Getting started...Gear setup

and I have terry towels for sills and frames. and microfibers for detailing if need be. a lot of guys use huck towels. I need to join the huck towel club. lol

Oh ok. Thank you so much fellas. Any pole suggestions? I watched a couple videos and saw guys alternating mop and squeegee. So want an easy to switch pole. But not flimsy…

Magic Eraser for finger prints and tape residue especially on windows that have tint. trust me- you want the magic eraser. Make that your first purchase! I don’t use dawn for solution, but I usually pick up the magic eraser that has the blue streak down the middle (the blue streak is dawn). Even my father who has been cleaning windows for 30 years and is as stubborn as a mule came back to me the other day after I told him to just try it, and said, “holy crap! that works great!” then he wet out and purchased a box.

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I have an Ettore pole from Lowes. I bought that before I got my unger brand stuff. So the unger stuff fits but not very well.

Try the huck!!! you will become a believer.

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18" channel (brass or stainless steel)
10" channel (brass or stainless steel)
Ledge eze handle
Zero degree Unger handle
18" swivel t-bar and the Mormon blue sleeve
Huck towels
White scrubby pad
Get 8 or 12ft pole (ettore or Unger)
5 gallon round bucket
Bottle of dawn

That will have you covered for 98% of your storefronts you come across.

Check out this thread it covers what most people setup are.

Good luck out there!

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Definitely avoid microfiber cloths for detailing. There is next to no consistency in the microfiber market and there are many types of microfiber. It’s all too easy to get ones that are absolutely terrible for detailing. You can’t go wrong with the huck towels.

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I use almost all Sorbo, it’s what was the in-thing when I started my first company in Tulsa. But, these other guys have the newer stuff and if I was starting out I would listen to them about the Ninja, etc… I have to say Sorbo last a long time.
No matter what you start with, try to get the best you can afford and stay small. You got the right idea…all you need right now is the basics. You can grow your tool inventory as your business grows and you discover what you need for the area you are in.

Starting out Store Fronts:

SQUEEGEE:
Pick one brand of squeegee that uses one type of rubber(Generally rubber comes Soft, Medium, Hard – where your at and what season it is can effect your choice of rubber…the old hands here can make a suggestion for you.)
If you can afford it, I would get three Sorbo channels 22", 14" or 12", 6" for ledges. Get the ones with the plastic tips…no chance of scratching the frames.

RUBBER:
When buying rubber, do a price check along with a hardness check, if it’s cost effective buy 36" Rubbers then you can cut a 22" and a 14" out of the same rubber. Don’t cut a 6" out of a new rubber. You can cut plenty of 6" blades out of the middle of your used 22" and 14"…just look for nicks in the rubbers before you cut.

SQUEEGEE HANDLES:
I use Sorbo Swivel, but as I stated I bought my stuff years ago. Go with what others have suggested, as long as it fits the Sorbo channels.
That being said, the handles must be able to swivel. This will give you more options when trying to hand-squeegee and pole-squeegee in tight places.

WANDS, APPLICATORS, MOPS, SCRUBBERS:
These are different names for the same thing. Get a 14". I have several. Some hold more water—great for moving a lot of dirt.(Not good for high traffic areas) I’m trying out the Tiger-something (it’s the red and white one) seems to do ok…it creates a lot foam when wring out excess water to do insides, not liking that.
To me, this is the most important thing about a wand/mop try to get a swivel handled T-bar. You will probably be getting a lot of first-times cleans. The swivel will allow you to really scrub the inside edge of the vertical and horizontal frames.

BRUSH:
I haven’t found a better brush than the Black Sorbo Brush with the Swivel handle. It will quickly knock the dust and cobwebs off. Great for screens too.

POLES:
Got mine at Lowe’s, too.
You can get by with one. If you can afford two, get two. (Sometimes I use three but this post is already long enough.) Get two, I’d get a long one and a 8 footer. Long one = 10’-18’ depends on how much weight you want to move around all day doing storefronts. But, having a longer pole will give you more options, it’s a back up in case you break your other pole, and you can leave your squeegee on it. If you have a lot of scrubbing to do use the shorter pole for mopping, it’s lighter…saves your shoulders.
If you break a pole tip DON’T buy a new pole, order two replacements from WCR. The are like $5 each get two or more…buy the ones with the pins to keep the tips on the pole.

BUCKETS, BOABS, SQUEEZE BOTTLES, SPRAYERS:
They all put water on the mop or window. I use the first three for different reasons and at different times. For now, get a two buckets with a lids. Why two buckets? Mix 2-3 gallons of solution. Pour what you need in the other bucket and take that with you. You’re not contaminating all your solution to clean a storefront. You will want a BOAB pretty quick, minimizes mess when you start cleaning houses. Squeeze bottles are great but the windows I clean get dirty quick, with the salty air here…so, I don’t use my little dish soap bottle as much as I use to.

SCRAPPERS, RAZOR BLADES:
I use both. 6" Scrappers, It seems there are a lot of guys that don’t. I respect those that don’t. I don’t use it as much as I use to.
Little razor blade and holder. If you are doing storefronts you’ll clean off a lot of old stickers, tape, caked on god knows what. Just test the glass before you use and try to scrape when the glass is wet. You’ll also use it to cut your rubber.

STEEL WOOL, BRONZE WOOL, '0000 WHITE SCRUB PADS:
Only use ‘0000’ of any of these!!!
I used to use steel wool, don’t like the rust in my pouches and I don’t like the idea of the rust scratching the glass. I really like the bronze wool. It doesn’t rust, doesn’t leave a mess in my pouches, and seems to last much longer than I thought it would,

HUCK/SURGICAL TOWELS
Just get you a box of these…you can use them for everything you need starting out. Get a box and wash them twice in warm or cold water with a cup of white vinager, each time. DON’T USE soap or softner or you’ll leave water trails everytime you detail a window. Hang them up th air dry if you can…they’ll last a lot longer.
You can get microfiber, scrim, or whatever when you’ve got more money and you got your process down. TIP: Have one to wipe down frames and ledges and one for detailing. When the detail towel starts to leave water trails start using it for your ledges and frames, and start using a fresh dry towel for detailing.

MAGIC ERASER:
Get it. I think WalMart has it, or maybe Lowe’s

COMBINATION SCREWDRIVER:
All the swivel handles will need to be adjusted from time to time. You can use a quarter but a screwdriver is better. Some squeegee setups need a screwdrivers too change the channel and/or the rubber.

PAINT CAN KEY:
Some store fronts, where I’m at, have screens, Flatten the tip of of the key just a little bit, you want a little bit of a hook to it. Walmart has one with a nice wide tip. Careful, the key can scratch the paint. He Man makes a screen out tool, I got to get one.

DAWN DISH SOAP:
Large bottle, original. There are others that work just as well. I use GG4 and dawn. You’re starting out, keep it simple…get the Dawn.

TOOL POUCH:
You don’t have to have one. But, it is handy for me. Lowe’s, if you got one close by, You’ll want at least one pouch with at least one large pouch in it.

RECEIPT BOOK:
Some businesses ask for them. WalMart.

EASY PEEL TAPE:
Sometimes you’ll have to take signs down…you’re gonna have to put them back up too.

INK PENS THAT DON’T SMEAR WHEN WET:
Bic. Walmart.

BUSINESS CARDS:
For store fronts you have to have them. If you don’t, what are they going to have to throw in the trash when you leave? Also to, how are they going to call you three weeks later when they finally come to realize their store front really does look bad.

HAT and SUNGLASSES:
Outside. Sun. Respect your body. Who’s going to bring home the bacon when you got skin cancer. Don’t be an idiot.

NICE COLLARED SHIRT:
Walmart. You can get printed shirts when you get money coming in. I wear a nice collared shirt, shorts, socks, and tennis shoes. It gets hot down here and shorts are accepted. You are going in and out of peoples business’s, you at least want to look a little better than the average customer.

JUG OF ICE WATER:
Stay hydrated. Who’s going to bring home the bacon when you have Heat Stroke.

SACK LUNCH:
What sucks is when you spend more money on lunch than you made all day. Bring your lunch.

GET OUT THERE:
People need you!!! It’s your job to be out there letting people know you can help them. If you don’t get out there no one will know you are there.

KEEP YOUR CHIN UP:
You are providing a valuable service, not everyone will see that. Most will say ‘No’ but they aren’t rejecting you. Most are rejecting the idea that their business will improve because someone cleaned their windows. Stop and look around…These same stores don’t have their carpets cleaned, their toilets are ‘Out of Order’, and there are no customers coming through their nasty doors. Thank them and walk out…they’re clearly not worthy of your services.

PRACTICE and HAVE FUN:
:grin:

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That’s the best combo out there. Especially if you’re new at it.

Unger basic ergo tech gear is the best to start out with. I like a smaller scrubber than 18" because some storefront panes are not big, so the 14" swivel T bar is the best all around size in my opinion.

The big super long channels 22"-36" are great for the seasoned veterans. Learn how to fan a window like a Ninja before you graduate to anything over 18". JMO

KISS

PS
This is part one of an Unger 4 part training series on YouTube. Get what Mark Henderson uses, he’s a Ninja. :sunglasses:

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Thank you so much. I know ill have a ton more questions as i am egar to get started but i want to do it right. These threads have been wicked helpful. Keep the tips coming

Sorry for delay. I was having issues replying

I agree with what BostonMike is telling someone new. Practice your fanning and trying to minimize passes and detailing.

However, I would say about fifty percent(subjective) of the time I see guys fanning big glass they could be done much quicker if they used a long wide body channel, like Sorbo.

On big glass, heck even medium size glass, straight pulls down and straight pulls acrossed are faster with a long Sorbo channel. Watching guys fan big glass with little squeegees looks pretty but it makes my body hurt, thinking about it.

I think learning to fan with a long wide body squeegee really sets you above the curve, too. But for someone new to this, it can also be frustrating and create bad habits.

This setup will allow you to do the most work with the least gear. Take it from @wcs he knows what the heck he is talking about.

Later, when you have a better grasp of the business you can play with big channels and swivel tools and all that jazz to boost efficiency.

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Fanning…is that where you curve thru the window working your way down? Obv straight pull is…well straight ha

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:smile::laughing::smile:

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I keep seeing people suggesting brass or stainless steel…any brand better than others? Looking Unger, but hear Sorbo is good. Tho Sorbo doesnt have any brass…

Brass is heavy. I get my Sorbo from Amazon

Which sorbo? Cobra?

yes.

Awesomesauce. Knew 1 day my amazon prime would be worth it. Guess it takes starting a window washing business to do it hahah