can find this out through testimonials posted on the company’s site, the review section on business directories that it has been listed on, as well as combing through the comments that have been left behind on the company’s social media handles. Are the reviews largely positive or negative? This will be key in giving you a perception of the level of professionalism of the company. When discussing the job with the company representative, ask about the kind of training that the personnel have one through, and the type of method that they will use to clean the window – such as whether suction gear will be used, or they will work with waterfed telescopic poles like with the Reach & Wash system. Insurance matters too, since adequate coverage is needed in case there will be an accident while the window cleaning is being carried out.
