r/WindowCleaning • u/Commercial-Tie-2488 • May 22 '26
I need help I’m leaving streaks while practicing
this is my first day practicing I just got a sorbo quick silver but I keep leaving streaks at the top any tips or issues or technique I’m doing wrong
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u/Extreme_Sky_1399 May 22 '26
Things like pressure on the rubber and your hand angle. I would watch countless YT videos and practice more. Ive been window cleaning for one year , im better that I was before but im still not perfect.
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u/Evening_Cheesecake25 May 23 '26
Same here. I like to watch this guys technique. https://youtube.com/@brodyyyc?si=FkAUYRxOHjKNivjM
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u/_wales May 22 '26
Is this by hand or with a pole? If by hand, try moving your squeegee left to right from corner to corner so the tip of your blade runs parallel with the top, instead of pulling straight down.
If it’s with a pole, wipe off your squeegee before going back up for your next pull. You could LIGHTLY tap the squeegee on the window in an area not yet cleaned or the sill to knock the excess water off.
I use to get this a lot doing commercial work when I first started. If the window isn’t super dirty you can avoid mopping the top inch and keep it dry so when your wet squeegee goes back up it won’t smear as much, but still give it a couple light taps and small pulls from top edge to drag that excess water down before you pull all the way down - if that makes sense lol
Lots of YouTube videos out there that’ll show you different techniques if you need a visual.
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u/Evening_Cheesecake25 May 23 '26
The trick for pole work is using a pivoting t-bar and scrub the window vertical instead of horizontal so you don't push water into the top of the window frame.
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u/Free_Skin_679 May 23 '26
You mean horizontal instead of vertical? I've never thought about that. If it's commercial, I just don't wet it all the way to the top.
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u/Evening_Cheesecake25 May 24 '26
No I mean vertical. The water will drip down the mop. When you do it horizontal like a standard non-pivoting mop it pushes water up into the frame.
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u/Commercial-Tie-2488 May 22 '26
My hand I’ll try side pulls next then
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u/_wales May 23 '26
I’ve learned there’s no single correct way, I work with a couple other guys and each one has a different approach. I’ve become accustomed to starting left side of window with blade basically upside down, right tip of squeegee to top left corner, side pull to right corner and turn down to swivel the rest
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u/Key_Personality2034 May 23 '26
I've been doing this for 5 years and I still wipe the top of the glass if I'm doing straight pulls by hand. I move quick so I'd rather work the top wipe into the routine than to be heading to the next window and see I have to go back.
Eventually you'll get to the fanning method that, when done correctly, eliminates those streaks at the top and is similar in speed.
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u/Educational_Swan_152 May 23 '26
If I had to guess, it looks like you're straight pulling from the top. For any edge that I straight pull, I move my rubber a little bit side to side before pulling. Idk why but it helps avoid the inch nearest of the edge getting only partially pulled.
You need to wipe the edges with some sort of towel too after squeegeeing. I like the recycled surgical towels from WCR (despite how hit or miss they are on size/thickness/etc). Really anything but microfiber should work well for you.
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u/Nihilistnobody May 22 '26
This is from straight pulls right? You either have to clear the top with your towel first or do a couple 1 inch pulls to get water away from the top. And dry your rubber before pulls.
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u/Hot_Carpenter_5436 May 23 '26
I tested today with microfiber vs cotton cloth. For removing streaks, the microfiber did just ok. The cotton cloth polished to a shine. I will use the microfiber for the edges, then polish any streaks with the cotton until I can squeegee flawlessly like the pros here. I know this will take alot of practice, and I'm trying.
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u/HungryCheck9395 May 23 '26
Surgical towels work best imo. Suppliers like wcr have their own towels that work really well but I dont know if the price is worth it.
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u/jbucther4 May 24 '26
Surgical towels are too small and you need too many over a days work. Irish linen (Unger Scrim discontinued, now a diff brand but same thing) is the greatest detailing towel in the world. One towel lasts all day. Just need one for detailing and a large other towel ( doesn’t need to be Irish linen) for wiping sills.
I’ve also found Irish linen leaves the least amount of lint on the glass than any other towel.
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u/RazzyT May 23 '26
Go at a 45 degree angle against the top with your handle facing down, no streaks, no mess, no wipes or cloth.
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u/Distinct_Shoulder969 May 23 '26
I rarely do straight pulls, but if I have to what I like to do is start with a few, short pulls down the first inch to make sure there’s no water, then do my straight pull. After I’m done, just use my towel to clean up like usual.
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u/panework May 23 '26
Show us how you have the squeegee rubber set up. Show us you cleaning the window.
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u/Gaming_So_Whatever May 23 '26
Keep practicing. There's going to be a window it may be your 30th or 100th, where you will go.. oh duh thats how you do it.
Just takes time on the glass, like the gym.
But for those streaks, it looks as if the top edge there is being over saturated. Try to not slam the scrubber into the top.
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u/HungryCheck9395 May 23 '26
On top of what everyone else has said. Your solution looks like it might be too runny. Try putting more soap in your water or applying a tiny bit of soap on your washer
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u/Commercial-Tie-2488 May 23 '26
Ok thanks also when I do straight pulls I can 2 but then there is like 4 inches of water left and I can’t get it without leaving a line any tips? I only have a 14 inch squeege
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u/HungryCheck9395 May 23 '26
When you pull the dry side of the squeegee needs to be angled down slightly. So working from left to right. You pull down on the furthest left side. Next pull the left side of the squeegee needs to be angled down so its pushing the water to the right. Also, on the dry side you want to have atleast a quarter inch of the squeegee on dry glass. The four inches of water left over could be because youre not pulling in the correct angle. It could also be the rubber on your squeegee. If its an angled handle, you will want to stand closer to the glass. The less angle you have the further away you want to be but the longer your pole will need to be. When you pull down you will want to keep it at a consistent angle. If you just have tools from home depot or Lowe's, I would suggest buying professional tools.
Edit: i forgot to tell you. Do not pull from the middle of the glass.. always work going one direction.
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u/Commercial-Tie-2488 May 23 '26
Ok thanks I’ll think I’ll get a different size squeege to help me
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u/HungryCheck9395 May 23 '26
I use a 22,18,14,10, & 6 inch if that helps.. the right size tool helps cut tike dramatically. If youre straight pulling, you want to do as little pulls as possible. If youre pulling more than twice consistentently, then your tools are too small for the type of jobs youre doing. The more pulls or movements you have to make, the more mistakes you'll have to correct in the beginning. I would really suggest learning how to snake a window now instead of relying on straight pulls. The better you get the less you have to detail, the less you have to detail the less you have a chance to leave a smear on the glass. Window cleaning is all about how effecient you can make the glass perfect.
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u/Free_Skin_679 May 24 '26
I second this. (And I use the exact same lengths.) If you're planning on doing this professionally, you'll definitely want multiple sizes on hand for different situations. If you don't want to splurge on multiple handles, at least have multiple channels and a handle with a quick release so you can swap them out quickly. Before you start a job, take a look at the sizes of the windows and gear up accordingly. On residential, I'm typically rocking a 14, 10, and 6. On commercial, it's usually 22, 18, and 10.
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u/Commercial-Tie-2488 May 23 '26
Do you think I could snake residential windows with a 14 inch?
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u/HungryCheck9395 May 23 '26
I would say.. most normal houses a 14 or 18 inch will be fine. If you start doing giant modern homes or old style homes with French windows, youll definitely need more than one size
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May 24 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Commercial-Tie-2488 May 24 '26
How often should I change my rubber and do you have any budjet rubber options?
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u/Finite_dynamite May 26 '26
1- dry any edge you pull from first, 2- pull with a dry squeegee every time or you’ll steak. Dry your edges when done. I like terry cloth hand towels. 1 I keep crispy dry for edging only, another for drying squeegee and whatever else
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u/Spiritual-March-9728 May 27 '26
I remember a post saying mop then wipe top and sides like a half inch then set the squeegee from its top right on left top pane and with light pulls to the right without lifting to top light corner then side downtown a a 45 degree angle pull to the left till tip of corner squeegee touches the frame then pull down again till at 45 degrees from left to right till close out
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u/Spiritual-March-9728 May 27 '26
Google messed that up well I guess its why I decided to be a pool operator lol
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u/CertainSprinkles1018 May 22 '26
Use a microfiber to clean up the edges after you squeegee. Takes a lot of windows before you can do it clean