Ever notice that you've never seen a professional window washer use a spray bottle and a cloth?

 

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That's because none of them do. They use squeegees because squeegees work better. If you've ever stopped to watch pros at work, you've noticed how easy they make it look and how fast they finish one window and move on to the next. They aren't hot and sweaty. They can look downright comfortable.

They look that way and accomplish so much because they've learned to use a squeegee.

Squeegees are not in widespread use in homes, and that is a shame because of all the time they could save. One of the reasons for their disuse may be the poor quality of many of the squeegees in circulation.

You'll need a high-quality professional squeegee to get the job done right. Once you get the hang of it, you'll see how amazingly fast cleaning with a squeegee can be. Who knows? You may even begin to enjoy cleaning windows!

Materials

1 squeegee with 1 or more channels (see below)
1 double bucket (or a standard one)
1 window scrubber (if any of the windows are out of reach, also see below)
10 cotton cleaning cloths
liquid dish soap or clear ammonia
1 wide paintbrush
1 variable extension pole up to 30 feet if necessary
1 pair of rubber gloves (optional)

Stock your cleaning apron with:
1 razor-blade holder with sharp blade
1 toothbrush
2 plastic bags as liners with clips

Regarding the Squeegee

The choice of the size of the squeegee is important. Obviously you don't want one wider than your windows. But you don't want a tiny one either, because you'd be making too many swipes. The size of the squeegee depends on the size of your windows.

I said earlier that you need a professional squeegee. One of the advantages of the professional model is that once you purchase the squeegee handle, several channels of different lengths are an inexpensive option. (A channel is the metal strip that holds the rubber blade.) You don't have to buy several different squeegees. You just slide one channel off and slide a different one on as needed. The one we use (an Ettore, manufactured by Steccone Products Co.) has a quick-release button that allows one channel to be switched with another in a matter of seconds. And the squeegee handle pivots to allow you to reach and clean windows at angles never before possible. This lets you wash windows easily despite having furniture or shrubs in the way.

If you have nothing but picture windows, get the widest squeegee you can handle comfortably: I recommend 18 inches. With little panes (like the ones in French doors) you obviously need a small one (about 2/3 the width of the pane). If you have medium-size windows, you're better off with a 14-inch channel. If you have a mixture of window sizes, the ideal solution may be two or more channels of different lengths.

The squeegee blade inside the channel is a thin strip of rubber with a very exacting edge — something like a heavy windshield wiper. However, just like windshield wipers, they can wear out because the edge becomes rounded with use and loses its effectiveness. The edge can also get nicked by hitting something when cleaning or if it's abused between uses.

A little nick that you might not even notice leaves a streak of water with every stroke of the blade — downright discouraging. This is one reason why all those grocery-store squeegees are so unsatisfactory: The blades are soon nicked and damaged, but since they are not replaceable you have to throw the whole squeegee away and buy a new one just to get a new edge. This is also why these cheaper models really aren't. Replacement rubber blades are inexpensive, so have a couple of extras on hand that fit the various channels you use (or just get several the size of your longest channel and trim them as needed).

Window Scrubber

It's used to apply cleaning solution to the window and scrub it at the same time. The next best solution is a sponge or a cleaning cloth. However, neither work anywhere near as fast as a window scrubber. And if you have to use an extension pole they don't work at all.

Tie the cleaning apron snugly around your waist. The apron is designed to keep you from driving yourself crazy running back and forth for items. It will hold the spare and retired cleaning cloths, razor blade, and debris you encounter. It will also hold a small squeegee. Put the paintbrush in your back pocket.

The Cleaning Solution

We're going to give you a choice here between two very effective window cleaners.

• Liquid Dish Soap. This is a dandy window cleaner, and you already undoubtedly have some under the kitchen sink. Use a squirt or 2 for about a half-bucket of water.
• Clear Nondetergent Ammonia. Buy only clear, nondetergent, nonsudsing ammonia because suds are a real nuisance when washing windows — so much so that some professional window washers often use just plain water. So use just a little: Start with 1 tablespoon or so per half bucket and add more if necessary.

Fill a bucket (or one side of a double bucket) about half full with cool water. The water should not be hot because hot water evaporates too quickly on the window surface. On a cold day, when your hands are apt to turn blue, of course you would want the water to be on the warmish end of the scale. Wearing rubber gloves helps a lot when the weather is cold.

If your windows are appalling, replace the cleaning solution more often rather than increasing the concentration of cleaner. The more product (dish soap, for example) you have in the water, the more likely that it could be the cause of a streak. Only if you find the solution isn't working should you add more dish soap or ammonia.

Which side do I do first?

Wash the easiest side of the window first — that is, the side that has the easier access. By cleaning the difficult side last, if you see a smudge you'll know that it must be on the accessible side of the glass. If one side is in your nice warm dining room and the other side is exposed to winds howling across the East River, you would be well advised to start in your nice warm dining room. The idea is to have to venture out there only once.

Of course, it's easier to wash all the windows from the inside if you can. There is usually shrubbery or some other obstacle in the way of the outside surfaces. Unless it's easy for you to clean there, stay inside when you can.

Warm sunshine makes washing windows difficult because the heat of the sun evaporates the cleaning solution faster than you can squeegee it back off. The remaining solution turns into streaks, new dirt formations, or an unsightly film. When planning your strategy, arrange to start where the windows are shaded. An even better idea is to do the project on a cloudy day.

Approach the windows armed with your equipment and a serene disposition.
Drape a cleaning cloth over one shoulder. Have the razor handy in the apron pocket and the brush in your pants pocket. Two or three spare cleaning cloths should be kept in another apron pocket. The window scrubber can be kept in the bucket between uses.

Put the bucket down to one side of the first window. Putting the bucket all the way to the right or the left locates it in a place where you are not likely to step into it. Lean the extension pole, if any, against the frame of the window you're starting with — again, ideally in a place where you will not bump into it and make a spectacle of yourself.

The first time you clean your windows using this method, move anything out of the way that's even close to being a disaster-waiting-to-happen. Move the lamp back a few more feet. Move the table in front of the window completely out of the way. Put the curtains on top of the curtain rods, etc.

As you develop some expertise using a squeegee, window scrubber and extension pole, you'll find you can safely clean windows without moving much furniture at all. Then you'll save even more time and hassle.

Preparing the Windowsills

If the interior windowsills are dusty, vacuum them first to avoid making mud. If the exterior sills are dusty, hose them down first to avoid muddy streaks running down the side of your home. You can't hose these streaks off after washing the windows for fear of splashing water and ruining your window-washing job. The alternative, if the dust is only slight, is to use the paintbrush that you are carrying in your back pocket. Include the frame, sill, and glass surface itself, if necessary.

Window Frames

I like to clean the window frames as long as we're going to all this trouble. The bottom edge of a window frame is usually pretty grimy, and this is a great time to tackle it as we're getting it wet anyway. Do only the lower frames, not all four sides, unless they really need it.

First, wet the lower frame by wiping it with the sponge or cleaning cloth. Now quickly run your toothbrush over the frame, paying particular attention to the corners. Pop your toothbrush back into your apron pocket and wipe the frame clean and dry with a dry cleaning cloth. Now wash the window. If a little cleaning solution gets on the frame as you wash the window, blot it up when you finish and move on.

Let's wash the first window.
As long as you can reach the entire window, you don’t even need a window scrubber. Just use a sponge or cleaning cloth dipped into your cleaning solution. If the top of the window is out of reach, you’ll need a window scrubber and a long or short extension pole as needed.

If you're inside the house, wring out the sponge, cleaning cloth or window scrubber so it doesn't drip cleaning solution all over. The idea is to transport just enough cleaning solution to the window to cover it completely. The window should be just wet enough so it does not dry before you finish with the squeegee. If it's too wet, you'll make work for yourself later when water runs off the window onto the sill. To help manage dribbles of water, place a folded cloth on the windowsill below where the last stroke of the squeegee will end. It will catch any run-off and make drying the sill a snap.

Apply the cleaning solution from top to bottom. Scrub just enough to loosen the dirt on the surface. Usually window dirt comes off easily. Often, all you need to do is move the scrub sleeve lightly over the window once. You're doing little more than getting it wet, yet the window is now ready to be squeegeed clean and dry.

Once you’ve gotten the window ready to squeegee, don't dally. Time is of the essence, because you have to start squeegeeing before the water evaporates from the window.

The Major Secret of Using a Squeegee

A squeegee blade must be dry and must be started on a dry surface each and every stroke.

For the squeegee to work properly, it has to get a firm grip on the surface of the glass. That means a dry blade has to be started on a dry surface for each stroke. To accomplish this, dry a starter strip by hand at the top and side edges of the window. Grab the cleaning cloth from your shoulder and use it to dry a 2-inch strip across the top and both sides of the window. Professionals call this step "cutting the water." The top strip is where you'll start the squeegee each stroke. The dry strips on the sides will help prevent water from oozing out from the window frames after the squeegee has passed by.

Now that you've dried the starter strips, make sure the squeegee blade is dry too. Wipe the edge of the blade with your cleaning cloth.

Place the squeegee blade down in the dry strip at the top of the window. Using a steady, light pressure, draw the squeegee down for the first stroke. "Light pressure" means not to have a death grip on the handle. It also keeps you from getting fatigued. Hold the handle with your fingers and thumb rather than in the palm of your hand. Don't grab it like a hammer. It will give you a lot more flexibility.

Either stop the squeegee stroke a few inches from the lower window frame and make your last swipe with the squeegee from side to side or squeegee all the way to the bottom of the window. Depending on the configuration of the window frame, it’s sometimes difficult to get the squeegee all the way to the bottom.

Wipe the squeegee blade dry.

Place it at the top of the window again, overlapping the first stroke by about 25%. Make a second pass with the squeegee down the window, again stopping a few inches from the lower window frame or bottom of the window.

Wipe the squeegee blade dry again and repeat the above steps until you have moved all the way across the window.

If you have left a wet strip along the bottom of the window, get it now, squeegeeing from side to side. That pulls the last of the cleaning solution into the corner. This is the corner where your cloth has been waiting to catch this dirty solution. Smart, huh?

An equally fast way to wash the window is to make your squeegee strokes go across the window instead of up and down — provided that the window is not so large that you have to take steps while squeegeeing from one side to the other. You can go from right to left or left to right, depending on what's in the way. Cut the water on the top and on whichever side you'll be starting the squeegee. Start at the top and work your way down row by row. Remember to place a cloth in the corner of the sill toward which you'll be squeegeeing most of the water. If you produce prodigious puddles, wring out the window scrubber a bit more before doing the next window.

Troubleshooting

Occasionally, evaporation creates dry areas by the time you're ready to squeegee. So once you've covered the entire pane, you might have to give portions of the window a quick swipe with the sponge to rewet them. Plan on using more water outside than inside because of evaporation.

If the top of the window is out of reach, cut the water with the squeegee instead of a cloth. Swivel the squeegee to an angle so that only about 2 inches of one end of the blade rests on the glass.

Remember, the squeegee must be dry and must be started on a dry surface. Abuse of this simple rule is the main reason that people have difficulty with squeegees. The squeegee will not work properly if you start it on a wet surface or if its blade is wet when you start a stroke. In either case, the blade will sort of water-ski across the surface (hydroplane, to be more precise) instead of pushing the cleaning solution and dirt ahead of it, and streaks will appear without fail.

Pull the squeegee in a smooth, continuous stroke. Don't start and stop. If you lift the squeegee off the surface, redry it and start again in a dry spot ahead of where you stopped. Soon it will become a reflex to make a complete stroke from top to bottom without stopping or lifting the squeegee.

If the window is so large or the weather is so hot that the water evaporates too quickly to clean in a nonfrantic manner, just do half at a time. Start with the top half, of course. Squeegee as just described, but stop midway. Then wet the bottom half, and remember to start the squeegee in a dry spot. As long as you do this it won't streak, and you'll have as clean a window as if you did it all in one step.

Good luck developing your new skill!