hi wagtail users… me being an inventive and energy saving chap… would like to offer you a few tips on how to use the wagtail even more economically …
Get two Unger BOABs… join them together… one Unger BOAB and an Ettore works too . but one of the UNGER BOAB`s has to be the left /right handed one… same when its on the left hip if your a lefty …
Any way place the Unger BOAB first and the ettore or second BOAB behind this ( direction Backside )join them together with tape . velcro etc … ok in the first BOAB place a Green Unger microfibre washer ( or similar ) preferably… a 55 cm… because of the two BOABs joined together now this will counteract the weight of the 55 cm and it will stay upright…and balanced not like when you have a single BOAB a 55cm washer can be a pain in the AS-… to use , especially in the ettore BOAB even though its meant only to accomodate up to a 18 " er ( before marks points that out ! even when its not needed:) )… the reason for having
TWo BOABS is … one is to hold a washer and the other the Wagtail / Flipper… Have the handle of the applicator / washer ( fixed handle is my preference … rarely do i need the swivel … might be different in your case ) any way have the handle of the washer held in the left side of your RIGHT LEFT UNGER BOAB. ie its pointing out so you can grab it with your left hand … ok you go to a window take your left hand and take the Washer out of your BOAB and wash from the top of the window to the bottom. when i say wash i mean wet the glass… so its a quick swipe. covering the glass taking off the surface dirt and covering/ wetting the whole area. then when your at the bottom take your Wagtail with your right hand form the other BOAB… and start washing the glass… from the bottom upwards…the reason is for this is when you hit the top you can squeegee straight away save you one bend downwards… because the glass is pre wetted you will find that the wagtails washer will have more than enough water and … because you have pre wetted the glass with the other washer … infact this washer has taken the majority of the dirt off and when you follow with the wagtail squeeging ( dont forget you have also used the wagtail to wash the glass too … wagtail being a washer and squeegee in one ) squeegeeing will be much quicker and easier because you done a a pre wet / wash with the unger microfibre … Try it its fantastic " makes wagtail use easier… when using your bottle on a belt system… its just quicker to add water to both than just adding water to a Wagtail washer because they are to small ( deliberately so to keep water weight down ) to hold enough water to wash the window down even though you have just used a bottle on it… its quicker to prewash using a large washer … this system works well when the weather is cooler… obviously the 55cm is for appropriate sized glass. the aim is just to wet the glass. but at the same time you are also giving the window a pre wash… and this helps considerably in the end result-… hence not just using a "Bottle on a belt " with just the wagtail alone.tr to avoid too many soap suds with the wagtail…its just squeegees better … less or enough is better than too many suds.
John, whats the point? If you are going to wash the window with a normal washer, unless it is filthy, you might as well just squeegee it off after. The wagtail works even quicker as a squeegee without the washer strip attatched if you ask me. But people use both together so you dont have to change tools, thats one of the time savers. What you are suggesting completley defeits the object of using a wagtail flipper/whirlwind, surely?
its pointless explaining things to people only a video willdo really as soon as i have time i will try and show you… maybe then you will get the point… lets face it… the wagtails main value is not speed its the lightness… its the mild effect it has on your nervous system… thats the advantage of wagtail not its squeegeeing abaility… i normally use only sörbos… and 55 cm ( occasionally 90 cm sörbo washers) its good to have a break and use a wagtail !!! ive been in this buisness over 20 years i know what ime talking about…its like taking a holiday but still working … a pre soak when the weather is cool and the windows are 2/3 yearly makes all the sense in the world mate… other iwse why would i do it ive only been in the buisness 22 years and cleaned literally 20,000 homes and more… personally i like to save energy and not waste my time scrubbing & washing like a mad men knowing that when ime 60 years old i will probably look back and say mmme was it all worth it… grinsing while me arthritis gives me gip…some people just cant see the woods for the trees… video coming … with respect simon i totally disagree mate .
i hear what you are saying John. i was using a wagtail flipper +spray bottle for 6 solid months and then suddenly got carpal tunnel syndrome. i believe this is due to the weight of the wet pad When Doing the squeegeeing. i found that i was doing quite a few extra moves especially when closing out when the pad often messes up in the way . So i have changed to using the seperate Wagtail scrubber + wagtail squeegee . i have lightened the aluminium bar inside the scrubber by drilling holes all the way along it as much as i possibly can and definitely i am now faster than previous plus enjoying the accurate fanning with the squeegee( never enjoyed the flipper the same due to the extra weight of a pad)
i might try the 2 b,o,a,b idea
Haa, I see, ofcourse, 22 years experience and you’re the bees nees and everyone else is a dork… Try reading the top line, or has 22 years experience cleaning windows done your brain in? I think there are the words “unless it is filthy”…
I am well aware of the wagtail being a light tool. I am aware that swapping tools around gives you less chance of repetetive strain syndrome etc etc. But you titled the post as a time saver and I disagreed with the proviso “unless it is filthy”…
You will just come across as an onboxious prat if you go around saying you have 22 years experience so you know best, which is less than me by the way…
Also, try reading. There are lots of good books in libraries…might learn a bit about spelling and punctuation as well.
I get what you are saying John about the longer applicators being a pain to carry in a BOAB, but I also agree with Simon that in many cases it’s quicker to use the Wagtail without the pad.
Using both hands you start at the top and ben down only once. You still have the scrubbing power of a normal applicator and the added benefits of having the ideal extension pole tools at hand. Although in many cases the Whirlwind is quicker on the pole, for the issue with the pad wetting the window as you close out I prefer using the swivel t-bar and Wagtail separately for most my work.
These swivel tools give you a bit more reach too - which you notice not only because you reach higher but you have less to bend down on the ground level windows.
I use the 2 boabs together side by side John, but don’t have them joined because I like to empty them. I find the weight of the 2 together is enough to stop them tipping, but I also have the option to take one boab off when I start feeling the weight on my hip. I also have a clip on the other side in case I want to stride cowboy
Hi Mark ( England )… mark ive tried the swivel ones … i dont like em ! they are good for pole work when you need to get into tight areas etc… when i do shops i use a 90 cm washer… bobs your uncle… your cleaning is revolved around mostly once monthly i bet !!! hence your technique… i could nt use a wagtail washer here it would be to litttle water in it mainly 1/2 yearly here… better price ! but more dirt… so a pre soak ( not in hot weather obviously ) is 100% essential and logical any one who disagrees doesnt know what there talking about ! period… the wagtail is good i agree but just another tool in the chest…
i prefer a fixed handle… with a swivel you lose the dynamic a little… the energy is being lost when it swivels… even though you might say its more ergonomic… na a pre soak . then wash the frames… then scrub the glass with a wiljer or compatable…
Simon i meant if the windows are 1/ 2 3 yearly and longer mate…im e sorry if i come over like something i aint … yes your right my spelling sucks… but your wrong about my system… pre soaking in certain situations is a logical must !
Hey John, I think we were both probably misunderstanding each other a bit. I didn’t say your system was wrong. Thats what took me back a bit. I wrongly assumed you were talking about regular work (that’s why I said “unless it is filthy”), so I couldn’t see the point of a pre-soak. If the windows are dirty, then a pre-soak is a good idea. I also realised that by doing it this way, you only get one filthy washer and the second stays cleaner, therefore doing a better job. Which, as you have pointed out, works particularly well when using squeeze bottles… I hope you realise that I was not criticising your system now.
We all have different ways of doing things and often they are as good as each other. Thats something we all need to realise.
Anyway, I criticised you for coming over as obnoxious, which you have apologised for, thats fair enough…but I have to say sorry for laying into you about spelling and grammer, that was totally out of order…
I don’t think I’ve ever had to presoak a window in 25 years. I just brush until the brush goes across the window smooth, then you know all the dirt is dislodged. I guess if I relied solely on washing sleeves I might have to, they can’t scrub a window properly.
Hey Mike, thats what you might call a dry pre-soak!!
Never really thought of it as a pre-soak, but I guess thats what most of us do when we wash, scrape, wash , squeegee…
You can really clean windows obviously but I still don’t get why you need to scrub the window twice. If you used a brush you wouldn’t have to do that 90% of the time. Those 4 doors you did, I would brush with my right hand and squeegee with my left. Brush a door, then squeegee it and move to the next. If there were finger prints or something, I already have the brush in my hand, it takes a sec to brush that section again. About two minutes, they would all be brushed, squeegeed and detailed.
I don’t like those washing sleeves or applicators as we call them here except for pole work. They don’t scrub well at all.
Overall a very nice video though and now I’m thinking those sectionals might be have a real use. I never liked A frames before.
Mike, What kind of brush do you use? I’ve used my hog’s hair before, but didn’t like it.
Does your brush have a handle(a short one like a strip washer)?
How well does it hold water?
Do you use a littler brush for frenchies, or just brush everything?
12" Nylex Brush $28.00 For 25 years been using brushes, we all do in winnipeg. They carry a lot of water, you can climb a ladder inside with them, even use them as a rough sponge on most outside windows. For french windows I’ll brush the outsides but inside I usually use a sponge that wrung out real well so there’s very little water to dry.
[QUOTE=Mike the Window Cleaner;98954]You can really clean windows obviously but I still don’t get why you need to scrub the window twice. If you used a brush you wouldn’t have to do that 90% of the time. Those 4 doors you did, I would brush with my right hand and squeegee with my left. Brush a door, then squeegee it and move to the next. If there were finger prints or something, I already have the brush in my hand, it takes a sec to brush that section again. About two minutes, they would all be brushed, squeegeed and detailed.
Mike, I thought you meant you brushed window down quickly before washing… Never thought of brushing then going straight to squeegee. Shall give it a try.
John, I shall try two BOAB together also. Getting one washer filthy and one not so bad looks good. But I would still probably scrape a really dirty window before washing for the second time, make sure all the crap is off…
After experimenting, I shall probably then go back to washing scraping washing squeegeeing…old habits die hard!!
