Any female window cleaners on here?

[Tuffers]

The second picture should be an inspiration to anyone! 

Little did we know that it was mid summer in the highlands when it was taken ????????

 

[Master Jedi Alejandro]

View attachment 25958

Echoing the comments of others, this photo is insane! So many kit themselves out with all the most expensive gear, only to fail. Your photo proves it’s not about buy in, it’s about having the right drive & motive!

 

[Iron Giant]

Echoing the comments of others, this photo is insane! So many kit themselves out with all the most expensive gear, only to fail. Your photo proves it’s not about buy in, it’s about having the right drive & motive!

100% some blow their redundancy on a pipe dream thinking the work will just come to them, it's a different ball game running a business, I don't even I could peddle that bike set up with @Davy G on the back 

 

[Deleted member 7446]

Hi Damo,

I realise I'm a bit late to this thread... I don't come on the forum much any more (too busy working full time and running a house/raising a child single handed!) but seeing as you've only had one other woman reply I thought I'd add my thoughts.

I've been cleaning windows full time for just over 8 years. I suppose I'm not your typical woman, in terms of not wanting to teeter around in high heels with a full face of makeup etc but I'm shorter and smaller framed than most men so I guess I don't look particularly strong/manly either ?

I'm fine working up to a good height and working full days, in fact now I've got a van it's significantly easier than the early years when I was operating WFP from a bike with a kid on the back!

View attachment 25959

View attachment 25958

I would imagine any woman considering stepping into a "man's" profession will have thought carefully about whether or not it's really for them. Probably moreso than most men... I've lost count of how many men I know who've started window cleaning and given up a few months later when it's harder than they expected. 

I hope it works out for you with this new person ?

Absolutely inspiring for anyone starting out. This just cements the fact that you can get out there and work regardless of what vehicle you have. 

 

[Davy G]

100% some blow their redundancy on a pipe dream thinking the work will just come to them, it's a different ball game running a business, I don't even I could peddle that bike set up with @Davy G on the back 

We could take turns. Or get a handy size tandem. As @Beccyshows, there's usually a way to make things happen. ?

All credit to her.
She's some woman. Her child will be unstoppable after an upbringing like that. Wow! ?

 

[Jaygti]

So after 4 pages of discussion we can come to a conclusion. 
 

Some people are cut out to be window cleaners and some aren’t. 

Whether they are male or female is largely irrelevant. ??

 

[steve garwood]

So after 4 pages of discussion we can come to a conclusion. 
 

Some people are cut out to be window cleaners and some aren’t. 

Whether they are male or female is largely irrelevant. ??

But men are better ????

 

[Jonny 67]

Hi Damo,

I realise I'm a bit late to this thread... I don't come on the forum much any more (too busy working full time and running a house/raising a child single handed!) but seeing as you've only had one other woman reply I thought I'd add my thoughts.

I've been cleaning windows full time for just over 8 years. I suppose I'm not your typical woman, in terms of not wanting to teeter around in high heels with a full face of makeup etc but I'm shorter and smaller framed than most men so I guess I don't look particularly strong/manly either ?

I'm fine working up to a good height and working full days, in fact now I've got a van it's significantly easier than the early years when I was operating WFP from a bike with a kid on the back!

View attachment 25959

View attachment 25958

I would imagine any woman considering stepping into a "man's" profession will have thought carefully about whether or not it's really for them. Probably moreso than most men... I've lost count of how many men I know who've started window cleaning and given up a few months later when it's harder than they expected. 

I hope it works out for you with this new person ?

Awesome. You put a lot of people in this country to shame, with you're determination and drive ??

 

[spruce]

does anyone on here rememeber @shaz?, probably not but i think what damo is doing-if it comes to fruition would be very good for the franchisee, @Damo would provide the very best equipment available to his franchisee's its in his nature to do this, and i guess the help and back up would be the same, i think it could go well- nobody picked up on the gf in his comments so i take it they are living together as partners, women cleaning windows really does go down well if you find the right one, lets face it 90% of enquireys will come from the woman of the house so a female cleaner is more likely to get the job over a man, other than that there is the "time of the month thing" which may prove an issue ie changing pads etc or the need for a pee, being a woman the customers are much more likely to let them use the loo if the woman of the house is in, i'm sure the ladies reading this will understand that comment, amanda (my wife) used to work alongside me for a few years, the winter months were the hardest for her, cellulite goes rock hard and aches (so i'm told) when its cold and god she found that it did hurt damart underwear was the saviour though.

yes girls are built differently from the boys but, what damo is offering equipment wise is far better than what most most of the forum members have, ie extreme poles, hot water, electric reels, thats standard equipment for his franchisee's, so i honestly can't see why it would be a problem working with that set up.

I often wondered what happened to her, Kevin.

 

[Bwfc]

The second picture should be an inspiration to anyone! 

So much respect.  How did you do that? Even if just 100 litre tank that's around 16 stone not including hose reel weight!!!

 

[Beccy]

So much respect.  How did you do that? Even if just 100 litre tank that's around 16 stone not including hose reel weight!!!

Thanks all ?

Bwfc it was a 75 litre tank. The weight of the whole setup including the trailer was:

26st - Fully laden with child in seat

31st - Fully laden with child seat removed and replaced with ladders and 2x25L barrels. Like this:





Bloody heavy but doable as long as not too many hills until I'd used up some water each day!

 

[Part Timer]

Thanks all ?

Bwfc it was a 75 litre tank. The weight of the whole setup including the trailer was:

26st - Fully laden with child in seat

31st - Fully laden with child seat removed and replaced with ladders and 2x25L barrels. Like this:

View attachment 26016

View attachment 26015

Bloody heavy but doable as long as not too many hills until I'd used up some water each day!

So I assume you trad the ground floor and WFP 1st floor up. That house would probably take 75 litres to do, or did you have a Di and top up at custys.

Out of every story I've heard on here yours shows what you can achieve if you have the drive, well done.

 

[Beccy]

So I assume you trad the ground floor and WFP 1st floor up. That house would probably take 75 litres to do, or did you have a Di and top up at custys.

Out of every story I've heard on here yours shows what you can achieve if you have the drive, well done.

Well on that house I had the extra 2 barrels of water so 125L altogether. That house was only a 10 minute ride from home so home for lunch and refill as soon as the water is all gone. If enough water to do a couple of little houses on the way back then even better.

For customers that I had permission to use their tap I'd take DI instead of barrels and refill while working. 

The ladders were for getting into a flat roof round the back to access a couple of first floor windows.

 

[Deleted member 7446]

Thanks all ?

Bwfc it was a 75 litre tank. The weight of the whole setup including the trailer was:

26st - Fully laden with child in seat

31st - Fully laden with child seat removed and replaced with ladders and 2x25L barrels. Like this:

View attachment 26016

View attachment 26015

Bloody heavy but doable as long as not too many hills until I'd used up some water each day!

I saw a post last week on Instagram where someone in Scotland modified a mobility scooter chassis and built a deck on top with barrels battery pump etc and reversed the handle bars so it was a power assisted trolley 

 

[ched999uk]

Well on that house I had the extra 2 barrels of water so 125L altogether. That house was only a 10 minute ride from home so home for lunch and refill as soon as the water is all gone. If enough water to do a couple of little houses on the way back then even better.

For customers that I had permission to use their tap I'd take DI instead of barrels and refill while working. 

The ladders were for getting into a flat roof round the back to access a couple of first floor windows.

I have such admiration for you. Well done, you are such an inspiration. Truly great to see that with determination you can find a way!

 

[Part Timer]

I saw a post last week on Instagram where someone in Scotland modified a mobility scooter chassis and built a deck on top with barrels battery pump etc and reversed the handle bars so it was a power assisted trolley 

I think @spruce has had one for at lease the last 5 years using a Sinclair C5 chasis and an old Bosch motor

 

[spruce]

Thanks all ?

Bwfc it was a 75 litre tank. The weight of the whole setup including the trailer was:

26st - Fully laden with child in seat

31st - Fully laden with child seat removed and replaced with ladders and 2x25L barrels. Like this:

View attachment 26016

View attachment 26015

Bloody heavy but doable as long as not too many hills until I'd used up some water each day!

Over the years, Beccy and her early bike and trailer experiences has always been a motivator for me. Sometimes we think that things are a little difficult, but Beccy had much more to contend with than the majority of us will ever experience. I often felt that if she can do it, what's my excuse?

I remember the time she was out in the snow with her son in tow, I had a warm diesel heated cab to retreat back to.

Thank you Beccy for being an inspiration for many of us, me especially, who would surely have thrown in the towel if we had to contend with what you had to.

 

[spruce]

I think @spruce has had one for at lease the last 5 years using a Sinclair C5 chasis and an old Bosch motor

Before the Covid lock down I was doing some inside high reach traditional pole work with my son at our local leisure centre.

A disabled lady on a motorised scooter stopped next to us to watch us work. I commented to her that I needed to adapt one of those mobility scooters for window cleaning. She went to great lengths to explain that a scooter wouldn't work, but she suggested I adapted a motorised wheel chair and how I could go about doing it.

My son shaking his head eventually piped up to her to ignore me as I was pulling her leg. She stormed off in a huff, never to be seen again. 

So the lesson I learnt from that was not to involve mobility scooter owners in my quest to make life in old age easier.

But saying that @Apw1210, I would like to see his adaption.

Over the years we have seen the odd post from newbies wanting to become wfp window cleaners with no vehicle and no driver's licence. Again, if @Beccycould do what she did for a good number of years with her bike and trailer and having child raising responsibilities, then anyone can adapt to their circumstances with a bit of imagination and ingenuity. Where Beccy lives is not flat, it's hilly.

Again, thank you Beccy!