Crystal Cathedral gets a wash down. GARDEN GROVE The glass panels of the Crystal Cathedral will likely have an added shimmer in the coming days as the sun's rays bounce off the Orange County landmark. That's because the Cathedral is getting its first wash down in two years. Why the hiatus? The cathedral has more than 10,000 windows of tempered silver-colored glass that are held in place by a lace-like frame of white steel trusses. Of course, cleaning it involves a lot of man hours, expense and special equipment, says Ed Quiroga, facilities director for the Cathedral. "It takes quite a lot of work to maintain a glass house like this one especially when it comes to washing it," he said. It's not your average window-washing job, but an elaborate two-week process. Five men are hoisted up in a specially designed basket by a crane. The basket is equipped with brushes on the side that spray de-ionized water with ammonia, he explains.
"The basket goes up and down with the men until all the windows are washed and cleaned," Quiroga said. The ammonia in the water prevents spots and streaks in the glass after it's cleaned, he said. They use at least 100 gallons of ammonia and tens of thousands of gallons of water. It takes a lot of preparatory work even before workers get to that stage. First they go up in a different basket and put suction cups on the glass to check for loose panels. "We want to fix it because it's the only way to minimize leaks inside the house," Quiroga says. The caulking takes a week and the washing itself lasts another week. Workers are preparing to wash down the Cathedral this week. Usually, this is an annual ritual, but the Cathedral hasn't been washed in two years because of the time and expense involved, Quiroga said. It also creates a scene with curious passers by stopping to look at the laborious process. "It's a lot of work and a lot of hours,'' Quiroga said. "But the Cathedral looks really beautiful right after it's done and we get a lot of comments about that."
"The basket goes up and down with the men until all the windows are washed and cleaned," Quiroga said. The ammonia in the water prevents spots and streaks in the glass after it's cleaned, he said. They use at least 100 gallons of ammonia and tens of thousands of gallons of water. It takes a lot of preparatory work even before workers get to that stage. First they go up in a different basket and put suction cups on the glass to check for loose panels. "We want to fix it because it's the only way to minimize leaks inside the house," Quiroga says. The caulking takes a week and the washing itself lasts another week. Workers are preparing to wash down the Cathedral this week. Usually, this is an annual ritual, but the Cathedral hasn't been washed in two years because of the time and expense involved, Quiroga said. It also creates a scene with curious passers by stopping to look at the laborious process. "It's a lot of work and a lot of hours,'' Quiroga said. "But the Cathedral looks really beautiful right after it's done and we get a lot of comments about that."
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