I hear you on the aluminum poles—mine felt like it was about to launch me off the porch if I leaned in too far. Fiberglass is just so much more reassuring, especially when you’re stretching up for those awkward second-story panes. The price tag stings, but I’d rather pay a bit more than risk a bent pole (or worse, a broken window).
I’ve stuck with the classic squeegee and microfiber combo too. Water-fed poles look slick, but for a regular-sized house? Seems like bringing a bazooka to a water balloon fight. Plus, I don’t want to mess with hoses and filters every time I get the urge to clean.
One thing that helped me speed things up was grabbing a wider squeegee—covers more glass per swipe, less ladder repositioning. Not fancy, but it made knocking out 18 windows last spring way less of a slog. Maybe not high-tech, but sometimes simple just works...
Water-fed poles look slick, but for a regular-sized house? Seems like bringing a bazooka to a water balloon fight.
Yeah, same here. I looked into the water-fed stuff and just couldn’t justify the hassle for my place. I’ve been using a 16" squeegee and an old mop handle for the higher windows. Not pretty but it works. One thing I learned—if the microfiber’s too wet, it leaves streaks, so I wring it out more now. Makes a big difference. Sometimes low-tech really is less headache.
Honestly, for 20 windows in a single afternoon, I'd still skip the water-fed pole unless you’ve got a ton of second-story panes or awkward angles. A decent squeegee—preferably one with a swivel head—and an extension pole gets you most places. I do recommend using a separate microfiber for detailing edges, since even a good squeegee can leave lines if the rubber isn’t perfect. You’re right about the mop handle hack... sometimes it’s the simple stuff that actually works best, even if it looks a little DIY.