[Chris - CBWC]

Cleaned a 4 bed detached house today, my first go at wfp and this was me doing one of the top windows, with my little girl doing her best to put me off! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6IysDKM15k - it's her Nan's house, I don't let my kids run amok in my customers' houses!!

Don't know how you guys look up at the windows all day, my neck was aching after the first set of windows!  I'm teaching myself to be able to clean with the pole either side of me, left or right handed, to lessen the neck ache among other things, but maybe I'm standing too close to the windows?

I was really surprised to see this only took 4 minutes, would definitely take me longer trad!  And I'll hopefully get quicker and better in time so will eat into the 4 minutes.  Can anyone give tips, advice, constructive criticism please, I'd like to know where I'm at with understanding wfp, how to do it properly and the technique.  Most of the windows came up really well, one pane was horrific, and a couple had spots and streaks on.  The water out of my pole is 0ppm so either I'm not scrubbing enough, rinsing well enough, or this is to be expected changing from trad to wfp with the residue on the glass.

[dave0123]

not bad for first attempt! and a first clean was it?

i would rinse closer to the window though in future about 1-2 inches away from glass.

[Chris - CBWC]

Yes first clean.  The back is also right by a main road, so the traffic and the storm had left grit all over the bottom frames too.

One thing I did realise, on doing the sills, was that I was going too far to the left and right and catching the bricks and cement, which then got dragged back across the sills as it was stuck to the brush!  So for top, I'll scrub the sill, just keep away from the bricks, and do the same for bottoms or just use an old towel.

I should've videoed me doing the downstairs as well, I found it much trickier with having to do top frames normally, then put pole horizontal to lower frames and scrub the windows, then try and rinse with pole horizontal.

[Jonny 87]

Really good technique there mate. Nice and thorough. Keep it up, and don't become a splash and dash!

Few things,

On a window like that, they are one of the hardest types of windows to get right first time because of trapped dirt in the frames of the two hopper windows in the middle.

So when I'm doing a first clean on windows like that I would make sure to scrub all the frames first, then Give a thorough rinse of all the frames. mayb even moving to the upstairs window to the left and doing the same there.

Then I move back to the first window and start doing the glass.

Try concentrating on the top 4 inches of the pane of glass first, so move along side to side a couple of times, then give 2 thorough full length scrubs of the pane. Top to bottom, all the way, instead of little scrubs like you did.

Then Run the brush along the top edge, down the side, give the bottom edge a scrub, then back up the other side, and give a slow rinse off the glass making sure stay away from the top 3 inches to prevent dirty runs out of the seals.

You've done really well though as you've been able to see the results and how good they were.

First cleans are always the hardest to get perfect.

Keep it up.

In the end you will be able to do the same window in about 1:30 seconds. Great stuff.

[Chris - CBWC]

Thanks very much for this.  Having done a few houses today, I can see I'm soaking the top frames (and middle ones) and then scrubbing the top of the window too much.  This is leaving too much water at the top so even after rinsing, there's too much water running down and dripping down from the top frame and seal, which I assume is what will leave the streaks and spots.

Gradually got quicker as time went on, I tried explaining to customers about the change over but they really weren't bothered, I was far more worried than they were!

I did manage to soak the inside of the first customer's house though, at the bottom of their doors there's a channel for water to run, which I rapidly filled then overflowed.  Someone recently posted how to clean those, I'll have to find it.  And I turned the flow down on the single pane windows with wooden frames as they're more likely to leak I think and no I didn't do the frames!

[Avo]

Yes your rinse should be "the closer the better" but FairPlay mate you will get faster over time..
The spotting could be the distance rinse that you were doing causes splashing.

[colin purewater]

I would put good money on them windows
Having drips all over the glass


Not knocking it bud but you need to check
Every Job when it's done

[Lee GLS]

Also, if that is an streamer brush then it's not really suitable for first cleans.

[Chris - CBWC]

I would put good money on them windows
Having drips all over the glass

Not knocking it bud but you need to check
Every Job when it's done

OK, but tell me why and help me out!

It's a dual trim sill brush and correct, not suitable for first cleans!  I've a got a flocked brush on there now, stiffer bristles, much better.

[Clever Forum Name]

Jesus mate look with your eyes and not your neck. You will put your neck out for weeks doing it like that. You are standing way to close to the windows.

You should be able to clean most top windows with only the slightest of tilted heads. How you have yours you will be in agony!

If you want a good tip (and i mean a really good tip) wear a backwards baseball cap. Have the peak so it will dig into your back, if you look up at too sharp an angle.

Technique will come, but having put my neck out for a nearly a year due to crap training, thought i would point it out straight away

[wightsurf]

I would not rinse the little window then straight after rinse the larger one under, and for sure not on a first clean.

[Lee GLS]

I would put good money on them windows
Having drips all over the glass

Not knocking it bud but you need to check
Every Job when it's done

OK, but tell me why and help me out!

It's a dual trim sill brush and correct, not suitable for first cleans!  I've a got a flocked brush on there now, stiffer bristles, much better.

I personally think you need to be more aggressive in you technique. Give the tops of the frames a really good scrub, I tend to concentrate on one section at a time, do the tops of the fan lights first and give them a really good rinse, then the tops of the other 2 windows and rinse.  Then Move on the the glass and the rest of the frames at the same time, really get the bristles into the corners and do the top of the glass with a side to side cleaning action, really go for it don't just tickle the glass like you are doing in the video.

[wightsurf]

As said work in sections
for me I would do tops of all the frames but the little window top frames first then moving along to the larger window top frames either side.

Next I would wash glass on the 2 small windows including the lower frames and rinse

then I would finish on the large windows touching the side frames as I clean the glass
rinse and seal swipe 

job done

[Chris - CBWC]

Jesus mate look with your eyes and not your neck. You will put your neck out for weeks doing it like that. You are standing way to close to the windows.

You should be able to clean most top windows with only the slightest of tilted heads. How you have yours you will be in agony!

If you want a good tip (and i mean a really good tip) wear a backwards baseball cap. Have the peak so it will dig into your back, if you look up at too sharp an angle.

Technique will come, but having put my neck out for a nearly a year due to crap training, thought i would point it out straight away

Yep very sore, thank you for this!!  Cap ready for tomorrow.  I'm using a 10" gooseneck but the angle isn't adjustable, it felt like I had to get closer to the windows to get the bristles square on the glass to scrub it properly, otherwise, with the change in pole angle, the bristles would be pointing more downwards.  I do have an adjustable neck but it's a standard one, not a gooseneck.  What do you use and are you regularly having to change the angle on any adjustable neck?

I personally think you need to be more aggressive in you technique. Give the tops of the frames a really good scrub, I tend to concentrate on one section at a time, do the tops of the fan lights first and give them a really good rinse, then the tops of the other 2 windows and rinse.  Then Move on the the glass and the rest of the frames at the same time, really get the bristles into the corners and do the top of the glass with a side to side cleaning action, really go for it don't just tickle the glass like you are doing in the video.

As said work in sections
for me I would do tops of all the frames but the little window top frames first then moving along to the larger window top frames either side.

Next I would wash glass on the 2 small windows including the lower frames and rinse

then I would finish on the large windows touching the side frames as I clean the glass
rinse and seal swipe 

job done

Thanks guys, I'm doing similar windows tomorrow so this is a big help.  Cleaning today I noticed all the extra drips and runs from the top, I keep going back to the top frames and very tops of the windows when I need to do it really really well at the start and then leave the tops alone.

[Clever Forum Name]

I use a resi neck from Gardiner.

But the longer one. It's about 4/5 inches.

I change the angle maybe 4 times
A month lol.

I use a dual trim sill brush. Very fast and great for sills.

The neck thing you can hide a tennis ball in your collar as well. If you don't wanna do the gangster cap lol

[andyM]

You definitely need to stand back more, put more pressure on your pole so that brush is splayed on the glass and scrub faster with a decent water flow.
Make it look like you are scrubbing the window clean.....not tickling it.  
That window should take no more than 30 seconds to 1 minute on a maintenance clean.
And don't lift the brush that far off the glass, you only need to lift off an inch or two.

[Crystal-clear]

get more pressure , that window should take no where near as long as the vid, as long as your water is 0 ppm or up to 10 most people say , dont worry just give it a good rince ,

[Chris - CBWC]

OK day 2 observations!

Neck
I use an SLX18 and extended it to its max (you're not supposed to clamp it on the red tape bits right?).  I stepped as far away from the windows as I could and started cleaning - eventually found the right angle on the resi neck, immediate improvement all round.  Trouble is, I wear glasses and moving my eyes up, rather than my head, means I look above my glasses and therefore the windows become all blurred.  Urgh, ridiculous, but I can't be the only WFPer with glasses...  I'll get contact lenses if that will help, but anything simpler for now?  My neck is slightly less painful stepping further away from the window, but you then lose some of the control of the pole and there's an increased strain on the arms, shoulders and back.  Presumably the SLX22 or SLX25 would be better, but again, being further away from the windows means more arm and back work.


Hoses
I have spent today and yesterday walking backwards and forwards dragging bits of hose around so I can get round a bush, or up to the windows, or round to the back garden - is there a knack to this that I'm missing?  Same with after finishing the house, hose everywhere and needs getting in the van though I pick it up as I walk back and that's less of a problem but still irritating!


Time
Please tell me it took you all ages on each house when you first went WFP? !!  I think I'm on around 90 minutes per 4 bed detached, maybe I shouldn't be doing the massive houses first, bit soul destroying, but they all have to be done.  Or maybe it's more than that, I'm only getting 3 or 4 houses done each day     When I go to do them the second, third, fourth times, in what way will it be different?  A quick pass on the frames, quick scrub of window, rinse and go?

It was great advice to scrub all the frames first, then rinse all the frames, then the various different panes, allowing time for them to stop dripping before working on the pane under it.  It's a noticeably better job, and I'm planning which window to do when before I turn the tap on, plus a flow rate of 85 is so much better.  I've also realised I usually don't need to scrub the frames fiercely as the dirt gets washed and then rinsed away - this is where I was burning a lot of my energy away.


Carabiner
I owe a beer to the gent who advised he uses one of these to keep his hose tap close by - brilliant idea and I am chasing it round the garden much less!  Though I do get a wet a*se when I open and close the tap and a bit of water spurts out.


I think that's everything, thanks all.  Now for stretching and exercises - one of the exercises my physio has always recommended has been to roll up a towel, lie on the floor on your back with the rolled up towel just below (or just on) your neck and straight down your spine.  Then put your arms out at about 45 degrees above your head.  Great for shoulders and pecks.

[oldman]

CBWC, remember Dennis Taylor the snooker player with his 'Upside-Down' glasses...should do the trick  .......

 http://www.glasses4less.net/acatalog/SNOOKER_SPECTACLES_UNISEX_METAL_SUPRA.html#.UvEbFWfuOcw

[Mike #1]

If them 4 bed houses are like twice the size of your average 4 bed house without a conny then you are taking about 45 mins to long .

An SLX22-25 would be far better as just been another 3ft or so away from the window whilst doing upstairs windows is so much easier buying an extra section to put on your current pole if that is viable .

Brush angle IMO is wrong it needs adjusting by a couple of clicks . As lee said the windows need a good scrubbing not to aggressive just in the middle of aggressive and what you are doing now .

On first cleans give tops of frame a good scrub first then give top of frame a  heavy rinse ensuring water runs clear  then scrub rest of frame and sill .

Then run the brush over a lower part of frame to get the dirt out of the brush then give top of frame another rinse just to be certain all dirt is rinsed away .

Depending on the house i may just do the all the front frames first and side window(s) then start on the glass of first window cleaned scrubbing 1 pane of glass then rinsing then moving onto the next pane of glass then finishing off with running brush over the sill .

As for the hose snagging it is a learning curve which you get the knack off overtime . Mike