When I detail along the edge of the windows, it doesn’t come out clear. Very embarrasing, even though no one has said anything. I’ve used microfiber, surgical, and cotton cloths. I haven’t used huck towels(maybe I have? Are they the same as surgical? Amazon shows huck same as surgical), and I haven’t used chamois. Any advice on what to use? I’ve only seen chamois for $10 for a pack of one, just more money than I would like to spend.
Scrim towel. And practice your squeegee technique to leave as little water as possible in the first place.
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I’ve practiced so many techniques I’ve seen on YouTube, a lot say no detailing necessary (mostly with excelerator) , but I just don’t see exactly what I’m doing wrong.
give us a picture
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Scrim, it’s the only material I will use to detail with now… huck towels are pretty good and you can get a bunch from WCR at a good price.
Can never have too many rags or scrims… WCR gotta get some scrim back in stock so I can order more!
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Are they new surgical towels? Doesn’t matter, wash and dry them about 3 or 5 times. No fabric softener or bounce sheets.
New towels need extra washing
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Are you using a dry piece of towel?
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And any more than a finger width?
Its amazing to me to see some new guys slap a whole wet towel against 6 inches of glass. Yeah, its gonna look sloppy.
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Yup, if you need a fist full of towel, then you need to redo the window.
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That’s pretty much how I was taught… “oh you missed a spot in the middle? Redo the window”
My first day on the job I cleaned that double hung window and set of sliders probably a couple hundred times… it sucked. But I was taught at first to never touch my rag to the glass, only after I learned and became more seasoned did I dare to touch that rag to a missed spot on the glass.
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Is that what you’re using?
Stop watching YouTube… Stand in front a window get a bucket of really soapy water and a regular 14" channel and practice until your arm hurts. The soapy water will show all your mistakes so you can find where your mistakes are in your technique.
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I’m still at the beginner stage myself and here is things i’v found help with detailing. I found that if I cut inwards on both ends on both sides and then squeegee away the middle I leave less detailing.
I used the unger ninja and found it left alot to detail due to the way the channel is made. I soon switched to the moerman excellerator and found detailing less of a problem.
I used microfibre clothes I got to detail the edges and found it left streaks all over the glass. Like others have said you do need to wash them. Although I opted for some glass cloths from a cheap supermarket that don’t leave any streaks.
as said above you try using a scrim and itll get you out of trouble. but you will need to break it in first, several washes at the very least and then good to go. here in the UK i know Unger sell a lot of it. iv seen it arrive by the palletload in local supply shops.
ther is much good advice above however, you have tried several different materials any one of which should work. the only common denominator is you. stop buying new stuff and figure out what YOU are doing wrong.
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Couldnt agree more with @cactus27 your problem don’t go away just because you buy more towels. Scrim is great but there is nothing wrong with microfiber, cotton towels etc. when you clean the window, do you clean it all the way out to the frame? Maybe you detail with some dirt left on the window, and that’s why you get the streaks.
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Maybe I’m too new to add anything here, but:
How are you laundering your towels? I was taught to launder towels (huck/surgical towels, scrim, and chamois) in cold water and a cup of vinegar. No laundry detergent. No fabric softener. Dry them on the cloths line, less lent then using a cloths dryer.
I’ve never tried microfiber before.
With scrim and chamois, for me, works better when they’re damp.
One swipe along the windows edge with a towel covered finger usually worked.
Personally I like the scrim because I only need one for the day.
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There are some towels called mirror cloth microfibers in the car cleaning section of dollar general, I KNOW I KNOW LAY OFF ME, that are smooth and not fluffy/soft.
As noob, I’ve found the following to be the common suggestions for detailless cleaning:
Dog eared channel?
Do you dive bomb (squeegee makes a | with the angled symbol \ represent the squeegee)?
Do you use a dry spot on the towel with just 1 finger touching the glass while holding the rest of the towel with the other hand?
