Should i panic?

« **on:** March 21, 2006, 03:22:11 pm »

Hi everyone, another new one here. You all seem to give great advice for new starters so heres my situation. Ive just put together a round and in four days managed to find thirty odd customers. The problem is ive cleaned very few windows before and only have this week to practice before visiting paying customers.
Should i panic? Is it so hard to clean a window?

Phil

« **Reply #1 on:** March 21, 2006, 03:29:52 pm »

what i did was practiced on my own windows then i done my neighbours houses and friends

« **Reply #2 on:** March 21, 2006, 04:12:45 pm »

Good Luck Phil.

Wishing you all the best for your new business.

(Is that your real name btw? From the Eastend perhaps??)

Lizzy

« **Reply #3 on:** March 21, 2006, 04:40:42 pm »

Is it so hard to clean a window?.............oh dear, you are in for a surprise methinks!

Once you know what you are doing it isn't hard at all, it is getting to that position is the hard bit.
If you have never cleaned windows before I would very strongly suggest you sign up as soon as possible for one of the courses that the B.W.C.A. run.

You will be shown all the correct techniques and all the correct tools to use. You'll be about Health and Safety, presumably they will also give you advice on pricing too.

If you are a window cleaning newbie then it will shorten your learning curve enourmously.

http://www.express-cleaning-supplies.co.uk/oos/trainingcourses/bwca1011204.html

Check out the link.

Window cleaning is much more demanding than it looks and there is a lot more skill involved than you might perhaps imagine.

We are all here to help you though, if you have any problems you need solving, we are all poised with our fingers hovering over the keyboard waiting to help

....Marital problems we might struggle with mind

Welcome to the forum Phil,

Ian

« **Reply #4 on:** March 21, 2006, 04:48:20 pm »

Id Stick to acting

no but seriously all the best keep us all posted

« **Reply #5 on:** March 21, 2006, 05:04:48 pm »

no don't panic. We all started somewhere. If you said you had 240 customers to start with i might have panicked for you.

Remember my 1st job 20 months ago. 2 bungalows. Took me almost 3 hours. I felt like i'd been jumped on after i finished.
I needed a rest after every pane. Not window.

They take me 35 minutes now.

You might as well get paid to practice 'cos that's what you'll be doing anyway.
Just take your time and make sure you do them properly. I've never had a complaint that i've taken too long.
The speed will come.

Good luck

mark

« **Reply #6 on:** March 21, 2006, 07:27:58 pm »

dont panic .it will probably take you a while to get a good result,but tell your customers your just starting and that youll be happy to re do any mistakes and they will probably bear with you

« **Reply #7 on:** March 21, 2006, 07:51:57 pm »

Quote from: Phil Mitchell

Is it so hard to clean a window?

Phil

Phil,

I was in the same boat as yourself when I first started. I'd only ever had a window cleaner on ONE occassion and that was because I paid him an extortionate amount of money to come and clean my windows as a 'one-off'. He wouldn't add me to his round as he didn't 'do' where I lived.

Anyway, the simple answer is 'No', it's not hard to clean a window.

Really easy, mate. Honest.

The trick is to do it fast enough to make good money out of cleaning a window.

Then there's the customer handling skills.

Also:

The getting your money skills.

The building up a well-paying round skills.

The health and safety skills.

The pricing up skills.

The hardwork and determination skills.

The coping with bad-weather skills.

The administration skills; who owes you what?

And probably a lot of other stuff I can't think of.

Phil,

Do you know any local window cleaners who could take you out for a day or two, or thrice?

« **Reply #8 on:** March 21, 2006, 08:00:44 pm »

cleaning windows is the easy part, getting paid, getting people to leave open gates,being safe, and putting up with the ones that mess you about but once you can it's a great job
good luck simb0

« **Reply #9 on:** March 21, 2006, 08:32:57 pm »

Quote from: marcus norton on March 21, 2006, 04:48:20 pm

Id Stick to acting

Well 'ard!

Trial and error, give it a bash.
It won't take you long to pick it up mate.
Mastering it? Years...and years.....

« **Reply #10 on:** March 22, 2006, 07:58:46 am »

Many thanks everyone, great advice. Going to start practicing today so I'll let you all know how I get on. Yes, that is my real name but no I'm not from the east end and I certainly don't terrorize people. This is a great forum, well chuffed.
I live in rural Norfolk so my prices will reflect that. Charging 80p per window, so once I'm up to speed I should make a decent living. Some posts have mentioned normal working hours are 8am to 3pm, is this the norm?

Cheers ladies and gents, nice one!

« **Reply #11 on:** March 22, 2006, 08:06:39 am »

Be polite and dont over-explain yourself to your customers, with the customers you do have take your time untill you master it. It's not too hard.

All the best

Bear

« **Reply #12 on:** March 22, 2006, 09:23:28 am »

Hi Phil. Definately no need to panic just keep practising and eventually it will click. Just always aim to do your best and you wont go far wrong. Happy cleaning.

« **Reply #13 on:** March 22, 2006, 10:42:28 pm »

A lot of wc's seem to finish fairy early but its up to you. if your mainly cleaning residential then your a little restricted with your start time as not many people want you round too early. Having said that, you'll eventually identify customers who leave for work early hence you can adapt your working order accordingly. You'll find Nov,dec and Jan the tricky months where basically you have to finish early, but for the rest of the year, I personally like to work onto 5 or 6pm and try and take the odd Friday off. ( prepare to come home knackered though). Now my round is fairy full, i only take on new customers who are ok with not having their windows cleaned over the winter months, hence making the most of the extra hours of daylight between march-October without putting too much pressure on myself over winter to keep everyone happy. Which part of Norfolk are you in, you cant be that far from South Lincs, my neck of the woods. Cheers Nick

« **Reply #14 on:** March 22, 2006, 11:11:10 pm »

Quote from: Nick Burton on March 22, 2006, 10:42:28 pm

A lot of wc's seem to finish fairy early .....

Now my round is fairy full, .....

i only take on new customers who are ok with not having their windows cleaned over the winter months, hence making the most of the extra hours of daylight between march-October without putting too much pressure on myself over winter to keep everyone happy. Which part of Norfolk are you in, you cant be that far from South Lincs, my neck of the woods. Cheers Nick

You've got a lot of fairies on your round! Not in Brighton is it?

Seriously tho'

I tell many new customers that I'll "do" them monthly in spring summer and every other month in late autumn/winter - this means that they've got me regularly and that the price is higher and I'm not overstretched in the shorter, darker, wetter days of winter.....

« **Reply #15 on:** March 22, 2006, 11:21:10 pm »

Hi Phil

Don't panic, just see it as learning to do something.

I think take it easy and take it slowly and with ladders, think carefully.

After mopping the glass and squeegie'ing, use 2 cloths, one to wipe round the frame and the sill, and one to go round the edges of the glass. Try to keep the one that you use to wipe around the glass as dry as possible. If you can, take more clothes than you'll think you'll need.

Also, to start with it can be very frustrating as it can take so long to do one house and window cleaning is to start with very tiring.

When me and a mate started window cleaning is was like Laurel and Hardy. We had no one to ask so it was trial and error. I just wish this forum was there then. Life would have been much easier.

If I can do it, so can you so stick at it and don't be scared to ask even the most seemingly silly of questions. I've asked loads and always got good replies.

Hi Malc

Quote

You've got a lot of fairies on your round! Not in Brighton is it?

I live there... I'm not a fairy but I do admit during winter that we do tend to finish earlier. But there again, so does the rest of Brighton. Winter is when we should all be hibernating.

Cheers

« **Reply #16 on:** March 23, 2006, 03:48:19 pm »

Hi everyone. Been out today practicing and took all your advice on board. For cleaning i've been using an over the shoulder Glazy window wash system. Does the job well but kept knocking my legs when going up the ladder. When I'm more confident i may switch to a bucket but for now at least both hands are free to hold on. The hight worried me a little but by house three I was fine. Took a cloth up for the frames, took time but the results were excellent. The only problems that occured were when a was dove tailing across. I kept on leaving smears when turning the blade and often found myself struggling to keep the rubber off the frame.
I've got an Unger so i know my equipment is ok, I guess I've just got to keep on practicing. Any advice would be welcome. Thanks for all your replys, its a great help, if you were all local I'd buy you a pint.
Yes i am near south Lincs, about an hours drive from Sutton Bridge. I live ten miles from Norwich so not too far! Take care all, I'll be in touch

Phil

« **Reply #17 on:** March 23, 2006, 07:52:19 pm »

http://www.wagtail.com/ergonomicreport.htm

try following these instructions to get your s stroke and dont forget to dog ear that squeegee....it works!

greg

start slow it all speeds up in no time at all, by the summer you will be flying through work.

« **Reply #18 on:** March 23, 2006, 07:56:25 pm »

Phil

I know a bloke called Martyn Kemp who works in Kings Lynn - hows that for a coincedence.

Marc

« **Reply #19 on:** March 23, 2006, 08:28:26 pm »

I Think Pj's up along the 47 Phil

But he does like a certain anonymity though

He may be encouraged to post here you never know

Chris

Having said that I'm not too far away

« **Reply #20 on:** March 24, 2006, 08:59:43 am »

Another thing to remember when you are up ladders and concentrating on the windows, Dont over reach and take silly risks! Just been on a Health and safety course with BWCA this week so am now a H+S anorak!
Oh, and make sure your ladder is leaning against the wall at 75°

« **Reply #21 on:** March 25, 2006, 01:01:24 am »

Quote from: Phil Mitchell on March 23, 2006, 03:48:19 pm

When I'm more confident i may switch to a bucket but for now at least both hands are free to hold on.

Phil, do you use a bucket on a belt?

http://www.cleantech.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=68

« **Reply #22 on:** March 25, 2006, 07:24:07 am »

Hi Mark
Thanks for the link. Im going to order one asap. This is what I've ordered so far, ladder,1 scrim cut into 4, 3 different size channels plus rubber and two quick release handles, 1 Tbar and mop, Glazey Window System, Glass Gleam 4 cleaner, leather holder, scraper and bucket.
I guess my inexperience is shining through not getting a boab but we all have to start somewhere eh!
Going to practice some more today and then its paying customers Monday, wish me luck!!!
Phil

« **Reply #23 on:** March 25, 2006, 10:28:13 am »

get some spare blades for your scraper you are going to need them if the houses haven't been cleaned in a while!

« **Reply #24 on:** March 27, 2006, 05:41:14 pm »

main thing when starting is just to take your time, it can be tiring at the start so go slow, do a good job and after a while you'll start to speed up.