How Can I Clean Windows in the Hot Sun?

Whipping up the right soap solution recipe is one of the most significant things you can do to ensure you're cleaning effectively in the hot sun. When you have too much soap, it acts as an evaporating agent, causing you to lose your sudsy water to the sun's wrath. Having too little soap, however, makes it more difficult to scrub away dirt and grime, increasing the time spent on the window, which causes evaporation, too.

You can help your solution solve your problem by adding a wetting agent.

Adding a wetting agent such as Winsol Super Slip Wetting Agent or Cliche Chemicals Hi Slide to your window cleaning solution can not only increase the squeegee blade's slip but slow down water evaporation time, eliminating blade chatter and giving you more time to remove the water from the window.

In addition, making sure you have enough water in your solution is vital to its lifespan on the window. If you've got more water in your solution than usual on a hot day, it will take longer for it to evaporate. This leaves you with more time to squeegee off the water, and gives you a little more wiggle room to avoid making errors, causing lines, rainbow streaks, spots, and soap residue.

Small tweaks to your recipe can make a great impact on the evaporation time of your water on the job. A little bit of these wetting agents go a long way, so experiment at home a bit before heading out there and conquering the route!

You've probably known that having the right ratio of soap to water makes an enormous difference in your window cleaning workflow. Having the right sleeve to hold all that water makes all the difference, too!

A super fluffy and thick sleeve that can retain tons of water will be your best friend while you work in the hot sun. Attaching something like the Unger Complete MonsoonPlus Stripwasher to your pole makes working in the sun a breeze. This scrubber can retain a ton of water, releasing a "monsoon" of solution onto your windows so they are completely drenched. This drenching technique also cools them down, so if you take your scrubber and wipe it over the windows two or three times, you can actually lower the temperature and make it less likely to evaporate. This Unger tool features longer fibers that retain more water than other stripwashers like it, plus features a scrub pad on its side to catch window frames. It comes in 10 inch, 14 inch, and 18 inch so you can tackle commercial and residential window cleaning alike.

Another great scrubber is the Maykker Python Sleeve Complete. Talk about multitasking, because this scrubber not only drenches windows but can come with optional end scrubbers to make it even more efficient, as they add padding to the ends and scrub the frames, picking up more dirt and allowing you to move faster. You have a ton of options with this product, as it comes in 6 inch, 10 inch, 14 inch, and 18 inch sizes, as well as the option of buying it as is, or with bronze, blue, or white end scrubbers. This 3-part multi-tool system can assist your workflow on the hottest days and bring you closer to visiting that next customer, all while leaving your current customer super satisfied with your handy work.

Window Cleaning Resource has always been keen on combination tools. We love to promote these specialty squeegees to window cleaners because of how instantaneously you can clean with them. It is seamless to saturate the glass with one side and flip to squeegee with the other and takes just seconds to switch from one tool to the other. A fantastic and absorbent tool such as the Sörbo Cobra Flipper Complete Squeegee is perfect for cleaning on hot days, as its dual-functioning channel is equipped with Sörbo's esteemed yellow jacket washer material and rigid aluminum clips. This flipper tool is unique to the window cleaning industry, as it comes settled onto a Ledger Swivel handle.

Choosing the right rubber for your squeegee is easy once you know the rules!

Make sure you’re using a hard rubber in the summer and soft rubber in the winter. Unger ErgoTec Squeegee Rubber, the Pulex Squeegee Rubber, or the Moerman Liquidator Squeegee Rubber are perfect options for use in the summer. The harder squeegee blades will glide smoother across hot windows. As well, they won't give you any blade chatter and will be tougher and last longer. If taken care of and wiped off after each pull on your solution, a hard rubber could potentially last you up to a month of use. In the squeegee world, this is quite a long time. Get summer-ready, check out these options, and whip your customers' windows into shape!

The halfway technique is perfect for cleaning on hot days, as it allows you to clean the top half quickly. Then, after you've got that taken care of, you've got the time to scrub and squeegee the bottom half without leaving any streaks. Using the right amount of pressure takes time to develop, so be patient with yourself while using this method.

When practicing this method you'll want to:

1. Scrub the entire window
2. Squeegee the top, leaving a "house" in the center (see picture for the shape. It's square on top, with two lowered sides)
3. Scrub the lower half of the window once more
4. Squeegee the remainder
5. Repeat if you see streaks
6. Detail the remaining solution with a towel on a tip

Once you get some practice down, you'll be ready to tackle each window this way and save tons of time!

Look, mom - both hands!

Utilizing the two-handed method brings twice the efficiency of cleaning hot summer windows. By following your scrubber with your squeegee, you know that immediately, you're removing the solution from the window, making sure no rainbow streaks can leave their mark. Before applying the two-handed method, you'll want to soap up your window once or twice to make sure it is already nice and clean. If you just begin going over the window with the two-hand method without first wetting it down, it may not be wet enough and it may not effectively clean the dirt and pollen. Make sure you get the window super-soaked before doing this. Then, once you gain some practice and streamline your coordination, you'll be on your way to cleaning efficiently in high temperatures!

1. Scrub down your window entirely with as much water as possible
2. Begin squeegeeing at the top, then place your scrubber below it and continue with a trail of solution leading you to your close-out
3. Repeat if any streaks remain
4. Detail the remaining solution with a towel on a tip

Tip #7: The Pull-Down Show-Down

A classic technique that even the newbies know - the pull-down method! This method always comes in clutch if you're finding yourself in a time-crunched situation.

Before applying this method, you'll still want to ensure your entire window is as wet and soapy as possible. Then, simply pull your squeegee down, overlapping the "line" you've already made in each pass. Once you're done, take a small squeegee and remove the solution from the frame.

This method is simple to ensure you won't have any leftover streaks or stains in the hot sun!

Tip #8: The Fine Details

If you notice any rainbow streaks, it’s best to scrub them and squeegee them away as much as possible. However, if this is something you're finding to be difficult, taking a towel to them to buff them away can help, too. We recommend using a towel on a tip, or you can use a Maykker Handy Sleeve Complete, which has heavy-duty velcro that can cling to any towel, scrub pad, or buffer.

We're reaching the end of this hot article, and it's time to scan over the finer details; using your towel, of course!

Utilizing your towel to buff out any stubborn streaks will be an easy way to bring smiles to your customer's face.