Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: scottt24 on March 04, 2010, 09:31:03 pm
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just made the switch to wfp, slowly getting round first cleans.
we have cleaned about 100 houses so far but have had 3 complaints about spotty windows, we are spending a lot of time cleaning frames and glass and using more than enough water to rinse both.
are the spots down to soap residue or something else we have not taken into account on the first cleans.
would be grateful for any advice.
thanks, scott
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do frames first then go bk round again and do windows
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is it just dirty water from frames then because the spots are all over the glass not just at the top
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If you make sure you do the frames then the glass and you have rinsed thoroughly. Tds is 000 then it can only be that the glass just don't take to wfp . I had one out of a 100 where this happened i just trad it now. until Ive built up a bigger round i will pass this custy to a trad guy. I did a first clean today same thing happened there. Even when you trad you can see light spotting on some glass. Its just the glass not your cleaning. That's from my experience not be wfp long so i could be wrong. others may say different
jay
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thanks jay will keep that in mind
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scott which type of brush are you using for your first cleans,i find a mono brush is best for first cleans, and the flocked brush i use on my regular work
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ill be wfp in future and i think itll prob take a few cleans to get the frames really up to scratch and wash out the fairy in the seals!
ive had a few custys who have sacked their wfp cleaner for me!ive not told them ill be goin wfp in future.......not yet!!
i know a few who wouldnt have a wfp cleaner again cos they consistently gave crap results!constant spotting and dirty runs etc and they didnt like them being left wet!! ::)
im hoping ill be able to convince them otherwise after a few cleans!!
good luck with it scott(ive got all this to come yet!! ::))
regards
dazmond
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if i do a first clean that hasnt been water fed before then i will go round all of the frames once then do the windows with a lot of rinsing, then i go round again and wash the frames and then back round and do the windows once again. If a house usually takes me 10 minutes wfp, then on a first clean it will take me 40 minutes. Once you have the first clean out of the way they your laughing.
what people tend to do is tell the customer they may get spotting on the windows, you dont need to do this cos all they will do is inspect the windows and look for this so called spotting. dont tell them and they wont look. when your trad you will get the odd smear but you dont tell the customer this so theefore they dont look for it.
As for the leaving it wet, its wet for an hour max, surely they can put up with that, try explaining to them that it puts a protective coat onto the window that helps the rain water run off quicker so if you go round blading the windows they wont get this reaction. (truth stretched slightly but hey no one is perfect) ;D
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if i do a first clean that hasnt been water fed before then i will go round all of the frames once then do the windows with a lot of rinsing, then i go round again and wash the frames and then back round and do the windows once again. If a house usually takes me 10 minutes wfp, then on a first clean it will take me 40 minutes. Once you have the first clean out of the way they your laughing.
ya not wrong ste, been round all my work once now &seein quite a few spots. think ive been lucky as none of my custys ave said anything :o maybe they r all blind ::) lol
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I'm with Jouk45 on this one. Mono for first cleans is a must I've found.
If there is a vent on the frame, I don't clean it as you just can't clean them.
If there is no vent, you need to make sure you flush the top with water as this is where the dirt sits usually due to the angle of the frame at the top.
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Its almost certainly milky frames IMO and you are going to get a percentage. If you are switching to wfp you need to recognise the type of frames and keep an eye out for milking.
Double rinsing solves most of it.
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When doing first cleans i spray the tops and bottoms with diluted TRF then give a good scrub this really moves the dirt and grime really well and quickly. then its a matter of rincing for a while.
i use a very fast flow rate for 1st cleans to help remove all the dirt.
start at the very top and rince here for a good minute then work your way down.
Darran
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we are currently using vikan mono filament brushes (came with the pole) but i'm open to sugestions about different brushes. Finding vikan quite heavy over conservatories would like to try a few different brushes but would be interested to hear what you use day to day
thanks scott
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I use vikan brushes both mono and flocked depending on what clean it is. but for over conservatories i use a super light from gardiners on a modular pole for light weight .
Jay
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i dont think custy probs are with WFP, i think its the operator, as i am wfp and i get told i do a better job than the bloke i took over from, ok some might take 2 -3 cleans to get clean, but 2 mins to explain to the odd cust that moans, i usually take longer on a first clean anyway
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i used superlite, and to be honest i didnt thing they where heavy enough to clean the windows, but seemed to do the job, now when i go to houses, a lot look like they dont need cleaning,
i done some houses to day that i havent done since dec and do about 4 an hour as they are terrace, and that aint rushing, as had my 4 year old with me ( thast a job in its self lol)
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i used superlite, and to be honest i didnt thing they where heavy enough to clean the windows, but seemed to do the job, now when i go to houses, a lot look like they dont need cleaning,
i done some houses to day that i havent done since dec and do about 4 an hour as they are terrace, and that aint rushing, as had my 4 year old with me ( thast a job in its self lol)
window cleaning & lookin after the kids.... n women say us guys cant multi task ;D ;D ;D
good on ya m8.
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when we rinse the glass some of them run down in sheets and some just bead on the glass.
the windows that bead are the ones we have had problems with (but not all of them).
is this type of glass a problem for anyone else because it seems to be quite hard to rinse these panes?
also do coatings on the glass have any impact on results?
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im not sure scott24, but we r gettin the same problems ???
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scotty,
3 complaints out of 100 isn't bad, esp. as you are new to WFP.
are you sure that the windows are spotting ??? i ask this as i have had customers that think the windows have spotted, when in fact they are still wet. ALSO customers have not realised the spots are on the INSIDE :P
from when i 1st started i used a round to test out WFP and got 2 bad feedbacks out of 20 custy's + the other half on my own windows, a lot of it was down to technique and getting the system and products i like to work with, but in a very short time i got 100% and no matter how bad the windows are they come up spotless - even the mrs thinks they are great now, i have slowly moved most custy's to WFP now either by doing them when not in :P or re explaining the benefits of WFP and have no problems, sometimes when you let the custy's know your changing over they can be ultra critical and see things that are not there
also be aware that in windy conditions dirt can be flicked from 1 window to another if they are close esp. corners of conny's where they join the house, quite often i have done a window, moved along and then looked back to see 'bits' stuck to the pane that were not there before >:(
Some windows will not curtain, but i i dont think thats the problem, just keep rinsing well and keep at it!
Darran
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hitman
is that just on first cleans or is it still the same after a few times
thanks
scott
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thanks darren ;D ive just finished going round 4the 1st time, thank god ::) fingers crossed
it will b better 2nd time round ;D i hope :-\
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It will be!
as they say... practice makes .... er... clean windows... ???
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thanks smudger they were definately spotted (we went back and checked)
the ones that spotted the most were ones that are always filthy (on main road) and have always been cleaned with strong soap solution. ???
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it will take a while for the old solution to completely go, you just have to rinse rinse rinse on these, the solution will be in the rubbers but will eventualy go, it will only take 2-3 cleans and then it will be perfect every time ;D
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thanks smudger they were definately spotted (we went back and checked)
the ones that spotted the most were ones that are always filthy (on main road) and have always been cleaned with strong soap solution. ???
was it very windy the day you cleaned them i have found on properties
on main rds where there is a lot of traffic i have problems normally
on the windows that bead,on windy days and lots of traffic going
by it seems to whip a vortex up that i suspect deposits dirt onto
the windows which is held by the droplets of water left behind.
the only cure i have found for this is rinse rinse and rinse some more.
i have found it is normally less of the problem in the summer when
the temps are up and the glass dries an awful lot quicker
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If you only have spotting on 3 houses out of 100 you are doing really well!
You probably have slight spotting on other houses, but not bad enough to get a complaint.
I would guess this is down to either oxidised (milky) frames, dodgy top rubbers or worst case scenario - WINDOLENE! if your custies have used this in the past, it will take at lest 4 cleans to clear it from the edge of the top rubber. It is evil stuff!
Good luck, keep at it!
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I took over a number of houses from a window cleaner called Gary who fell off his ladder and broke his leg. I never met him but I have heard a lot about him. After his fall his wife carried on for a while but she couldn't get on with a squegee
and used Mr Muscle or something. Those houses still bead up like mad after three years and require extra rinsing to get them good.
Whats been used in the past can have a long term effect on the glass.
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on beading glass, i scrub and rinse as normal, but what i do is downward sweeps from top to botom, this some how lets the glass sheet and not bead, it has to be done fairly quickly though,
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hi mate u ok with all first cleans its best if you double rinse and check the results add a rince aid to your water and use a higher pressure setting mate ;)wilkos £1.70 nice tip from us
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hi A & J what is rinse aid? never heard of it
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hi A & J what is rinse aid? never heard of it
its something u put in a dish/glass washer. y would u want 2do that if u ave just
spent money on a PURE WATER SYSTEM ??? ??? ??? not pure if u do that ::)
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my thoughts exactly but just thought id ask
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some windows just come up realy bad my friend,i have new lead-light windows with black upvc frames,they have been in for over a year,and i,ve cleaned them about 6-8 times now,wth me pole,and they look crap,it looks like they have runs and spots all over them,i would be gutted if i paid someone to clean my windows and they ended up looking that bad.I always say to my customers if your not happy with the job then please let me know,if the worst comes to the worst,just go back to the ladder and do them if you so wish,..wfp is good but not by any means perfect,no matter how good you are ,,