[Mike George]

I wonder if someone can suggest a solution to this problem?

I'm in a hard water area, using Ettore medium soft rubber in a dog-eared Ettore 12" stainless channel, with GG4.

When I use the squeegee horizontally left-to-right or right-to-left, or 'swirling', everything is OK. But when I use it top-to-bottom the tip of the blade leaves vertical streaks that I have to wipe off with a microfibre.

Any ideas please?

[windows_chepstow]

Mike,

I think you're describing a 'bleeding' effect from where you put your squeegie on the glass and move it to remove the water?

To prevent this 'bleeding', don't touch the top of the glass with the applicator, by an inch say, so that top of the pane of glass is dry and make sure your sqeegie blade is dry too; either by wiping it on a scrim, or my favoured method, wiping it on my chest.

Then blade down-wards, wiping the squeegie blade each time.  But it's fairly rare you'd have to do this for routine window cleaning work.

For routine window cleaning, there is an easier method, but it's a bugger to describe.

[billozz]

as tosh said you have some bleeding of water from the end of the squeege. to avoid this, if you start on the left hand side of the window, make sure your squeege slopes slightly down to the right, as you pull it down the window, that way the water cant escape past the end of the squeege, keep this slight slope as you move across the windwo and you should be ok

[Mike George]

Thanks for the tips, I'll try them tomorrow.

[Mike George]

I've experimented today and got the problem sorted.

Keeping the top edge of the glass dry helped, and sloping the squeegee helped, but the main thing was that I wasn't drying the blade well enough. I've found I don't need to dry the whole length, just give the 'dry' end of the rubber a good squeeze with a paper towel and the problem's gone.

Thanks again!

[windows_chepstow]

Mike,

For general squeegie use, you don't have to dry the squeegie blade for routine work.

I'll try to explain the technique; (help me out someone if you can improve upon it).

Imagine you're stood in front of one large window pane.

Wash the window with your applicator, ensuring you miss the top inch and sides of the frame.

Hold the squeegie out in front of you (not touching the glass) in your right hand so that it forms a 'T' shape and then rotate your wrist anti-clockwise so that the squeegie blade is at this angle; '  \  '

Place it near the top left corner of the window, about six inches below the top-edge of the glass.

In a fluid motion, cut up to the top left corner of the window and then accross to the right-corner of the window ensuring your squeegie is almost horizontal to the ground by the time the right edge of your squeegie meets the top-right corner of the frame.

Then move it down and accross to the left, making sure you clean any mess remaining in the top left corner of the window with the squeegie and work your way down the window, 'cutting down each side of the mountain'.

If you've done it correctly, there should be very little water left at the edges to scrim.

There's a little bit more to it, but not much.

It'll come with practice.

[david68]

Hi
I am new to window cleaning and also still getting use to the squeegee technics.
I did buy some footage from a website showing the technics.
I have 3 video clips which cost me £8. I found these a great help.
My son is willing to do a copy of this for you.
He woud have to charge you cost for this which would be £2 which covers is materials and postage.

Hope this does not offend anybody by my sons cost.
If anybody as another way i can share these video footage via internet then let me know.

Regards Dave

[Fast 1 *]

we do a very large furniture shop in bluewater,kent and the windows are massive,so we use a pole.basically,we mop it up,leaving the top inch or so dry,then with the squeegeecut from the left to the right,then bring it down the window,drying the squeegee with each section.Apart from major jobs like that,i never use the squeegee in downward strokes.

[rosskesava]

When you down the glass from top to bottom, have the blade at a slight angle.

I'm left handed.

I start by going up the right hand side of the glass from a foot or two from the top with the blade ending up parallel to the right hand side of the frame as it reaches the top, go horizontaly across the top (right to left) and then down the left hand side and then up, and then down the right hand hand side but the left hand side of the blade is a bit lower than the right.

For right handed I assume it would be the opposite.

I hope that makes sense and it doesn't work for glass that is more than about two and half blade lengths wide.

I used to have the same problem and it took me ages to work it out. In other words, when you go downwards, the part of the blade that is nearest the middle has to be lower.

Tosh explained another way of doing it and probably with better results but the above it what I do. Keep trying whatever way described and after a while you'll wonder how you do so easy and quick.

Cheers

[Mike George]

Mike,

For general squeegie use, you don't have to dry the squeegie blade for routine work.

I'll try to explain the technique; (help me out someone if you can improve upon it).

Imagine you're stood in front of one large window pane.
...

If the pane is big enough I do it that way, it's the little top lights I was having the problem with.

[Ian_Giles]

ahhh...the opening lights.....

If you are going to squeegee them, use a cut down squeegee that will fit completely  within the pane of glass.

I don't mean a perfect tight fit, but small enough so that you can rotate the squeegee.

Technique:

1. Wash pane with applicator (don't worry about getting top edge of glazing wet)

2. pre-detail top edge with a damp scrim (sides to if you like (not the side you will be 'finishing on though))

3. Run squeegee rubber between your finger and thumb (you'll feel any bits that might spoil finish and leave lines)

4. (this is the hard bit to put in writing!)   Place squeegee on glass and have the tob edge of the squeegee on the top edge of pane, your lower edge of the squeegee a couple of inches lower than the top.
Ensure you are far enough into the middle of the pane so that you can then slide squeegee along into top corner of the pane.
your squeegee should be virtually horizontal allowing the top edge to glide down the side of the pane (without having to twist and rotate and therebye risking leaving marks)
Squeegee rest of pane as normal, sometimes the squeegee will be a perfect fit and you will finish vertically on the side that you did not pre-detail.
But if it has to be 2 passes of the squeegee, as you draw along on the first pass, make sure you are not making that pass with the blade virtually vertical, merely ensure that you are taking enough water off on the first pass so that there will be plenty left for the final pass.
If you only have half inch of water to remove, by the time you get to the end of the second pass, most of the blade will be bone dry and you'll risk leaving marks all over the place.

More experienced window cleaners will simply use their normal squeegee if they intend to use it on opening lights, technique is similar but harder to master as the squeegee will be longer than the pane is tall.

Much easier, and usually much faster ( oh yes it is guys, I've done time and motion studies on it! ) is to have a hand held sprayer, give the pane a quick, light,  'mist' and buff clean with microfibre (or scrim, but micro is best for this type of work)
Unless the opening light is minging, this method will give better results and it is quicker.

Squeegeeing opening lights or tiny panes will often leave lots of 'kicks'.


Hope I've managed to explain that properly!!


Ian

[Mike George]

Thanks Ian

I'm not sure I've understood the whole thing on the page but I'll get a short squeegee and practise.

I use the damp-and-buff method for Georgians and small panes in doors, but I find top lights are usually too dirty for that, especially the opening ones.