The squeegee is the backbone of the window cleaners tool kit. When window cleaning first started out people used rags to do all the cleaning. Over time people developed a squeegee to clean the desks of ships. At some point someone decided to try these ship squeegees on glass and that is when window cleaning changed for the better. Even now days with the new advent of window cleaning with the water fed pole, the squeegee is still the backbone of window cleaning. The basic ideas is that after having washed the window with a wet sponge, rag or window cleaning mop with some soap, you then dry the glass by pushing the water from the glass with the squeegee.
Now days there are several different squeegee types but the basics remain the same. A squeegee consists of a rubber blade, a handle and a channel to hold the rubber. Although there are new contraptions being made all the time to do away with the traditional window cleaner, nothing has succeeded yet and most likely never will as only a window cleaner can be sure to remove everything from the surface of the glass both inside and out.
To use a squeegee is fairly easy if you are a beginner. The simplest way to start using one is to make single pulls from one side of the window to the other, either side to side or top to bottom. It takes a little practice but this is a great way to get your windows cleaned. Most window cleaning professionals however use a z method or fanning technique. This method is more difficult and allows you to clean the entire window pane without having to take the squeegee off the glass. Most window cleaners describe it as building a mountain out of the water on the glass and then making it smaller as you work your way down the glass. This method is done by going back and forth across the glass in a zig zag fashion. This is by far the faster method and is a must know how for anyone serious in learning to do window cleaning full time.