Window Cleaning SqueegesThe modern single-bladed window cleaning squeeges were patented by Ettore Steccone in 1936; it was made oflightweight brass with a very flexible and sharp rubber blade. The Ettore Products Co. is still the leader in thewindow cleaning squeeges market today. Adding a Squeege to a telescopic pole to extend the washer's reach enableswindow cleaners to clean high windows without the need of using ladders. Simple squeeges are made in various shapes for use in many household situations, including the cleaning of showerdoors, bathroom tiles, and garage floors. The floor squeege is similar to the window cleaning squeeges but has a long handle like a broom or brush. It isused to clean floors after they have been cleaned with water or soap. The floor squeege is used to push the waterinto the drains.This is regularly used in places that need the floors cleaned often. Army barracks or the meat orvegetable departments in supermarkets. Hospitals sometimes use the floor squeegee to clean up any spills that occur in operating rooms or patientrooms as the squeegee lends itself towards a more sanitary clean up. Small, hand-held plastic and rubber wedges with an edge formed as a blade which are very similar tosqueeges are also used in signwriting. This type of tool is used for the application of vinyl signs to deminish thechance of air pockets. Squeegees used by Signwriters come in different types, some do not have handles and areabout the size of a credit The window cleaning squeeges are used to remove window cleaning solution from the windowafter it has been applied and has done it's work of loosening and disolving the dirt. 
Window cleaning squeeges vary in size from about 4" all the way up to 60" The small squeeges are used for cleaningGeorgian windows and the 60" squueeges for cleaning large panes such as shop windows or car showrooms. The larger the squeege the more difficult it is to move it off the straight line. So we have a choicebetween straight pulls across large windows with large window cleaning squeeges or being able to sweep from side to side with a smaller squeege.
It does not take long to develop a technique that involves pulling a squeege straight across or down apane of glass. We need to wipe the edge of the blade with a damp cloth after each pull, and if a trail of solutionis left behind, then just make sure the next pass overlaps the trail. If you want to develop the skill of sweeping or swirling the squeege over the pane from side to side andso completing the window in one continuous pass. You will need to twist the squeege to an angle of 45 degrees as itapproaches the window frame and then pull straight down for a short pass. Once you can do this to the right,practice doing this to the left. After a whil put the 2 passes together and you will be able to work continuouslydown the window.
Don't be suprised if your wrist aches, because you will be using your wrist muscles in a way that they arenot used to, but this will diminish as you persevere with this technique. As we develop this technique, it is important that we sweep as close to the frame as possible, so that wedo not leave a lot of surplus solution. But we do not want tokeep dragging the squeege blade down the sides of theframe, otherwise the blade will become nicked and wear out quickly. 
If the blade becomes nicked, it will leave a small trail of solution behind, each time, in the same place.We can cope with this for a while by overlapping our passes to sweep over any of these trails, but this willincrease the time it takes to clean each window. So eventually we will have to change the blade. To change a window cleaning squeeges rubber blade, we need to be able to remove it from the window cleaningchannel. Rubber blades can be held in the channels in a number of ways. The blades can be clamped in place by the mechanism that holds the channel to the handle, in which case,this will need to be loosened off. Most squeeges are constructed to be loosened off by using a small coin, so thatwindow cleaners do not need to carry screwdrivers about with them.
The blades can also be kept in place by either some brass clips or some plastic clips that are inserted ineither end of the channel. These need to be removed and then the rubber blade will slide out. New window cleaning rubbers come either pre-cut to size or you can purchase larger lengths that you cancut to size yourself. As a part of the professional window cleaners equipment, we have safety scrapers to remove bird lime orpaint from the glass. These safety scrapers are very sharp and can be used to cut the window cleaning rubbers tothe correct length. Once cut to length the rubber blade needs to be slid into the channel and the brass or plasticclips replaced. To do this you will need to insert one of the clips to hold one end of the blade in place and thenstretch the rubber blade enough, so that you can clip it around the rubber blade and then let it spring back intothe channel. To complete this blade change, make sure the rubber blade is sitting in the channel correctly and theclips are pressed into the channel sufficiently, so they do not scratch the window frames. The blade also need tobe flat and not rucked up, otherwise it would be difficult to produce a good finish. I make use of these old rubbers by cutting them down in size to replace my 4" squeege rubbers. I check therubber blade is not nicked or the edge to rounded off and if ok then it saves using a new rubber. Some of the more well known manufacturer's of squeeges are :- Ettore Unger Sorbo SYR Wagtail Lewi Return to spring clean tips from window cleaning squeeges. New! CommentsHave your say about what you just read! Leave me a comment in the box below. |
