Titan Labs

The Professional's Choice for Cleaning Supplies Since 1984

Window Cleaning Solutions

IWCA 2020 Roundup

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One of our favorite things we do each year is attend the International Window Cleaners Association trade show.  This year we enjoyed historic Savannah Georgia as we exhibited on the banks of the Savannah River.  That was nice, but the really nice thing about this show is that we get to see so many of our distributor friends as well as meet the many end-users of our window cleaning solutions.  And we get to say thanks to all that showed up to support the IWCA – and our unique products!

Direct feedback is something that we crave and this show provides that for us.  Hearing from users allows us to answer questions, develop and or improve products and see what types of opportunities may exist.  Window cleaners are some great story tellers and much of the time spent at the show is just fun casual conversation.  As a novice window cleaner, watching the speed and medley contests is also eye opening.  These window cleaners are good!

Our booth in Savannah – IWCA 2020

We were a year early on our giveaway items (poker chips) as we learned next year will be in Vegas!

So Much Value!

A bunch of window cleaners in Vegas?  What could possibly go wrong!

Looking forward to finding out!

Thanks to all that showed up to support the IWCA and will see you next year. Visit www.TitanLabs.net for more information.

Is Water Hard or Soft in My Area?

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One of the subjects that comes up a lot around here is Hard Water. The most common question is: How do I know if my water is hard or soft?

The answer is: Unless you live in Boston, Seattle, Hawaii, or Alabama, you most likely have hard water. See, in the good ‘ol USA, water hardness is measured in Grains per Gallon (gpg) as defined as 1 grain (64.8 mg) of calcium carbonate per U.S. gallon (3.79 liters) of water, or 17.118 ppm. Check with your local water provider to find out if you have hard water in your region. They usually do an annual report and you can get a copy of it, if you didn’t already get one in the mail.

Characteristics of Hard Water

Hard water resists foaming, so usually cleaning compound manufacturers add heaps of a foaming agent called Sodium Laureth Sulfate. It makes a lot of bubbles, but be forewarned: it combines with the calcium to create deposits that stains anything it touches: windows, tiles, spas, showers, etc. These deposits, called “scale,” are composed mainly of calcium carbonate, magnesium hydroxide, and calcium sulfate. The problem gets even worse when you add detergents (aka surfactants), as the positive calcium ions (present in hard water) mix with the detergent to create a film of soap scum instead of lather. Now add the residue from the sodium laureth sulfate and it makes a kind of ‘cement’ that’s really hard to remove.

Water Hardness or Softness in the USA

U.S.A map showing water hardness or softness by region

These deposits, called “scale,” are composed mainly of calcium carbonate, magnesium hydroxide, and calcium sulfate.

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Earth Friendly Technologies

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As a responsible manufacturer, we are environmentally oriented, including waste and energy usage. Green certification is primarily for consumer chemical products, with much emphasis on building materials, processes and energy. We explored Green Guard and Green Seal certification, which apply to cleaning agents. We are familiar with Scientific Certification Systems (SCS), Green Label, Ecologo, Design for the Environment, Greenstar Certified and Greenguard, among others. In a phone conversation with Green Seal, we learned it takes 3 months, requires an elaborate request for information, and the cost will not be quoted until the application is submitted.

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Complete list of Titan Laboratories products and descriptions in a downloadable 2-page PDF.