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Starting a window cleaning business - Equipment you need, suppliers to use and trade organisations to join, etc.

Tricks of the trade

Posted by JohnM1 (JohnM1), 19 December 2003
Hi guy's

Well, I thoght it was time we started a new topic on here that we can all have some input and gain advice from.  So come on all you experts window cleaners that have been in the game man and boy, what tricks of the trade and tips have you picked up and could pass on.  Let's make this a really big topic. Smiley
Posted by dirkstar (dirkstar), 19 December 2003
never clean in the dark
Posted by Bones (Bones), 19 December 2003
Look out and don't stand in Cat Poo! Sad
Posted by pdhanson (Silly Philly), 19 December 2003
Here's a little tip:

Buy a 10 litre or 25 litre plastic cannister (£5.99 and £9.99 from millets) and fill it up with hot water at the start of the day.

Throw it in the boot, and you'll have enough hot water for the whole day without having to depend on customers or outdoor taps.  Also it stays warm because its in the boot.

Silly
Posted by STEVE71163 (Steve Lowe), 19 December 2003
The best tip i can give is make sure you put your jobs up once a year even if its 10p because that way in ten years time you will still have a round worth having.

Steve
Posted by john_archer (john_archer), 19 December 2003
Make sure you tighten the canister cap or suffer from condensation for ever and a day,sadly this is from experience lol
Posted by denzle (denzle), 21 December 2003
Always carry a handful of fine grade steel ( Grade 000 )wool in your pouch, its great for removing specks of paint, stubborn fly pooh, vanish etc.
Its great for giving new cleans that final sparkle to the glass. Don't worry it doesn't scratch the glass.
One word of warning though... don't put your mobile phone in the same pouch, it will kill it stone dead.
I know this from past experience.
Denzle
Posted by STEVE71163 (Steve Lowe), 29 December 2003
Hi Denzle,
              Is wire wool any good for hard water staining Huh

Steve
Posted by shinnyshinner (shinnyshinner), 29 December 2003
Hi steve
I had a job with water staining and used the MDR from titan with wire wool and also tryed a scraper.
The results were really good.
Alan
Posted by STEVE71163 (Steve Lowe), 29 December 2003
Thanks Alan,
                  I am going to order some MDR after new year and hopefully that will sort things out Roll Eyes

Steve
Posted by shinnyshinner (shinnyshinner), 29 December 2003
Hi Steve
Have a chat to windowclean centre and see if they can send you a sample thats where I got mine from
Cheers
Alan
Posted by STEVE71163 (Steve Lowe), 29 December 2003
Thanks Alan Wink

Steve
Posted by The_Fed_Man (The_Fed_Man), 29 December 2003
Steve,

I use 0000 steel wool for waterstain removal with good results but sometimes MDR works, sometimes A1 works, alos the unger paste is quite good.  It depends whats in the stain, best to try a selection.
Posted by STEVE71163 (Steve Lowe), 30 December 2003
Hi Martin,
             Thanks for replying. I have a pub that i clean that has this staining where the hanging baskets were from the summer so its just from where they have been watered.

Happy new year!

Steve
Posted by denzle (denzle), 31 December 2003
Steve,
Fine grade steel wool and MDR are just great at getting rid of those water stains, We haven't found anything better as yet.
Don't forget to charge extra.
Denzle

Posted by STEVE71163 (Steve Lowe), 1 January 2004
Thanks Denzle,
              I will give that a go when i do the pub next week.

Steve
Posted by Ian_G. (Ian_Gourlay), 1 January 2004
I do not do window cleaning but if I did what is MDR and A1

Happy New Year, and hope you dont all freeze to death up your ladders


Ian
Posted by denzle (denzle), 1 January 2004
Ian,
MDR is Mineral Deposit Remover, its a chaulky type liquid that you put on fine grade steel wool to buff off those water marks found on glass. These marks are usually the result of people watering hanging baskets, sprinkler sytems etc splashing the windows then left to dry.
They are very difficult marks to get rid of but MDR seems to do the trick.
Hope this helps.
Denzle
Posted by allseasons (allseasons), 7 January 2004
Smiley i have found that limescale remover works great on any water marks ,,its cheap and easy to find..
Posted by james44 (james44), 19 January 2004
hi guys i would like to know how you all cope with your bucket on a belt , I mean how many times has your squeegees fell to the ground when up a ladder , I don`t know if this is on anouther subject or not but i have glued little magnets to mine to stop the squeegees falling out .
Posted by pdhanson (Silly Philly), 20 January 2004
James44,

I must say I have never found this to be a problem.  My stuff has fallen out once or twice while climbing over gates and the like, but not while up ladders as far as I can remember.

You need to have your squeegees in so that the handles are tilted away from your body.  This means an awkward wrist-twist to get them in and out, but you soon get used to it.

I used to have them in the other way, but I found the handles caught on the mop when taking them out, causing the squeegee to jump out.  Maybe this is whats happening to you.

Silly
Posted by g_griffin (g_griffin), 20 January 2004
I do the same Silly on the Unger B. on a B.
I used the Pulex tool holder for a while and the part for the blades comes up much further (less well balanced) so they fall out easier. You can hear the blade rattling about which can`t be good although I never really dropped it much when up the ladder.
  If the magnets help then it`s a good idea because a falling squeegee can be dangerous.

        Gerry.
Posted by james44 (james44), 20 January 2004
hi silly philly, it was mostly when i was having to reach over to the outher side of a window my bucket would tip an squeegees would fall out thats why i glued the magnets in my bucket,an as you say climbing over fences they would catch on something having the bucket magnetic helps to prevent this,i wedge my ladder to the side on some windows if the sills are made of quarry tills or if i can`t find suitable footing for my ladder also home made clothing lines tied to down pipes etc where a problem ,i prefer to wedge my ladder to the side of a  window then i only have to go up ladder once instead of having to move it to do the other side.
Posted by WavieDavie (WavieDavie), 20 January 2004
I don't know if Express do them, but when I got my BoaBs (a while ago) the supplier had a swivel connection on the bucket end of the quick release. Supposedly, this causes it to be more or less upright all the time, and it should be harder for gear to fall out.

With Health and Safety going OTT these days, I suppose we should all be using the lasso attachment so nothing can drop.


Posted by T_W_CONTRACTS (T_W_CONTRACTS), 20 January 2004
NEVER GET CAUGHT KNOCKING Sad   OH YEH WATCH THAT WINDDDDD Huh
Posted by washglowboy (washglowboy), 31 January 2004
HI - Never soap up to the top of the window as more often than not it will leave drip marks , dont worry the whole window will still get cleaned with the blade.
BY the way has anyone used G3 or G4  if so is it worth buying or is the old Fairy just as good.Thx
Posted by WavieDavie (WavieDavie), 31 January 2004
Hi WGB,

Scroll up to the top of the page and click on "search" or the magnifying glass - type in GG3 or GG4 and check the results.

Happy searching!
Posted by mickeyfat (VGC), 6 February 2004
when you see bird mess on a window wet it up and go to the next window...by the time you get to it it will come off better...only works with bottoms!! Shocked
Posted by Neil (wylie), 7 February 2004
on 02/06/04 at 17:38:30, VGC wrote:
when you see bird mess on a window wet it up and go to the next window...by the time you get to it it will come off better...only works with bottoms!! Shocked

Should that not read  Only comes from bottoms?  Grin Grin

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