I’ve been cleaning windows for almost 2 years now and I still struggle with what is best so I wanted to put it to you guys - which produces the BEST results, drying the squeegee after every swipe or leaving it wet?
Ha! I still go back and forth over this one, too.
I find that I usually go wet for storefront and quicker outside work. I always tap the squeegee out on something to get rid of excess water, though. I also have to change the angle of my attack when I’m straight pulling large windows- to prevent leaving trails.
In residential, and especially working inside, I find I like to dry my squeegee between each stroke, to prevent dripping, and to give myself more leeway with my technique.
I haven’t really noticed a difference in the outcome, though. I think that if I squeegee wet, and I haven’t precut the top edge of a window, occasionally I’ll get bleeding/dripping. I don’t think I get any of that if the squeegee is dry
Dry
I sling the water off of the squeegee onto the glass after I get it wet and before I squeegee…
it works, so I never put any thought into it past that
Wet. If your corners are sharp it won’t leave a streak (or if you know how to squeegee) If I have to do one last swipe across the bottom of a window, I’ll tap the squeegee on the glass or touch the top tip to my shoulder so I don’t get streak.
Dry when doing straight pulls.
Can leave rubber wet when fanning.
Dry the 2-3" that overlap onto the dry. No trails and only takes a second. Found it works just as well as drying the whole thing but quicker.
Wet on large windows, dry on lil ones. No real reason, thats just the way it happens for me.
Wet. I find if the rubber is dry it drags and chatters if there is too much overlap. I’ll either tilt the squeegee down in the direction I am heading or tap it. The only time I wipe the squeegee is if it’s collecting a lot of junk.
It drives me crazy watching the time wasted when doing big storefront windows and shaking the squeegee and/or wiping it dry after every pass. If you mop the window properly there should not be a need to dry the squeegee.
I never dry my squeegee rubber. The only thing I might do after fanning an interior window is tap my channel against the sill before I re-holster the squuegee.
I have read a lot on here about ‘tapping’…is that just knocking some of the water off the squeegee, or is there more purpose to it?
Wet. I rarely dry the rubber. With pole work I will start with drying the first pull but cut the top as far as I can. Then tap on the wet part where my next pull will be to get water off.
Dry squeegee = few drips. But, what I`ve learned is if you start the pane with a fairly dry blade and then cut across the top from one side to the other you then create a dry strip to place the squeegee each time you put it up to pull down.
I replied to this thread and now that I read it over I’m not sure I even understand what you’re talking about. Everyone seems to think pole work?
I said wet but that’s because I can squeegee off a window from top to bottom without even thinking and about the only time I “wipe” water off the rubber is when I got some crap stuck there causing streaks.
*if you’re talking about pole work. I start from the left top corner with the squeegee at an angle. It has to be at an angle because the LAST pull you do will be from that same spot but straight down and you want that part of the window with the outside tip of your squeegee to be dry. Incidently that’s why you tap, to get that outside tip dry. I go across the top frame then straight done the right frame. Now I have some dry glass, depending how things are going (it’s a lot easier to prevent streaks with a new rubber with sharp corners) I’ll over lap the dry areas by a few inches always keep the outside TIP of the rubber dry. If it leaves a streak at the tip, I start tapping the on the window but I always tap the outside tip in the dry part of the glass, right in the over lap I’m about to pole over and down NOT straight down. If you pole straight down always placing your squeegee against the top frame then you can’t keep the tip dry and it will streak constantly. over and down, over and down always keeping your outside tip dry.
When you get to the last pull it will have to be straight down along the left frame but because you had the squeegee at an angle on your first stroke where your outside tip goes should be dry but still keep it away from the frame a bit. IT has to be on dry glass.
**Same thing with take apart windows.
There really is no point in swinging the squeegee on take aparts. Every time you swing a squeegee your increase the risk of streaks so a fail safe way to clean them is to start at the lower left corner with the squeegee at an angle. If your squeegee is 18" start near the 10-15 inch mark (from the bottom), straight up to the corner and over to the far side of the window.
Now I would probably tap my squeegee keeping almost all of it on the wet glass leaving just the last few inches of the top tip in dry glass, because I want to get the water off the tip and I want to minimize how much I have to over lap the strokes. Now it’s up and over, up and over, from left to right untill all the water is under the 18 inch mark.
Now you can do one last pull across the bottom of the window but you still have to keep the top tip on dry glass when start the pull so keep it an inch or two away from the frame.
What drives me crazy is seeing rookies on a take apart putting their squeegees against the left frame and pulling across. Then repeating it again and again, lower and lower… Nothing but streaks because their outside tip is always starts in water. Then they destroy the window by detailing all across the middle of the window.
Same thing with pole work, if you wet the window then pull the squeegee straight down, straight down, straight down… always putting the squeegee against the top frame then no “DRYING OFF” of the squeegee is going to prevent streaking. you can’t start with the outside tip wet unless you’re VERY fast and squeegeeing on an angle. Even then keep it on dry glass to make life easier. Of course the more control you have over your squeegee, like if it’s in your hand, the less you need to overlap after some experience.
This would be more informative as a video…
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+1
I think I’m going to buy a wagtail squeegee today so I can fan everything! 
You want to fan everything check this out, I’m buying one of these zero degree swivel things right away.
YouTube - High-Rise Window Cleaning : Cleaning High-Rise Windows: Zero Degree Squeegee
Fan it.
i usually wipe the squeegee unless its really hot out and the glass is drying and i gotta go fast
Like Steve I dry the top 2 or 3 inches. I use whatever is nearby, excluding the customers drapes.
such good arguments points for both sides, now i feel torn lol
