We've been urging fabricators to test their own glass for this problem since 2005.

Window cleaners are often blamed for damage to tempered glass with fabricating debris issues, and too many have lost their businesses - or more. Builders have often absorbed the cost of replacement without fully understanding why their tempered glass got scratched. Building managers and homeowners who don't understand these issues may meekly accept the continual disappointment of scratched tempered glass. It doesn't have to be this way.

It is my belief that everyone who may be faced with decisions about tempered glass damage needs to clearly understand the undeniable truth - that proper maintenance in the tempering plant yields a better tempered glass surface. Clearly, the tempering industry is aware of the equipment maintenance issue - which has been the subject of numerous published articles and seminars, but this has not been communicated to the building, cleaning property management industries, or to homeowners.

I believe that all informational material regarding tempered glass - if it is to have credibility - must address the undeniable truth - that proper maintenance in the tempering plant yields a better tempered glass surface.

Furthermore, it is my belief that no one who is faced with decisions about tempered glass damage should assume that it is unusual or unacceptable to use a window cleaning scraper to clean windows.

Unfortunately, window cleaners are sometimes criticized for using scrapers by those who fail to understand - or fail to explain - fabricating debris and the tempering equipment maintenance issue.

It is undeniably true that for decades, the window cleaning scraper has been widely and successfully used by window cleaners to clean uncoated flat glass. In the United States and Canada, virtually every national distributor's printed and online catalogs include window cleaning scrapers as a standard item - and virtually every squeegee maker's product line includes window cleaning scrapers.

So the undeniable truth is that the window cleaning scraper can be used on uncoated tempered glass that has no fabricating debris issues. This has been true for decades - and this remains true. The exception is tempered glass which has fabricating debris issues - due to maintenance issues.

This website exists because I believe there is too much misinformation and/or disinformation about these issues. I believe that the builders, the cleaners and the end users of tempered glass need a place to learn the truth.

Now that the window cleaning industry has learned what the tempered glass industry already knows about maintenance/fabricating debris, it is just a matter of time before builders, building managers and homeowners get the message.

Once they understand the truth, they will understand how to solve most of their scratched glass problems. They will want only tempered glass without fabricating debris issues, and they will realize that they can actually get that if they demand it.

I will continue to maintain this website - www.scratched-glass.net - as long as it takes for that to happen.

Gary Mauer
gmauer@window-cleaning.net
262-490-1442

Window Cleaning Network
Box 533
Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, USA
www.window-cleaning.net