Newbie and finally received my kit to start cleaning, advice needed

[Scottie]

Hiya all, hope your all well.

Spoken to some of you on here a few times now and got some advice re my kit list and it has arrived all £180 of it. Iam pleased with it all, all unger and ettore. Just gettign used to it all and practicing. I just wanted to pose a few questions.

For a pole, what angle do you use, I got the zinc one, just wondering if I should ahve got the plastic one, is it lighter? just as good? Any opinions would be great, or am I ok with the zinc one.

Also I have

Ettore Master Rubber

Unger ErgoTec® Handle


Unger Stainless Steel S-Channel

With 6" 10" and 14" rubbers

I have noticed while practing that the window is clean after but the water left around the edges is a little bit and using he squeegee running along the edge as show by wagga and polz etc on youtube, that the rubber is still leaving water lines, I am applying low pressure and keepign the recommended distance from glass. I do find that the rubber is weak on the edge and does seems to give way and is not ridged enough I feel, I wonder is you have any tips. The rubber seems to ride on to the black sealing and when it is running across the glass at the top it just leaves water and i have to work it again and again. The rubbers do stick out a bit on each end there the 14" channel and 14" rubber so fitting is right. Do you cut yours down a bit still?

Also any have any good links to videos on teaching using the squeegee as this week I am practicing hard. Been at it for 3 hours today non stop lol. Seem to be getting better so its practice practice I feel.

Thank you for anyone that has time to reply, I appriciate that very much.

Scottie.

P.S what squeegee set up are you using at present? Any tips or advice whats best?

 

[Diwrnach]

Dog ear the channel might help?

 

[boarcity]

dont try tooo hard mate. trim the squeegee rubber so only a very little, 1/8 inch max sticks out each end

soap up in several diffrent directions , squeegee off best you can ,touch up edges , wipe frame dry , bam onto the next window.

 

[Dave B]

I wet the window then wipe the frames so it don't matter if you touch the glass then squeegee

Wipe round the edges with finger in the microfibre wipe siĺl job done

 

[Dave B]

Give it a week and see the difference

Then mod your channels when you get good..lol

 

[Scottie]

Hi Boarcity, cheers, yeah I think I am trying to hard. I thought with good euipment it would not leave any marks on edge, but reading and viewing you tube it happens to most cleaners and hence use of the scrim erc (detailing). Yeah I clean it and its left with some marks on edge only little so i just used the unger micro cloth and its clean to perfection.

Sometimes i get some streaks on the window in middle but thats lifting the handle to high I am getting better, then worse lol, but i think its a time thing, I mucst have cleaned my back windows 20 times today really. the up stairs ones are ok for a pole i just use cloth and mop edges and its clean as, some little marks but they disapear nearly, but its really good and not as bad as I thought.

I was a bit cheeky yesterday i went to look at some windows a cleaner done down my road and they were awful, i saw the lines of water for the squeegee al over edges, guess some cleaners are not as hot on their work.

I no I wont be the fastest cleaner, as I am too fussy and rather windows be right and do a few less each day, just want to do it well. Gald my stuff is hear bit sad but excited lol.

 

[Scottie]

Cheers Daveyboy. Yeah I soap up and then squeegee best I can, it goes well, but now i just wipe round edges and its all good I just thought i would be able to do it with just squeegee, but no you can not all the time and will always need a detail to make it bang on.

I prefer the unger rubber to the ettore though. I will hopefully be better by next week as I will be out flyering and knocking etc after sorting out my HMRC and other bodies, looking forward to working again.

 

[Dave B]

I had a lovely house today

The rubbers round the frames are perfect for my modded squeegees and didn't need to detail anything except bottom of frames and sills

Not often you get a iob like that

 

[boarcity]

i would chuck dirty water over your windows and let it dry then av a go at cleaning them, this is more real world than recleaning already clean windows . do your door too . be sure to wipe top edge of your letterbox,that the first place housewives check for dust ,to see if youre lazy

 

[mrtaytay]

Scottie. I always have to detail so dont get too wound up about it. Try not to have too much rubber overhang as boar suggested earlier. Make sure you use the right kind of cloth for detailing. Dont have too much water on your applicator as this can make things messy around the window edge. Do you do pulls or fan?

 

[abs]

Hi m8, I never detail any windows as I wipe first before I blade , soap up the window then with a good cloth I wipe top and both sides so there nearly dry then I squeegee off just leaving the sill to wipe, every one has there own different way and I've mastered mine with 25 years plus under my belt ,can I just say ditch the pole for the tops and get a ladder instead poles do a second class clean and you'll be shattered after 3/4 houses

 

[Scottie]

Scottie. I always have to detail so dont get too wound up about it. Try not to have too much rubber overhang as boar suggested earlier. Make sure you use the right kind of cloth for detailing. Dont have too much water on your applicator as this can make things messy around the window edge. Do you do pulls or fan?

Thanks for the advice, much appriciated. Yeah I think trying to seek perfection when I am only starting out is to much. I just like to get things best I can. I just need to get the right style, I am copying people online and getting better, i suppose it will come. I am trying to fan, but pulling, i find its easy to pull across the window and leaves little water round endge. But I will take on board not to soap up the frame to much. Also I feel squeegee's a re standard and dont no why the manufactures are not making them better round the edge. I will try to dogear of bend in the end to give it more stability, I did notice on my unger rubber it over hangs a fair bit each side, I think I will cut it down each side a tad, should give it more stability, the end seems to float off up the seal on the window. I hold the rubber and run downwards next to the sill, it still leaves a line, detailing it is ok, the micro ninja I have gets it gone in no time. On my pole I have made already made a bit of wood in to a coat hanger and jubilee clipped it to the handle and ill do on others, so can just turn around and detail, it seems easy enough, I can see the lines upstairs after poling and the detailing cloth gts rid really well.

Puraclenz - I get you mate, but I am stubborn, I like the poling and its not as high as I thought, i watch some the guys do it online and they wagtail, there fast and really good, I see a chap do it near where I live to and he is fast. I thinkI can handel it, but I will get a WFP soon, just need the funds. I no what your saying though toally. I might well do still. I just like watching the trad pole peeps and wanted to do it this way.

BTW - the water fed pole, I was talking to my dad and he said last year his friends complaind about the amount of water left about and also in winter the water was freezing and patching up on path under window. Makes me wonder about WFP? I need to look into it and see if people like it. I think its good, but can see there point. At least I am trading all downstairs.

Thanks again for all you input, much respect to you all for your time, I have aked a fair bit on here, I hope one day I can do the same to someone new.

 

[norm]

hey @Scottie if you practice fanning with small squeegee the smaller the squeegee easier the turns

all that practice is time well spent as you will be confident in your own ability and you will naturally get faster

good luck :thumbsup:

 

[rugbywolf]

Scottie. I always have to detail so dont get too wound up about it. Try not to have too much rubber overhang as boar suggested earlier. Make sure you use the right kind of cloth for detailing. Dont have too much water on your applicator as this can make things messy around the window edge. Do you do pulls or fan?

I've said it many times, there is no need to detail. I have worked all day today, have not detailed once, and have achieved perfect edges on all. there are plenty of vids about it, it's all a matter of application and practice. One of the best things of late is cutting off the channels at a slant, I think this is it;

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRKMSiZX7OA[/media]

or this;

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FbYTHHczSU[/media]

 

[AJ windows]

Hi Boarcity, cheers, yeah I think I am trying to hard. I thought with good euipment it would not leave any marks on edge, but reading and viewing you tube it happens to most cleaners and hence use of the scrim erc (detailing). Yeah I clean it and its left with some marks on edge only little so i just used the unger micro cloth and its clean to perfection.
Sometimes i get some streaks on the window in middle but thats lifting the handle to high I am getting better, then worse lol, but i think its a time thing, I mucst have cleaned my back windows 20 times today really. the up stairs ones are ok for a pole i just use cloth and mop edges and its clean as, some little marks but they disapear nearly, but its really good and not as bad as I thought.

I was a bit cheeky yesterday i went to look at some windows a cleaner done down my road and they were awful, i saw the lines of water for the squeegee al over edges, guess some cleaners are not as hot on their work.

I no I wont be the fastest cleaner, as I am too fussy and rather windows be right and do a few less each day, just want to do it well. Gald my stuff is hear bit sad but excited lol.

You could of practiced on my Windows, they need a good clean lol.

 

[Dave B]

I've said it many times, there is no need to detail. I have worked all day today, have not detailed once, and have achieved perfect edges on all. there are plenty of vids about it, it's all a matter of application and practice. One of the best things of late is cutting off the channels at a slant, I think this is it;
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRKMSiZX7OA[/media]

or this;

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FbYTHHczSU[/media]

That's exactly how i fo my channels

Sometimes you need to do a litle touching up but not much

Always wipe the top edge though so it don't run down

 

[Scottie]

Thank you very much for the vids. Awsome, I hope I cna use the squeegee like that soon or well somthing like that. I am getting better, finding ways that dont work and ways that do work better, I just seem to get a lot of water soap left on the side and the top seems to run or have these big marks, run the squeegee over it and the water does not seem to go away. Is it the angle I am holding it? I can get a good clean but just the sides and also end up pulling acrosd the window. I dont no why unger the channels and rubbers I brought, have them so far sticking out, they dont clean the same as the middle of th rubbers do, they seem to flick up over the edge, why have unger not made better squeegee ends or dog ear them in a manufacturing way. I think if i cut the ends down a bit that will help, or will it help just cutting the rubber in 45 degree as it sticks out anyway.

Is there a place that sells channels and rubbers moded? I would so buy from it or if anyone done them, paya a bit more, someone should make them and sell em. I am not great with all that cutting and bending. Really want to mod one now.

 

[norm]

hey Scottie dont lose heart when starting out myself took me wile to get half decent and still learning 2 years and a bit on

it will come good :thumbsup:

 

[Scottie]

hey Scottie dont lose heart when starting out myself took me wile to get half decent and still learning 2 years and a bit onit will come good :thumbsup:

Firstly AJ WINDOWS why your windows dirty lol, thats so typical you clean everyones windows but your own, happens in all trades dont it. lol

Norm, I will not give up, just have to practice hard and move on. Cheers for the support mate.

Pura clenz - I took up your advice on wiping the top and sides and I like this method, works better for me, I seem to struggle along the edges and when i leave the edge it leaves water on the edge of window and then cleans well rest of way, frustrating why its doing that but your method is one i like very much.THANK YOU!

 

[rugbywolf]

Thank you very much for the vids. Awsome, I hope I cna use the squeegee like that soon or well somthing like that. I am getting better, finding ways that dont work and ways that do work better, I just seem to get a lot of water soap left on the side and the top seems to run or have these big marks, run the squeegee over it and the water does not seem to go away. Is it the angle I am holding it? I can get a good clean but just the sides and also end up pulling acrosd the window. I dont no why unger the channels and rubbers I brought, have them so far sticking out, they dont clean the same as the middle of th rubbers do, they seem to flick up over the edge, why have unger not made better squeegee ends or dog ear them in a manufacturing way. I think if i cut the ends down a bit that will help, or will it help just cutting the rubber in 45 degree as it sticks out anyway.
Is there a place that sells channels and rubbers moded? I would so buy from it or if anyone done them, paya a bit more, someone should make them and sell em. I am not great with all that cutting and bending. Really want to mod one now.

As norm sez; don't get disheartened, we've all been there. You might like to try using less water; when you rinse off the applicator, squeeze out as much water as you can, then dribble some (good quality) washing up liquid along it.