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Im on the brink of giving up window cleaning :(

jordan

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Messages
71
Hello everyone once again JORDAN has a big problem i started window cleaning 6 weeks ago

I have 50 customers which is great i have had 3 customers complain saying as soon as the sun comes out there windows look terribly smeary !(i am literally begging for the answer)

1 customers complained so i went back did it again (which took 2 hours to make sure it was right i checked it then left)

went there today looks sh@t again!

I will now go through everything i use and my method!

water=hot water

liquid=morning fresh washing up liquid( i know its not the best but surely its not going to make smears)

ive changed my rubber endless times !

So i start with a bucket of hot water add some liquid not loads but enough to get it a bit bubbly on the windows

i start by using a cloth wiping frames and glass then i use a scouring pad and scrub glass and frames to make sure its clean

then i use my applicator get in the corners clean it ENOUGH

then i use my blade left to right or top to bottom as there smallish residential windows

i then dry frames and detail with chamois(i dont use chamois on middle of glass just detailing)

THATS ALL I DO PLEASE SOMEONE GIVE ME THE ANSWER I HAVE TRIED USING LESS MORNING FRESH LIQUID

could it be the morning fresh?

remember this is 3 customers and ive checked after they have complained and they look really smeary

 
youre probably spending too long at each window . trying too hard . you Must work quickly when blading the glass . first SCRUB well with applicator in several directions or you wont have lifted off all the dirt into the solution , then blade off and touch up quickly and thats it .

it wont be too much or too little washing up liquid or the brand cos its not critical.

dont worry - easy to say but thats what you must not do,worryin wont get u anywhere

just press on and within another month you will get confident .

i use cold water year round

 
I use cold too, unless I get a fussy bugger who wants me to use their hot water (god knows why as it's cold by the time the applicator hits the glass, but do it to please them). Maybe your chamois is leaving the smears? Have you got a scrim or microfibre you could detail with? I'm not sure where you're using the scouring pad, it reads as though you're using it on the glass :eek:.

Don't give up, you'll suss it :thumbsup:

 
yeh ditto tuffers "i use a scouring pad ":eek: i hope its a window safe type....

most of all dont give up just try something different...we all make mistakes...i have cleaned windows all my life and yet today when i went inside i spotted two marks outside so nobody is perfect..

try good ole fairy first as i know it doesnt cause problems all though i have used whatever i find under the custys kitchen sink as its free and never had any problems....

its a shame you are not near anyone on here because i am sure they would offer to help you ...i certainly would...

on the problem windows just spray with window spray and wipe off with a clean cloth for now until you find out what you are doing wrong...and keep reading on here...most of all ...dont give up...i make mistakes at lots of things but ...i would never give up....

i would never do a runner:whistle: who me....

 
Dont give up yet jordan. You are bound to have a few set backs to begin with and you have done really well to get 50 customers so far.

I am not sure why you are using a scouring pad on the glass. The applicator is all you need to clean glass and there is normally an abrasive pad on the end of the applicator which can be used for removing any stubborn marks such as bird poo. Hot or cold water will do the same job and the amount of detergent shouldnt cause smears as long as you are using the squeegee correctly. If you are doing straight pulls then I would suggest that, first of all, you wipe the edge you are pulling from with a piece of dry towell or a micro fibre cloth......this will stop water being pulled across or down the glass, which could be causing the smears. Once you have squeegeed then detail just around the edge. I use a large microfibre glass cloth. Others will use scrim. Its personal preference. As I said, just detail the edge....leave the rest of the glass alone.

There are loads of good videos on youtube about squeegee technique.

Keep your chin up Jordan.....you will master it and things will get better.

 
Hot water is your first issue. The aim of the game is to get the water off before it evaporates, so if you're putting on hot water on a hot day, you are making life very hard for yourself.

Try ecover and vinegar mix instead of morning fresh. Its good stuff and may just help you. That said, there must be bigger issues here as I'm sure most windies can get a good clean out of any old liquid regardless.

Scrap the chamois and go for a bone dry scrim instead.

That would be my method anyway, everyone has different methods and so long as they work its fine, but since what you are doing is not working, its worth trying different stuff. Good luck with it fella.

 
^^^ great advice @mrtaytay. I've seen cleaners buff the glass with a scrim after blading it! WTF is that all about? Let the blade do the work Jordan and only use a cloth on the edge (using just your finger tips in the cloth) of the glass.

 
ahh, but i have to point out after the storm of slime, as i named it i lost a lot of confidence and started to scrim after blading as i was seeing blade marks....normally i would never ever touch the window after blading as static can attract more dust..

thank god its gone now and hopefully wont come back for a while....coming on here saved my life jordan as i thought it was me or my equipment, but others posted it was funny stuff..

oh its great to just blade and go now...

 
Jordan, dont give up and try your best. I started in november and just feel now im getting quicker with the squeegee action, i still get the rubber flippin and leaving soap behind, most annoying, still trying to work out angles to hold squeegee. I get annoyed:mad: by little marks left behind even though ive scrubbed like a mad man. I use a slightly damp glass polishing cloths that take them off. Some windows are easier to do than others, If its the same three customers and the others are fine, maybe somthing weird going on. As already suggested get the right cloths.

Ive started using Facelift Razrblade rubber-http://www.windowcleaningwarehouse.co.uk/SKU5339.html amazing stuff was informed by well seasoned windy cleaner that it wears well compared to pulex, it also flys along the glass when glass is soaped up. I use ecover. i tried a new squeegee recently with pulex it was like trying to get mud of the glass compared to facelift. but I did buy some pulex as it was only 20p:eek: for 14" strips fromhttp://www.windowcleaningstuff.co.uk/

Dig in Jordan, I still worry about some customers the night before I go, but you gotta go. Chin up and all the best:thumbsup:

 
Thinking back, a few years ago I decided to buy a load of Unger soap, 20 litres I bought. I did notice some windows did come up really and I mean really shite after blading them. Try another liquid Jordan, it could be that. Ecover from Sainsburys is good.

 
Hello everyone once again JORDAN has a big problem i started window cleaning 6 weeks agoI have 50 customers which is great i have had 3 customers complain saying as soon as the sun comes out there windows look terribly smeary !(i am literally begging for the answer)

1 customers complained so i went back did it again (which took 2 hours to make sure it was right i checked it then left)

went there today looks sh@t again!

I will now go through everything i use and my method!

water=hot water

liquid=morning fresh washing up liquid( i know its not the best but surely its not going to make smears)

ive changed my rubber endless times !

So i start with a bucket of hot water add some liquid not loads but enough to get it a bit bubbly on the windows

i start by using a cloth wiping frames and glass then i use a scouring pad and scrub glass and frames to make sure its clean

then i use my applicator get in the corners clean it ENOUGH

then i use my blade left to right or top to bottom as there smallish residential windows

i then dry frames and detail with chamois(i dont use chamois on middle of glass just detailing)

THATS ALL I DO PLEASE SOMEONE GIVE ME THE ANSWER I HAVE TRIED USING LESS MORNING FRESH LIQUID

could it be the morning fresh?

remember this is 3 customers and ive checked after they have complained and they look really smeary
I have just come back from the cleaning show in Amsteram, they had a window cleaning comp there, them guys are super quick, how often are you changing your squeegee blade?

 
Jordon. Is there a Window Cleaner on this forum or one local to you who can give you an hour of there experience to get things moving forward for you?. Watch as many you tube videos as you can. With practice you will get it sorted!... Sometimes with a new customer its worth scrubbing the window and frame first with a wet, rung out microfiber. Or pre-wet, scrap, then wash and blade.... The squeegee work is the cherry on the bun!!!

 
Are all the window on the houses you looked at look smeary as you put it or just one or two? Why I ask is you need to consider is the staining on the outside of the glass due to hard water marks, salt and other mineral deposits or even blown double glazing seals where condensation stains the inside of the glass. Also mentioned before customers have attempted to clean the inside glass themselves and left their own smears on the glass. On double glazed units It's easy to tell if its on the inside or outside but single pain glass is a bit harder to check.

Some customers are daft and will try to blame the window cleaner when it's not their fault.

 
I'm concerned about the scouring pad and the words scrub. If I'm reading right, it sounds like you're not even wetting the glass when you use this and I'm worried that you might be scratching the glass...hopefully I'm wrong but you shouldn't be using anything like this on glass. Just use your applicator and if you need to remove any stubborn marks, use a scraper and always make sure you wet the glass first.

Other than that, make sure it's not hard water staining as others have said, I have a few windows like this, once you get more experience you spot them instantly and I always point them out to my customers. Sometimes a good squirt of Ubik can help clean them up but if it's on the inside of the glass(damaged seals with double glazing), there's nothing you can do.

Keep at it and watch youtube vids have others have suggested.

Mart.

 
i have a lot of blown double glazing on my patch....doesnt help at all....the number of times i have gone back to get a mark off and then realised its inside the unit.....grrrrrr

i remember one nice lady who had reached out of her kitchen window with some sort of kitchen scrubber to remove bird muck...:eek::eek::eek:...not my fault...what a mess...new glass needed...

 
Thankyou everyone great help i am spending a few days trying to figure it all out i am going to change to fairy liquid i think it could be the chamois so il ditch that unfortunately i have been using the scouring pad on the glass (what an idiot not enough research!) and il change my rubber see how i get on then il let you all know and if theres anyone who lives in wiltshire any help would be great? THANKS

 
I use cold too, unless I get a fussy bugger who wants me to use their hot water (god knows why as it's cold by the time the applicator hits the glass, but do it to please them). Maybe your chamois is leaving the smears? Have you got a scrim or microfibre you could detail with? I'm not sure where you're using the scouring pad, it reads as though you're using it on the glass :eek:.
Don't give up, you'll suss it :thumbsup:
If I get that, I say I have special formula in my water.

 
Definitely think you are trying too hard. Personally, I do think that good quality washing up liquids are best, avoid highly concentrated ones. All detergents work equally well in hot or cold water, so stick with cold. keep it simple; on with soapy water, off with blade.

 
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