Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: kevinc on April 20, 2008, 07:23:37 pm
-
can i ask for tips/advice using a pole for trad cleaning i have a few houses where its awkward to get the ladders to,so would like to use a pole,can you get a good result with this?or is it just practise?there must be a knack to this
-
Very awkward, and finish is usually pants.
A backflip is good so you don't have to bring the whole thing down to swap from applicator to sqeegee.
Whats your water like? if its soft you could buy a bottle of resin cheap on ebay and use water pressure from tap to feed pole and brush for the odd window?
-
You can get a good finnish doing it with a pole with practise,with the soap don`t go right up to the top of the frame.Clean in downward strokes tapping the blade on the soapy part of the glass between strokes.When you`ve finnished blading put a dry micofiber or scrim over the top of the pole and detail with it,the customer will be pleased your making the effort.
-
Found these on youtube:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WYy9I0b_vY (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WYy9I0b_vY)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NwLd6-pMu4 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NwLd6-pMu4)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvTSJl-8bfg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvTSJl-8bfg)
-
hi kev
i have been using ex poles for years, have never had any complaints
i always say to the custys , that it might not be as good as getting up close to clean.
they seem to be cool with this.
it s just a question of practice :D
mike
-
using a swivel squeegee makes it easier as you can cut in better. It helps stop runs at the top of the frame.
-
using a swivel squeegee makes it easier as you can cut in better. It helps stop runs at the top of the frame.
What is the actual best on of these to buy and what pole use with it? I take it you need to buy a seperate clip for the scrim.
-
Ettore reach poles, backflip
Cut the top edge, squeegee straight down tap on the wet glass in between pulls, wipe the blade before the last pull down.
If the blade is good you dont need to scrim.
-
You can get a good finnish doing it with a pole with practise,with the soap don`t go right up to the top of the frame.Clean in downward strokes tapping the blade on the soapy part of the glass between strokes.When you`ve finnished blading put a dry micofiber or scrim over the top of the pole and detail with it,the customer will be pleased your making the effort.
I've done it pretty much as described here - though you don't always need to detail if the squeegee rubber is good. All I would really want to add is that on the downward strokes, I make sure that the blade is not exactly horizontal. If you ensure that the rubber blade is slight higher at the end you are working towards, you will ensure that the liquid only leaves the squeegee at one end - i.e. the bit you are going to be doing next. I've sometimes seen people keep the rubber exactly horizontal and have liquid coming from both ends of the squeegee.
Hope that made sense as it's easier to show than it is to write.
-
Before I went wfp I used to do a lot of awkward windows with the pole. Windows above conservatories usually.
Firstly I always use a microlite stand off at the top of my ladder.
By using the microlite you can get a lot closer to the window than trying to reach it from ground level. ( obvious ::))
I always carry a swivel squeegy with a normal 30 deggree angle and a swivel flat head squeegy 0 degree.
If you can, approach the window "front on" so you can then soap it up and blade off easier.
If you tighten the clamps on the pole so there is no spin on the pole at all it make the job easier.
I prefer to get level with the window and use the flat angled squeegy with the lock off so that the channel finds its own angle and keeps in touch with the glass.
I start at the top of the window and come down the panes in a wiggle side to side motion not in single straight down sweeps. ( although this works I find single top to bottom sweeps increases the chance of lines)
When the widow has been bladed I drape a clean micro fiber cloth over the squeegy and carfully wipe the top of the glass.
I carry a small cut down blade for sills that I then use to cut water off the sill. I drape a sill cloth over this as well to then wipe exess water off the sill.
In all it sounds a faff but with practice it can be done no time.
-
Ettore reach poles, backflip
Cut the top edge, squeegee straight down tap on the wet glass in between pulls, wipe the blade before the last pull down.
If the blade is good you dont need to scrim.
This is a good method, i used to do a load of dormer bungalows this way before wfp, i didn't use a backflip but microfibered the edges after and they were perfect.
-
Ettore reach poles, backflip
Cut the top edge, squeegee straight down tap on the wet glass in between pulls, wipe the blade before the last pull down.
If the blade is good you dont need to scrim.
Where is the best place to get these from and how much do they cost?
-
Ettore 3 stage pole around 35 pounds
Ettore backflip slightly less I think, both from Wintecs.
Great service and good delivery.
Will pay for itself in a day
The new microfibre sleeve is good as well.
I usually use a porcupine sleeve on a first clean then a microfibre after that.
-
Soap national are good, often cheaper than wintecs on trad stuff.
-
:) :) :) thank you very much for the replies,i,m trying them all out in turn to see what suits me,i can see with some pratice it could be quicker than getting the ladders up(one step nearer to wfp!)i do think thers a lot of milage in this subject-are small top openers a problem as in detailing or would you soap the whole window up and go from there to save taking the pole up and down?(have bought a vise/versa from your replies-see how it goes)again thanks for your help-kevin