Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: Jay Le Huray on August 17, 2023, 05:15:23 pm
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I had a debate with a window cleaner mate of mine,
he said then when he does a house with a conservatory he always includes washing the gutters at the same time as it looks a lot better,
although I agree with him that it looks better and cleaner my attitude is to leave them and then the customer is more likely to ask me to clean the con roof which would also include washing the conservatory gutters.
By using this method I create more income, it would be interesting to find out what you guys do.
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Gutter cleaning is a completely separate job for me, with a separate price.
By his logic, why isn’t he cleaning the whole house guttering with the house windows?
Weirdo!
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Gutter cleaning is a completely separate job for me, with a separate price.
By his logic, why isn’t he cleaning the whole house guttering with the house windows?
Weirdo!
totally agree there, I think he is missing a trick
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Gutter cleaning is a completely separate job for me, with a separate price.
By his logic, why isn’t he cleaning the whole house guttering with the house windows?
Weirdo!
totally agree there, I think he is missing a trick
We charge double for a first clean and would clean the gutters on a conservatory only takes a few minutes, no time at all on regular maintenance cleans, 9 times out of 10 , customers ask about cleaning the main house gutters when they see the difference.
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I do wonder Jay whether people are getting the wrong end of the stick here…
You mean just a window clean?
I think people think you mean a full conservatory clean, i.e the roof etc - in that case, I defo clean the gutters, but NOT when it’s just a standard monthly window clean…
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If we're cleaning the conservatory roof the yes definitely cleaning all the UPVC on the conny as standard and charge accordingly
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I do wonder Jay whether people are getting the wrong end of the stick here…
You mean just a window clean?
I think people think you mean a full conservatory clean, i.e the roof etc - in that case, I defo clean the gutters, but NOT when it’s just a standard monthly window clean…
I understood what was being said and we clean them on every visit but we do cover the cost of it in the regular window clean price , it’s just the way we choose to work to set ourselves out to give a better service than the next guy , once clean takes less than a couple of minutes per clean to do the average gutters on a conservatory
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I do wonder Jay whether people are getting the wrong end of the stick here…
You mean just a window clean?
I think people think you mean a full conservatory clean, i.e the roof etc - in that case, I defo clean the gutters, but NOT when it’s just a standard monthly window clean…
I understood what was being said and we clean them on every visit but we do cover the cost of it in the regular window clean price , it’s just the way we choose to work to set ourselves out to give a better service than the next guy , once clean takes less than a couple of minutes per clean to do the average gutters on a conservatory
I’d be amazed if that’s the norm, I’m really shocked at the votes so far!
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If we're cleaning the conservatory roof the yes definitely cleaning all the UPVC on the conny as standard and charge accordingly
Absolutely, that’s just par for the course, but on a standard window clean, defo not.
Splash is doing it as an incentive and to stand out from the next guy, defo not the norm, certainly no one I know round here does it.
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If we're cleaning the conservatory roof the yes definitely cleaning all the UPVC on the conny as standard and charge accordingly
Absolutely, that’s just par for the course, but on a standard window clean, defo not.
Splash is doing it as an incentive and to stand out from the next guy, defo not the norm, certainly no one I know round here does it.
Yes that’s why we do it but we aren’t alone , not wanting to sound arrogant but we have a lot of very wealthy customers with large multi million pound properties they expect you to go the extra mile many wouldn’t be happy if they weren’t done we just do it as a standard clean and add a bit to the price so the customer is happy and we earn a bit more , but having said that we do the same for 3 bed semis on a housing estate , it’s just the way we have always worked .
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Don’t start saying you have very wealthy customers you Willy waver 😂 lol.
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this is interesting..... I have one customer that wants it done each time. (monthly) it takes hardly any time extra , but looks good .
I am now thinking of doing this as standard . I can see the benefits of it just going that little bit further to stand out .
I charge enough on first cleans to cover it , and from then on it will only take seconds extra on a standard conny each visit
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I do wonder Jay whether people are getting the wrong end of the stick here…
You mean just a window clean?
I think people think you mean a full conservatory clean, i.e the roof etc - in that case, I defo clean the gutters, but NOT when it’s just a standard monthly window clean…
what I mean is as a regular window clean of the house which has a conservatory do you clean the gutters of the conservatory at the same time?
I don't but I would clean them if the customer is paying for the roof to be cleaned.
I hope that clears it up.
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this is interesting..... I have one customer that wants it done each time. (monthly) it takes hardly any time extra , but looks good .
I am now thinking of doing this as standard . I can see the benefits of it just going that little bit further to stand out .
I charge enough on first cleans to cover it , and from then on it will only take seconds extra on a standard conny each visit
So my thinking is,
I’m busy enough as it is
I’ve never lost a customer to another window cleaner who cleans conservatory gutters each time
I highly doubt I’d ever have a customer recommend me, or gain more work than I already do by cleaning the gutters.
It takes away an extra job from all the customers with conservatory’s - I.e they’re never going to have to pay for their gutters to be cleaned. One less service I can charge for.
BUT:
If you are charging more for it each time, then that’s good business sense. I
If you’re not, to me, it’s not great business.
However, I understand why splash does it, there is no wrong or right way of running your business. :D
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I do wonder Jay whether people are getting the wrong end of the stick here…
You mean just a window clean?
I think people think you mean a full conservatory clean, i.e the roof etc - in that case, I defo clean the gutters, but NOT when it’s just a standard monthly window clean…
what I mean is as a regular window clean of the house which has a conservatory do you clean the gutters of the conservatory at the same time?
I don't but I would clean them if the customer is paying for the roof to be cleaned.
I hope that clears it up.
Same 👍🏼
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I need to change my vote :D
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I need to change my vote :D
Me too.
I thought jay meant along with a conservatory roof clean.
I only clean the gutters and facias if it’s with a upvc clean. Not standard window clean.
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I need to change my vote :D
Me too.
I thought jay meant along with a conservatory roof clean.
I only clean the gutters and facias if it’s with a upvc clean. Not standard window clean.
That’s why I clarified it, I was shocked when I saw the voting results :o
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I clean them every time, always have done and like Splash says sets you apart from others round here. A franchise company round here cleans them every time as well and is an advertising point. Not sure about the other franchise that haven't the best reputation.
In my eyes if you're cleaning top of frame on a Conny the gutter is more likely to be close and dirty splashes may drop down and ruin a finish when you walk away. Similar to when soffits are practically sat on top of upstairs window frame without a course or two of bricks, 1st clean I make sure 6 inches of soffit is cleaned so any splashes aren't mucky drips.
Conny roof and finials etc is an add on. Sometimes if I don't want the custy to ask for a roof clean as too busy I even clean the end of the panels and frame ends so looks "clean" for another 6 months or year til they think about it again lol.
Obviously price jobs correctly and it doesn't take much to keep on top and looks better. A bird strikes on half Gutter and half window would look like half a job if you only cleaned the frame and glass and left crud on the gutter imo.
I recall seeing Spruce clean the gutters on a conny on a really tight job on a road I lived on in a local village. I saw him cleaning it and thought glad I didn't have that job as near enough stood on pavement outside fence to clean top openers and gutter then went inside garden to clean lower windows. That was before I learnt to use a swivel so wouldn't baulk at jobs like that now.
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Would be interesting to know how many wash the uPVC coving above the now windows as well. Similar correlation to the ones that wash the guttering on connys or others that charge add on price for the moulded coving.
I include garage doors and all of bay coving top as realised it's your "shop window" to passers by and seeing lichen or green algae on top of bow looks naff and makes windows mucky after heavy rain between cleans so literally 15 seconds to brush and rinse top and sides of coving every time is small price for good reputation.
Same for garage doors.....when I hear people charging 5 or £10 for a garage door that takes 1min every 6 weeks and is priced into the job it's selling point more so with internal garages (or white doors) where it maybe the thing people look at when stood waiting at the front door.
Can you create extra survey Jake? ☺️
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Sorry Jay not Jake! (The snake Roberts....)
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Standard window clean NO
UPVC clean YES
conny roof YES
I also put that I clean outside gutters but thought you meant when cleaning the conny roof or UPVC clean.
I do clean a few garage doors on a few regular window clean jobs but it's factored into the price from the off.
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So the results are massively wrong 😂
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I didn't get it either.
Window clean NO
Conny roof clean YES
If you do anything different to that for free you are a fool.
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A number of years ago we were asked to clean the fronts of a house across the road from my wife's sister-in-law.
I asked him if we were to include the garage door in the quote. No, he didn't want his garage door cleaned. So we did as asked, but this garage door was filthy and bugged me.
One day when I was doing the fronts, 2 old ladies were walking down the pavement. I don't know if one or both were partially deaf, but they were talking loudly to each other.
"That window cleaner works so hard and does such a lovely job. But that dirty garage door lets all his hard work down."
I decided then that I would clean that door. As Mattymarske says, your clean is your advertising board and that dirty garage door was ruining my reputation. So I clean that door when it starts to get a bit dirty. What a difference a clean door made to the presentation. I do that now, not to get extra payment, but for my own reputation. It doesn't take even a minute to run the brush over it.
As regards gutter cleaning on conservatories, we clean them every time when we clean the windows. Always have. Again, it's just a quick brush over, but it makes a world of difference to the end result. For me, it's not always about what a customer will accept, it's also about how I feel about the quality of the service I'm providing. It's about me. Our business has grown through customer referrals.
I'm also not saying anyone who doesn't clean the underneath of a customer's conservatory gutters is wrong. My son thinks differently to me. We each have to run our business in our own way and it's always best to continue to do what works for you.
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A number of years ago we were asked to clean the fronts of a house across the road from my wife's sister-in-law.
I asked him if we were to include the garage door in the quote. No, he didn't want his garage door cleaned. So we did as asked, but this garage door was filthy and bugged me.
One day when I was doing the fronts, 2 old ladies were walking down the pavement. I don't know if one or both were partially deaf, but they were talking loudly to each other.
"That window cleaner works so hard and does such a lovely job. But that dirty garage door lets all his hard work down."
I decided then that I would clean that door. As Mattymarske says, your clean is your advertising board and that dirty garage door was ruining my reputation. So I clean that door when it starts to get a bit dirty. What a difference a clean door made to the presentation. I do that now, not to get extra payment, but for my own reputation. It doesn't take even a minute to run the brush over it.
As regards gutter cleaning on conservatories, we clean them every time when we clean the windows. Always have. Again, it's just a quick brush over, but it makes a world of difference to the end result. For me, it's not always about what a customer will accept, it's also about how I feel about the quality of the service I'm providing. It's about me. Our business has grown through customer referrals.
I'm also not saying anyone who doesn't clean the underneath of a customer's conservatory gutters is wrong. My son thinks differently to me. We each have to run our business in our own way and it's always best to continue to do what works for you.
I used to be like this when i started out, overcleaning and going the extra mile but you soon realise you get no thanks for going above and beyond so these days i try to do the opposite and get away with the bare minimum that will get me paid. I think my excitetment and pride in the job has long since evaporated and now its just purely a means to an end.
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A number of years ago we were asked to clean the fronts of a house across the road from my wife's sister-in-law.
I asked him if we were to include the garage door in the quote. No, he didn't want his garage door cleaned. So we did as asked, but this garage door was filthy and bugged me.
One day when I was doing the fronts, 2 old ladies were walking down the pavement. I don't know if one or both were partially deaf, but they were talking loudly to each other.
"That window cleaner works so hard and does such a lovely job. But that dirty garage door lets all his hard work down."
I decided then that I would clean that door. As Mattymarske says, your clean is your advertising board and that dirty garage door was ruining my reputation. So I clean that door when it starts to get a bit dirty. What a difference a clean door made to the presentation. I do that now, not to get extra payment, but for my own reputation. It doesn't take even a minute to run the brush over it.
As regards gutter cleaning on conservatories, we clean them every time when we clean the windows. Always have. Again, it's just a quick brush over, but it makes a world of difference to the end result. For me, it's not always about what a customer will accept, it's also about how I feel about the quality of the service I'm providing. It's about me. Our business has grown through customer referrals.
I'm also not saying anyone who doesn't clean the underneath of a customer's conservatory gutters is wrong. My son thinks differently to me. We each have to run our business in our own way and it's always best to continue to do what works for you.
I used to be like this when i started out, overcleaning and going the extra mile but you soon realise you get no thanks for going above and beyond so these days i try to do the opposite and get away with the bare minimum that will get me paid. I think my excitetment and pride in the job has long since evaporated and now its just purely a means to an end.
I think this explains why you have trouble employing and finding the right person , take a pride in yourself, and the quality of the job you do rather that that will do and cutting corners think this is why your prices are so low you don’t value yourself so the customer certainly isn’t going to , we go the extra mile with all our customers and that’s why we have very well paying jobs as they notice and appreciate the standard we work to , constantly picking up new work from ones who have a slapdash attitude and poor work , like missing out bathroom Windows , not doing the frames and sills , or doing the frames and leaving them green with algae. Charge a decent price and do a quality job you will also need less customers doing it this way .
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A number of years ago we were asked to clean the fronts of a house across the road from my wife's sister-in-law.
I asked him if we were to include the garage door in the quote. No, he didn't want his garage door cleaned. So we did as asked, but this garage door was filthy and bugged me.
One day when I was doing the fronts, 2 old ladies were walking down the pavement. I don't know if one or both were partially deaf, but they were talking loudly to each other.
"That window cleaner works so hard and does such a lovely job. But that dirty garage door lets all his hard work down."
I decided then that I would clean that door. As Mattymarske says, your clean is your advertising board and that dirty garage door was ruining my reputation. So I clean that door when it starts to get a bit dirty. What a difference a clean door made to the presentation. I do that now, not to get extra payment, but for my own reputation. It doesn't take even a minute to run the brush over it.
As regards gutter cleaning on conservatories, we clean them every time when we clean the windows. Always have. Again, it's just a quick brush over, but it makes a world of difference to the end result. For me, it's not always about what a customer will accept, it's also about how I feel about the quality of the service I'm providing. It's about me. Our business has grown through customer referrals.
I'm also not saying anyone who doesn't clean the underneath of a customer's conservatory gutters is wrong. My son thinks differently to me. We each have to run our business in our own way and it's always best to continue to do what works for you.
I used to be like this when i started out, overcleaning and going the extra mile but you soon realise you get no thanks for going above and beyond so these days i try to do the opposite and get away with the bare minimum that will get me paid. I think my excitetment and pride in the job has long since evaporated and now its just purely a means to an end.
I think this explains why you have trouble employing and finding the right person , take a pride in yourself, and the quality of the job you do rather that that will do and cutting corners think this is why your prices are so low you don’t value yourself so the customer certainly isn’t going to , we go the extra mile with all our customers and that’s why we have very well paying jobs as they notice and appreciate the standard we work to , constantly picking up new work from ones who have a slapdash attitude and poor work , like missing out bathroom Windows , not doing the frames and sills , or doing the frames and leaving them green with algae. Charge a decent price and do a quality job you will also need less customers doing it this way .
My prices arent low and i dont have any complaints with my work only good reviews. I dont miss any windows, frames, sills or glass for that matter.
What i mean is i do whats required, i dont clean garage doors or gutters for free, im not ocd anymore i have learnt how to clean to a good standard fast rather than over rinsing etc.
My issue with employing has nothing to do with standard of work its more a mental thing on my side that i cant cope with the stress.
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A number of years ago we were asked to clean the fronts of a house across the road from my wife's sister-in-law.
I asked him if we were to include the garage door in the quote. No, he didn't want his garage door cleaned. So we did as asked, but this garage door was filthy and bugged me.
One day when I was doing the fronts, 2 old ladies were walking down the pavement. I don't know if one or both were partially deaf, but they were talking loudly to each other.
"That window cleaner works so hard and does such a lovely job. But that dirty garage door lets all his hard work down."
I decided then that I would clean that door. As Mattymarske says, your clean is your advertising board and that dirty garage door was ruining my reputation. So I clean that door when it starts to get a bit dirty. What a difference a clean door made to the presentation. I do that now, not to get extra payment, but for my own reputation. It doesn't take even a minute to run the brush over it.
As regards gutter cleaning on conservatories, we clean them every time when we clean the windows. Always have. Again, it's just a quick brush over, but it makes a world of difference to the end result. For me, it's not always about what a customer will accept, it's also about how I feel about the quality of the service I'm providing. It's about me. Our business has grown through customer referrals.
I'm also not saying anyone who doesn't clean the underneath of a customer's conservatory gutters is wrong. My son thinks differently to me. We each have to run our business in our own way and it's always best to continue to do what works for you.
I used to be like this when i started out, overcleaning and going the extra mile but you soon realise you get no thanks for going above and beyond so these days i try to do the opposite and get away with the bare minimum that will get me paid. I think my excitetment and pride in the job has long since evaporated and now its just purely a means to an end.
I think this explains why you have trouble employing and finding the right person , take a pride in yourself, and the quality of the job you do rather that that will do and cutting corners think this is why your prices are so low you don’t value yourself so the customer certainly isn’t going to , we go the extra mile with all our customers and that’s why we have very well paying jobs as they notice and appreciate the standard we work to , constantly picking up new work from ones who have a slapdash attitude and poor work , like missing out bathroom Windows , not doing the frames and sills , or doing the frames and leaving them green with algae. Charge a decent price and do a quality job you will also need less customers doing it this way .
My prices arent low and i dont have any complaints with my work only good reviews. I dont miss any windows, frames, sills or glass for that matter.
What i mean is i do whats required, i dont clean garage doors or gutters for free, im not ocd anymore i have learnt how to clean to a good standard fast rather than over rinsing etc.
My issue with employing has nothing to do with standard of work its more a mental thing on my side that i cant cope with the stress.
I didn’t mean to cause offence or be critical of your work , I understand what you mean about the stress involved with employing it can be if you get the right staff though that helps a lot . Not sure ware about s in the country you are maybe the area is not good for appreciative customers , we always go the extra mile to keep customers happy and it always pays off they do notice and appreciate it . They then recommend us to their friend and family so similar types of people with the same mind set .