[andy_a]

Hi I’m new to window cleaning and need help with my technique. I’m only doing it part time at the moment & when I do go out a use a huge bag of microfibers to detail which isn’t great and very time consuming

I know James44 & Rhinoman are ambassadors for this & have to say I have practised using the (left \) & (right /) angles when squeegeeing and it makes a huge difference in fact the next day I inspected my windows inside out & there was no water or soap marks, and believe me when I say I’m incredibly anal about doing a proper job & cleanliness so I’m convinced you don’t need to detail or maybe just every once in a while even when you soap up the entire window as leavening a small gap around the frame is something I won’t do, however I can’t get my technique right from start to finish
 
I did also follow the advice of Ian_Giles on a post called “How fast can you go?” & this has helped no end but I find I’m still hit or miss leaving marks & when I do get it right I leave small streaks or little patches of water the good news is they seem to evaporate very quickly without leaving any marks but I wondered whether this is normal for all window cleaners or just me because in winter they may freeze rather the evaporate!

I also wanted to thank James44 for mentioning he used to practise when he started as I have spent about 3-4 hours on the back of my house and felt like a complete tool every time the neighbours came out lol.   

I’m pretty good at canvassing as I have worked in sales in the past & most of my houses are £15 each (medium semi’s) and about 20% of what I clean are £35 houses, the last chap I pitched was for a quarterly clean but I get £50 a time so it all adds up, so if anyone new is struggling with canvassing this give me a shout & ill help all I can : )   

[wpclean]

You will always leave the odd mark when squeeging, when you notice a mark just give it a quick wipe with the microfibre.
Some upvc windows need to be detailed all the way round, but It can be done in a second.
It sounds like you have the right attitude to attention to detail, and this will keep you in good stead to keeping, and gaining new customers. 

[G Griffin]

You will always leave the odd mark when squeeging, when you notice a mark just give it a quick wipe with the microfibre.

Not always. That`s down to user error or using the wrong tools.
I know it`s common though, because the temptation is to work quicker.

[AJ]

Don't hold the squeegee
 like a hammer, try holding it between three fingers and your thumb. This will give you more flexibility in your wrist when doing sweeping turns.

Keep at it, it will soon come.

Alan

[bobby p]

what size/make of  squeegee are you using? 

[pure tech]

Be careful of the solution that evaporates within a few seconds as it will likely show up in certain lights when dry.

[dazmond]

the best finish consistently when squeegeeing has not got a lot to do with technique really.its more to do with soap dilution/what type used and the quality of your squeegee rubbers.

i use gg3 and squeegee off and unger soft rubbers and change them regularly when they start to lose their sharp edge.dont use too much soap in your bucket and keep practising!i use scrim and microfibre for detailing.scrim is better on a damp day as they stay drier for longer before needing changing.


regards


dazmond

[SteX13]

Just keep at it and you will get it.

I am new too and haven't yet canvassed until I properly perfect it but more than 3-4 hours on your own house would help.

Go out everyday for 30-60 minutes and try different ways of starting and finishing.

I use microfibres too, how are you doing with detailing? I find that if the cloth is ever so slightly damp it will leave marks near the edge. Are you having this problem?

Also go to Asda for your cloths, they do 12 for £5. BARGAIN!

Do you clean the frames or only windows and wipe over the drips?

Congrats on getting well priced houses. Where are you located and is no one ever surprised when you quote £15 for a medium semi?

Sorry for all the Q's 

Cheers,

Ste.

[Johnny B]

I hold the squeegee lightly and gently glide it across the window at a 45 degree angle, and reverse it when passing t'other way, keeping 25% of the blade above the water line. Too much hand pressure will make the rubber 'stick' to the glass. Keep the rubber wet, and ensure that there are no nicks or cuts in it, and that it is free from small specks of grit etc.  

Even after 14 years, I sometimes have to redo a window when I'm dissatisfied with the finish, so don't worry if first attempts aren't always perfect!

John      

[Seymour Sunshine]

Try these:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edWbys20Cdw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1iNEV-wQmM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Owcq07fqupg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5jXMSfA2Rk

[Avo]

You will come along way fast with good quality rubbers (ettore or unger) and the right liquids make the best results not people as daz said... getting the right mixture is key!!

[G Griffin]

Your scrubbing with the applicator is as important as your squeegeeing technique.
The weather conditions can also play a part.

[andy_a]

Thank you very much for you help.
 
I had a log handle Squeegee but then got an Unger ErgoTec which a 12inch channel which came with a soft rubber & I have to say after only using Pulex soft the Unger rubber definitely glides easier across the glass : )
 
I try and hold it naturally without applying too much pressure or like a hammer as AJ said : )

As for Pure Tec’s comment about being careful of solution that evaporates within seconds as it will likely show up in certain lights that does concern me as I hate doing a crappy job so dazmond will using window cleaning products really help? Sorry if this sounds dumb on my part, it’s just most use fairy so I always thought it was just cash in as far as the window cleaning manufacturers go?

Also how often do you change the rubber as when you’re new to the game your probably not going to know whether it’s your technique or the rubber that’s leaving water behind so I think changing them once a ? Will help new starters.
  
SteX13 To answer your questions yes if the microfiber is even slightly damp it leaves a marks although id be carefully of cheap microfibers as they tend to leave bits behind which is more obvious when the sun comes out! I bought some high quality non branded microfibers for detailing and wiping marks and the quality is fantastic which I compared them to all the best brands, I also use cheap microfibers for cleaning the sills.

I only clean the Glass and Cill’s unless the customer asks me which would be reflected in price as for £15 for a medium semi it’s in Manchester & it’s just the glass/cill only, I have a good pitch so no one is ever really that shocked, but I do get this a lot where I give a price and they say how much! The last chap did it for half so I then overcome the objection over price and it’s amazing how many say yes so I think it’s partly down to sales and more than half of customers tryingiton.com the last lady I pitched was for £30 she said the last bloke did it for £15 yet she committed to £30 in the end & I just knew no profitable window cleaner paying tax & Ni would do it for less than £25/30. Just be cheeky and high ball the price that way they have room to negotiate and you get the price you want and because you’re doing a great job they will keep you. In fact if you live in the northwest you can join me one evening for some canvassing.

Seymore Sunshine thanks a million for the videos I did a search before my post on here and it just brought back rubbish, the videos are spot on : )  

In the meantime ill practise practise practise  

[Erithwc]

How do you clean a window without having to wipe the edges of the whole window i know that some people only wipe the bottom is just a simple case of not getting the top and side frame wet ?

or is i just quicker to just get it done and wipe round the whole window edge ?

[dazmond]

andy if your charging a customer £25-£30 for cleaning the windows im sure they expect you to clean the frames as well.if you dont you wont last long pal i assure you!!some wfp guy will come along and blow you out of the water!!

do a proper thorough job at them prices and you shouldnt go far wrong!

as for using professional window cleaning detergents instead of fairy ive found gg3 and squeegee off(mixed together)the best combination.its personal preference but i find fairy too sticky after getting used to the pro brands.i did use it for 16 years though!! ;Dbut i dont think  the finish is as good as it can leave white marks and a hazy film on the windows IMO.

i use 14in/18in unger ergotech and swivelock squeegees with unger soft rubber all year round.i think they are excellent.ive had mine for years and still going strong!!

i change my rubbers when they start to leave lines on the window and when they wear out at the ends.they lose their sharp edge after a while.i start by turning the rubber over in the channel and sometimes i just change the rubber anyway at the start of a fresh working week!

i mainly use the 14in unger rubbers.i get them in packs of 25 from the windowclean centre.im lazy when it comes to cutting rubbers so i buy them pre cut and just slide one in when i need one!

[andy_a]

Hi Erithwc I do wipe round the entire edge of the window & cill but I go through so many microfibers I just want to get better without cutting corners no pun intended as I know James44 & Rhinoman  have said how they don’t wipe as they don’t leave anything behind and I know from posts James44 soaps the entire window not leaving a small gap, so I’d like to work like that it’s not so much about speed for me although that would be great but more a case if whatever I do I like to be professional and I guess new starters like myself see someone doing it and think that’s easy! How wrong we are lol. So I need to put the time in now.

Hi dazmond thanks for your honest feedback a lot of my bigger jobs £30-50 are large houses & most have very old school wooden frames with paint peeling off so I’d never try and clean the frames as id just take more paint off and shred my cloths but at the same time I’ve never looked up at my work and though that frame looks dirty if I spot the odd mark here and there on id naturally wipe it as long as nothing is peeling lol. I go to town on the cill’s as they tend to be stone slabs full of filth.
What about a medium upvc semi for £15 would you clean the frame on that?
When you say sticky what do you mean? The rubber glides less?  Sorry about my misunderstanding I’m dyslexic. I’ll definitely give the solutions a try as you know your stuff
Do you find different size channels any easier to work with for instance I found I leave less marks when I used a 14in compared to 12in but I’m sure that’s my technique or lack of it. As for Unger soft rubber I’d rather pay the extra because even with my limited experience I can easily tell the difference on the glass in fact I compared a soft dry Pulex and Unger I mixed them up and without looking a grabbed one and run my thumb and index finger down it and then did the other and the Unger glides easier through your fingers.
As for your 14in pre cut rubbers in boxes of 25 are the much more expensive than rolls/longer strips I guess not as you’d probably buy them!   

[Rick Ward]

I've been doing windows over 20yrs and I still like to have lots of clean cloths- no shame there in my opinion. they're cheap and wash easily- plus if a customers sees dirty looking cloths being used they assume bad working practice

[andy_a]

Yeah thats a good point Rick. I'd think the same if i was a customer i guess thats why i use so many cloths 

[dazmond]

yes andy i always clean the frames on pvc windows whether its a £5 job or a £60 job!!im mainly wfp but use trad on the odd ground floor as its easier if  the space is restricted.

what i mean by sticky is fairy leaves this residue on the window and creates more of a film than the pro detergents IMO.

I use 14in squeegees on most domestic and 18in on some plate glass very large windows.ive never used a 12in squeegee in 18 years of window cleaning!!

i think the pre cut rubbers are more expensive but they come in a handy box!saves me messing about cutting them!

[markymark]

I'm wfp tops (and some bottoms) but still like a good old trad clean to keep my eye in. I started trad and always did the frames - good on ya for getting the customers to pay a proper rate for a proper job 
I always saw the initial clean as "taking a hit" for the long run, get the crappy part of the job done then it's easy every time from then on. For the glass I soap up using a mix of w5 and gg3 (less is more) then straight on with the squeegie, which Ive dog-eared so there is seldom need to detail - which I use an unger microfibre for. Ive found some glass cloths in The Range for a quid that are just about the same as the unger ones. To finish round the frame I use a cheap microfibre - something like 8 for £3 from Asda, brings the plastic up spot on and dry quickly too. And for that price you can get a few packs so you always have a clean one to hand, custies must prefer it if you at least look like you take care of your kit.
I use a cheapo 12" squeegie from B&Q simply because I started with one and prefer them due to their lightness. I also have a 6"  for the smaller windows and georgian leaded and an 18" to blast through the bigger stuff. And yes, my wife thinks I am an anorak with all this gear....