Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Frequently Asked Questions & Useful Resources => Topic started by: cottonbud10 on January 31, 2007, 01:21:54 pm
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what a bugger,i,ve noticed streeking all over the window every time i blade them,the bar is straight new soft rubber [ I,VE TRIED HARD ONE ,JUST THE SAME RESULTS],i even thought it,s the pressure i,m using,so soft and hard,,still the same,then i wonderd if tilting the angle of the blade one way or another will sort it out,,,,NO,,,please please give me some tips you experts out there,as i,m wasting to much time buffing over the whole window every time i clean it,,could using washing-up liquid be the problem.??????? thanks kevin
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What squeegee and what rubber?
You can try a different brand of rubber, Ettore for instance. I had bulk Unger rubber when I first started up, and it was horrible.
Make sure your base distance stays the same, ie. two fingers from the end of the handle to the glass.
Make sure there is no vertical or horizontal distortion in your rubber.
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Explain how you clean a window. Do not miss anything out.
It will be more obvious if you do this.
Something to try. Make up a spray bottle with just clear water in it, no soap. Use applicator and the solution of soapy stuff from the bucket.
If the window has streaks THEN use the spray bottle (just clean water) to re-wet the window, no applicator. Do it a few times on the same window with just the clean water, is this still the same?
Let me know how you get on with this idea.
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hi gqc thanks for getting back to me,at the moment i,m using unger soft rubbers, what do you meen about the distortion vertical and horizontal,sorry i don,t understand,as for my hand posistion on the handle well it always stays the same..thankyou...kevin
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Ok, ive been trad for nearly 20 years and use wfp also and can solve most problems regarding blading.
Make sure that your squeegee channel is not bent, even a very slight bend will render the squeegee useless.
I always use Pulex soft, in winter and summer. Cut the rubber with a new sharp scrapper blade and not scissors and cut just slightly longer than the channel.
I use squeegee-off with some car screen wash added to a ratio of 5 squeegee-off to 1 screen wash.
Add a couple of squirts to about 5 ltrs of water, just enough for a light foam.
Soap the glass and then squeegee making sure you overlap an inch and then detail as required. don't over wet the glass cos this will lead to more detailing. If you make up the soap as described then little detailing will be needed.
If you are getting fine lines left on the glass then check there are no hairs trapped in the blade or splinters of paint. If that fails then change the rubber.
If you have problems with all rubbers then I think you are cutting them with sissors which is a definate NO NO.
Hope this helps cottonbud10.
Regards
Asboss ;) ;)
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karl jones,sorry i never got back to you, i spent about 25 mins writing down how i clean a window, and blade it,only to be told the page your looking for does,nt exist, as i tried to send ,of you leave your mobile i,ll give you a call...thanks..kevin
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thanks asboss,yes i do cut the rubber with sissors,but how could this affect streeking all along the blade,,,middle as well as edges..many thanks..kevin
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Scissors don't give a perfect cut you will always see that they cut on an angle. Rubber cut by Scissors won't leave lines in the middle that sounds like a bent channel.
Failing that and you still have problems, become a train driver, they have plenty of lines to look at. LOL
Regards
::)
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Get different Rubber, 9/10 it's the Unger rubbish rubber, I had the exact same problem as you are describing now. What I ment with vertical distortion is if you look along the rubber, do you see the rubber wave in the channel, or is it just a straight line, especially important if you are using clips.
Also, get Ettore squeegees, the Unger channels are rubbish. Rubber is way too lose in it, I've tried both and Ettore is miles better. :)
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asboss,,yea mate thanks for that,,,i will go and get another channel and see how i get on..many thanks kevin
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gqc,,many thanks i,m off to get one,,see how we go after that,,,,many thanks...kevin
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No problem, please post back to see if I can help you any further. It can make you feel like a rubbish window cleaner, but if the rubber lets you down, it's not your fault.
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gqc window cleaning,,thanks for the help...i had a look and it seems i am using an ettore squeegee,but it may be bent [it looks ok] but i,ll buy anotherone nevertheless..thanks..kevin
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I know the Unger boab can quickly render a squeegie rubber useless.
Mine only last about 2 hours before streaking in the middle when using Unger boab.
Dave
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dave@ stives....thanks my man...what,s an unger boab..?
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bucket on a belt
made by unger
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http://www.cleanitup.co.uk/smf/index.php?topic=29445.0
Never had one nick in my rubber!
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russ clark...thanks m8, whats the option of not putting the blade in my boab..kev
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I dont know if anyone else does this and it does increase the time on a window but when I whip me sqeegee out I wipe it off with a clean damp cloth to remove any excess water and/or any bits (like bits of paint that have come off the frame or any debris) and this tends to prevent any streaks for me.
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i bought some new unger ergoteche handles and channels, the other month and had the same problems, with streaking. I noticed unger had changed the nut and bolts they use on the handle and that it was to tight.which was gripping the rubber and making it streak. try and have a look
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captain lard and dougstar,,,thanks for the tips,,i,ll see how i get on...kev
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Thats a good point dougster, I am using Unger sqeegee equipment at the minute.
One other thing you could try cottonbud is wet the window, some lads talk about not quite wetting right to the edges but sometimes when the window is really dirty I prefer to wet it right to the edge to make sure its cleaned. Sometimes when you sqeegee this can leave streaks but it helps if you detail the edge of the window (I do the top and down one or both sides)with your scrim or microfibre before you blade the window. I was doing this today because I was well late on one street and went there today and they needed a good soaping.
Often its trial and error and different things work on different days on different houses under different conditions.
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the times that i've had streaks were when the rubber was worn a bit (at the end of its life), when there is a nick in the rubber and when i'm not paying enough attention to what i am doing. The other time is when i used the ettore super contour + (it's on a spring). i use unger ergotec handle and unger channel and rubber and glass gleam 4; they are fine 99% of the time.
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hi cotton bud
use pulex soft,and check there is no bow in your channels
if you look down the channel you will see if it has a bow
just tap it over your knee a few times, will get it straight
hope this helps
mike
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hi everyone ,thanks for all the help,,,,i did have a laugh because when i put this question on the site it was 2007,,,,i,ve moved on now and tend to wfp all my work now,,,,,,,well it has been over a year and a half,,,,,,,kev