Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: dazmond on June 16, 2010, 08:08:28 am
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ive been wfp for 2 days now and its took me around 3 hours extra to clean the same amount of properties that i usually do trad.its cost me more to do it(ie resin/water and the results have been unpredictable!(some have come up fantastic though!)you just dont know what your leaving behind!what do you do?go back and redo?wasting even more time than you already have!.its not making good business sense at all at the moment! ::)
some of you have suggested that i clean both upper and ground floor windows with wfp and i think this is a BIG MISTAKE and it could ruin my reputation as a good window cleaner!ive been trad for 16 years.
most custys dont look at the upper windows as much as say a kitchen or living room window and im starting to feel uneasy when i go back to check that theyve come up ok!
with gg3 and trad i can do a fantastic job on ground floor windows with no problems,worrying whether ive made a mess of them.
on the positive side ive not had to climb any ladders apart from a single pointer for opening a back gate!
i feel like ive more energy to work longer if i wish as im not constantly climbing ladders!
the frames on white upvc have come up great and this is my selling point!i keep banging on about them to custys!!
its a much more thorough way of cleaning with wfp as ive been cleaning the frames as well and they look brand new in a lot of cases!
anyway im going to make another coffee then im back out there again with the bloody thing!at least its nice and sunny.the windows will dry quicker! ::) ::) ::)
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some of you have suggested that i clean both upper and ground floor windows with wfp and i think this is a BIG MISTAKE and it could ruin my reputation as a good window cleaner!ive been trad for 16 years.
When you realise that WFP does a superior job you'll start doing the downstairs too, if the madness of the fact of using 2 methods on 1 property doesnt first.
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It will be much quicker to do tops and bottoms wfp, the bottoms will be fine,be ready for the odd custy to cancel people just don't like change mate
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Daz - WFP is superb you just need to stick with it and as time goes by you get better and be confident of the results.
perhaps instead of 100% change over and getting bogged down/stressed, why not select 4 or 5 custy's each day to be WFP and do the rest trad - next time you do that round select another 4/5 then over 4 or 5 months you get everyone WFP - less stress no late nights and you will get more confident about the whole thing
Darran
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on properties with good upvc frames then wfp on downstairs windows is fine but not on certain old wooden windows or oxidised frames!
im using it on all good quality windows but not on the above
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ive only been wfp for 8 weeks i did the lot upstairs and down stairs wfp
but down stairs i just dried them off made me feel happy on the frist clean now second time i just leave them wet
and i alway leave a letter explaing what ive done and not lost one couple of worried custys but fine
it will get easier
i did 2 houses on monday if i laddered them would take me 40 mins this time wfp 20 mins £20.00
;)
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You`ll have it all sorted by the end of the World Cup ;)
.................in Brazil 2014 ;D
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thanks smudger sounds like a good idea but its both feet first for me!all or nothing!(apart from dodgy frames etc!!)
i couldnt just clean say 5 properties wfp then trad the rest until next time!im getting used to not climbing ladders now!
AND THAT IS THE FANTASTIC THING ABOUT WFP!! ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
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personaly i find wfp the most boring way of cleaning ever. i get nowhere near the sattisfaction i did
from the job as i did when i was trad. :'(
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dazmond you are at the first months stage and it is one of the hardest.. Ok I have said it before and will say it again WFP can be a lot easier if you have the right setup, it can really make a big differance to your work
First going to a pole is going you give you neck pain even if you get a light pole, But I would definitely get the lightest pole you can get it really makes the Job easier ... For the price I would get a harris pole for your standard house..
I know you have a trolly and I would start to think about a van system..
and as for knowing what the windows will be like when you leave the house, Well your idea of cleaning half the house with WFP is not so bad . It will save you water and you only half to check the ups .. As time goes on and you know what windows to use the pole on you can increase.. I do a few downstairs with the trad but what people are saying about doing the whole house WFP is right there is only a few that need trad ..... It just takes time you will get there ;)
Adders
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After 6 years wfp, I still find it as, if not more knackering than trad! I use slx, sl2 & superlite's too ???
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your doing sumet wrong pet
After 6 years wfp, I still find it as, if not more knackering than trad! I use slx, sl2 & superlite's too ???
,its a huge lurning cerve dimand lad but stick with it
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your doing sumet wrong petAfter 6 years wfp, I still find it as, if not more knackering than trad! I use slx, sl2 & superlite's too ???
,its a huge lurning cerve dimand lad but stick with it
;D ;D ;D
Don't think so son, I just don't find trad knackering at all, especially with wagtails it's even easier & quicker than having two tools. ;)
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dont get stressed over what the results might be like when windows dry, if the custys are well informed that it can take a few cleans to get right then all will be fine.
What i did was say to the custy "if the results are not as good as my previous meathod after 3 cleans then i`l give you the money back for all three cleans" because i`ve come to realize that 90% of the results are fine first time round and the rest will be ok after next time.
And i do downstairs wfp to, i think it shows confidence in your chosen meathod.
Its been 6 months for me now and i`ve lost 2 custys because of the change over but gained much bigger jobs such as appartment blocks
steve
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on properties with good upvc frames then wfp on downstairs windows is fine but not on certain old wooden windows or oxidised frames!
im using it on all good quality windows but not on the above
seems to me [and i know nowt] that wfp suits big posh houses with good double glazed windows the bigger the better interesting different for round here with loads of 2up 2 downs,anyway nobody can fault your effort and enthusiasm good man dazzmond ;D must be quicker as well if you had gone van mount and done them all wfp keep changing will slow you down.
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Hi Daz
Thorough rinsing is the real key to WFP - especially on a first WFP clean. After that it gets easier each clean.
I do the occasional trad window and I must admit I do like doing it but I wouldn't do it full time. Can't stand the thought of lugging a ladder around and setting it up at each window.
Keep the faith ;D
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Doing some downstairs windows trad for the time being isn't a bad idea and then change them to wfp when your more confident you can do a perfect job every time. When doing first cleans with dirty frames I go around the house twice, first pass I give a good scrub on the frames and go over the windows breifly then on the second pass I go very fast over just the glass, it gives the frames a chance to drain off and not spoil the windows.
Doing the first clean right is important as from then on you can fly around your work with confidence they will dry well. In a few months you won't believe the speed increase. I would also say make sure you leave the glass clean as some people are funny and won't see the fact that there frames are gleaming they'll just be cheesed off that their glass isn't clean
Simon.
Simon.
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better day today! ;D ;D
put tap on pole again today so no wet leg like yesterday!worked 930-430 and was about an hour and half slower than if id cleaned them trad.
EVERYTHING got the wfp treatment bar 2 windows above 2 flat roofs(2 ladderclimbs!!)
all frames and glass were gleaming bar the odd run from the middle of a window below 2 small openers and a few spots particularly at the top of the odd windows! ::)
any thoughts on how to prevent these?
i used just less than 250L ALL DAY!! ;D ;D
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hose got on my nerves a bit today!snagging on everything and kinking!! >:( >:(
but i love the trolley!very handy piece of kit!a van mount would mean even more hose etc!im happy with the trolley for now.
i will be using it as a mini van mount though on occasions next week!! ;) ;) ;D ;D
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If the frames are anything like mine Dazmond, it`s probably them.
I know you`ve prepped them but a wipe with a damp m/fibre isn`t going to be enough. There`s years of dirt built up on them.
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on properties with good upvc frames then wfp on downstairs windows is fine but not on certain old wooden windows or oxidised frames!
On these ones I would just stick to doing the glass if the frames are that bad. As you get used to using WFP you will learn to spot the problem windows. Keep at it mate it does get eaiser and before you know it you'll wonder how you got by without WFP. I have been using it now for 5 years and haven't even been up a ladder for the last 3 ;)
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better day today! ;D ;D
a few spots particularly at the top of the odd windows! ::)
any thoughts on how to prevent these?
i used just less than 250L ALL DAY!! ;D ;D
Probably because you only used less than 250L all day....
You may need to rinse more :)
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your water usage will go up as your speed increases, as you will be cleaning more houses per day,a high flow rate enables you to work quicker, and know the windows are still getting a good rinse.
you know you are up to speed when you strart running out of work ,and need to canvass more to fill the gaps.
daz
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at what flow rate aer you cleaning?
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Hi Dazmond
I am following your posts with interest, it reminds me of when I started, I use the trolley with only the hose from the pole and a seperate 10mt bit just to get around the back of houses. Keep your hose clean and wind it up in a loop after use, do not wrap it around your hand and elbow to wind it up as in time it will take on a twist and it will be difficult to get it out(asuming we talking about the 5mm pole hose) my 8mm hose is on a reel and is used when pumping from my van mount.
Keep it up you are doing OK
Cheers Dan
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Dazmond. I promise it will improve. I started off getting a long way behind. A few months later, the work that was a 6 week plod on a ladder was taking 3 and a half weeks with WFP.
I really think you should get a van mount as soon as you can afford it. Although the freedom trolley is fine, van mounts are just so much quicker than trollies - and lighter work. I use a van mount - and sometimes use a WCW backpack for places where it's not practical to run a hose.
Most problems with first cleans will come right on the second cleans.
I found in the end that I needed to be a bit brutal and I let go of some work where I needed to wheel a trolley down loads of walkways and keep returning to the van for refills.
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a lot that i do wfp; i just dry the bottoms off with a micro 10 secs= peace of mind
plus you get a better job ;)
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a lot that i do wfp; i just dry the bottoms off with a micro 10 secs= peace of mind
plus you get a better job ;)
please tell me you are joking ???
daz
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why joking ::)
its a lot faster just to put a bit of water on then clean off plus keeps the custys onside
if your doing it with pure water your not carring loads of gear about
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????????????????????????? :o :o :o thats not the way to do it
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so a job today; supermarket green tint on windows drying all spots you lot would just leave them; ::)
if you did them with trad soap they dry as soon as you look at them ;)
they are out in the open wind blowing at them but the only way is to wfp them best you can
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????????????????????????? :o :o :o thats not the way to do it
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thats not the way to do what upvc/ wood frames alloy frames/ all windows can be done different ways ;)
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another job to day white painted frames; water running down white how shall i do these
wfp thenjust leave >:(
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why joking ::)
its a lot faster just to put a bit of water on then clean off plus keeps the custys onside
if your doing it with pure water your not carring loads of gear about
I cannot see a problem with that, How you do you work is how you do it,
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hot water
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another job to day white painted frames; water running down white how shall i do these
wfp thenjust leave >:(
Had a first clean like this today, terrible white ally frames water turning milky, just gave it a longer scrub and rinse, came out fine.
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had my flow rate on 60 all day (like yesterday)and it felt at times i was rinsing forever!! ::)
i will probably use more tommorrow as ill be working longer!
im not really getting behind much with my work as im working harder and longer!! ;) ;D
its just this first month of first cleans to get out of the way then im sure itll get a bit easier and faster and ill start thinking of better ways of saving time!
i enjoyed it today and ive noticed im not as tired as i would be if i was climbing ladders all day so ill be working longer tommorrow!
if i use all my 300L i can always top up another 100L with my small DI in the van! ;) ;D ;D ;D
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i also had 2 properties today with a few oxidized frames and i first noticed the milky water dripping down!so i moved on to another window and waited for the frames to stop dripping then very carefully just scrubbed the glass avoiding the edges and double rinsed again avoiding the frames and they came up ok!!well chuffed!! :D :D
some of my custys commented on what a fantastic job i had done of both the frames and glass!
im putting the effort into the first cleans and getting them frames up to scratch,and the glass looks good on some of em!! ;) ;) :P :P
regards
dazmond