Are you a vent scrubber or a vent avoider?

[Dayo1985]

Are you a vent scrubber or vent avoider?

I'm on the fence and don't know which side I want to be on.
I want to be able to do the whole window every time and not have to worry about what I'm avoiding, but I want clean glass for the customer as vent streaks look so bad. I wish there was an easy solution.

 

[RWCleaning]

If they look dirty, as in visible spider web/nests ect then I clean them, for some jobs that means spending a extra few minutes waiting for them to run dry. But if they look fine, which particularly on upstairs windows, they can look clean for 2-3 visits.

 

[Pjj]

We always clean the vents first cleans are key to not having problems in the future if it takes double the time it’s worth it as all subsequent cleans will be so much quicker and easier Obviously charge more for the first clean to cover the extra time , getting the first clean right comes with practice it’s only by doing it that you learn how to do it so you don’t get issues , sometimes it is nessasary to go over the windows twice .

 

[JohnDoeWindows]

You just have to bite the bullet and clean them out thoroughly for the first time, after that you'll learn your own method of cleaning the vents without spraying water into them and having them drip - you can't really walk away from a job while the vents are dripping so it's crucial that you get some practice in!

I wouldn't avoid them, on a first clean it's a necessary evil to clean them out and mentally you're prepared (and perhaps even charged extra) for being there for a while longer than normal, but if you're there on a regular maintenance clean and accidentally knock the vent or spray some water in there, you'll have a job on your hands.

 

[Part Timer]

Scrubber, every vent, everytime.

 

[JEM]

i try not to blast too much water in them, as I have the same ones on my house to most of the newbuild houses I clean and did have some drips on the inside of my windows when I first started out. So I clean them but I'm careful not to put the jets directly in them

 

[Ocahan01]

I clean the vents on every clean. To me it just another piece of pvc so there’s no reason why it should be an issue. On a first clean I blast water inside and give them a thorough cleaning then after that I clean the outside of the vent while I’m doing the rest of the top frame.
For me personally The thought of not cleaning them and getting runs or Spotting because I didn’t remove dirt is greater than if I accidentally squirt water Inside. With the correct technique you can easily avoid dirt going in.

 

[Iron Giant]

i try not to blast too much water in them, as I have the same ones on my house to most of the newbuild houses I clean and did have some drips on the inside of my windows when I first started out. So I clean them but I'm careful not to put the jets directly in them

Not so much of an issue with fan jets, on two developments I clean on the trickle vents are the most open and worst I have to deal with, they're more prone to getting dust in and if I don't flush them out every time with a quick spray it will cause issues, other cleaners have avoided them or been adhoc and had issues and I have gained work from unhappy customers,

A commercial guy set his son up a few years ago and they came in charging cheaper prices which has resulted in him and then some lads he set on doing a poor job as they aren't thorough enough, I think we have to be thorough every time

 

[BigFoot]

Give them a good scrub rinse out till they run clear move on to the next then re-rinse underneath to clear the window of any rundown, always stand Back and take a moment To scan each windows before I go to the next job. I have done some and I’m amazed how much dirt comes out!

 

[Skxawng]

I used to just avoid them completely due to drips, but they do start to look messy so now Ive changed my mind on them.

First clean, I give them all a thorough go-and am prepared to give them extra time to drip. After that, I give the downstairs ones a quick pass over each time with the brush to stop the dirt building up but I don't specifically rinse them again. I leave the upstairs ones though after the first clean as you can't see them and there's less risk of drips.

 

[Suhrly]

I scrub the vents every single time. The last thing you want to do is let them get dirty cos of the runs. Well I say scrub...scrub on the first clean...a couple of passes after that to prevent build up.

 

[Pjj]

Today I did a first clean that hadn’t been cleaned for years see the before and after pictures of the vent it took 15 seconds per vent to get them looking like this and no runs down the glass after , just thought it might be useful considering this thread .

 

[ched999uk]

Today I did a first clean that hadn’t been cleaned for years see the before and after pictures of the vent it took 15 seconds per vent to get them looking like this and no runs down the glass after , just thought it might be useful considering this thread .

Was that just pure and scrubbing? What type of brush did/do you use?

 

[Pjj]

Was that just pure and scrubbing? What type of brush did/do you use?

Yes hot pure and stiff supreme brush

 

[ched999uk]

Yes hot pure and stiff supreme brush

The frames and vent came up very nicely.

 

[johnny bravo]

i do a lot of new builds. ive noticed there vents are very flimsy and very weak fitting .. so easy to knock them out of position. i avoid if i can or go very lightly over them .

 

[Pjj]

i do a lot of new builds. ive noticed there vents are very flimsy and very weak fitting .. so easy to knock them out of position. i avoid if i can or go very lightly over them .

Totally agree about them being flimsy did a job on anew build estate and the vents were held on with a plastic clip give it a couple of years with uv light and they will be crispy and fall to bits . We are careful around vents have broken a few over the years .

 

[CHWS]

First clean I’ll do them and then avoid like the plague until they are dirty again

 

[Pjj]

First clean I’ll do them and then avoid like the plague until they are dirty again

Once you have done the hard work on the first clean why not do them every time to prevent the build up again ? Surely that’s saving you time on future cleans

 

[CHWS]

Once you have done the hard work on the first clean why not do them every time to prevent the build up again ? Surely that’s saving you time on future cleans

They just give me the willys, I’ve vents on my own house I do every time and they are very prone to running. There is an actual gap between the vent and window on mine

 

[Jaygti]

If your charging £40-60 per hour, the least you should do is everything you can. Including vents and frosted glass. ??