So I did my first few storefront jobs this week, and woke up this morning with a killer hand and forearm cramp. I have big hands with sausage fingers and figure upgrading my squeegee handle might help? Maybe I am gripping too hard / applying too much pressure, but my arm wants to fall off… Right now I have the blue 16" unger from Home Depot and it works but the base of the handle is mid palm, shouldn’t the handle go the entire width of my palm? Anyway, I look forward to learning from you guys!
Welcome to the painful world of professional window cleaning. 
How many windows were the storefronts in total? Look under window cleaning tools here and mybe you can find better tools to fit your needs.
Unger ergotech makes an xl size. It’s a little longer than the regular Unger. WCR sells it.
You are introducing you body/muscles to something new, it is going to react until you build up those muscles and you get used to it. I spend 8-10 hours a week in the gym all winter to be in shape for the spring and after 2-3 hours of roof work my legs/feet are killing, nothing I can/will do will prepare me for the real thing and I assume most of us are the same especially those of us who only do it 7-8 months out of the year.
^
Like I said welcome.
You may be pressing too hard - most new comers do. Wagtails are easier on the wrists & arms. If you have big hands - wrapping your handle with bicycle tape or a sponge covering helps as well (that’s what I do).
In relation to wrapping you could also try using marine carpet which has no rubber backing.
The XL Ergotec handles are what I use and the Wagtail handles are longer as well. HeMan has posted a few times about wrapping the handle with automotive carpet. What is your solution made up of? Are you using slip?
I think we are all in pain. Some of us need surgery and others can get by with advil. It’s punishing work. Over twenty years here. Best thing I did was learn how to squeegie correctly.
I feel your pain, I have alot of stress to the tendons in my right hand, especially the ones around my thumb from years of hammering and nail guns (formerly a framing contractor) I found that the KT Tape set up on my thumb works wonders. If I have a bad day and my hand is sore the next day I tape my thumb up and the pain goes away instantly. Not a cure all, but good until you can take a day or two off and ice your hand/wrist. Check it out. KT Tape.
Joe
Hi Mike. When you say ‘learn to squeegee correctly’, can you elaborate a little? Only new to window cleaning and have had some wicked pain in my wrist once or twice so would like to learn strategies to minimise this.
Cheers.
Alex Lambrinides has some nice videos on YouTube for starters. Very light touch, smooth rhythmic motion. Think Tie Chi, Zen. Easy does it. Window cleaning isn’t easy on the body. Anybody out there cleaning windows full time not in pain during the busy season? Anybody over 30.
When I started holding the squeegee in my fingers instead of my fist that made a huge difference. Did I already say develope a light touch.
Learn to use either hand. Don’t give me any crap about how hard it is. I already know. What we do is repetitive. A light touch, always smooth, gentle, graceful.
True,
I like that!
Sounds to me also like too much S & P
(squeezing and pressure)
Make sure your solution has lots of slip important to beginners. More slip usually means more detailing but ya gotta learn to do that too.
Take your time. Slow down. Smile. ( remember someone is always watching the window cleaner.)
Use very lite pressure. All ya are doing is using the squeegee to take water off the glass, not scrub the glass,
I have a work out squedule I adhere to ( though not 8 hours the gym) and being half way to 100 plus 5, after a 8-9 hour day of win cleanseing I still can mess with the grandkids for a little bit.
My worst aches came after a day of climbingladders which iI don’t do any more.I have a tennis ball in my vehicle and after the days work I squeeze it ten times or so.
Seems to help me
Pax
“Scrub like a man squeegee like a girl.” somebody coined that phrase.
what size squeegee was you using ? probably the easiest squeegee to manouver and for a really really light feeling is the yes one and only
STECCONE 14 " FEATHERWEIGHT
actually quite often everyone can scrub and squeegee like a girl and they just dont realise it…what a waste of valuable energy
