Top 10 Free Window Cleaning Tips of
The Month
Have any secrets to
streak free window cleaning? Send tips to
mark@windowcleaningskills.com
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Tip #1
Get A Sea Sponge
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A sea
sponge can really be a window
cleaners friend. Used dry, you
can wipe up those wet sills
and frames and even pre-cut
your glass before squeegeeing.
Just ring it out occasionally.
Used wet, you can wash small
french panes, sliding tracks
and dirty frames. Even wipe
your squeegee blade clean with
this handy tool. |
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Tip #2
Stay Hydrated
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It's
amazing how easy it is,
especially during the warmer
months to get dehydrated while
you're working. This can lead
to extreme fatigue, fainting
or disorientation and will
lead to accidents for sure.
Drink plenty of liquids and
take frequent breaks during
hot days. |
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Tip #3
Squeegee, then pause.
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After a
pass with the squeegee, pause
for a second to let the
accumulated water run off the
squeegee blade. If you take
the squeegee off the glass too
quick you can pick up water
and accidentally flick some
back onto the clean glass. |
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Tip #4
Start with a short
width squeegee.
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When
learning how to clean windows
using a new squeegee method,
start with a short width
channel. It's easier to control.
Then work your way up to wider
widths as your skill improves. |
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Tip #5
Small squeegee for
commercial sills.
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When
cleaning exterior commercial
glass, keep a small squeegee on
your belt and use it to remove
excess water from the sills.
This will save you on using too
many towels throughout the day. |
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Tip #6
Use Ladder levellers.
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Install
a ladder leveller system on your
ladder for when working on
uneven ground. Make sure it is
functioning properly prior to
climbing up the ladder. |
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Tip #7
Get help moving obstacles.
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It's
usually best to have obstacles
removed from in front of the
windows prior to your arrival,
however sometimes this can't be
helped. If you do need to move
furniture, window blinds/drapes
or knick knacks from the sills,
get the customer or another
worker to assist you. Nothing is
worse than trying to get access
to a window in order to clean it
and you end up breaking
something or injuring yourself. |
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Tip #8
Network with other local
window cleaners.
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You
never know when you can use
the help from other window
cleaners/businesses. You can
send work back and forth
depending on your
specialities, sub-contract out
work in order to bid on larger
projects, borrow specialised
equipment, etc. |
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Tip #9
Use internet sources
for help.
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I
recommend anyone who is a
window cleaner, owns a
cleaning business or is
thinking of getting into the
industry to join a
professional window cleaning
forum on the internet. I
highly recommend windowcleaningresource.com
membership is free. |
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Tip #10
Soap, easy does it.
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A
big mistake I see many new
window cleaners do is use too
much soap in their bucket. It
doesn't matter if you're using
dish soap or professional
window cleaning detergent.
Less is more, as they say. In
fact, too much soap takes more
time to detail, causes the
glass to dry out faster and is
more likely to leave a film on
the glass. |
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Window
Washing Tips From The Past
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Water
First, Soap
Second.
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You
know I still
see many
people squirt
some soap into
a bucket then
fill their
bucket with
water causing
the
development of
useless
suds.
What you need
to do is fill
your bucket of
water first
(2-3 gallons)
then give a
couple of good
squirts of
your favourite
soap. Gently
mix the soap
around until
you feel your
solution is
slippery when
you rub your
fingers
together.
Having all
your suds on
top of the
water does
nothing for
your cleaning
efforts. |
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White
Scrub Pads
Vrs Green
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Many
people are
used to using
those green
scrub pads
when cleaning
the dishes so
obviously they
think they can
use it on
their windows
for stubborn
dirt/stains.
WRONG! Green
scrub pads
will scratch
glass.
Instead, seek
out the white
scrub pads
from your
local
Janitorial
shop. They are
better suited
to glass and
will not
scratch the
surface. |
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Scrape
& Lift In
One Direction
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When
scraping glass
surfaces,
scrape in one
direction
only. At the
end of each
stroke, lift
the razor off
the glass
surface then
start the next
section. If
you scrape
back and
forth, debris
may get
trapped under
the blade and
drag across
the glass
causing
scratches. |
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Move
With The Wind
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This
one's pretty
straight
forward, I
should think! On
windy days, plan
to clean the
windows in order
from where the
wind is blowing
from and move
along in the
same direction
from window to
window. This
will ensure that
the wind doesn't
blow your
cleaning
solution back
onto glass
you've already
cleaned. |
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Winter
Cleaning
Solution
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Cleaning
windows below
freezing is
quite doable.
Many window
cleaners use
winter rated
windshield
washer fluid and
add it to their
regular
solution. How
much you'll need
is dependant on
temperature
outside,
windchill factor
and how warm the
room is on the
other side of
the glass.
Others in the
trade use
methanol
(alcohol). It's
best to use cold
water when
adding alcohol
to your mix. If
you use warm or
hot water, the
alcohol will
evaporate
quicker. |
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Proper
Ladder Angle
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When
using any kind
of ladder that
will be leaning
up against a
wall, make sure
you have it
placed at a 4:1
ratio. This
means that for
every 4 ft. up
your ladder is,
it should be
pulled out from
the wall by 1
ft. (another
example: 16 ft.
up = 4 ft. out) |
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Shoe
Covers Make
A Good
Impression
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It
may seem like a
small thing but
if you wear
disposable shoe
covers over your
shoes, you will
prevent dirt
from tracking
through the
house while also
being
comfortable at
the same time. I
know I don't
want to step on
some kids LEGO
piece while
walking around
someones house
so I like to
keep my shoes
on. The
customers will
also see this
(shoe covers) as
a sign of
professionalism. |
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Paint
Opener Tool
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Some
window screens
need to be
removed from
the outside of
the house and
depending on
how they are
fixed, you may
need a special
tool to remove
them. I've
found that a
basic paint
can opener
works well in
many
situations.
|
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Beware
Of Booby
Trapped
Windows &
Screens
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Okay I
don't really
mean for this
to sound
comical but
it's true,
sometimes you
will feel like
you're dealing
with booby
traps when it
comes to
operating
peoples
windows. Most
often it is
because
handles and
pull tabs are
made of cheap
plastic that
get brittle
and break
quite often,
especially on
window
screens. Look
for ways for
you to assist
the window or
screen when
operating them
rather than
just pulling
at the tabs. |
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Carry
A Multi-bit
Screwdriver
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You
just never
know when you
are going to
have to
unscrew
something in
order to
release a
sliding window
or door. Make
sure you have
a multi-bit
screwdriver
close at hand.
The flat bit
can also come
it handy to
pry things
open, just be
careful. |
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Add
Life To Your
Squeegee Rubbers
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Usually the
first area of the
rubber that gets
worn out are the
ends (corners).
Rather than throwing
away the rubber at
this point, just cut
the worn ends off
and use it on a
smaller squeegee
channel. |
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Spray
Bottle On Your Belt
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Get a spray
bottle with your
cleaning solution
and use a bottle
holder attachment on
your tool belt. Now,
instead of lugging
your window cleaning
bucket everywhere in
a customers
home/commercial
space, just go with
your spray bottle
and wet your strip
washer or spray
directly onto the
glass. Saves
multiple trips back
and forth to your
bucket. |
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Custom
Cut Channels
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When giving
an estimate for a
property that has a
lot of french panes
(small window panes
grouped together),
measure the width of
the glass panes. If
you land the job ,it
might be a good idea
to custom cut a
squeegee channel to
the same width of
the glass panes.
That way you'll only
need to do one
squeegee pull per
pane. |
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Pre-cutting
Windows
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After scrubbing
the entire area of the
glass, pre-cut the top
and side edges of the
glass using a clean
lint-free cloth, sea
sponge or tip of your
squeegee rubber. It
cuts down considerably
on the amount of
detailing needed
afterwards. |
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Paper
Towel On
Sliding Tracks
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You can try to
brush out debris from
sliding tracks, even
vacuuming them helps
but you will often
still have debris
trapped in the
corners. Simply spray
your window cleaning
solution into those
stubborn corners and
use paper towel to mop
up the water and dirt.
Paper towels generally
work better than
cloths for this task. |
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Buy A
Swivel Handle
Scrubber
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Using a window
cleaning scrubber with
a swivel handle allows
you to reach awkward
angles and make sure
the entire glass gets
soaked. They're also
handy when cleaning
glass that goes right
down to the ground
because the swivel
action will save you
from bending over too
much or crouching
down. |
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Buy A
Swivel Squeegee
Handle
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Swivel squeegee
handles are an
excellent choice for
cleaning high windows
at awkward angles.
Sometimes a tree, bush
or other obstacle
forces you to use an
extension pole at an
angle and a swivel
handle can be adjusted
to meet that angle so
you can flawlessly
squeegee the glass. |
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Follow
The Shade
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Before
arriving at the job
site, try to plan
out which side of
the building/house
you'll start on
based on where the
shaded area will be.
Although you
can clean
glass in direct
sunlight, it can be
quite challenging at
times and you may
end up with some
unwanted streaks
depending on your
skill level. |
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Pre-brush
Basement Windows
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Basement
windows are usually
trashed because of
landscapers and home
owners allowing
grass clippings and
dirt to hit the
windows coming from
lawn mowers. Always
pre-brush these
windows prior to
scrubbing or your
window cleaning
bucket solution will
get soiled rather
quickly. |
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Switch
Hands
With Your Squeegee
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Practice
cleaning windows
with both your right
and left hand. You
never know when you
might be able to
save time on a
ladder when you can
reach the glass on
both the left right
side of the ladder.
Saves you from
having to move the
ladder too often. |
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