Pilkington Activ™ - the reason
why...
Window cleaning – the Natural (and Easier) Way!
New glass lets nature clean your windows while you relax
Here’s some good news for those who hate window cleaning –
a new kind of glass that cleans itself and spells 'goodbye' to frequent
and laborious window washing.
* Window cleaning is the most hated household chore for British women(1)
* 1 in 5 people don’t clean their windows because they are scared
of falling off ladders(2)
* There are 26,000 falls from ladders in the home every year in the UK
* 40 result in death(3)
If you’re the kind of person who dreads balancing on a ladder while
clutching a bucket of soapy water, a squeegee and a cloth, then this breakthrough
is just for you. Scientists at Pilkington, the glass company, have now
developed a new hi-tech glass called Pilkington ActivTM. This is the world’s
first glass to use natural daylight and rain to clean itself – without
the cost to your pocket (or the environment!) of detergent or other harmful
chemical solutions.
So, while you’re enjoying your new-found leisure time, natural UV
rays are hard at work, breaking down dirt deposits on the glass. And while
you’re indoors during an inevitable shower, the rain is literally
washing your windows clean!
The secret of Pilkington ActivTM self-cleaning glass is a virtually invisible,
dual-action coating which uses the weather to make the glass clean itself.
It does this in two ways:
Firstly, it is photocatalytic: UV rays, abundant on even the cloudiest
of days, cause the glass to react chemically with dirt and organic deposits,
breaking them down and loosening them from the surface of the glass.
Also, it is hydrophilic: it attracts water, which slides down and off
the surface of the glass without forming into separate droplets. This
ensures that loose particles of dust and dirt are easily washed off during
normal rainy weather without leaving smears or rain marks.
As the photocatalytic activity is continuous, even stubborn deposits,
such as bird droppings or tree resin, will eventually be broken down and
slide off the glass. To help things along in periods of little or no rainfall,
the glass can simply be hosed or sponged off using clean water.
Pilkington ActivTM self-cleaning glass is available now through selected
suppliers in the UK for installation in new homes and conservatories and
in the form of double-glazed units for replacement windows. It is expected
that these will carry a price premium of around 15-20% over the fully-installed
cost of usual PVCu windows.
Will this new technology make us even lazier? 'I don’t think so,'
says Chris Gill, Marketing Communications Manager at Pilkington. 'Window
cleaning is a solitary, and sometimes perilous task, which few people
really enjoy. If Pilkington ActivTM self-cleaning glass can free us to
spend more time with our families and give us more leisure time, then
I’m happy to think that we’re helping to improve the quality
of life just a little.'
Interested consumers can telephone 0800 52 77 52 or visit www.activglass.com
for a full information pack including details of stockists.
(1)Source: Research conducted by Taylor Nelson Sofres for Pilkington UK.
A representative sample of 661 UK homeowners were interviewed between
3-5 September 2002
(2)Source: As above
(3)Source: DTI's Home Accident Surveillance System (HASS) and Home Accident
Death Database (HADD) 1996