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How often do you use your ladders?

Marko067

Well-known member
Messages
1,922
Location
Basildon, Essex
In my case it's been twice in six months.

Last one was following a call back when a bird imprint had not been completely removed. I went back dutifully and cleaned it off but the bird had been carrying something waxy which had also left a mark, a mark I couldn't see easily because it was in the shadow of the eves. When I got another call back I initially thought the lady was becoming picky. But went back anyhow and did it again. The following month the lady said the mark was still there. I have to say the lady was actually very nice about the whole thing. So off came the ladder and up I went and what a mess. Don't know what the bird had been carrying but it wasn't dissolving in water and was just smearing over the glass. I appeared to have been making it worse. I had to do it four times by hand with soap and water before it all came off. Fortunately whatever it was hadn't been sticking to the brush or I might have had a few more complaints.

I know of some wfpers who no longer carry ladders but what would happen it situations like above?

 
Maybe if my pole doesn't clean something like that off well enough but that's very rare, and when windows are completely inaccessible to get too with the pole I use the ladder but that's only on houses weve had since before we switched over from blade to pole, if its on new houses I just say I don't do ladder work anymore as I don't really want to do it haha.

 
Until earlier this year I had five on my route that had windows I thought I had to do with a ladder. However, I trapped the femoral nerve in my left leg which resulted in me being off work for a week and a half and left me with a very weak leg. When I returned to work I took a tumble a couple of times when my leg just buckled under me. So I did not want to get on a ladder for obvious reasons. It took three months to return to normal, so I decided to see if I could find ways to do those few windows with the pole as I didn't fancy getting on the ladder with a dodgy leg. I succeeded and even one of my customers suggested a method on hers that worked well. The worst one, all Georgian, flaking paint and putty, I thought just do it with the pole and see what happens. Did them once, they didn't complain and the next time they told me they were moving so didn't need them doing any more. So that was that. No more properties needing doing with ladders. I intend to keep it that way. Any new ones, like you Rory, I tell them I don't use ladders other than for inspection.

 
I get the ladders off maybe 5 times a month for my regular work but i also do gutters etc so will use them when needed

 
In my case it's been twice in six months.Last one was following a call back when a bird imprint had not been completely removed. I went back dutifully and cleaned it off but the bird had been carrying something waxy which had also left a mark, a mark I couldn't see easily because it was in the shadow of the eves. When I got another call back I initially thought the lady was becoming picky. But went back anyhow and did it again. The following month the lady said the mark was still there. I have to say the lady was actually very nice about the whole thing. So off came the ladder and up I went and what a mess. Don't know what the bird had been carrying but it wasn't dissolving in water and was just smearing over the glass. I appeared to have been making it worse. I had to do it four times by hand with soap and water before it all came off. Fortunately whatever it was hadn't been sticking to the brush or I might have had a few more complaints.

I know of some wfpers who no longer carry ladders but what would happen it situations like above?
 
Only use ladders to get on flat roofs now, I don't clean gutters out haven't got time and would rather knock more doors and leaflet for Glass Graft as for bird cr@p I'd just Oil Flow it.

 
I have step ladders also for some of them hard to reach windows above extensions, conservatories personally don't like ladders.

 
@Marko067 everytime I read your words my mind plays the voice of Buzz Lightyear as per your avatar..

Anyway just wanted to say that for the birds mess youu were talking about at the start, a simple glass scraper does the trick every time in situations like that. Thats the only area WFPs are let down - when there is a stubborn dried on mess on the glass.

 
@Marko067 everytime I read your words my mind plays the voice of Buzz Lightyear as per your avatar..

Anyway just wanted to say that for the birds mess youu were talking about at the start, a simple glass scraper does the trick every time in situations like that. Thats the only area WFPs are let down - when there is a stubborn dried on mess on the glass

 
A good spray of ubik or screwfix no nonsense degreaser on a wet brush

Scrub the bird mess with it without the water on

Clean another window

Go back and clean like normal

Melts it off

 
@Marko067 everytime I read your words my mind plays the voice of Buzz Lightyear as per your avatar..Anyway just wanted to say that for the birds mess youu were talking about at the start, a simple glass scraper does the trick every time in situations like that. Thats the only area WFPs are let down - when there is a stubborn dried on mess on the glass
My youngest is 16 and my oldest is 30 with his own kids and we all still get a kick out of those films. Buzz was my favourite character, hence my avatar.

The imprint I was talking about wasn't bird poo, rather that almost artistic imprint of the entire bird on the glass when they smack into it. That came off fairly easily even with just water. Whatever it had been carrying in its beak however, was what the sticky mess was. A scraper wouldn't have removed it. Just smeared it further. Viro-sol didn't dissolve it straight away either.

A good spray of ubik or screwfix no nonsense degreaser on a wet brushScrub the bird mess with it without the water on

Clean another window

Go back and clean like normal

Melts it off
I tried neat viro-sol on it but it took four attempts even with that to get it off and that was with hand tools. I've never used Ubik. I'll have to get some to try.

Fortunately I've rarely come upon something this sticky.

 
Picked up two next to each other this week. Both have balcony running round three sides of property. So ladder required. That makes six. Four access only an two nice old ladies who don't do new fangled stuff. Don't like getting the ladder of since starting with the pole. Charged a customer a fiver for a sky light last week as had to use ladder.

 
Cleaned some patio doors last week that had a perfect imprint of the bird that had collided with it. The dead bird was still on the ground, and its a ringneck parakeet.

These are very common now in the south east. Always lime green and screech whilst in flight.

Talking of animals, I went to the zoo last week and noticed a cage that just had a baguette in it.

The zoo keeper said it was bread in captivity /emoticons/biggrin.png

 

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