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Roger de Jagher
Specialist Shading and Coating | May 25, 2022 | 3 min. reading time 

In order to prevent losses in transmission, it is important to keep the roof of the greenhouse clean. Each percent of light is crucial, which leads us to the well-known expression in horticulture: “One percent extra light equals one percent extra production”. Especially during winter, when the amount of light is relatively low, every percent of light counts. 

Dirt often piles up unnoticed, both on the in and outside of the glass. A loss of transmission of 10 percent can be caused by dust, algae, rust, chalk and soot on the glass, which isn’t always noticeable to the bare eye, but it is to the crop. “Just like the right humidity or concentration of CO2 in the greenhouse, light is an essential factor for the growth of the crop. Therefore, never underestimate the effect of clean glass. 

Traditional glass cleaners, based on hydrofluoric acid, clean perfectly and don’t need much time to get the job done. But, there are some disadvantages. Glass can be roughened and etched as an effect of the hydrofluoric acid, which many traditional glass cleaners are based on. A rougher surface tends to attract more dirt and condense than a smooth surface. This is why these traditional, hydrofluoric acid based-products should be rinsed with water after 10 minutes. If not, the risk for damaged glass increases. The anti-reflecting coating which is applied to more roofs of greenhouses nowadays, risk irreversible damage when making use of products based on hydrofluoric acid.   

Hydrofluoric acid has a strong and harmful vapor effect for both humans and plants. Some of the crops are sensitive to such an extent that they suffer from the neighbor cleaning the greenhouse, because of an unfavorable direction of the wind.  

More often, customers and supermarkets ask for sustainably produced products. With this development, organic class cleaners can be the answer. Due to these clean alternatives, cultivators are enabled to truly work in a sustainable way, in which humans, animals and the environment are taken into account. 

Greenhouse Glassclean, abbreviated as GGC, is an organic and environmentally friendly glass cleaner. This product is 100 percent safe for humans and the environment, does not contain any harmful components, does not have a vapor effect and is mild to the skin. It is used to clean the greenhouse, both in and outside and can be applied to all types of glass, including diffuse glass and anti-reflecting (AR) glass. It is the alternative to chemical glass cleaners, which are now used to clean the roof of the greenhouse. 

Make use of GGC when you are looking for a cleaner and safer product with decalcifying effect against algae, moss, a green layer, chalk and other mineral pollution. Greenhouse Glassclean can be easily used as a foaming product, by making use of a special lance. Like this, a longer time of contract of the glass and the product is ensured, which makes more thorough cleaning possible. This is a good solution to extremely polluted surfaces. Obviously, like done the most in practice, GGC can be applied with a normal lance. This normal lance keeps the product from foaming. 

*Contact our shading agent specialist to check the suitability for your type of glass.

There are several other organic cleaners, with active ingredients such as organic acids, natural plant extracts and bio-based solvents and surfactants. In addition to Greenhouse Glassclean, NutriClean and Floorclean X-treme are environmentally friendly and sustainable cleaners with different applications. NutriClean is a HACCP verified cleaner for places in which food production is done, suitable for cleaning amongst others floors, walls, work-benches, tables, machines and other washable surfaces. Floorclean X-treme is a floor cleaner, perfect for cleaning water-resistant and solid floors.

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