Direct Sunlight Window Cleaning?

Residential
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I live in Arizona and even this time of year we’re already in the 80’s. In a couple more months we’ll be pushing triple digits again. My question is, how do you best deal with hot glass. I keep running into the water drying up very quickly and when trying to fan i end up leaving streaks behind from the squeegee (probably because i’ve only been using that technique for a short time as before i was just doing left to right pulls).

Also, will water fed poles still work on extremely hot glass. Advice would be appreciated on good technique and approach. Thanks all.

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I try and work in the shade all day . Start on the south side of the house first , then move to the west side then north and finally the east by noon should have some shade. Then just move inside the house .

This doesn’t work on all homes , thought . I’ve seen it work perfectly on homes around 3k sqft and as a solo guy . But if you have a crew working smaller a homes . Then yeah you’re eventually going to work in the sun .

I realized that if you work in the sun for just 2 hours it drains you so bad . Follow the shade stay hydrated and you’ll be better off all day

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There are techniques you can use when fanning in the heat and direct sun…
(squeegee directly behind your applicator)

It’s hard to explain, so what I would do is check out
"Luke the window cleaner" videos on youtube…He has some good videos!
@luke3636

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Thanks for the replies guys. Yeah mostly at this point its smaller homes that take two people roughly 1-1.5 hours to complete. Havent moved up to the big guys yet, but I will look up those videos :slightly_smiling:

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When I’m using my WFP I like working in direct sunlight. It dries up quicker and I can see if there is going to be any issues. I can’t answer about using it out in your heat. But, here in Denver I have used it temps of 90-100 with no problems.

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I just tell guys go faster

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GG4 helps keep the solution on there for a little while longer. But when you’re 2 blocks from the surface of the sun, WFP might be the only way to go.

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A lot of good tips on this thread. Definitely working around the house can be huge. Especially on large custom homes. Although, I agree, WFP is almost preferable in the sunlight. Another tip from long ago on here is that you can cool the window off quite a bit if you just soak it. On the worst days (in the mid west) I do that. Soak it with cold water and then soap it again and squeegee. Leave your detailing to the absolute minimum on those windows, too.

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Any tips on how to really cut down on the amount of detailing i have to do?

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Either water fed pole or have your strip washer in one hand squeegee in the other and squeegee while you wash.

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Dogear your squeegees

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tips on detailing: more practice, if there any part of the window that isn’t the edges you have to detail you need a LOT more practice, grab a liquidator and this should eliminate 98% of the need to touch the glass with a detailing cloth.
So many people assume you can pick up a squeegee and be able to use it perfectly within a week or so, its going to take months of daily practice after you are taught the correct technique, if you are learning from videos its probably gonna be a year at least to not have any defects within the body of the glass.
Make a video of your self and ask others to correct what you are doing wrong if you don’t have anyone that taught you to start with.

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Keep your squeegee and soaker on the glass at the same time

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Use a smaller squeegee if need be. If your using a 12-14" on a double hung take it down to a 10". For now till you get good

Make sure your strip washer is soaking wet each time you clean a pane. . Wear a boab when doing ladder work. Have water in it.

If it needs scrubbing wet it scrub it them wet it again

You won’t be able to do the 2 hand thing on a ladder so…

Gg4 helps !

I haven’t met a window in direct sun light that I couldn’t wet them squeegee before it dries . Unless it’s black glass

So practice practice practice

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As Steve said, if you have to detail anything other than the edges, you’ll be in big trouble. Your method should be smooth and thorough. Once you have that down, the speed will increase. Best bet against those windows is to be fast and smooth

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That’s one of the biggest mistakes most new guys make . Is they try to be fast instead of slowing things down an concentrate on technique
an fluidness /smooth

Also wetting the window in properly …every square inch needs to be wet in especially if he glass is dirty

A good window cleaner should be able to clean the glass without removing the squeegee from it an leave minimal to no detailing

Takes time to get to this point , but you will if you keep doing it

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If you’re having to redo windows, then I would just switch to your WFP, since it has no problem working on heated glass. However, the interior windows may even be drying fast if it’s THAT hot. I use Winsol Super Slip in the summer months. The soap give better blade slip, and “slower water evaporation time.” I got mine here, and it’s made a noticeable difference.

https://shopwindowcleaner.com/winsol-super-slip.html

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This is great advice, i believe i’ll do just that (make a video of myself) and then open myself up for advice on what im doing incorrectly. Thanks to everyone for the excellent feedback.

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of course you could also go to a tool designed for this problem which will wet the window directly in front of the squeegee, ettore bacflip, wagtail precision glide, moerman combinator. even a wagtail flipper allows you to squeegee almost instantly without holding 2 tools at once.

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Personally I would not even consider buying a new tool for every application, you standard tools can do what the combos can.
All the guy needs is some practice and maybe a correction in his technique.

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