Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: xxmattyxx on February 03, 2008, 11:39:05 am
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So the day has eventually arrived, tomorrow Ill be taking venturing out into the world of cleaning windows with the WFP method ;D
Im kinda apprehensive, expecting to be going at it all day as Im thinking it probably wont be as fast as trad for a while (is thsi to be expected or should I be able to achieve a trad rate at first?)
But tell me guys, is it scrub scrub scrub and then rinse rinse rinse and then rinse some more ? ? ?
I have a freedom trolley, what dial settings should I go for, the windows have been all been cleaned regularly by me before with GG4 and just a dab of Fairy.
Ive been practising on mine at home, they are wooden frames with a horizontal wooden bar halfway through, theyve not come up too bad in all honesty, first time maybe a few too many dried runs at the top of the frame, but done them now 3 times or so and theyre not too bad.
If the plastic ones tomorrow come up like the wooden ones have then Ill be happy, but please some guidance and advice would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
Oh yea, btw, Im also thinking to avoid the horizontal bar above the glass completely for the time being and just washing up to this from below, if you see what I mean, would that be a fair comment until Im feeling more confident??
Matt
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good luck when you start tomorrow matt . all i did when on 1st cleans was do all the frames 1st then go back round doing the glass . it was slow to start with but after a few cleans you will get used to it . i dont no what setting you will need your trolley on but im sure you will find out later . once again mate good luck and welcome to the world of wfp ;D
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Hi Matt,
good luck tomoz mate I am sure it will be fine.
As for the setting, I have a freedom and i use the varistream at 12 oclock, You might need a faster setting for first time cleans but see how you go on.
Don't forget the finger in the hozelock connector to clear the any airlocks, it oly takes a second but could save any problems regarding flow rate.
Again good luck.
Adam
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Good luck.
If i'm in any doubt about a seal or cross bar I wipe it before i start with a microfibre.
So for instance if you did a house exactly the same as yours you know the problem areas and that's where you should wipe it. Chances are that if you did your own house trad and really scrutinised it you would find faults there too.
I think you've made a great move and judging by your other posts you'll make a real success of this. Good for you for financing it yourself. I came in with pre existing money so it was easier to make the jump, and besides I found trad too hard. My best day was about £80.
You've done a good thing and as your other plans mature I think you will be pleasantly surprised.
I'm off to sham el shake(first time) but come back on the day you go.
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Thanks guys. just a little apprehensive, I guess if custys are understanding theyre prepared to tolerant the odd mistake or two; until Ive got the hang of it.
I had another window cleaner round here on Friday who also has a trolley and we were inspecting the windows once we'd done them and came to the conclusion that WE'RE the perfectionists, most custys so long as the windows arent left worse than before we started or are minging dont worry too much about it.
Should be warm out in Sharm by the time you go Mr Sol
This is the nearest point to Sharm in Egypt, good reference for the weather out there.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/5day.shtml?world=1213
Matt
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Good luck Matt.
You'll love it once you get going.. I was the same. It's the walking away and not knowing the windows are going to be like that go to me.
Have a good day. :)
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Good luck mate.
Don't get downhearted at the start though, it won't be all plain sailing, and I don't want others to tell you it will be.
There will be times when you wonder if you've done the right thing, but it will pass.
If it annoys you by leaving spots or upsetting customers, just remember going up those cold ladders in the wind and tiring yourself out, and what could happen if you had an accident. ;)
There was many times when I got fed up (and sometimes I still do), but it's such a more enjoyable and easy job now.
Be positive and you'll look back in 6 months and wonder why you didn't do it before!
All the best,
Rog.
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Ive decided to start crapping myself :-\ :-\ :-\
Just done the windows out the fron tof my place, theyre OLD wooden frames with dodgy paint and putty, they look dreadful; it hasnt done my confidence any good !!
Some tips please guys, reassure me, HELP !! :-[
Im havin' a panic attack :-\
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good luck matt and remember, just take your time on the 1st cleans and within a few months you will see the benefits and be able to take on more work
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time for research is over matt you will be ok if there is a problem with some custys windows just do them again . good luck but you wont need it
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Good luck.
If i'm in any doubt about a seal or cross bar I wipe it before i start with a microfibre.
So for instance if you did a house exactly the same as yours you know the problem areas and that's where you should wipe it. why would you do this mr solubility with your super hot water system that gives perfect results every time according top your post ;D ;D ;D just take your time matt & dont try to rush .
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time for research is over matt you will be ok if there is a problem with some custys windows just do them again . good luck but you wont need it
Cheers bud, might have to call you later ;D
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Good luck mate.
Don't get downhearted at the start though, it won't be all plain sailing, and I don't want others to tell you it will be.
There will be times when you wonder if you've done the right thing, but it will pass.
If it annoys you by leaving spots or upsetting customers, just remember going up those cold ladders in the wind and tiring yourself out, and what could happen if you had an accident. ;)
There was many times when I got fed up (and sometimes I still do), but it's such a more enjoyable and easy job now.
Be positive and you'll look back in 6 months and wonder why you didn't do it before!
All the best,
Rog.
that really does say it all spot on squeeky the first few months are the worst but it will get better as for rough wooden frames with bad putty i just dropped em (or did they drop me cant remember now ;D) i found it to be about the same speed to start with i would say it takes about 4 cleans to really get going some may disagree but personall i find it substantially quicker overall and it has halved the time spent on some jobs BUT keep going with it cos i guarantee that at some point over the next 2 or 3 months you will feel like loading it all into your van and torching it ;D all the best mate
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Ive decided to start crapping myself :-\ :-\ :-\
Just done the windows out the fron tof my place, theyre OLD wooden frames with dodgy paint and putty, they look dreadful; it hasnt done my confidence any good !!
Some tips please guys, reassure me, HELP !! :-[
Im havin' a panic attack :-\
Tip number 1. Get some new windows. ;D
Seriously, I struggled for some while - not just with the cleaning method but with unnecessarily awkward customers. I also got some way behind with my work at first. Because I needed to go around twice the first time and because it was unfamiliar to me, I got behind. Because of this I introduced WFP in 3 stages. First time around I used it on one third of my round. Second time I used it on two thirds (noting that the places I cleaned the previous time were quicker and easier). Third time around I did the lot with WFP. WFP was causing a cashflow problem at the beginning as it slowed me down while I was starting to repay the loan for the equipment. Fast forward a couple of years or so and I am on target to nearly double my annual turnover in the space of 2 and a half years. Higher outgoings of course but that goes with the territory.
What I will say about work quality is that on nearly all jobs, nearly all of the time, WFP is between acceptable and excellent.
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Good luck Matt for tomoz ;D
this time next year you be laughing ;D and thinking more about the red sea and diving
Mo 8)
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good luck matt
i look forward, to your post tomorrow, see how you've gone on. its hard at first, but dont give up. before long you will want to do everything wfp 8)
cheers Brett.
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I know you like your holidays mate and that`s good but once you`ve mastered WFP you`ll love em even more cos affording them will no longer be a problem.It won`t take you a couple of months before your fully fledged get that in your head from the start,as everyone says it is a learning curve and it takes time to adapt to the new way of cleaning,in all honesty i would say it takes a year to be fully up to speed ie knowing where hoses go where to park etc,in the end you will need more work and very rarely will get behind.Good luck and most of all don`t give up some days you`ll feel like it but in the end you`ll be glad you didn`t.
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Take yer time and enjoy
Bob
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;D ;D
I LOVE YOU ALL
[/color][/size] ;D ;D
Thanks guys, pray for me tonight, I'll let you all know how it went tomorrow.
Matt
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Good luck for tomorrow Matt and a big welcome to the world of wfp.
I can tell you one thing, you will love all the ups and downs of wfp, its just like starting a new Job, try to go to the custy's that you know won't be home for you first few, this way you can get some more practice in without the fear of the custy watching you, while your getting used to it, you will get the odd custy come out to watch it, but these are the ones that are fasinated by the way it works.
Do the frames first on all the tops, then go back around and do the windows at the tops, then do the same for the bottoms.you will use more water on first cleans and all your old custy's are first cleans. its all easier than it sounds.
Let us all know how you get on tomorrow.
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I must admit i thought you were already WFP.
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Matt
like riding a bike
once you get the hang of it you won't want to stop
that's not to say you my not graze you knees along the way
but enjoy and take your time
explain too those that don't know and you will be fine
Andy :)
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date=1202077042]
Good luck for tomorrow Matt and a big welcome to the world of wfp.
I can tell you one thing, you will love all the ups and downs of wfp, its just like starting a new Job, try to go to the custy's that you know won't be home for you first few, this way you can get some more practice in without the fear of the custy watching you, while your getting used to it, you will get the odd custy come out to watch it, but these are the ones that are fasinated by the way it works.
Do the frames first on all the tops, then go back around and do the windows at the tops, then do the same for the bottoms.you will use more water on first cleans and all your old custy's are first cleans. its all easier than it sounds.
Let us all know how you get on tomorrow.
Thanks Jeff
Matt
like riding a bike
once you get the hang of it you won't want to stop
that's not to say you my not graze you knees along the way
but enjoy and take your time
explain too those that don't know and you will be fine
Andy :)
Thanks Andy, thats a really reassuring way to encourage, I appreciate it, perhaps Im still just a kid at heart :D ;)
Matt
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;D ;D I LOVE YOU ALL
[/color][/size] ;D ;D
Thanks guys, pray for me tonight, I'll let you all know how it went tomorrow.
Matt
Have fun Matt makes work so much more interesting.
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Enjoy your new job today Matt, as its totally different to your old one. ;)
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I must admit i thought you were already WFP.
I think that there is a bit of confusion with names here. It looks like there is now "Matt." (with a full stop) and "Matt" (without one). Maybe the newer of the two Matts would consider a small change to his name to help avoid confusion?
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Just come back to fill up, this is fun ain't it ;D ;D
Is it meant to leave spots ?
;D ;D ;D
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I must admit i thought you were already WFP.
I think that there is a bit of confusion with names here. It looks like there is now "Matt." (with a full stop) and "Matt" (without one). Maybe the newer of the two Matts would consider a small change to his name to help avoid confusion?
;D
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use a varistream at 12 oclock,
Adam
how much do these cost and from where can it be purchsed?
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bonkors varistreams are £85 + vat from window cleaning warehouse . dont no if they are cheaper anywhere else they allso have a eco flow which i think is £65 + vat
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daveshaw is it the second item on this link?
http://www.windowcleaningwarehouse.co.uk/shop/products/3.html
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bonkors go on the pumps page and it shows the varistream . when i tryed your link it was hoses that came up .
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Oi aik ;)
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good luck matt
i look forward to see how you get on
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So how'd it go?
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first few days wfp is not very pleasant you are all excited and its quite fun but that soon fades away, atleast you feel more confident doing it after a few weeks rather than worrying what people think and weather you are doing a good job.
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Hope your move to wfp has gone well. I've been wfp since september and was lucky to take on a chunk of previously wfp done work. Just before christmas though, I took on a large round of all trad done work. The previous guy was unfortunately lazy and his frames were manky to the nth degree. My work rate dropped below £20p/h frequently, didn't dare calculate it too much.
I made it my mission to be open with every customer and say that they will get used to wfp as it will give stunning results. But, that the pure water will purge all dirt it can find, so there may be spots and runs the first time used, although I'll always do my best not to leave any. The upside is that their frames will be sparkling clean, if there are any major issues though they should give me a ring and I'll pop and see them.
So far I've had no calls and loads of complements. Each time I do them now, I rocket through the work and am rarely below £30p/h, which is an issue I'll redress in the spring with some much needed price increases.
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So how'd it go?
Went good, thanks, a good hard days work, money well earnt.
Did more than I hoped, and earnt more than Id hoped in fact.
There was some inevitable spotting, but not too bad at all, that inch below the top horizontal bar, not on all by any means, but a few.
Had an insides to do too, so had a good chance to inspect my work, I was very pleased, thanks to all who've offered their advice and experience. Frames first followed by glass.
I'd always wanted to be able to do vents too, and have read the posts on here regarding them, some pro/some anti. So I tried 'em ;D and found out you can get the custys window-sills on the insides wet ;D I explained and she was fine. BUT!! no more vents for me ;)
Still, tomorrows another day, we'll see what that brings.
Thanks again guys.
Matt
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I must admit i thought you were already WFP.
I think that there is a bit of confusion with names here. It looks like there is now "Matt." (with a full stop) and "Matt" (without one). Maybe the newer of the two Matts would consider a small change to his name to help avoid confusion?
;D
Well done Mr. B. ;D
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I have a freedom and i use the varistream at 12 oclock
What happens if it's half past two?
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I have a freedom and i use the varistream at 12 oclock
What happens if it's half past two?
He's packed up and gone home by then ;)
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I have a freedom and i use the varistream at 12 oclock
What happens if it's half past two?
Go to the dentist its tooth hurty
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I was out there today, okay it was sunny I was down to my printed t-shirt, life was just sooo good.
I really am loving this WFP malarky, no complaints yet from custys.
Had my biggest place to do today, its a leaded job (£90.00) did it twice; once with outside tapwater then again with pure. took 2 1/2 hrs, she came back and said she'd never seen the kitchen windows look so good ;D
I did find on that place though that there seemed a whole load of cleaning residue just below the openers; real suds but mainly only below the small openers you get at the top sides of windows. Couldnt understand why it was just there, thought it was maybe form when there interior cleaner sprays the insides windows with them open and it gets onto the outside somehow.
Another one today, a new custy, was really pleased reckoned they looked grand, I went back to collect form there a couple of hours ago, they sure did look good ;D
Now Im thinking why why why didnt you go WFP before?
Has anyone seen the weather forecast? Its looki' gooood!!
Life is grand, happy days.
Matt
;D
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Well done mat!!
i did a new clean this afternoon cleaned all frames on a low flow rate then went back uped the flow for windows! came up spotless! leaded windows too!
plus i just said i use pure water and it will dry clear! she said thats fine ;D
i also use a trolley.
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I dont look at the weather forecast much anymore as it can get quite depressing knowing I am working in the rain.
But today was great should have had my shorts on, tomorrow legs are coming out ;D
Good on you by the way matt ;)
why did you use tap water then pure on the leads ?
Ian
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I dont look at the weather forecast much anymore as it can get quite depressing knowing I am working in the rain.
But today was great should have had my shorts on, tomorrow legs are coming out ;D
Good on you by the way matt ;)
why did you use tap water then pure on the leads ?
Ian
Trolley system, just to save on water.
Once I have my van I wont worry so much.
Matt
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Hi mat
So its pointless to ask the question.
Is it as good as they say?
Think from your posts you absolutely love it. Is it a pure freedom set up?
tom
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Yes Tom it is PureFreedom.
In time I'll be getting a van and then converting over.
Matt