Do you wipe down sills?

[Ana]

Not sure what everyone's take is on sills but I always brush off the excess water and debris using my pole brush. Trouble is I get loads of **** in the bristles because of it (nothing a quick rinse can't sort tho). So I'm wondering do you guys wipe down sills or not? I'm not talking about anything other than a quick brush off and only on the bottom sills too.

The windie i brought my round from stipulated he never does the sills, it's a extra charge if he's asked too? In my view it takes seconds and keeps my customers extra happy and paying my set price.

if you do wipe down do you just cloth it? Thinking of getting a really small squeegee to do the sills, avoiding all the bits in my brush, saving time and keeping everything that bit cleaner.

any thoughts?

 

[Tango]

If they're upvc then yes I will even though it means bringing the brush back down to adjust it - the customer can see them and will be happier to see them clean. Anything else, no. 

 

[Cookie]

Yes I always wipe down the sills since it's included in my price.

 

[spruce]

Not sure what everyone's take is on sills but I always brush off the excess water and debris using my pole brush. Trouble is I get loads of **** in the bristles because of it (nothing a quick rinse can't sort tho). So I'm wondering do you guys wipe down sills or not? I'm not talking about anything other than a quick brush off and only on the bottom sills too.

The windie i brought my round from stipulated he never does the sills, it's a extra charge if he's asked too? In my view it takes seconds and keeps my customers extra happy and paying my set price.

if you do wipe down do you just cloth it? Thinking of getting a really small squeegee to do the sills, avoiding all the bits in my brush, saving time and keeping everything that bit cleaner.

any thoughts?

Wiping the cills down is part of cleaning the window imho. We go over the lower sills with a half towel to get the little bits off.

 

[Guest]

Keep a cloth in a pouch.

 

[Pjj]

Yes we pole all sills if UPVC top and bottom I always explain to the customer that the tops might not be 100% as you are working blind this is included in the price and generally takes seconds per window 

 

[Ana]

Thought so, thanks guys. I personally see little point not doing the sills, it's part of the whole cleaning process and takes seconds to make good.

 

[THL4KEL]

Ideally on the first clean I will hook onto the outside water tap and blast out all of the dirt in the sills. Using lots of water. Then finish off with purified water. Then maintenance cleans just use the WFP brush on the sills. The more dirt you get out like this the easier the maintenance cleans will be in the future.

I even sometimes if I am doing a pressure washing job before the windows, blast the sills, door hinges ect, from distance with the p/w lance.

If on the first clean I did not manage to hook up to the outside tap. I flush everything a can from the sills within reason. Then in the maintenance clean I will wipe with a cloth if there is dirt coming out of the sill. Just wipe them over on the ground floor like this at the end once they have stopped bleeding..

 

[spruce]

Ideally on the first clean I will hook onto the outside water tap and blast out all of the dirt in the sills. Using lots of water. Then finish off with purified water. Then maintenance cleans just use the WFP brush on the sills. The more dirt you get out like this the easier the maintenance cleans will be in the future.

I even sometimes if I am doing a pressure washing job before the windows, blast the sills, door hinges ect, from distance with the p/w lance.

If on the first clean I did not manage to hook up to the outside tap. I flush everything a can from the sills within reason. Then in the maintenance clean I will wipe with a cloth if there is dirt coming out of the sill. Just wipe them over on the ground floor like this at the end once they have stopped bleeding..

Sometimes trying to flush the muck out of the gap takes longer than cleaning the window.

This was recommended to me a while back and is a handy little tool to have.

https://www.halfords.com/cycling/bike-maintenance/bike-cleaning/muc-off-claw-brush

 

[Ana]

Got one of those too @spruce work well for moss filled gaps! 

 

[Davy G]

When i start a window, I always start with a couple of quick swipes across the sill with the brush on full flow, to loosten the dirt before I start the window, as it's usually where the most dirt is sitting. This allows the dirt to start flushing away while I do the rest of the window. Next I do the top frame, the side frames and glass. Rinse down, and finish with a couple of swipes across the sill again, either with the water on or off, to get the last of the remaining dirt off. All done with the brush. If the bristles are dirty after, I flick my fingers across them with the water on. I never use a cloth or anything else as I don't see how anything else will do anything that the brush bristles won't. I will try to get a narrow brush like Spruce recommended for cleaning out the channel between the frame and sill. These channels can be a pain. 

 

[Hyzer373]

Yes always. I go over them with wfp then use cloths I keep in my pouch to wipe them down after. 

 

[Cleanco]

Always do the sills, it’s part of the job. Even back in the trad days we would blade and wipe the sills. It was a bit easier back then as you wasn’t shooting water up between the fame and sill releasing all the built up dirt. Most of the time you can’t see most of it and wonder were it’s coming from but if you leave it on the visible part of the sill it looks a right mess. Usually I try and get most of it out on the first clean but can take a few passes before it’s all out. The top sills are not as visible unless you stick your head out the window looking for it. The bottom ones are a little different and anything left will stand out. If they are really bad instead of wasting loads of time and water trying to get it with the pole I use a cut down 6 inch blade and a wipe down cloth to mop up any excess mess that runs down for the first couple of cleans. Once they are running clear it’s easy from then on. 

 

[Iron Giant]

Yes I wipe upper and lower sills with the brush to remove the water and for lower sills on busy roads etc or just were needed they get a wipe with a cloth, I just don't get these wfp lads and lasses that carry no cloths at all more so on some of the new build estates I work, as the window and door sills definitely need wiping down due to building dust, I have seen jobs done by other lads that have left door sills/steps dirty with dirt, cobwebs and grass.  

Since switching from trad over 11 years ago I have always continued with a trad pouch and old towels as sill cloths, it takes seconds to double check around sills and doors and makes for a better job also you have a cloth to hand to wipe down pole hose after completing one house and moving onto the next. 

 

[wezza13]

Yup, wipe down sills with cloths after poling. If the sills are extra dirty, then I'll clean the glass with the WFP and then wipe down with cloth, to save all the shite getting on the brush head and then making more of a mess on the glass. 

Takes seconds to wipe down and I've even had comments from customers guests that their window cleaners don't go for the finer details.

 

[Chris34]

I give them a good scrub with the brush then when I'm finished I use 2 different coloured and really bright microfibres to dry off all the ground floor sills.  It only takes a couple of minutes but I have had positive comments about it so it's partly for show and partly perfection.

Here's a good question that will strike fear into a lot on here I bet :1f603:    Do you clean underneath the sills?   I do, admittedly it's just a bit of a wipe with the brush but there are cobwebs underneath a lot of sills so I think it's only right to get rid of them the best you can.  

 

[Tango]

Here's a good question that will strike fear into a lot on here I bet :1f603:    Do you clean underneath the sills?

No.. although I have found myself wondering if i should. I did for my neighbour the other day but thats the only one I've done it for. In my mind that's hassle bringing the brush down again just to change the angle to upwards. You are right though, it probably should be included for first timers..

 

[Iron Giant]

I give them a good scrub with the brush then when I'm finished I use 2 different coloured and really bright microfibres to dry off all the ground floor sills.  It only takes a couple of minutes but I have had positive comments about it so it's partly for show and partly perfection.

Here's a good question that will strike fear into a lot on here I bet :1f603:    Do you clean underneath the sills?   I do, admittedly it's just a bit of a wipe with the brush but there are cobwebs underneath a lot of sills so I think it's only right to get rid of them the best you can.  

I don't fully dry off the lower sills unless absolutely needed as usually there isn't a need it is something I used to do but realised I was spending far too much time on jobs in general but I do clean under the sills both upper and lower if required. 

 

[adamangler]

So most of you dry the bottoms sills off with a cloth but not the tops.

Why?

I never wipe sills with a cloth unless those bloody bits won't stop coming out but if you do first clean properly that shouldn't really happen much.

 

[Ana]

I found that muc off tool mentioned before to be great at getting the bits of debris from sill brushing off, so much so I feel little need to wipe sills with a cloth now, plus it comes in handy for any stubborn bits that a brush won't shift.

 

[Chris34]

So most of you dry the bottoms sills off with a cloth but not the tops.

Why?

I never wipe sills with a cloth unless those bloody bits won't stop coming out but if you do first clean properly that shouldn't really happen much.

Just because it makes the job look more perfect.  I'd imagine quite a few customers probably inspect the work afterwards and bits and water sitting on the sills doesn't look good compared to dried off sills.

Baring in mind I'm still new in this game, when I become a seasoned pro with full books then I might not be so picky  : )