To Squeegee or Not to Squeegee… Window Cleaning Best Practices

Everyone has their favorite technique or trick using a variety of cleaning solutions and an assortment of wiping materials including newspaper, coffee filters or even diapers. Window Genie suggests that you recycle those newspapers, keep the filter under the grounds, and the diaper on the baby. When combined with a little dish soap, a squeegee is all you need for quick, easy, streak-free window cleaning.
The squeegee has been a staple in the window cleaning industry for years, but you won’t find one in most homes. Locating one at your local gas station is also getting increasingly difficult. They’re filthy and they don’t work well – right? Contrary to the impressions of frustrated motorists with bug-laden windshields, a squeegee is one of the cleanest, most effective tools for cleaning glass or any flat surface. Allow me to share the squeegee’s rich heritage.
A forerunner of the squeegee (a wooden tool called squilgee) dates back to the Middle Ages and was used by fisherman to scrape fish guts and scales off boat decks. Innovation in the form of a leather blade came to the squilgee in the 18th century and was still employed to clear the decks. The squilgee even made a cameo appearance in Herman Melville’s classic novel Moby Dick.
The Chicago squeegee was heavy with two stiff pink rubber blades but lost its crown in 1936 to a new and improved tool. Italian immigrant Ettore Steccone invented a lightweight, brass-handle with a single flexible blade. Even today, the “Ettore” continues to be the choice of professionals.
The fastest squeegee in the world? Guinness lists Terry Burrows of the UK as the one to beat. In 2005 he used a 12-inch squeegee to wipe down three, 45-inch square windows in 9.24 seconds – crushing the previous record holder by nearly 6 seconds!
A squeegee can save your life? During the 9-11 attacks, window washer Jan Demczur and five other people found themselves trapped in an elevator. Jan used his Ettore squeegee blade to free the group. The blade did not make it out with him, but the squeegee handle did, and it is available for viewing at the Smithsonian.
Please call Window Genie today and let a squeegee enrich your life. Whether pull, swivel, snake or fan method, our squeegee demonstrations are a sight to behold and your windows are guaranteed streak-free! Window Genie of Santa Clarita – 661-568-6768 – www.windowgenie.com/santaclarita