This
After fanning so many years I can’t imagine trying str8 pulls again…
I only dry to prevent dripping in the house
Wet all the time, if necessay I dry squeegee to prevent accidental drips when working inside homes. I dry squeegee when I work on french panes only.
[B][I][U][/U][/I][/B]Howdy Yawl,
You know everyone has there own style based on their training and getting the window clean is pretty much all you need to do ! But there are techniques that you can do to get things done not faster but in less time with less moves and more efficient…
I believe Seth has it down in his advice, but where and when ?
You never have to wipe your squeegee when your snaking unless you stop at the bottom to finish out by pulling across which is just one way to finish out,which is dictated by the window or frame. A lot of times on a snake you can just pull into the frame or bottom ledge !
Not every window should be snaked and that’s what the windows dictate, I mean really to snake a small window is a personal preference but working smart one should utilize all his techniques ! So when one does straight pulls then you should wipe your squeegee before setting it back on the glass, not doing so only causes you to pull water out from the edge which lies on your rubber, which cause streaks and major detailing and more time spent !
Even when poling as other have said, is that they create a dry spot on the top, but a beginner or one unlearned will stick their squeegee back up in the top without wiping it, which then they’ll drag water down !
So a beginner who is learning to pole should wipe his squeegee before putting it back up at the top ! As one Advances they utilize their dry spot at the top by dragging their squeegee threw it, dragging your rubber threw the dry spot drys your rubber so when you pull down you don’t leave streaks.
The same happens in snaking, as you snake or drag your squeegee across the glass it is drying itself and pushing the water and not leaving streaks . Snaking is an advanced technique, and pulling is a basic technique which should be learned before advancing on to snaking !
I mean really pulling is the bases of snaking, ergo you pull then turn, drag up, then pull, then turn, very simple ! Dragging up drys the rubber, BUT it’s a learn process…Some people catch on quick others not as quick !
I was not as quick but after awhile I caught on, but I could still clean windows because I was doing straight pulls. Now as I work I use less moves , I don’t have to speed threw it , and I look as though I’m doing Ti Chi and still getting more done in less time then those less trained or improperly trained ! I’M ADVANCED !
One way to dry your squeegee is to tap it on the glass as said here in this thread, The window and process dictate… Some use their rags which works but wears out your rubber faster and is not ADVANCED ! The advanced way to dry your squeegee is with a natural sponge it been around before the strip washer, the boar hair, even before ETTORE who I’m certain that he used a sponge to wipe his advanced tool that is used today !
Using a natural sponge is very utilitarian, you wipe your squeegee, you wipe the edge of the glass which pulls out the water there, so when you squeegee you don’t need to detail as much if you use you squeegee properly. You can wipe ledges and pick up slop, clean tracks…rewet a missed bug spot or smudge without having to pull out your strip washer again !
Using a natural sponge is an ADVANCED technique, which qualifies one into the status of being a “Son of ETTORE”. Sure not using one works but using it is advanced and a much simpler and a better process.The people who designed the strip washer used one as well as those who designed the piece ladders used one and all those who established this industry used one ! It works tremendously when applied properly, it also can carry water if the situation dictates !
WATER…SCRUBBER (strip washer, boar hair)…SQUEEGEE…SPONGE, TRAINING, are the basic tools for an ADVANCED window cleaner.
I know there will be those who disagree with me and argue with me and maybe even berate me but that’s OK ! What works works…But there are ways of doing things that are tried and true brought to us by those in line with ETTORE ,“SONS OF ETTORE” ! I didn’t make it happen or invent any of this I only carry the legacy of them that came before us !
Also I’m sure there will be those who agree, understand what it is that I’m trying to show !
Still their is a time and place for every technique,basic or advanced ! Say I think WCR sells natural sponges , right Chris ?
I’m The Dangerous One…But always trying to think SAFE !
Dange
You got it Dange!
sea sponge, wipe, wiper | Buy Window Cleaning Supplies, Tools, Equipment, Products
Buy Sponges (natural sea sponges)…You won’t regret it ! It will put one on track to being a “Son of ETTORE” !
Dange
You didn’t mention chamois… what a rookie:p
btw, what do you think of these huck scrim things compared to a real leather chamois?
another thing, after going through a bunch of video reviews I think the Son of Unger > Son of Ettore in everything but rubbers.
edit: I tried a microfibre fluffy face cloth thing and it was useless. Maybe could have wiped screens with it but that’s about it. No way it could replace a chamois for detailing.
Howdy Mikey,
Yeah you canucks are on top of us US’n (literally). Your right the chamois works better then any rag. “The Sons of ETTORE” that trained me would use chamois. I’ve used a chamois also for many years and I have one at the ready right now “Good Sir”… They take effort to keep clean, so to work without leaving smudges.
I would clean mine the same way a native American would clean deer skin clothing… I would just stomp on it, on some cement and ring it out about 3 times and it would clean up great !
I’ve heard about those scrims but I’ve never seen or tried one…I guess they work well from what I hear.
I feel the same way about the micro fiber crud. Right now I use the Huck and in conjunction with my sponge I’ll only use one or two hucks a day…I’ll wash the whole batch (about 40) once a month !
What about you Mikey are you using a Natural seasponge ? If not get with it dude and work towards being “The Son of ETTORE”.
Say Mikey I like your posts on this forum, you seem to know what your talking about most of the time ! It’s good to read your stuff !
Again the chamois does works the best, but without a sponge I’m lost ! The old timers before the advent of the squeegee would use a sponge to scrub with and a chamois to finish it out, they are truly brothers in the work of true window cleaning …
[SIZE=“6”][COLOR=“red”]ALONG WITH MRS TUCKER POOOOOOOOLE ![/COLOR][/SIZE]
DANGEROUS here Yawl
:rolleyes:
Native Americans didn’t have cement to stomp their hides on. Just saying…
[SIZE=“5”]YO MEGA MID-WESTERN CLEANER ![/SIZE]
Howdy Tony…
Your right they used a similar facsimile…River Rocks !
The Dange
+1
Remember to angle the squegee (toward the sill) when doing straight pulls. It also directs the water away from the edge of the rubber.
To answer the question, I prefer it wet, due to the fact it does chatter if there is a dry spot in the beginning of the pull.
I use Synthetic sponges, the ones they use for grout work. I was going back and forth about sea sponges. I was going to try one but then I thought, the sponge scientists must have their act together. Plus, sea sponges look ugly and are misshapen…they looked abused:D (edit: I was going to say they look like Mr.Squ…but I thought that joke would fall flat:D) I like having a flat sponge as I’ll often use it for small inside windows, or high windows inside etc. It must be easier to scrub a window down with a flat sponge then ball of … whatever it is.
Dange, it seems to me that to be a true Son of Ettore would mean using up to date equipment. What set Ettore apart was his refusal to continue cleaning w/ the old Chicago style squeegee. In that sense he is the father of those that continue to advance in their use of cutting edge technology. Where would we be today if everyone decided that they only knew the Chicago squeegee and that was good enough for them?
[SIZE=“4”][/SIZE]
Mikey…
I’ve used those kind of sponges also,they work great really great. If you cut it in half…then lose it, it’ll only cost 1.50…BUUUUUT, the sea-sponge works way better and they hold way more water ! They’re real pricey and if you lose it your out 16 bucks, but mine will last me over a month and I’ll use on every window I clean…except when I’m using…[SIZE=“5”][/SIZE]
[COLOR=“royalblue”]" [SIZE=“5”]Mrs Tucker Poooole[/SIZE] "[/COLOR]
The Dangerous One…
May I ask what the old chicago squegee style is?
What happens to the sea sponge that it only lasts a month?
I found reading that surprising because a synthetic sponge doesn’t noticeably degenerate at all… ever. The only way to get rid of them is to lose them, LOL.
If the sea sponge only lasts a month… it must fall apart. What happens if you clean a screen with a sea sponge? A metal screen? I imagine little bits of sponge would fall off with the natural sponge but nothing happens with the grout sponge, actually, if there’s too much friction or they are too dirty I’ll use my brush instead. (I clean 80% of screens with sponges, then wipe them dry)
yikes.
This is true Tony…I and ride the creast of the wave good fellow ! That was the case with the Boar hair brush when the strip washer came around…but it’s still in use today in spite of the strip washer, ergo the Chicago squeegee it is no longer used in this industry ! The TRIED and the TRUE are what stick around !Ergo …Water, ETTORE, TUCKER ,Boar hair, Sponges…Sectional ladders (first used and developed in Germany), Pole work ,TSP !
I know guys who have every newly designed apparatus in their shop and that’s where it stays in the shop ! A waste of money…I’m always ready to try new things or at least evaluate them, but the TRIED and THE TRUE always seem to come back to ones basic equipment !
Your right though, being on the cutting edge puts a cleaner at the apex of being ADVANCED !
Dange…
YOUR RIGHT
Your right again Mikey, but I’ve used those grout sponges for years to save money and they do eventually fall apart and go flat and won’t hold hardly any water. Still I love my natural Sea-sponge their sweet and work well for what our industry requires.
Screens ought to be cleaned with a brush or 16’ strip washer, using a sponge to do that sort of work slows one down considering the space that it covers ! But it works…SLOW !
Love talking to you and TONY the MEGA MID-WESTERN CLEANER !
I’m only Dangerous, not trouble…
.
