Does anyone still use surgical/huck towels for windows?

I think the reason everyone is having different experiences...I used to think Huck was a manufacturer...but huck is simply a type of fabric: https://www.dictionary.com/browse/huck

So just like any other towel type we buy, it could be made by anyone at any quality level. Not all microfiber towels are the same, and neither are all huck towels.
 
Setec Astronomy said:
So just like any other towel type we buy, it could be made by anyone at any quality level. Not all microfiber towels are the same, and neither are all huck towels.
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That.

Kind of funny we have bad experiences with them when professional window cleaners use them successfully.
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I wouldn`t generalize/extrapolate *too* much from what (some) Pro Window Cleaners use, or even make too many assumptions about whether they (all) do decent work. FWIW, the Pros I`ve watched used towels for *very* little of the work; they get most of the Window Cleaner off with a squeegee. The Unger Window Cleaning Tools appear to remain popular with the Pros and IME they are good, but I guess it`s sorta like Polishers and Pro Detailers (some of which deserve scare-quotes)...
 
Setec Astronomy- Heh heh, yeah...you can learn a bit by watching some of life`s Worker Bees in the Background and asking them about those "lowly manual labor jobs" that usually get done by The Magic Checkbook :D

Lots of Pro Window Guys are using Unger stuff that looks a zillion years old; mine only date to the `80s, but in that time I`ve only broken two pieces of plastic (only one of which needed actual replacement). Not counting new Squeegee Rubbers and razor blades of course..There *IS* of course, a learning curve related to such an approach ;) And what`s best for doing 144 windows before lunch might not be best for a lotta folks.
 
Accumulator said:
That.



I wouldn`t generalize/extrapolate *too* much from what (some) Pro Window Cleaners use, or even make too many assumptions about whether they (all) do decent work. FWIW, the Pros I`ve watched used towels for *very* little of the work; they get most of the Window Cleaner off with a squeegee. The Unger Window Cleaning Tools appear to remain popular with the Pros and IME they are good, but I guess it`s sorta like Polishers and Pro Detailers (some of which deserve scare-quotes)...
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Accumulator !
Yes !!!
Nothing more efficient or faster for residential, etc., glass than a great, no rinse soap and a squeegee.. Been doing that for around 20 years..
I did not discover Unger but instead found and had great results from their Window Soap and all sizes of brass, or metal squeegees with replacement rubber from a company called Ettore...
Heck when I had that huge Tudor house in Bellevue, WA., I could knock out all the upstairs screens separately, and then the windows from the ground using Ettore extension poles, scrubbers, and squeegees..

To finish, I would put one of those long, rectangular old cotton face towels on the squeegee and get the bottom of the window edge where water just sits there..

This particular soap they make always left me beautiful, streak free glass, no film, just real clarity..
These people also make a water spot remover Ettore Scrub Off, that I used on some glass to remove that film that gets on there after decades of never cleaning them, etc..
Dan F
 
finick said:
Funny to see this thread pop up, I bought 25 Huck Towels in the hopes they would be my dedicated glass towels and they just do not produce streak free glass at all.

I’ve washed them several times, and they still just leave this weird film behind. I can get a window streak free with regular microfiber towels or waffle weaves, then for fun spritz cleaner on the window and wipe it down with a huck towel and it’s immediately covered in ridiculous streaks.

I really wish they worked better, because they glide across glass like fine silk. I was very disappointed when I saw they did a bad job.

If anyone that uses these successfully has any ideas on why they may be doing this; I’m all ears. Otherwise they’ll just be dedicated to something around the house.

Kind of funny we have bad experiences with them when professional window cleaners use them successfully.


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Finick ---
Sorry this has not been a great experience with your hucks..
I would wash them in something that is perfectly free of any extra softeners, etc., and fill the rinse reservoir with Distilled White Vinegar, and see if that changes the way they work.. Perhaps even add some Distilled White Vinegar to the Wash Cycle also..

I might even try a specific Microfiber Wash Soap for this or something really strong like Persil...
And please make sure none of those Coating application dryer sheets are anywhere near your hucks in the drying cycle..
Good luck !
Dan F
 
I’ve never even heard of Hicks before today. My favorite is a waffle weave towel that was supposed to be a drying towel. I’m pretty sure it came with a bunch of sample towels I receive from AG years ago. It doesn’t work that great as a drying towel, but it gives me streak free, lint free glass. I got to give Nextzett Glass Cleaner some of the credit too.
 
My usual go-to window cleaner is the old Einsett Windscreen Clear.

Accumulator would be proud of me- I bought a 10 liter jug about 10 years ago.

Oh,and it`s a concentrate. It makes sixteen,(yes 16) liters of solution. Got it for $40.00 shipped.

I`m still using some of those old blue-waffle weave glass towels I got years ago. Still work great.

On the interior glass,I use the CarPro Fast Glass cleaning cloths I got from Corey,(one of the nicest guys in the business) at Sky`s The Limit. They also work like a dream. Just run them under hot water,(if possible),wring them out and wipe away.
 
Older- Ah yes, nothing like buying a Lifetime Supply of something that doesn`t go bad :D I oughta try that NZ stuff myself some day..in the unlikely event that I either use up my 3D 50:1 or decide it`s somehow deficient. And I agree with you about Corey, think so highly of him that I can usually overlook the higher prices; hey, at least the products are always good.

Heh heh, I`m envious that your Blue WW MFs are still OK!

Stokdgs- Ah yes#2, the Ettore stuff is 100% good-to-go! Them vs. Unger is sorta like Ferrari vs. Porsche :D

Their yellow rectangular Wash Buckets with their casters are a lot better than the seemingly similar ones that [a certain vendor] is selling now.

And I too wrap old cotton towels around my various pole heads for those nasty jobs where just getting the liquid up is all that really matters.

Oh, and I just did a load of household MFs with Persil, and they came out OK this time! Trying the same thing and expecting different results isn`t (really) always crazy, as I`ve always suspected was the unspoken joke that, uhm...you had to be there to understand in context. Ol` Albert actually did a whole lotta things over and over again, watching for those (seemingly impossible) different results.
 
Accumulator ---- ""Ol` Albert actually did a whole lotta things over and over again, watching for those (seemingly impossible) different results.""
YES ! And another one - Thomas Edison !!!!! :)
Dan F
 
Yeah, lots to learn on that point from Edison too; even if, IMO, he was an utterly despicable human being.

Stokdgs- Funny how so many "Words of Wisdom" are used utterly out of context, devoid of their original references and thus meaning, sometimes being twisted to the opposite message of what was intended...Which gets me thinking how "a little learning is a dangerous thing" ;) Gotta admit it`s a Pet Peeve of mine as I see it contributing to the dumbing-down of our society.
 
I was away for several days, sorry about the slow response! I really wanted to try huck towels and maybe I will someday. However, as Setec Astronomy mentioned earlier in the thread, the quality of the product is going to vary. The new huck towels I saw on Amazon all had complaints about how thin they were and would fall apart and deteriorate after washing. I`m sure there`s a source for quality towels somewhere online, I just didn`t feel it was worth the trouble.

I decided to buy some dedicated glass towels from The Rag Company. They sell blue Korean towels, as well as green Chinese. The person I spoke to on the phone recommended the Chinese ones because of how thick they are. You also get more than twice as many for about the same price. They take some getting used to because if there`s not enough glass cleaner on the rag, they really grip the glass suddenly and can fall out of your hand if you`re not careful. Coming from someone who has only used paper towels on glass, these are absolutely amazing to me! No streaks and no lint. The only complaint is that the ends curl after washing. I did follow the instructions carefully (wash in warm or cooler, dry on low heat).

I also bought some Sprayway glass cleaner that I plan to try next time. I tried Stoner years ago and it didn`t impress me at all. It doesn`t work nearly as well as this stuff I`ve been buying from a local car wash for 20 years. I`m sure they just get it from a detailing supply company and slap their name on it. It`s the best stuff I`ve used, but I hate the smell! Also, I don`t know if it contains ammonia, or even if that matters.
 
jwyfk said:
I was away for several days, sorry about the slow response! I really wanted to try huck towels and maybe I will someday. However, as Setec Astronomy mentioned earlier in the thread, the quality of the product is going to vary. The new huck towels I saw on Amazon all had complaints about how thin they were and would fall apart and deteriorate after washing. I`m sure there`s a source for quality towels somewhere online, I just didn`t feel it was worth the trouble.

I decided to buy some dedicated glass towels from The Rag Company. They sell blue Korean towels, as well as green Chinese. The person I spoke to on the phone recommended the Chinese ones because of how thick they are. You also get more than twice as many for about the same price. They take some getting used to because if there`s not enough glass cleaner on the rag, they really grip the glass suddenly and can fall out of your hand if you`re not careful. Coming from someone who has only used paper towels on glass, these are absolutely amazing to me! No streaks and no lint. The only complaint is that the ends curl after washing. I did follow the instructions carefully (wash in warm or cooler, dry on low heat).

I also bought some Sprayway glass cleaner that I plan to try next time. I tried Stoner years ago and it didn`t impress me at all. It doesn`t work nearly as well as this stuff I`ve been buying from a local car wash for 20 years. I`m sure they just get it from a detailing supply company and slap their name on it. It`s the best stuff I`ve used, but I hate the smell! Also, I don`t know if it contains ammonia, or even if that matters.
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"""Also, I don`t know if it contains ammonia, or even if that matters.[/QUOTE]

Well, it may matter if you are washing windows that are tinted..
Dan F
 
Stokdgs said:
"""Also, I don`t know if it contains ammonia, or even if that matters.
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Well, it may matter if you are washing windows that are tinted..
Dan F[/QUOTE]

Good catch and needs to be repeated in any thread talking about window cleaning and cleaners. Most household window cleaners contain ammonia because it’s cheap (and it works), but it is bad on tinted windows. Most of the window cleaners sold here are ammonia free.
 
Older said:
I’ve never had any luck with ammonia infused window cleaners.
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I won`t generalize based on ammonia/no but the Zep40 and one old variety of Windex are *VERY* effective for me. When it comes to "cutting the crud" type cleaning of glass, those completely outperform my other Glass Cleaners, even the ones I think are really great and prefer using.

But given the potential downsides I guess there`s no real reason to go for the ammonia infused ones...
 
Another huck towel user since 2004. Wash them by themselves and they won`t attract lint. My huck towels are the thicker OR type and have never left lint and they last for decades if you take reasonable care of them. My glass has never been cleaner. The newer huck towels that are thin seem to be junk and lint a lot IME. Look for the thicker OR type.
 
Just an update:

My Huck Towels are working just fine now.

I was using ONR/WGURW/UWW+, and whatever other rinseless washes I had mixed up. The results were always very mixed.

Well today I was in town and stopped into the store and tabbed an aerosol can of invisible glass.

Came home and grabbed a couple Huck Towels to clean the bathroom mirror. This is usually my first step because it saves me the effort of going outside and contorting inside my freakin car. Huck Towels and invisible glass seemed to do the trick so outside I went.

It was dusk, so I was using a flashlight to inspect as I went around my car cleaning. Two towels, as per usual.

As far as I can tell my windows are crystal freaking clear. Very pleased with the results. Apparently all I needed was to stop trying to use rinseless wash to clean the inside of my windows.

Based on this I may just have to buy a gallon of alcohol based glass cleaner concentrate. Or just buy invisible glass cans, but I’m very partial to the value of concentrates.


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