Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: prestige cleaners on March 17, 2010, 11:32:24 pm
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Unfortunately my customers father has passed away after falling from his ladder and hitting his head trying to clean his gutters, i think he lived in england. just wanted to warn others to be careful if you have to use a ladder.
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what and you dont use a ladder EVER!!if you dont your not a PROPER window cleaner!!
dont need you to tell me to be careful i fell off twice(not for 10 yrs now though!)landed on my heels both times.ok though.hurt my back a bit last time but was back at work the next day!i was very lucky!
ill be mostly wfp in a few months but ill always have a need for the ladders sometimes mate.
regards
dazmond
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well ive been a windy 2 1/2 yrs now with no ladders so yes you can be a ladderless windy if you really try. i do use them for internal gutter cleans though. (hate them)
dont take offence im only trying to help people to not be complacent.
my other friend fell off his ladder a few yrs ago and landed on his cocyx on a wall, he was ok thankfully.
another friend his rung actually snapped! i think he broke his leg!
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well ive been a windy 2 1/2 yrs now with no ladders so yes you can be a ladderless windy if you really try. i do use them for internal gutter cleans though. (hate them)
So if you offer gutter clearances using a ladder as part of your services then you are not really a laddderless window cleaner.... :)
I saw a nice van the other week with all the trimmings...nice wrap signage,ionics logo..and a nice prominant sign saying "ladderless window cleaning services"...
Yes you guessed it they had two sets of triples on the rack.....lmfao
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ok i only clean windows ladderlessly (is that a word? ;D) btw i would never go up a triple.
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your not a windy you are a water fed pole operative
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X amount of people died today driving to work today, best never drive again .
Accidents happen ! if you know how to use ladders and use ladder safety equipment then you are very safe,
If have run my own business for 21 years and only use my WFP when I need to.
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your not a windy you are a water fed pole operative
i like the sound of that 8)
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I'd say 90% of my work is now wfp but I still have some decent jobs where people insist on trad so I bite the bullet.I hate using ladders now I must admit.Accidents happen with window cleaners because in this business time is money.If I was to do a job like guttering on my own I would make sure the ladder was tied off and every saftey measure I could take was taken.With wcing you're rushing onto the next job it's easy and tempting to cut corners.I've seen people round my way take incredible risks and I cringe watching them.The guy who cleans down our road broke his leg recently falling off and he was very experienced.
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well this is a thread we all should think about when up those ladders im not getting into a debate about trad or wfp again but there are wcleaners who climb far to high on them for there liking so as long as the ladder is secure then this is not a issues is it
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dont matter wot u do.... when ur number's up ur number's up ::) we just gotta b carefull guys ;)
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so i do secure wise on grass areas i use a pitch fork at the bottom and for graveled areas i move the gravel or secure the ladder with the car tyre dont make the mistakes i made at the start 20yrs ago just a few tips for the lads and ladies out there
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your not a windy you are a water fed pole operative
i like the sound of that 8)
the Trigger of window cleaning ;D ;D
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well ive been a windy 2 1/2 yrs now with no ladders so yes you can be a ladderless windy if you really try. i do use them for internal gutter cleans though. (hate them)
So if you offer gutter clearances using a ladder as part of your services then you are not really a laddderless window cleaner.... :)
I saw a nice van the other week with all the trimmings...nice wrap signage,ionics logo..and a nice prominant sign saying "ladderless window cleaning services"...
Yes you guessed it they had two sets of triples on the rack.....lmfao
I am a ladderless window cleaner, before I got my guttervac I used ladders!
But I was still a "ladderless window cleaner" even though I used ladders to clear gutters doesnt mean I used them for window cleaning.
Matt
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dont matter wot u do.... when ur number's up ur number's up ::) we just gotta b carefull guys ;)
Now theres a contradiction.
haha ;D sounded better in me head ;D n thats where it should of stayed lol ;D
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matt mate surely if you are a ladderless windy and you use ladders say ocassionly does that mean you are a ladder windowcleaner then or ladderless its A BIT free ranging this debate has come to
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think hes saying the ladders are used for gutter cleanig and not window cleaning so that makes him a ladderless window cleaner
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X amount of people died today driving to work today, best never drive again .
Accidents happen ! if you know how to use ladders and use ladder safety equipment then you are very safe,
If have run my own business for 21 years and only use my WFP when I need to.
You wear a seatbelt when driving right?
Yes there are risks in everything, but you make efforts to reduce them. Ladder spikes, limpets, standoff's etc etc,... if you have to use a ladder then be smart about it.
One of the funniest things I ever saw window cleaning was not long after I first started out and I was working trad with my father in law. There was a car parked in an awkward place below a window & I couldn't stand the ladder in a way I felt was safe. The lady of the house was going out in 5 minutes, so I told the father in law I wasn't going to do that window till the car was moved. His attitude was "I've been doing this job 16 years and never fell, its perfectly safe,.. get on with it". I refused, & he went to do it to prove a point. He fell and went through the back window of the car,.. it cost him a trip to hospital and an £800 repair bill!
The "I've been cleaning windows off ladders for 50 years & never fell" line doesn't work with me. Regardless of your experience & previous luck, recognise the risk & always encourage ppl to work smart!
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Actually, its "I've been window cleaning X years and never fallen off - yet" Except most people miss off the "yet".
Accidents are always there waiting to happen. You are totally nieve if you think otherwise.
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Yes there are risks in everything, but you make efforts to reduce them. Ladder spikes, limpets, standoff's etc etc,... if you have to use a ladder then be smart about it.
..................recognise the risk & always encourage ppl to work smart!
Wise words Nathanael - I always reckon the most dangerous thing about a ladder is when the operator loses his regard for how dangerous it is....
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what and you dont use a ladder EVER!!if you dont your not a PROPER window cleaner!!
dont need you to tell me to be careful i fell off twice(not for 10 yrs now though!)landed on my heels both times.ok though.hurt my back a bit last time but was back at work the next day!i was very lucky!
ill be mostly wfp in a few months but ill always have a need for the ladders sometimes mate.
regards
dazmond
I am a "Proper Window Cleaner" and I have a very sucessful business to prove it, yet I have not used a ladder for the last 7 years and I do not intend to start a bad habit again.
With all the equipment that is available today there is no need for a window cleaner to use a ladder, you might find 1 window that can only be accessed by a ladder, but 1 window out of hundreds of houses does not justify the use of a ladder or the death of a window cleaner.
You have had 2 accidents that you were lucky to walk away from, but there are many window cleaners who have ended their lives just to clean a piece of glass.
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how an earth can you reach the top windows on a kitchen extension if their really set back?windows above large porches with sloping driveways?conny roofs if conny is against nextdoors fence with no access to nextdoor?
im sorry mate but i would have to miss these windows out without a ladder!!
locked gates?we all come across these from time to time even if we ring em up the night before!! ::)
you must miss a lot of windows out then pal!! ;) :P :P
what about soffit/frame cleans if their really mingin?you need to get up a ladder and scrub properly!!the list goes on!
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I would say that it is a very rare occurance for a window to be inaccesable for a wfp operative.However i can think of numerous conservatories that a trad cleaner just wouldn't be able to access unlees they maybe had a stretch with a squegee on a pole,and we know what results that would give.
As for minging fascias well by spraying from the ground with tfr and then poleing the results are quality,and believe me i have done some green ones in my time,but it comes up even better with a pressure washing system.
Trad has it's place,and it's definatly a skill,but wfp is advancing the industry where ladders will be a last resort one day.
You only have to look at commercial work say 10-15 years ago,how differant is that today,you wouldn't stand a chance of gaining decent commercial work just using ladders.
Time to advance and take hold of new technology and safety issues,the industry is moving on and some are being left behind.
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If we choose to use ladders, then we choose to accept that there are risks involved. In my humble opinion if a ladder is used correctly with regard to angle, not over reaching, three point contact or placement on slippery or uneven ground etc., the use of a ladder is as safe as its user.
I also would point out that because I use ladders to clean windows, does that make me any less a 'proper'window cleaner than one who chooses to use alternative methods? I think not, as I have well over 400 customers who are loyal and satisfied with the standard to which I clean their windows.
I should add that I never rush about to the detriment of my or anybody else's personal safety. If a window cannot be reached with a ladder, I tell the customer and they are always OK with that.
With regard to trad window cleaners being left behind, I don't care if I am. My
customers are not all going to cancel on me for the sake of technology, so as long as I can continue to do a good job for them and make enough to live on, I will be content with that.
Best wishes,
John.
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how an earth can you reach the top windows on a kitchen extension if their really set back?windows above large porches with sloping driveways?conny roofs if conny is against nextdoors fence with no access to nextdoor?
im sorry mate but i would have to miss these windows out without a ladder!!
locked gates?we all come across these from time to time even if we ring em up the night before!! ::)
you must miss a lot of windows out then pal!! ;) :P :P
what about soffit/frame cleans if their really mingin?you need to get up a ladder and scrub properly!!the list goes on!
wfp does it all for me :)
i could climb ladders but to honest im far to lazy these days
i would rather make my money in an easier way,ali pole up
then ali pole down :)
never had a prob cleaning any of the above, as for access i either call
text or drop notes off to customers letting them knowthat i am
coming. on the rare occasion i cant access the back i just clean the front
but as im wfp i can get more done in a day so im hardly losing out ;)
yep!! far too lazy to climb ladders :)
i wish i had your energy ;D ;D
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Out of interest with the advancement of WFP do any of you guys think that trad cleaners will become sought after by customers as the number of trad cleaners reduce?
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nope ;D
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I have had quite a number of my customers ask if I intend to change over to the
wfp system. I said that I don't and they have unanimously expressed their relief. I have picked up work from wfp'ers who did a poor job. To be fair, I have also picked up work from trads who also did an unsatisfactory job, so there are clearly good and poor window cleaners on either side of the wfp v trad argument.
I am not knocking either system at all. We make our choices and live by or suffer the consequences. Neither method is wrong, so why do some have to insist that one way or the other is? And perhaps a more salient point, why should anyone care?
John.
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I have had quite a number of my customers ask if I intend to change over to the
wfp system. I said that I don't and they have unanimously expressed their relief. I have picked up work from wfp'ers who did a poor job. To be fair, I have also picked up work from trads who also did an unsatisfactory job, so there are clearly good and poor window cleaners on either side of the wfp v trad argument.
I am not knocking either system at all. We make our choices and live by or suffer the consequences. Neither method is wrong, so why do some have to insist that one way or the other is? And perhaps a more salient point, why should anyone care?
John.
That post is so true John,
I have picked up work from wfp customers and trad, and we clean 99% wfp, we wll always lost customers it is nature of having a lot of customers they come and go.
Some Customers Lie. they slate wfp when really they dont like it, and likewise they slate a trad cleaner because he was cleaning port holes.
I use ladders for access only I do not have a problem using ladders I choose not to because of risk.
Makes me shudder that someone has died using a tool I use myself as do my staff.
I have been trained in the use of them ;D 10 years after I stopped using them ;D