Like the title says…some of you, and as I’ve also seen in some videos, wipe the edges of the glass with a towel before you squeegee the rest. Some only wipe the top edge, others do all of them. Some don’t do it at all. So what’s the lowdown. Is this something I should do? And do you do this with microfiber towels? Thanks.
For the longest time I just fanned the window after washing it down but I found after seven years of cleaning windows that it’s faster and less headache to just run the towel along the top edge of the window so it doesn’t drip before I get a chance to get back to it. Towel in left hand squeegee in right. Then your towel is handy too if you need to dry your squeegee. Haven’t tried drying along the sides but maybe I will and get back to ya. Another thing I learned too is that it’s easier to just go into the fanning without cutting in. You don’t really have to do it all the time. It saves a lot of time and these two things can make you a faster window cleaner.
It’s up to you and the level of service you want to offer for the price you want to get paid for. Storefronts are pretty cut throat, so detailing the sills would require a premium price which most stores won’t pay for. Or maybe they will in your area. I wipe down sills at customer height or those that look really bad but I don’t really detail them. I do wipe/squeegee the kick plate because it does make a difference.
Like the others say it depends. Sometimes I do and sometimes I don’t. If a customer is watching me I do or if I have too much solution on the window I do. I’ve learned to only use a clean towel and it has to be dry other wise you can see a hazy strip when it’s completely dry. Always wipe the bottom after your done.
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… I find no need to wipe the edge before using the squeegee unless there is excess water/soap and
I am doing straight pulls. It doesn’t matter what type of cloth I use and don’t
want the wiped area too dry.
Op I think u would be better perfecting your ability to mop down a window with out hitting the top edge. Over time u will be good enough that u can get really close to your top edge without touching it with the applicator. And thus eliminate the extra step of wiping that edge. And pretty soon with a enough practice with the liquidator there will be no need to wipe the side edges either. (Can’t wait). Thus only a bottom detail and on to the next.
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This is a basic teaching when I’m training new employees. Unless it’s a first clean or windows that have not been cleaned in a long time we never go all the way to the top with the mop. Try and leave 1/2 inch when using a pole. Still need to towel it after if you are straight pulling as opposed to cutting in with a wagtail.
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When cleaning really dirty windows, I use larger quantity of water on the glass to emulsify the dirt. I will use a towel, two fingers and run them along the sides and top to pull the water away from the edge so when I squeegee, the will be no drips or stripes along the seal. When doing route work, or regular customers, I use more “foam” than water so using properly cut rubber and squeegee technique, I clear the glass and only have to drag the water from bottom frame.
I’m with you on this. Real dirty windows require lots of water every square inch wet in a little more soap then usual, an Scrubbed well . Sometimes …especially on this one store that’s on a main road , in the winter there trashed so I just soak them up really quick , scrub well squeegee off. Then just do them again . It gets all that heavy dirt , and salt off , but they still need another shot .
It goes twice a month , but I only do it once a month in the winter. That’s how I get my up charge 
What do you mean by properly cut rubber ?
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How much rubber do you leave sticking out of the ends of your squeegee? If I leave the ends too long, I find the rubber rides up on the seal and leaves that stripe down the edges. It also seems to be true, at least for me, that when the rubber gets old and the tip edge gets worn, I get the same issue.
I adjust the end cut based on the length of my squeegee. For example, If I am doing a whole day of french or colonial windows, I cut the ends of my rubber to stick out past the brass about the thickness of a fingernail. I only leave enough rubber on the end to keep the metal from scraping on the glass.
You will have to modify your technique just a bit to keep rubber tip contact on the glass, but it eliminates the need for “detailing”
I wipe the edges for two reasons. First if I scrape the windows all of the debris ends up on the top and the bottom of the glass. So I wipe to remove the debris before the rubber hits it, less chance for stuff to get stuck under the rubber and streak. The second reason, and why I wipe the edge that I start on, is if there is any debris on that edge you will put the squeegee directly on it and then drag it with you and streak the window.
Yeah, I like what Neal said but I don’t get how you can stay so far away from the top edge and still get the window clean up there. For me, it’s not so much harder or time consuming to catch the top edge with a cloth. I mean it’s like seconds. Savings of time is not that much.
This how I always have my rubber it’s just a preference not right not wrong.
With storefronts your cleaning them on a daily basis so really for the most part they are clean . So not getting up close with the water is ok.
I don’t wipe any edge with a rag first. If it needs detailing after then thats when it gets done . If there is soap left or it’s dripping then it gets detailed.
Like chad says get close as possable with out hitting the tops
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Sorry you guys I thought we were referring to matinance clean. Not first time cleans. Yeah edges need a little more attention if it’s a first time clean. I will usually scrap then wipe down edges with bath towel. Getting all the gunk. Then rewet and squeegee off. On second pass just getting as close to top edge as possible without getting it wet.
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