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How many houses and hours should I be doing daily ?

ECLM
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You will put your own limits on what you can earn. For example my average price is about £12. I can clean about 20 to 25 houses in a 6 hour day so average about 250 to 300 quid a day. But I work 8 till 2 and only work 4 days a week so I have limited how much I can earn.

I could increase my average price, work 8 hour days and work 5/6 days a week and earn 2k a week if I really wanted to but I don't.

So with earnings its as little or as much as you can be bothered to earn and honestly earning 2k a week wouldn't improve my life by enough to want to sacrifice that amount of hours to what is a very boring job.
 
rafterys2003 said:
I honestly don't know how you could be earning more than £300 a day by yourself in this job. I'm in my 6th year and still only on £100 a day. I realise I could have been doing much better and am now planning on upgrading and doing £200 on a 6 hour day so my earnings will be around 50k per year which I think is amazing.
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In affluent areas you can easily earn £50 per hour now, last year I would say £40 was easy, so somebody well established with a well ran business could do 6 hours per day and get £300, if they fine tuned it I could certainly see £300+ day in day out. £400+ I would think it would have to be London area. £500+ can't see it myself, not day in day out working alone, that's over £100k per year even with holidays taken off.

The thing is inflation is pushing the figures up to what seems like stupid levels, but when you factor in all the costs of everything else like rents / mortgage, energy, fuel etc... well it's shocking how little is left after what you think is a good wage. Yesterdays good wage is todays average wage and trying to keep up with it all is very difficult. It's getting hard to know what a good decent wage actually is at the moment.
 
kevinc250 said:
in all honesty, you guys are quoting turnover per day, i'll leave it there as they'll only be a few who understand that,
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Exactly this.
it would be interesting to know what the bottom line is for some especially for some of the so called big hitters.

I’m very surprised more aren’t in the 40% tax bracket on here or vat registered.
 
rafterys2003 said:
Hello again everyone

I'm a solo residential window cleaner currently working around 4-5 hours doing 9-10 houses daily. I use a 250l tank with just half a rinse bar with just a standard gardiner brush on the pole as it tends to use less water. I make about £30 an hour on average and made about 23k last year but sometimes I feel like I could be doing alot better because people have said they are making £50-70 an hour on here in the past and god knows how much a year. I charge £10 for a standard 2/3 bed which seems to be the standard rate in my area (black country) so I feel I wouldn't really be successful charging anymore as people moan about my prices now. The round is fairly compact most jobs around 10-15 houses away from eachother. I suppose I'm just looking for advice on how I could be going quicker as I'm not sure how I could especially when alot of my clients have hydrophobic glass and it takes longer to clean. I use this pump
Pump Box with 80psi pump on the lowest speed (to save water) with a Gardiner slx pole. I'm ready to upgrade all my equipment if it's going to make a real difference. So any advice on technique, equipment or anything in general that could help would be appreciated.

Thanks guys
Click to expand...
Prices,compact work,affluent area,better equipment all help with earning more...

I work similar hours to you(20-25 hours per week)but turnover is around 50k a year....BUT I have been window cleaning for nearly 30 years now....

Good luck and stick at it....?
 
kevinc250 said:
in all honesty, you guys are quoting turnover per day, i'll leave it there as they'll only be a few who understand that,
Click to expand...

yes but turnover is very important because of the VAT implications.

pretty pointless a one man band going over that but to get as close as possible would be a great target.
 
to quote an old friend "turnover is vanity but profit is sanity",
a lot of people quote what they have "earned or turned over" that day but, give very little regards to running costs etc.
my wife amanda is about to go self employed as a domestic cleaner, she does that as a day to day job and most of her customers will go with her-she's buzzing thinking nearly £20 an hour (which is a good rate in our area for domestic cleaning), thinking that that £20 is all hers well, we sat down with a pen and paper and chatted about fixed costs and, variable costs she will have to pay for out of that £20 every hour whether she works or not.
she's now a bit deflated but the numbers work and their is some profit in what she's going to do.
for example she looked at a job, £15 per hour-she's buzzing as its more than she gets an hour at the moment but, take off 29 pence in the pound for tax and ni (we aren't factoring in the tax free limit at this point) and that £15 is vastly reduced notwithstanding fuel, and chemicals used which, woke her up a bit as after the fixed and variable costs she would be working for far less than minimum wage.
that £15 per hour would be cash in hand but as i explained to her, you still have overheads, ok, no tax and ni to pay but that cleaning job still has overheads to account for.
i think that a fair few brag about what they have "earned" on an apparently daily basis which, of course is regional, so the figures go up and down to what the prices in that region can support but most just see that turnover figure and secretly think that i've earned all that and what do i see of it? i'm still skint and i've "made" all this money this week or month wheres it all gone?.
i would say to anyone just, sit down and work out your monthly fixed costs ie van payments insurance tax on the van insurances etc all those monthly costs, add them all up and divide by 12 thats your monthly cost, thats your fixed cost to you whether you work or not on that day, you are paying it regardless,
your variable costs are fuel, water and ongoing maintainance there will be more depending on the set up you have and ongoing expenses.
its a very basic explanation but for someone new to this its an insight as in, its not all about those bragging figures but, more how your business is run rather than the daily turnover figures
i regually speak to mates doing the self same thing and we chat about the fact we've "earned" all this money but we should be raking it in? and we are n't.
 
kevinc250 said:
to quote an old friend "turnover is vanity but profit is sanity",
a lot of people quote what they have "earned or turned over" that day but, give very little regards to running costs etc.
my wife amanda is about to go self employed as a domestic cleaner, she does that as a day to day job and most of her customers will go with her-she's buzzing thinking nearly £20 an hour (which is a good rate in our area for domestic cleaning), thinking that that £20 is all hers well, we sat down with a pen and paper and chatted about fixed costs and, variable costs she will have to pay for out of that £20 every hour whether she works or not.
she's now a bit deflated but the numbers work and their is some profit in what she's going to do.
for example she looked at a job, £15 per hour-she's buzzing as its more than she gets an hour at the moment but, take off 29 pence in the pound for tax and ni (we aren't factoring in the tax free limit at this point) and that £15 is vastly reduced notwithstanding fuel, and chemicals used which, woke her up a bit as after the fixed and variable costs she would be working for far less than minimum wage.
that £15 per hour would be cash in hand but as i explained to her, you still have overheads, ok, no tax and ni to pay but that cleaning job still has overheads to account for.
i think that a fair few brag about what they have "earned" on an apparently daily basis which, of course is regional, so the figures go up and down to what the prices in that region can support but most just see that turnover figure and secretly think that i've earned all that and what do i see of it? i'm still skint and i've "made" all this money this week or month wheres it all gone?.
i would say to anyone just, sit down and work out your monthly fixed costs ie van payments insurance tax on the van insurances etc all those monthly costs, add them all up and divide by 12 thats your monthly cost, thats your fixed cost to you whether you work or not on that day, you are paying it regardless,
your variable costs are fuel, water and ongoing maintainance there will be more depending on the set up you have and ongoing expenses.
its a very basic explanation but for someone new to this its an insight as in, its not all about those bragging figures but, more how your business is run rather than the daily turnover figures
i regually speak to mates doing the self same thing and we chat about the fact we've "earned" all this money but we should be raking it in? and we are n't.
Click to expand...
But surely that’s just it Kevin it’s turn over per day and expenses come out of that all business does the same thing . You just need to make sure that you are earning a healthy profit after expenses are taken out , this is why I am amazed at how cheap some are they cannot be making a profit or not one that is enough they would be better off working for someone and having paid holidays and sick pay , you also need to factor in lost days due to the weather
 
What is our biggest cost? I think its the cost of van and running it. Folk can run an old van and quote cheap prices until their van breaks down and its a big fix and then they throw in the towel. That's what happened up here and I picked up some of their customers at twice their price. The thing is there old customers were telling me they were too cheap and happy to pay double. Say you are £800 a month for a van and the juice so that's £200 a week. So that means we need £200 a week before we kick a ball. I would say a grand a week takings is normal anything above that is good going. Anything less then you need more customers to aim for the normal level. ?
 
kevinc250 said:
to quote an old friend "turnover is vanity but profit is sanity",
a lot of people quote what they have "earned or turned over" that day but, give very little regards to running costs etc.
my wife amanda is about to go self employed as a domestic cleaner, she does that as a day to day job and most of her customers will go with her-she's buzzing thinking nearly £20 an hour (which is a good rate in our area for domestic cleaning), thinking that that £20 is all hers well, we sat down with a pen and paper and chatted about fixed costs and, variable costs she will have to pay for out of that £20 every hour whether she works or not.
she's now a bit deflated but the numbers work and their is some profit in what she's going to do.
for example she looked at a job, £15 per hour-she's buzzing as its more than she gets an hour at the moment but, take off 29 pence in the pound for tax and ni (we aren't factoring in the tax free limit at this point) and that £15 is vastly reduced notwithstanding fuel, and chemicals used which, woke her up a bit as after the fixed and variable costs she would be working for far less than minimum wage.
that £15 per hour would be cash in hand but as i explained to her, you still have overheads, ok, no tax and ni to pay but that cleaning job still has overheads to account for.
i think that a fair few brag about what they have "earned" on an apparently daily basis which, of course is regional, so the figures go up and down to what the prices in that region can support but most just see that turnover figure and secretly think that i've earned all that and what do i see of it? i'm still skint and i've "made" all this money this week or month wheres it all gone?.
i would say to anyone just, sit down and work out your monthly fixed costs ie van payments insurance tax on the van insurances etc all those monthly costs, add them all up and divide by 12 thats your monthly cost, thats your fixed cost to you whether you work or not on that day, you are paying it regardless,
your variable costs are fuel, water and ongoing maintainance there will be more depending on the set up you have and ongoing expenses.
its a very basic explanation but for someone new to this its an insight as in, its not all about those bragging figures but, more how your business is run rather than the daily turnover figures
i regually speak to mates doing the self same thing and we chat about the fact we've "earned" all this money but we should be raking it in? and we are n't.
Click to expand...
I understand your point about turnover and profit and usually this would be a very valid point in many businesses, however with window cleaning the costs are virtually zero. The only cost is equipment and water. My kit has lasted 3 years so far, I tend to get one new brush every 6 months, so that's say £2 per week on a brush, 100 gloves per month at no more than £20 delivered so £5 per week, public liability insurance I think works out at £2 per week, van fuel is £45 per week but that includes personal use, water is no more than £20 per week.

So for every £200 earned in turnover, the profit is around £180 and that's probably on the high side with costs.

It's the same with your Mrs, that £20 per hour, it probably works out her costs are £3 per hour tops, so she is actually getting £17 per hour. 8 hours per day would be £24 towards costs each day which should easily cover it. The chemicals you use is virtually free and things like cloths once you've bought a load you just put them in the washing machine and re-use them. I used to do domestic house cleaning, the costs are less than window cleaning.

Things like holidays is a personal choice but obviously you take your yearly profit after holidays.
 
dazmond said:
Prices,compact work,affluent area,better equipment all help with earning more...

I work similar hours to you(20-25 hours per week)but turnover is around 50k a year....BUT I have been window cleaning for nearly 30 years now....

Good luck and stick at it....?
Click to expand...
Bit to drink, but as it’s you @dazmond, just double checking you’ve mentioned you do shorter hours ??
 
kevinc250 said:
to quote an old friend "turnover is vanity but profit is sanity",
a lot of people quote what they have "earned or turned over" that day but, give very little regards to running costs etc.
my wife amanda is about to go self employed as a domestic cleaner, she does that as a day to day job and most of her customers will go with her-she's buzzing thinking nearly £20 an hour (which is a good rate in our area for domestic cleaning), thinking that that £20 is all hers well, we sat down with a pen and paper and chatted about fixed costs and, variable costs she will have to pay for out of that £20 every hour whether she works or not.
she's now a bit deflated but the numbers work and their is some profit in what she's going to do.
for example she looked at a job, £15 per hour-she's buzzing as its more than she gets an hour at the moment but, take off 29 pence in the pound for tax and ni (we aren't factoring in the tax free limit at this point) and that £15 is vastly reduced notwithstanding fuel, and chemicals used which, woke her up a bit as after the fixed and variable costs she would be working for far less than minimum wage.
that £15 per hour would be cash in hand but as i explained to her, you still have overheads, ok, no tax and ni to pay but that cleaning job still has overheads to account for.
i think that a fair few brag about what they have "earned" on an apparently daily basis which, of course is regional, so the figures go up and down to what the prices in that region can support but most just see that turnover figure and secretly think that i've earned all that and what do i see of it? i'm still skint and i've "made" all this money this week or month wheres it all gone?.
i would say to anyone just, sit down and work out your monthly fixed costs ie van payments insurance tax on the van insurances etc all those monthly costs, add them all up and divide by 12 thats your monthly cost, thats your fixed cost to you whether you work or not on that day, you are paying it regardless,
your variable costs are fuel, water and ongoing maintainance there will be more depending on the set up you have and ongoing expenses.
its a very basic explanation but for someone new to this its an insight as in, its not all about those bragging figures but, more how your business is run rather than the daily turnover figures
i regually speak to mates doing the self same thing and we chat about the fact we've "earned" all this money but we should be raking it in? and we are n't.
Click to expand...


Doesn't really apply to window cleaning

Person A works 4 days a a week and turns over 800 quid

Person b works 5 days a week and turns over 1500 quid.

The fixed costs are pretty much the same. Van running costs, software, accountant fees,insurances, equipment etc etc.

Person b might use a bit more fuel and a bit more water but the amounts are so negligible.

And of course we are all well aware of the difference between turnover and profit but in window cleaning as a 1 man band at least the turnover figure is all you really need to know.
 
rafterys2003 said:
Thanks for the replies guys. Yeah I think you're right about the flow rate I'm gonna have to get a bigger tank and use more water aren't I if I want to go quicker. With working 8 hours a day though its just so many people say they are working around 5 hours and earning over double what I am so I guess I want to know how they are achieving this. I'm worried its going to come down to charging more which just wouldn't be achievable in the area I am I'm lucky to be getting £10 for a house. Noone seems to be okay with forking out more than that every 4 weeks.
Click to expand...
In my experience what some people say they earn and what actually earn are two different things
 
What you earn you know others will always dispute it best just carry on cleaning with a big smile as you see the pounds coming in if it’s enough for you then you know you are doing it right
 
P4dstar said:
It's not my fault that I turn over £1200 a day, am done by lunch time and only work 4 days a week. Jealousy is a bitter thing my friend :ROFLMAO:
Click to expand...
Just be pleased your further down the country, up in Scotland they do 34 houses by lunchtime miss out the frames because they are trad rats and make around £200 as they can only charge about £6 a house, this came from a reliable source ?
 

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