True, pivoting does happen in the wrist, but with the wagtail its pivoting up and down (a twist of the wrist), the way the wrist is supposed to.
With a regular swivel squeegee it is not pivoting in the same manner, they all pivot with side to side wrist movement. Side to side wrist movement is not good over time. I know, I’m a drummer and I’ve seen a chiropractor to help with wrist pain. He says do up and down movement (in drummer talk, German grip, with your palms facing down towards the drum), not side to side movement (in drummer talk, French grip, like swinging a hammer).
Personally i believe that the job result from straight pulls is not good as from fanning, provided that you have the correct technique.
You will have far more detailing for starters.
On the ergomonics of it all, i can say that for me in my 16 years doing this also knowing a bunch of other vets who all worked for the same company and used more or less the same techniques none have ever had any of the injuries due to repetitive motion.
A lot of the vids i see most of the window cleaners are using way to many turns in their fanning techniques, fanning doesn’t equate to turning your squeegee at every turn its about he manipulation of the rubber against the surface of the glass, you should not be “hitting” the frames this will bounce your rubber leaving a triangular shape on the glass. as will forcing the turn.
I mainly use sorbo squeegee my main channel is a 18" i can do most windows with this or i will use my 16" ettore. i don’t like wagtail. for me this caused me wrist pain from the twisting motion.
I also noticed in the 1st vid that was posted you mentioned using a ledger to finish off , i noticed a much easier way to finish that glass, if you have to pull in single strokes why not do side stokes?
Anyway in closing imo the technique of using straight pulls to clean windows over fanning is an individual choice, for me starting off my window cleaning career with a friend when i was 18 using the straight pulls method i truly believed i was doing a professional job. At 22 i landed a job with a commercial window cleaning company where i found i doing anything but a professional job. I worked for these guys for 12 years and the company grew from a 5 -6 man show to a 35 -60 (60 in summer peak) i have worked with several hundred so called window cleaners. Most window cleaners that came to the company with experience they had been doing the job incorrectly for many years and would not listen when instructed on the correct way.
I now run my own show , in the area i live there is every man and his dog are thinking its a good idea to clean windows, so i compete daily with mower men, maintenance men and painters who thing they can clean windows and make a good buck.
The customers can see from the get go that i am professional by my technique, straight away they comment “wow you have done that before”.
So for teaching a newbie, yea i guess its ok, however if the employee will be hanging around form more than 6 months i think that is plenty of time to learn and be proficient at fanning. btw i fan all day everyday i fan french windows… i fan louvers lol no i don’t fan louvers i dont fan with pole work tho to many turns
i straight pull from time to time. sometimes i straight pull down. sometimes i straight pull to the side. problem is, i can’t decide which i like better. i mean, i go over it and over it in my head, but i just can’t decide.
Hello, my name is Dale and I’m bi-pull-ar. Some times I’m even tri-pull-ar.
Therapy doesn’t help Caleb, god knows I’ve tried.
We have to learn to live with what we are.
It’s best that way.
I gotta tell you, I thought you were nuts, " Most ergonomic way to clean windows". As I read, I was sort of getting it. I’m from the old school and haven’t touched anything but the old brass one in years. I wake up in the morning and my hands are like claws and locked up and you know the rest. Call it dumb or close minded but I think I got to catch up with the times. Heck, I never heard about WFP’s until a month or 2 ago and have one now and wouldn’t even think of changing some tools, like how could they make a better mousetrap lol. I haven’t had a chance to see your video, but will and thank you in advance for taking the time to do it,
Glad you brought up this post! I have been fanning since I started cleaning windows 10 years ago. Lately, I have noticed some pain in my wrist. Made me start thinking about doing straight pulls instead(top to bottom stroke). Where I live there are a lot of cut ups. In the video, it looks like you have a lot of different size channels. Did you cut some of them to size yourself? If so, how did you do it?
Hiring people to clean windows while you focus on sales and growing your business solves the ergonomic issue you mention here…But brings its own set of ergonomic problems… Like how do you get someone else to get their butt in gear?
Hack saw or preferably a cut-off saw work great for cutting squeegee channels to size. Aluminum cuts much more easily than steel or brass; just remember your PPE. One of my winter projects (if I get around to it ;)) will be making a complete set of channels in 1/8" increments, from 4" up to 12". If I did my math right, should only require thirty one 16" channels :D.
I have cut stainless channels with a hacksaw, PITA. Brass and aluminum both cut easily with a hacksaw. Get a brand new hacksaw blade and order a few long brass or aluminum channels. Clamp it to a worktable and cut some lengths. I first got the idea from a video Don the Window Cleaner made.
Glad you questioned me on this. That’s what I like about these forums, you get challenged and it makes you think harder. It’s like comedians cutting their teeth on the stand up circuit.
Makes me realize that there is always more than 1 way to skin a cat. I think that a window cleaner could also benefit from the steccone featherweights if they like to fan.
It’s just a fact that if you are cleaning 50-100 windows a day, something has got to give. Either cut down all movements as much as you can, or go extremely light. Jonny’s swiss cheese wagtails are probably a window cleaner’s best friend. How about some pics, Jonny.
Poles can even be used on the interior window cleaning. I used to use a 2 foot dowel that I had rounded on the end with my zero degree squeegee to do interior. I could keep my elbows in close to my body which greatly helped my shoulder tendonitis. I think most window cleaners would be wise to avoid situations where your shoulder is constantly at a right angle. Side pulling and fanning without swiveling really put a lot of stress on the shoulder.
A steconne featherweight on a short lightweight pole would seem pretty ergonomic.
I try to avoid extra reaching and bending. Work like an old man… I’ll be one soon enough. I need 'lots of practice. Not counting on social security lol
Thanks for sharing! I have the Unger stainless steel channels. Is PITA the hacksaw you recommend I buy? Where can I find the video of Don the Window Cleaner cutting channels?
