The Essential Window Cleaning Tool Kit: Honest Reviews From A Pro

Introduction:

I have been using Ettore ever since I started learning the techniques and art of window cleaning. I was introduced to the brand by my work colleague and most of the tools I subsequently bought in the very beginning of my career were Ettore; which will be quite evident on the list below. I have since diversified my tools, experimenting and adding different tool brands/systems to my window cleaning kit over the last 4/5 years, which has helped me improve my efficiency and effectiveness to complete jobs with less time and effort spent; which will become evident in further sections. A reason I didn’t venture out sooner to experiment with other tools and brands was at the time there wasn’t as much information available as there is now regarding to tools being talked about, new brands or innovations and let alone reviews etc.

Keep in mind all this is my own opinion based on my own personal experiences with the kind of jobs I do and encounter, not all of it may be applicable to you but I will do my best to give an overall opinion on the tools and products I find essential for the majority of work/jobs you may encounter. Also to note it will be Ettore and Wagtail brand reviews and comparisons for majority of the tools as that is what I currently have and use in my tool kit after experimenting with different tool brands over the years.

I use mainly use 8inch, 14inch and 18inch mops and squeegees as these sizes work well for me with the work I do. Now you may need or want bigger/smaller sizes based on the kind of jobs you take on but I believe these sizes are a good base start for majority of windows you will encounter. Taking this into consideration I will not talk about every single tool size on the list for simplicity as the sizes only attribute to use based on the size of the window not the tool itself.

Now let’s get stuck into the breakdown of the different tools and products!

• Window Scrubbing Mop Sleeves- Ettore VS Wagtail

  The window scrubbing mop sleeves themselves, not taking into consideration the mop handle T-Bar system, I will say have subtle differences that work well for different scenarios. With my experience the Wagtail Mop Sleeve performs better when it comes to removal of greasy hand and fingerprints or grime; which is why I use it for houses or shop windows as these are places you’re more likely to encounter this. The shorter microfibre fibres just do a better job to clean that kind of residue over the Ettore Golden Glove Sleeve. Whereas the longer microfibre fibres of the Ettore Golden Glove Sleeve retain far more water compared to the Wagtail and do a better job when cleaning dirt and dust; which I mainly use for builders windows as it is more sawdust, plaster dust and dirt.

• Window Squeegees- Ettore VS Wagtail

  The Ettore Brass Channel Squeegees vs Wagtail Squeegees do have pros and cons for both. First thing you will notice is the weight difference. The Ettore is significantly heavier in comparison to the Wagtail. For me though one of the biggest differences, in the facet that one is brass metal and one is a combination of plastic plus aluminium metal, is the Ettore Brass Squeegee Channel can tend to warp and be more susceptible to bending and kinking if dropped which can make the rubber not sit correctly in the channel and in turn inhibits the result of getting streak free results or having to apply more pressure to have complete contact of the rubber onto the window. Wagtail on the other hand will not bend or warp in such fashion but a drawback is that over time with use the Wagtail can crack and break. Now for either one it is not like it’ll warp, kink or break from normal use but in instances of dropping, heavy use or with plastic left in the sun overtime it can lead to such issues. One thing I do like with the Ettore over the Wagtail is that it comes with brass clips that hold the squeegee rubber in place which is great as it keeps the rubber fixed in place; this comes in handy when squeegeeing as sometimes the rubber can face some resistance and occasionally I have experienced on the Wagtail that the squeegee rubber has slid slightly out of place and requires readjustment. Now the other side of that issue to consider is that it is much quicker to change the rubber on the Wagtail as you don’t need to place the clips on either end at a perfect distance to leave some rubber overlap on either side of the squeegee for cutting in like the Ettore, but this in mind it doesn’t leave much room for error when cutting new rubber to fit into the Wagtail as if you cut it short then you have no option to use it whereas the Ettore you have a little wiggle room to stretch out the rubber as the clips keep it in place to stretch it out if needed.

• Squeegee Rubbers- Ettore VS Wagtail

  I use both Ettore & Wagtail squeegee rubbers in my kit as I have different uses for both. To begin I’ll start with the similarities of both squeegee rubbers. Firstly they are both double sided, square edged moulded rubber; which is excellent for window squeegeeing as it is rigid and durable. They both fit into any standard profile squeegee channels so they can be used even if you have other tool brand squeegees. Now that’s where the similarities end. First major difference is that the Ettore rubbers are sold in already pre-cut sizes for the squeegees. Whereas the Wagtail are sold in 2 rolls of 1.4m lengths that you cut as needed. Now there are pros and cons to both of these; with Ettore you run the risk of if you haven’t restocked on a particular sized squeegee rubber and you happen to need that one to replace mid work, for whatever reason, you’re unfortunately out of luck whereas the Wagtail you have some lead-way as you can cut to whatever length you need (now that’s not to say that if you’re at the end of your Wagtail roll that you might just get unlucky and still be a little short on squeegee rubber so its always just a good habit to keep stocked up regardless). The flip side of that is with Ettore you don’t have to worry about cutting the correct length to get the perfect overlap of squeegee rubber for cutting in as it is already done for you which saves a lot of time. Now personally this facet doesn’t factor into my decision of which squeegee rubber I prefer to use but it may be something you factor in. Now the next difference, which is immediately noticeable upon my first use, is that the Wagtail squeegee rubber glides smoother over the Ettore. I couldn’t tell you why but I assume it has to do with the composition of the actual rubber material itself. With that said too I have experienced that the Wagtail also holds its edge better and for longer over the Ettore as well. It doesn’t get rounded off as quickly or lose its rigidity with use which saves time and money in the long run. I have also found the Wagtail squeegee rubber slightly more rigid over the Ettore whilst still being agile which is perfect for better cutting in of window edges. Now the Ettore is still an excellent choice for squeegee rubbers, it is one the most reputable brands out there and you definitely can’t go wrong with choosing it. I still prefer to use the Wagtail rubber.

  
  Quick note: the Wagtail squeegee rubber I use and discussed here is the Wagtail Black Rubber. Wagtail do have other variations of squeegee rubbers (which are even better than the Black Rubber) but those squeegee rubbers only either come with certain tools or off other websites to buy as Wagtail only sell rolls of the Black Rubber on their website.

• Mop & Squeegee Handles- Ettore VS Wagtail

  The semi-fixed system of the Ettore Super System Handle for either the squeegees or T-Bar mops I prefer using when hands on with the tool. I have found it easier to use on my wrist over the Wagtail as I have found I have to use less wrist control with it due to the nature that the swivel isn’t loose, hence the semi-fixed term, as it stays in the angle chosen and I mainly use my arm/shoulder to rotate the squeegee as a whole in comparison to the Wagtail which is heavily swivelled on the head of the tool which requires more wrist control. Whereas any pole work for mopping or squeegeeing I definitely prefer the Wagtail pivot system. Now this is for me PERSONALLY, and this may not be an issue or could be the exact opposite in your case, so definitely experiment to find your preferred choice or like me and use both for different scenarios.

• Wagtail High Flyer

  Wagtail High Flyer is just my favourite tool at the time of writing this; which will become evident as to why in this section. Now to elaborate further on the earlier mentioned point of how adding certain different tools/systems has improved my efficiency with my work we will start on the Wagtail High Flyer tool; which in my instance is the most notable showcase of this aspect for me. (I will just mention that I am talking about the second iteration of the tool as the other one on the Wagtail website is same name but is V1 for the first version, a little confusing, but keep that in mind when looking to buy this tool.) When just using Ettore mops and squeegees, and even using the Ettore Backflip 18” Combo Tool, it is just no match in comparison to how efficient and easy using the Wagtail High Flyer system is. Having to do one facet of the clean at a time, first mop then bring the mop down to change over to the squeegee then back again for the next window, is just extremely time consuming and labour intensive; not to mention an absolute pain if the window dries quicker in summer time or if its windy and then you have to start the process all over again. Now it is a somewhat bearable and manageable annoyance on normal height windows but now imagine that kind of time consuming annoyance when cleaning two storey windows! Now even with the Ettore Backflip Combo Tool is somewhat advantageous with regards to the aspect that both the mop and squeegee are on at the same time so all it takes is a rotation of the tool and you can continue to keep working without having to change back and forth between a mop and squeegee. The disadvantage though is that it is a fixed system, so when you are working on higher windows you have next to no flexibility with the direction of squeegeeing; which is top to bottom, section by section. Changing to a two in one mop and squeegee pivot/swivel based system on the Wagtail High Flyer was an absolute game changer for me. Now I will say it does take some time and skill to get used to the flip of the tool and which angle to be at to switch between the mop and squeegee but after some practice and use it will become second nature. With that said though the ability to do the mopping and squeegeeing with a flick of the wrist not only just saves time but also a lot of effort; since the angle of the double pivot system is amazingly designed so that it cuts into the corners and edges effortlessly whilst maintaining a shallow finishing angle even on a deep framed window, especially when used on high window pole work, for a clean finish.

  
  I will do a full in-depth review of the Wagtail High Flyers in a future post; as there are two versions of them as touched on in the beginning, which both having different characteristics with pros and cons on each.
  Suffice to say though, it is a brilliant tool.

• Extension Poles

  I made the switch to the Aero Force-X Kevlar 100% Carbon pole at the start of 2024; as I originally started with the Ettore extension pole. Now me being small having a handy, light and user friendly extension pole is very important to me; so switching to the new pole from Ettore, based on the clip lock clamp system rather than the twist lock, was beyond a game changer. A problem I consistently encountered with the Ettore pole is that I couldn’t unscrew it to extend or shorten it due to having water on the pole or if I had wet hands. Other times the exact opposite would happen, where I could tighten it as tightly as possible and it still wouldn’t hold its length, in which case whenever I would apply pressure to the pole when scrubbing with a mop or using a scarper it would just collapse in on itself. However when using the Aero Force-X I never faced those issues. Easy to click open the clamp with one hand to adjust the length of the pole and if you need to tighten the clamp to secure the pole sections a little more it was easy as tightening the thumb-nut on the necessary clamp and you’re good to go. It is extremely lightweight for the size (even fully extended at 4m) and yet very robust to tackle any job without a worry. That being said the Aero Force-X is considerably more expensive over the Ettore but if you can save up that little bit more and afford to buy this one it is definitely worth it in the long run.

• Mini Tool Extenders & Angle Arms

  I absolutely love both the Wagtail Angle & Longreach Arm. They are so handy, especially when using an extension pole isn’t an option with tight spaces, as you still get that extension benefit of reach in a very small area. Whether you’re using it to mop, squeegee or dry edges, it works so well with the Angle Arm to keep that pressure on the window when squeegeeing or on the edge when drying with a cloth; all with minimal effort required. The benefit of it being a fixed angle arm is that there isn’t any worry of deterioration on a pivot system handle overtime and the angle it is set at is ideal for every application. With me being really small I attach both tools together to use for added height whilst still having that angle benefit. Works really well to have that hand/arm control over your tool whilst still working at length which is perfect for cleaning windows behind objects or obstacles you can’t move.

• Window Cleaning Bucket

  I use the Sabco Bulldozer 12.5L Window Bucket as my window cleaning bucket. Me being small I prefer using this smaller bucket, over the industry standard of 18L or 22L window buckets, is convenient for and works really well for me. Especially with it being smaller it is handy for when working in clients homes where it’s usually a tighter space. Again very much so comes down to the need you have because I know that if you have larger squeegees or working commercial shop windows you would be better off to have a bigger bucket but this works for my needs. The thing I will say about this bucket by Sabco is that it is an absolute beast. I have had it for over 10 years and it is still going strong.
  I have added a makeshift mop sieve using PVC pipe cut in half with drilled holes for draining and riveted onto the bucket as it is a really cheap and cost effective alternative solution to buying a window bucket sieve that works just as well.

• Tool Belt & Harness

  I went from carrying all my tools in my hands from window to window for years when I first started (yes to say it was a pain and time consuming is an understatement) and eventually transitioned to using a tool belt. I adapted the ToughBuilt harness tool systems and pouches, normally used for building trades, for window cleaning as I could never find anything in the window cleaning industry that wasn’t just a belt. One problem I always encountered with this aspect was the fact that carrying so many tools, (pouch, holsters for mops/squeegees, scraper blades, cloths, etc) on me for hours on end would become very annoying in the sense that I felt my belt was always falling down and having to prop it back up every other window. Having the ToughBuilt harness with the padded belt really made all the difference where I carry the weight on the harness, hence on my shoulders/body, rather than just the belt around the waist pulling down constantly. The pouches I use work right out of the box without any adjustments needed; at least for me. They do have a wide range of pouches though so lots of adaptability for whatever your window cleaning pouch needs are. What makes this system even better is the easy ClipTech system, that is integrated with the pouches themselves, which makes it effortless when you want to take off a pouch you don’t need for whatever reason, you’re not fixed to having them on all the time; or if you have different kind of window work that requires a different pouch setup based on tools needed you can easily interchange it all. Extremely handy too is the ClipTech Hub, for the pouches to clip onto, which you can just click around the belt and lock into place without having to take off the whole belt to readjust the positioning of it for ease of use. I couple all this with the Pulex Tubex Holster for a complete set up.

• Window Scraper

  The Ettore Scrapemaster 94mm with the double edged blade is one of my favourite scrapers I’ve used; and I let me tell you I have used a lot of different ones from metal to plastic, from smaller to bigger. It is the perfect size for nearly 99% of jobs you will encounter; like goldilocks it’s not too big and not too small. One thing I have experienced is the aspect that you would think having the bigger blade would make your job easier and quicker but I have found the opposite to be the case. With bigger sizes it ends up being too big where half of the stuff you are trying to remove is skipped over so you end up having to do section by section or press really hard to have the whole surface be in contact with the glass; and lets be honest here no one wants to do that as it is exhausting and terrifying to scrape so hard on glass that you feel like the glass will just shatter. One the other side of the scale the smaller ones would be very time consuming when trying to remove large portions off windows (which majority of work that I dealt with in the beginning, and still do till this day, was builders windows which as you can imagine was mainly scraping off glue and paint from 99% of window surfaces; imagine doing a whole window let alone a house with a small little scraper, no thank you!) The 94mm Ettore though is just that right size that works on multiple applications. Another facet that makes this my scraper of choice is the angle of its design, which in my opinion is perfect, as it’s almost a natural hand angle positioning; so whether used by hand or on a pole it a pleasure to use and isn't taxing on the arm/wrist.
  The metal scrapers or ones with metal inserts I would personally just steer clear from all together. They are heavy, cumbersome to use and just overall I have never been a fan. The Ettore 94mm is just perfect on all facets: its size, it’s lightweight, very robust and beginner friendly with its perfect angle of use, and just overall you can’t go wrong with it.

• Window Scraper Blades

  The Ettore Scrapemaster Blades are one of the best blades I have used in terms of durability. Firstly it is a double edged blade which means less blades consumed for the amount of jobs you do; so saves money and time as if you need a new sharp edge you just flip over the blade and you’re good to go. The other noteworthy aspect is the steel is just superior to a lot of the other blade steels. It keeps its edge for much longer than the others I’ve encountered and seems (I could be wrong) to be just a sharper and better honed edge as well. Now with all steel you will have the downside that after it encounters water it will begin to rust if left in the air for too long. This in mind I will add a little side tip that if you dry the blade once you’re done and leave the blade submerged in methylated spirits it prevents it from rusting (provided it hasn’t begun rusting already) so that you don’t waste a perfectly good blade (if only used here and there throughout the day or for a single job) and you can use it for future jobs or as a spare.

• Abrasives- When Scrapers Just Won't Cut It

  Rocket Steel Wool Super Fine 0000 Grade & the Bronze Wool Super Fine 0000 Grade I use for scrubbing windows that may have paint, glue or bug spots when using a scraper blade will scratch and damage the window. The Steel & Bronze Wool will scrub the glass and clean it without a worry. (Now one thing to note is this does not apply to certain glass like Low E Glass or tinted glass as it will scratch it so always spot test an inconspicuous area if uncertain.) Now with the Steel Wool it will rust fairly quickly after contact with liquid so I would use it when cleaning sticky tape glue or paint residue as you’ll want to discard it after that use anyway. Whereas the Bronze Wool is the alternative I use to the Steel Wool for scrubbing windows in that it doesn’t rust, practically at all. This makes it great for continuous and multiple uses during the day in which to scrub spots that won’t leave the bronze wool caked with debris that can either scratch further windows or transfer residue; so more for use on bug spots, really greasy handprints or caked on food splatter, etc.

• Window Cleaning Cloths

  Window Cleaning Cloths. I personally have a colour system set up with my cloths to make it easier when working to differentiate between dry cloths and wet ones and their different uses. This saves me lots of time and guess work as I just know from visual which one is which. Now my system breakdown:
  >I use the WWWCS Orange Waffle Weave Cloth for two very different purposes. I use an old one for mopping up sills and a new one to dry and polish windows as it is just super absorbent, doesn’t leave any fluff or lint and yet dries relatively quickly.

  >I use the Blue Huck Cleaning Cloth to just dry window edges as like the Orange one it is absorbent and doesn’t leave any lint or fluff but dries at an even faster rate.

  >I use the Yellow Oates Microfibre cloth for wiping the squeegee blade between uses, edge window prep before squeegeeing or to ‘mop’ smaller windows like colonials.

  >I use the Green Oates Microfibre cloth for drying edges when I do builders window cleans.
  The Oates Microfibre cloths are super absorbent, easy to wring out and continue using and excellent to clean/scrub with.

• Soap- The Magic Ingredient

  I use Morning Fresh Dishwashing Liquid in just plain water as the “magic”, (as majority of my clients call it), ingredient to clean windows. I have had so many of my clients ask “what special ingredient do you use that just leaves it so clean? Every time I try, it just ends up streaky and I can never get it that clean” (honestly, best moment of every job) and when I tell them this it blows their mind. The detergent excels at cutting through dirt, grime and grease on windows but yet stays sudsy all day long. It also makes squeegeeing such a breeze as it just glides with the soap which aides to the streak free finish. I don’t add any other chemical, glass cleaner solution or squeegee lubricant to this mix; I have tried them and honestly haven’t found any difference or benefits with using them in conjunction with the soap water solution.

• Citro Clean- Grease, Grime, Glue & Paint

  Citro Clean is a chemical I’ve been using for as long as I can remember and it is the best one I’ve used to breakdown and remove grease, grime, glue and paint residue with ease but without the worry of it being harsh on the skin. It has become an item I see more and more frequently in stores these days, (compared to when I first started using it as it was mainly only available at commercial cleaning stores), as I believe it has gained greater recognition as a really useful and superior product. I have used the “equivalent” De-Solv-it product and I can tell you it is no match for the Citro Clean. You do have to be wary though that if you leave the Citro Clean on painted surfaces, rubber or plastic for too long (I would say no longer than 5-10mins sitting on anything other than glass) it will erode them; so be mindful to throughly rinse or wipe the surface clean after use and any tools used as well.

• Miscellaneous Tools & Products

  Some of the other tools I’ve got listed are just purely tools I use, for the jobs I have, such as:

  >Work Hero Vacuum to vacuum window tracks for client homes when requested. It is a lightweight yet powerful little machine which makes it perfect for this kind of work. I combine that with different coarseness and length paintbrushes when cleaning out the window tracks depending on the need.
  >Ettore Cobweb Brush for, as the name states, to clean up cobwebs but also to brush down window frames. Now I will say that it does deteriorate fairly quickly when used against coarse materials like render or bricks, which is to be expected, but definitely could just use a normal soft bristle broom brush attached to an extension pole and have the same result for cleaning cobwebs as an alternative.
  >Sabco Lifestyle Brush for brushing down fly screens. It is soft enough to not damage the fly screen or the frame yet coarse enough to clean the dust and dirt off the screens.
  >Meguiar’s PR Chemical Resistant Sprayer I have used so many different spray triggers (for chemical application like Citro Clean) over the course of my career, from the commercial cleaning store ones to online aftermarket ones, and after spending lots of time and money the Meguiar’s PR Chemical Resistant Sprayer is the ONLY sprayer that I’ve found that doesn’t stop working after using it with Citro Clean a few times (which, believe me, is a big deal); even when I have rinsed the other sprayers out with water after using the Citro Cleaner it still wouldn’t last very long. (As mentioned Citro Cleaner will damage plastic and the sprayer trigger is notorious for that.) There is nothing worse than a sprayer not working or leaking when you try to spray which is just a waste of money and an absolute nuisance. Now what shocked me the most is that I found it at Repco and it’s surprisingly really cheap; especially when compared to most of the spray triggers I’ve bought from commercial cleaning stores.
  Most PET spray bottles will work fine with this spray trigger.

As time goes on I will do additional reviews and breakdowns on any other window cleaning tools or products I come across that I find useful and give you my honest opinion on them to save you time, effort and money; hopefully to aide you in making a decision with what you buy or don’t buy for your kit based on your needs.

---

Disclaimer: Reviews of the tools listed on this website are based on my personal experience and assessment as a sole trader in the industry. I am not affiliated with any of these tool manufacturers or brands, nor do I receive any compensation for these recommendations unless otherwise noted. These suggestions are provided solely for informational purposes for the benefit of my visitors, to assist others in finding reliable tools. I encourage you to evaluate each product and make the choice that best fits your own needs and circumstances.