Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: GB Window Cleaning on January 07, 2012, 04:28:21 pm
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okay so i know this as been asked before but im always interesting in keeping upto date in what others are doing!
this question is assuming the clean is a regular maintainance clean. 4,6,8 or 12 weekly clean, whichever frequency you provide.
i'd really appreciate if you took a couple of seconds to vote. it means alot to me!
many many thanks
george
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what ever it takes :D
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what ever it takes :D
but how can you tell what its takes? thanks
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ive been scrubbing and rinsing a lot more the last few days and i think itll continue for a month until im round all my work!!the windows are so much more dirty due to the bad weather we ve had plus im late getting round with the xmas break!! :( :( ;D ;D ;D
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yeah i know what you mean daz with the wind we have had the windows have been very dirty.
but i'll be honest i mostly dont really notice how dirty they are (unless they are very very dirty like as of late) because you cant really see the 1st floor or above and when your doing the ground floor there wet from the drips so you cant really see if there dirty either when there wet!
thanks mate
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I've got No set in stone hard rule for scrubbing - i don't really think about how many times I go over the glass/frames to be honest - I just scub till I'm satisfied it's clean
It's probably a couple of times with each tho coz I hate hanging round too long!! :)
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I've got No set in stone hard rule for scrubbing - i don't really think about how many times I go over the glass/frames to be honest - I just scub till I'm satisfied it's clean
It's probably a couple of times with each tho coz I hate hanging round too long!! :)
as above until i think its clean.
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okay so i know this as been asked before but im always interesting in keeping upto date in what others are doing!
this question is assuming the clean is a regular maintainance clean. 4,6,8 or 12 weekly clean, whichever frequency you provide.
i'd really appreciate if you took a couple of seconds to vote. it means alot to me!
many many thanks
george
once over frames and glass, incorporating the frames in the glass where possible. we clean 4 weekly. as bob says tho, if it needs it i'll spend longer... but when its not at ground floor level you cant always see.
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depends on circumstances bad weather,house on main roads
always dirtier take more work.i just take it as i find it.
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after reading some of posts on here been wondering if spending too long! go over frames once, maybe couple time on top bar. then glass once or twice.
I tend to have water on low as it seems to clean better, but if it's too high it uses a lot of water.
ps glad to be of service gb! anything to make you happy!
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so to illustrate my point this video is what i mean by "twice over glass"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfchUvavPxs&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL
thanks for watching
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okay so i know this as been asked before but im always interesting in keeping upto date in what others are doing!
this question is assuming the clean is a regular maintainance clean. 4,6,8 or 12 weekly clean, whichever frequency you provide.
i'd really appreciate if you took a couple of seconds to vote. it means alot to me!
many many thanks
george
once over frames and glass, incorporating the frames in the glass where possible. we clean 4 weekly. as bob says tho, if it needs it i'll spend longer... but when its not at ground floor level you cant always see.
yeah thats what i do but i go over the glass twice on anything above grounbd level but the frames only once regardless of height
thanks mate
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after reading some of posts on here been wondering if spending too long! go over frames once, maybe couple time on top bar. then glass once or twice.
I tend to have water on low as it seems to clean better, but if it's too high it uses a lot of water.
ps glad to be of service gb! anything to make you happy!
thanks as ;D
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when it looks clean ;D ;D ;D ;D
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when it looks clean ;D ;D ;D ;D
but what about high work! you cant see when its clean so you must have a method of working then? thanks for your input
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you can see by the way the water reacts, and feel it on higher stuff, it is hard to explain, you just get a feeling
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so to illustrate my point this video is what i mean by "twice over glass"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfchUvavPxs&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL
thanks for watching
In my eyes that video is a very good technique although a little slow.
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He didn't clean the top frame or the transom bar in the middle. Asking for trouble if you ask me.
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Alittle slow???
This guy's prices must be astronomical to make money at that speed...
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if thats general maintenance cleaning far too slow like
stuart said you can generally tell on most windows how
the water reacts when flowing down if you missed anything
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I think the vid is just about right - but with a bit more vigour. :)
I agree with spruce - needs more attention to the horizontal parts of the frame.
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too slow? :o the majority of you have voted once over frames twice over glass! that is just about what that video was! i agree he seems to avoid the frames. but if he did a once over the frames thats what it is!
so i must assume the people saying its too slow are the ones voting for once over frmaes once over glass? or the people that are not voting at all
again my technique at the minute is as this video on anything above ground floor (but including frames" and once over frames and glass on ground floor work ( as you can see better if you miss anything and give an axra scrub as and when required)
again thanks for reading and watching
you input is very welcome
george
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Yes the frames should of been given a quick clean.
But to be fair im wondering because it was being recorded they didn't work as fast as normal?
Im sure they can and do work faster than that when they want to.
That video was made by saj window cleaners.
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here is another video from S.A.J
again this is what i mean by twice over the glass...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcoKSgLtDLo&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL
thanks for watching folks
george
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and finally this is what i mean by once ove the glass...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSTRDhj9ihI&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL
i hope these videos will help you make a better informed vote
thankyou
george
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Hello George,
There are many things to consider when honing your technique. Frequency of clean. Is it on a main road. Has it been windy. Things close to the window that could affect it- trees can make windows dirtier, especially when it's been windy. Even hot weather- glass gets hot, dirt baked on, so more water and effort are neeeded. And so on and so on.
And you should be able to see how dirty a first floor window is. Try standing to the side a bit and concentrate on the top part of the window.
You really need to get it right in your own head and get a feel or instinct for what's needed.
By all means, take all the advise you can but take the bits that you need. You need to understand the different techniques and windows and know what is required and when.
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thanks g griffin, i appreiciate your time mate. some things to consider there!
george
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Hello George,
There are many things to consider when honing your technique. Frequency of clean. Is it on a main road. Has it been windy. Things close to the window that could affect it- trees can make windows dirtier, especially when it's been windy. Even hot weather- glass gets hot, dirt baked on, so more water and effort are neeeded. And so on and so on.
And you should be able to see how dirty a first floor window is. Try standing to the side a bit and concentrate on the top part of the window.
You really need to get it right in your own head and get a feel or instinct for what's needed.
By all means, take all the advise you can but take the bits that you need. You need to understand the different techniques and windows and know what is required and when.
so on average which one have/would you vote for?
thanks
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I move the brush with a lot more urgency than that, same as when i do it traditional, i am not hanging around or moving my hands/arms so slowly. So i probably clean the windows the same amount of times, more sometimes maybe, but a heck of a lot quicker basically!
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Both techniques are pretty sound and depending on the job you would clean accordingly.
In fairness to SAJ - you have to slow down your cleaning a little otherwise the video will look pants.
as with anything instructional there is no point doing it so fast that those wishing to learn cant see
whats happening.
anyway - the majority of cleans are done in a simular manner to the last vid
Darran
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Hello George,
There are many things to consider when honing your technique. Frequency of clean. Is it on a main road. Has it been windy. Things close to the window that could affect it- trees can make windows dirtier, especially when it's been windy. Even hot weather- glass gets hot, dirt baked on, so more water and effort are neeeded. And so on and so on.
And you should be able to see how dirty a first floor window is. Try standing to the side a bit and concentrate on the top part of the window.
You really need to get it right in your own head and get a feel or instinct for what's needed.
By all means, take all the advise you can but take the bits that you need. You need to understand the different techniques and windows and know what is required and when.
so on average which one have/would you vote for?
thanks
I couldn't say. 2 windows on the same house could be different. I'm still not very good with wfp but if I were I'd develop a technique so you know that the window will be clean- overkill, if you like- and then you'll probably get quicker and more confident as you gain experience.
As you go along, you might know a quick scrub and rinse on one house will do but another might need a bit more.
Understanding how to clean is the thing, in my opinion, rather than set 'rules'.
Btw, George, can you trad? Because it's the same with trad and when I first started (trad), I was getting marks/kicks on some windows because I wasn't cleaning the glass well enough. On some windows, one pass with the applicator wasn't enough and other it was.
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Hello George,
There are many things to consider when honing your technique. Frequency of clean. Is it on a main road. Has it been windy. Things close to the window that could affect it- trees can make windows dirtier, especially when it's been windy. Even hot weather- glass gets hot, dirt baked on, so more water and effort are neeeded. And so on and so on.
And you should be able to see how dirty a first floor window is. Try standing to the side a bit and concentrate on the top part of the window.
You really need to get it right in your own head and get a feel or instinct for what's needed.
By all means, take all the advise you can but take the bits that you need. You need to understand the different techniques and windows and know what is required and when.
so on average which one have/would you vote for?
thanks
I couldn't say. 2 windows on the same house could be different. I'm still not very good with wfp but if I were I'd develop a technique so you know that the window will be clean- overkill, if you like- and then you'll probably get quicker and more confident as you gain experience.
As you go along, you might know a quick scrub and rinse on one house will do but another might need a bit more.
Understanding how to clean is the thing, in my opinion, rather than set 'rules'.
Btw, George, can you trad? Because it's the same with trad and when I first started (trad), I was getting marks/kicks on some windows because I wasn't cleaning the glass well enough. On some windows, one pass with the applicator wasn't enough and other it was.
yeah i can trad, i find the difference with trad though is you can see straight away when you bladed the glass if it needs another pass.
this time of year with wfp you can never be 100% its clean becuase it hasnt dried most the time by the time you leave, so ive been going back to houses to check up and noticed i few bits on some glass.
but mostly i stared this poll to gauge what others do to see if im over doing it. as im always looking to improve technique and as they say... "time = moneys" ;D
thanks for you input mate
george
keep the votes coming dudes 8) many thanks to you all who have voted so far
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this is what it says on the gardiners website for those who havnt read it already...
Pure-Water Pole-Fed Basic Operating Instructions
This section will provide a basic guide to using a WFP set-up. Please note that it is only provided as a guide and is not definitive as there are many variations in methods.
Having filled the vehicle tank, you are now ready to start cleaning windows -
1. Pull your hose end out of vehicle. Plug in hose reel and reel out your microbore to the furthest point first and then work back.
2. Ensure your pump is switched on. Plug pole in. Extend pole.
3. Turn on flow valve.
4. Always start by brushing the whole window first with your water flow on, concentrating on top edge of glass first as this is where most dirt collects. This is where you start rinsing so you want to get it really clean. Brush entire window at least twice. If this is a first clean you may need to brush and rinse several times.
5. Once window pane has been brushed, you need to rinse off. Holding your pole head 10-12 inches from the window pane you need to rinse the window pane. Your aim is to achieve a 'water-curtain' effect from the top of the pane down. Always build up a 'head' of water at the top and then follow it down the pane with the water jets. Never try to rinse too wide a section of glass at a time, ie, you may have just brushed down a 10 ft wide window but rinse it off in 2 ft strips down.
If cleaning Georgian windows, only rise two panes width down at a time. Check your window after rinsing for any bits that need an extra rinse or even another scrub.
Words of caution-
Vents, be very careful on some modern windows with top mounted vents as these can hold a lot of dirt. When rinsing down be careful not to spray any water into these vents, as it will later run back down as 'dirty' water usually about 5 minutes after you walk away from the window!
Old Windows, these will need a thorough scrub the first clean and careful rinsing afterward as they can hold a lot of dirt in the cracked putty.
That's it - it's simple.
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Need your services dude ;)
Not next week week after if your available ?
Call me on mobile tomorrow night if your about as cant talk for hours tonight ;D have to get a few sites changed and online ;)
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we have been using a detergent on the window with wfp over last 2 week becouse of the winds making the windows really greasy and have found it quicker than scrubbing for ages we quickly soap up all the windows on the entire house and by the time you wfp them all and do a good rinse they come up immaculate with no spotting at all.
but usually never use detergent normally
as for amount of times over glass it is till it feels clean as well as looks clean
but we know now which houses are bad and which are easy so are preperedto spend extra time on the difficult ones
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so i did a little speed test today on one house, i went over the 1st and 2nd floor using my normal method on the pole but on the ground floor i literally whipped over them, just to see what i can get away with.
the glass was quite dirty for a 4 weekly clean given the wind weve had but to my suprise when i went cback to check them over when they had dries they were perfet :o just goes to show how little brushing is required to get perfect results!
when i say "whipped" over them, i normally go up and down for about 2 or 3 brush strokes per pass (1 pass usually on the ground floor and 2 on anything above ground floor) but for this speed test i just went for one maybe two brush strokes over the glass
just to let you know i use a "sl extreme standard brush" on a good flow rate so i think this might have something to do with it also
thanks for reading
please let me know what you think
george
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i think your overthinking into it all GB!!!
use a higher flow rate and scrub and rinse a bit more if their dirty(like they are at the mo with all the wind we ve had!!).
if they are pretty clean "splash and dash!!" ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
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i think your overthinking into it all GB!!!
use a higher flow rate and scrub and rinse a bit more if their dirty(like they are at the mo with all the wind we ve had!!).
if they are pretty clean "splash and dash!!" ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
thats what i mean though daz mate, its amazing how you can plash and dash glass even when its dirty and get perfect results!
i think this pure water we use is more "aggressive" for cleaning than alot give it credit for, some think you need detergent but you dont.
however, i find white upvc frames to need more scrubbing than glass when its got bird muck etc ground in for a few weeks. but im assuming this is because plastic is more absorbent (porous) than glass
its seems so far most have voted to passes on the glass and one pass over frames, always best be safe than sorry i suppose but i urge you to try one pass of about 2 or 3 brush stroke over each section of the glass on the ground floor where you can see the results close up and let me know how it dries! just try it on one window tomorrow at least!
thanks
george
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hi, i've been wfp for year & half now, after 21 years on trad, and i just treat the frame work same as the glass, it all collects the same grime !!
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still been doing my speed tests today! ;D ive been going over the ground floors like lightening and i cant get bad results if i try (nearly) :o
ive been going back to look at the windows after they have dried too and im really inspecting them well and the sun as been low and bright today too! and they are very dirty before i clean them with all the wind thats been around laterly! i must say im pleasently shocked ???
anyway good voting so far, its seems twice over the glasss is favourite. better safe than sorry i suppose. to you ot who are voting 3 and 4 times over glass i think your waisting a lot of water maybe! why so much scubbing?
keep the votes coming please
george
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still been doing my speed tests today! ;D ive been going over the ground floors like lightening and i cant get bad results if i try (nearly) :o
ive been going back to look at the windows after they have dried too and im really inspecting them well and the sun as been low and bright today too! and they are very dirty before i clean them with all the wind thats been around laterly! i must say im pleasently shocked ???
anyway good voting so far, its seems twice over the glasss is favourite. better safe than sorry i suppose. to you ot who are voting 3 and 4 times over glass i think your waisting a lot of water maybe! why so much scubbing?
keep the votes coming please
george
confidence
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still been doing my speed tests today! ;D ive been going over the ground floors like lightening and i cant get bad results if i try (nearly) :o
ive been going back to look at the windows after they have dried too and im really inspecting them well and the sun as been low and bright today too! and they are very dirty before i clean them with all the wind thats been around laterly! i must say im pleasently shocked ???
anyway good voting so far, its seems twice over the glasss is favourite. better safe than sorry i suppose. to you ot who are voting 3 and 4 times over glass i think your waisting a lot of water maybe! why so much scubbing?
keep the votes coming please
george
confidence
yeah... confidence i suppose. i think some of you need to experiment like me, flash ove some ground floors where the custards arnt in all day, then go back later when they have dried to check results
step 2, repeat using faster technique if good results or more scrubbing if poor results
also do this on the dirtiest windows you have on your round so you know it will work on anything else!
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don't forget mr GB it's quite difficult when your in bird muck or fly/bee crap season......can take an awful lot of scrubbing then, maybe even soaking for a bit.
I personally spend too long rinsing. when started, did it to be safe, and not stopped since lol.
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don't forget mr GB it's quite difficult when your in bird muck or fly/bee crap season......can take an awful lot of scrubbing then, maybe even soaking for a bit.
I personally spend too long rinsing. when started, did it to be safe, and not stopped since lol.
oh yeah true, i dont deny if you see marks that need more scubbing then thats what you do