Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: cornwallwindows on June 05, 2014, 08:01:58 am
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I've been told that working in the winter can be pretty tricky, with less customers and weather, even in Cornwall!
Are there any decent agencies I can join to bump up my income?
Would be interesting to know how the rest of us pole pushers get through the dark months…..!!
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i earn the same in winter as i do in spring/summer bar the extra add on jobs unless we have heavy snow.thats where an "emergency fund" comes in handy.even then i can often work in snow and ice if its not too severe.
fit a hot water system.
use a heater to stop your gear freezing up on cold nights.
a broom and grit/ice melt in van for sweeping away standing water.
good waterproof winter clothing,gloves and boots.
all my customers get their windows cleaned all year round
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As above, working in winter, so far, has not proved much of an issue. I may well get held up for a week in extreme circumstances, but i just get as much as i can done, when i can!
Oh, and i don't have a hot water system :)
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You're Geographically fortunate in that unless you live up on Bodmin Moor it never seems to get very cold in Cornwall !
My work is the same all the year round and last Winter particularly hardly froze at all.
February gales were fun though.
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In the winter your biggest enemy will probably be yourself - - once you force yourself out the door you'll probably find business pretty much carries on as usual.
The important bits to remember are:
1. Look after yourself - quality boots, gloves, hat etc etc.
2. Look after your system - take precautions against frost
3. There will be wet days and whilst most customers don't mind its still handy to have a wet weather list, so if you are running any advertising or promotions this time of year them promote things that aren't weather dependent like pressure washing or gutter cleaning.
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As above, working in winter, so far, has not proved much of an issue. I may well get held up for a week in extreme circumstances, but i just get as much as i can done, when i can!
Oh, and i don't have a hot water system :)
Not been on the go long then Simon?
2009-2010 was pretty bad really bad effing terrible. The mercury scarcely went above zero for months. Very nearly finished us off.
Make hay while the sun shines, rain pours, wind howls, 'cause when it gets to -22 (not that that is very likely in Cornwall) you aint cleaning much.
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Winter is the same as any other time of year unless we have
an extreme cold snap,i work weekends in the autumn and put the
proceeds aside just incase of the worse case scenario.
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Here in North West Bristol we are a degree or two warmer than the surrounding country side due to Big City effect and being near the Severn estuary/Bristol Channel as well. Being moderately to the West and South we are another couple of degrees warmer than say the Midlands.
In Cornwall you are probably 2 or 3 degrees warmer than us again so I reckon if the average British temperature was in the Midlands then you will be 5 degrees better off.
Since I have been wfp we have had a couple of very cold snaps - Dec 2010 was about -10 at it's lowest round "our way" and we have had some other cold snaps too. I work down to about zero in the daytime and like Daz take a broom and grit/salt for when it gets colder at night.
An immersion heater is a good plan too.
Last winter was mild by comparison.
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Last winter was mild by comparison.
Last winter was non existent.
100 days of snow?
http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/443462/Winter-2013-expected-to-be-worst-since-1947-with-heavy-and-persistent-snow-forecast-for-UK
::)roll
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These last two years I've done better during the winter months than the summer ones.
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As above, working in winter, so far, has not proved much of an issue. I may well get held up for a week in extreme circumstances, but i just get as much as i can done, when i can!
Oh, and i don't have a hot water system :)
Not been on the go long then Simon?
2009-2010 was pretty bad really bad effing terrible. The mercury scarcely went above zero for months. Very nearly finished us off.
Make hay while the sun shines, rain pours, wind howls, 'cause when it gets to -22 (not that that is very likely in Cornwall) you aint cleaning much.
I remember it well, lost nearly 6 weeks in row wouldn't want too many winters like that.
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correct me if i am wrong........it is june????
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I guess this is something to be more concerned about - the last 5 years include three winters that were MUCH colder than normal, and last winter was one of the wettest & stormiest on record too.
It might not be time to scramble for the office jobs yet, but its good to get prepared for the worst nice & early...
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These last two years I've done better during the winter months than the summer ones.
that's because you actually get out and work in the winter.... In the summer you bimble to the nudist beach and spend all day there.. :o ... so I have been told anyhow..
;D ;D ;D
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"bimble" - good word, Hector; (note to self) must add to general conversation. E.g.
Oi, Dan! Stop bimbling about and get on with the windows.
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As above, working in winter, so far, has not proved much of an issue. I may well get held up for a week in extreme circumstances, but i just get as much as i can done, when i can!
Oh, and i don't have a hot water system :)
Not been on the go long then Simon?
2009-2010 was pretty bad really bad effing terrible. The mercury scarcely went above zero for months. Very nearly finished us off.
Make hay while the sun shines, rain pours, wind howls, 'cause when it gets to -22 (not that that is very likely in Cornwall) you aint cleaning much.
Yes, i remember the winter you mention, but a couple of things made it not such a disaster. Firstly, the bad spell came over christmas and new year, so although i (as i'm sure was the case with you) couldn't get out for about 10 or 12 days, i would only have been trying to go out on about 6 or 7 of them. Also, as that was my 1st winter as a window cleaner, i did not have a huge amount of work at that time anyway, so it did not take that long to catch up. But i remember speaking to another local window cleaner i knew who had a much bigger round, he said he had to write off a large part of that months work.
I seem to remember the following winter had a couple of pretty bad spells, where i couldnt get out for about a week each time
But the way i look at is, if i am late, i am late, not much can be done about it. I cant see me writing off a large chunk of my months work, i will just do it late. I have done this a few times now, if, for whatever reason i am, say, a week late, i will just do the work, but the next month, if i can, i will do a couple of days earlier, and so on, till the work is back where it was. This is one of the reasons i work on 'an approximately per calender month' basis, which is what i tell my customers. It gives me a bit of flexibility for winter delays, holidays, days off for unexpected reasons, or whatever. If i worked (as a lot do) per 4 weeks, i would be under much more pressure to get the work done on a particular day.
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what can you do ??
I carry on working just a bit late start if zero temps and stick £5 a day away during the good months
£5 x 5days x 4weeks x march thru to nov = £900 .......... wont cover too many weeks of not working but all helps and if your really clued up stick it into premium bonds or say half of it that way you may become a millionaire theu window cleaning ;)
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windows want cleaning all year in winter its muck from rain and summer its dust and bird muck so its an all year job Its only the dole boys that come out in summer
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I've been going 5 years and never worked a winter on the glass. I go gigaloing in the winter.
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keep cleaning as usual