Day one of cleaning by water fed pole

[Philip]

Cheers @spruce will definitely use these methods tomorrow.

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[tetleY]

I found the no nonsense degreaser from Screwfix for first cleans has helped me loads

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[Philip]

It takes time , took me a while , I found it easier sticking to traditional even though I had the gear and all sitting. I still have customers who I couldn't convince with wfp so I just trad them still. They just didn't want wfp tried to show me marks that weren't even there so I just gave up with them in the end and traditional them still. I'm still mostly traditional as there's a lot of work I do that I can trad quicker

One of the ones I had today is sceptical about the water fed pole so I explained it to her and told her if there was and problems to give me a ring I havnt received a call yet so hopefully it's all good. Most of the ones I've spoke to before I bought it were happy enough aswell

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[J and S]

I converted my round over 3 cleans to make it easier, did first third then rest trad then second third etc.

Most of mine are semis so did them in groups of 4......all frames and glass thorough scrubbing and good rinse on all 4 then back to first one and good scrub and rinse on glass only to all 4.

Was lucky because I waited till Summer to convert so managed to get a load of sunny days where everything dried quickly so was able to keep a check on things.

Started WFP in June last year and I still have to check the odd windows just to ease my mindset....it just seems so easy that it can't be true....I need more windows now as a weeks work now takes me roughly 3 days if I crack on.

Probably one of the best purchases I have ever made in 59 years of life.

 

[Clisty1989]

One of the ones I had today is sceptical about the water fed pole so I explained it to her and told her if there was and problems to give me a ring I havnt received a call yet so hopefully it's all good. Most of the ones I've spoke to before I bought it were happy enough aswell
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You may find some do not like it, explained everything simply to a custy several times but was still unsure. Next time she was out I did it wfp and when I went back before i told her she was happy, saying it was the immaculate. Once I told her, she wouldn't believe it and insisted I trad it. Only one I've lost so far as I binned her on the spot.

 

[spruce]

Cheers @spruce will definitely use these methods tomorrow.
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Its so easy to get discouraged when you convert to wfp to begin with.

Unlike @J and S 's approach, we decided to bite the bullet and do all customers wfp. We had a skeptic who predicted that we wouldn't last long cleaning wfp as we weren't cleaning enough houses a day.

She was right as we didn't earn much during these first cleans. But she didn't know (and nor did we) how much quicker the 2nd and 3rd clean became when we got everything right first time.

Many new wfp cleaners were telling customers that it takes a few cleans before the results are perfect. They were quite happy to use that as an excuse for leaving streaks.

I'm the first to admit that the first day wfp with dormers, ali poles, heavy Vikan brushes, 1/2" garden hose, no flow controllers and 3mm jets was very stressful for me. We also had to convince customers that this new method is better than the old trad way. I even had to tell them that they didn't have to pay us until they were happy with the results.

I never got paid for one house we did the first day. I was dreading the next day and driving to site with my wfp trailer in tow was a journey I will never forget. I was going to continue a job I just didn't want to do. It was probably the closest I have ever been to understanding the lows experienced by those with bi-polar. (Please believe I mean no disrespect to anyone who suffers for this condition.)

We started where we left off and within the first hour had been paid for every house we cleaned the previous day and please continue cleaning our windows with your system. I was suddenly on a high.

 

[dmw]

Its so easy to get discouraged when you convert to wfp to begin with.
Unlike @J and S 's approach, we decided to bite the bullet and do all customers wfp. We had a skeptic who predicted that we wouldn't last long cleaning wfp as we weren't cleaning enough houses a day.

She was right as we didn't earn much during these first cleans. But she didn't know (and nor did we) how much quicker the 2nd and 3rd clean became when we got everything right first time.

Many new wfp cleaners were telling customers that it takes a few cleans before the results are perfect. They were quite happy to use that as an excuse for leaving streaks.

I'm the first to admit that the first day wfp with dormers, ali poles, heavy Vikan brushes, 1/2" garden hose, no flow controllers and 3mm jets was very stressful for me. We also had to convince customers that this new method is better than the old trad way. I even had to tell them that they didn't have to pay us until they were happy with the results.

I never got paid for one house we did the first day. I was dreading the next day and driving to site with my wfp trailer in tow was a journey I will never forget. I was going to continue a job I just didn't want to do. It was probably the closest I have ever been to understanding the lows experienced by those with bi-polar. (Please believe I mean no disrespect to anyone who suffers for this condition.)

We started where we left off and within the first hour had been paid for every house we cleaned the previous day and please continue cleaning our windows with your system. I was suddenly on a high.

I'm having my Grippatank system fitted next month and changing straight over from trad to wfp after 26 years and feel apprehensive and determined to get it right. I expect to get it right (after a few bumps in the road). I'll do my best and hope my customers bear with me.

 

[spruce]

I'm having my Grippatank system fitted next month and changing straight over from trad to wfp after 26 years and feel apprehensive and determined to get it right. I expect to get it right (after a few bumps in the road). I'll do my best and hope my customers bear with me.

My advise is to spend a little more time on the frames with your last trad clean. It will make it easier to start with.

We had mainly 2 week cleans on the round we bought. Within a couple of months we got leave it this time as the windows are still clean. So we ended up with a 4 weekly round. We also didn't deal with them wanting the same price as the 2 weekly clean very well.

You knowing your round and customers will make this easier to handle provided you are prepared for what to do in advance.

IMHO it always looks better if you get it right on the first clean. You are then dealing with positive, happy people. If they find faults it takes much longer to win them over.

When you have finished a house, do go back and inspect each window. Once they are right then they will be right next time. Those initial inspections will take time but it will do wonders for your long term confidence when you will be able to walk away KNOWING the windows will dry right.

Before you clean a window, spend a few moments and inspect it, noting any bird strikes. Once the windows are wet its more difficult to find those dirty marks when you first use wfp.

.

 

[dmw]

My advise is to spend a little more time on the frames with your last trad clean. It will make it easier to start with.
We had mainly 2 week cleans on the round we bought. Within a couple of months we got leave it this time as the windows are still clean. So we ended up with a 4 weekly round. We also didn't deal with them wanting the same price as the 2 weekly clean very well.

You knowing your round and customers will make this easier to handle provided you are prepared for what to do in advance.

IMHO it always looks better if you get it right on the first clean. You are then dealing with positive, happy people. If they find faults it takes much longer to win them over.

When you have finished a house, do go back and inspect each window. Once they are right then they will be right next time. Those initial inspections will take time but it will do wonders for your long term confidence when you will be able to walk away KNOWING the windows will dry right.

Before you clean a window, spend a few moments and inspect it, noting any bird strikes. Once the windows are wet its more difficult to find those dirty marks when you first use wfp.

.

Thanks Spruce, I'm currently going over the frames now in the run up to the changeover and have resigned myself to the fact that a relatively tight round is going to actually take longer than usual to get right first time around and every WFP guy says it's so much quicker, and I don't want to use the cop out excuse that "it might take a couple of cleans to get right" I've got quite a good set of customers, many from day one.

I'm hoping that I'll get it right and long term they will go with it.

And as often in this game the one's you least expect to kick off, do just that.

 

[Philip]

Well day 2 felt like it went a lot better scrubbed the frames and the window and rinsed them then went and done th tops then back and cleaned and rinsed the windows again and they look like they've came up well cheers again guys.

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[peter rogers]

P

That would be much appreciated @peter rogers when are available lol
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pm me

 

[johnny bravo]

you will always get some that will not dry 100%, its usually because of the black rubber seal around the white upvc, will always happen no matter what , if on the bottom id go back and blade the windows affected. keeping 1 inh from top upvc otherwise it will drip., this will stop the long lines you see when they dry, if they are tight lined with beads of water left on after rinsing this will leave a line, when the water droplets are not so tight togeather id drys better. It would all run too smoothly if every house cleaned 100% for you.

Its only the odd one, if you ant be bothered rectifying it just leave it and say you have someone else to do it as you have too muh work on. you are then looking like mr nice guy. instead of a miserable txxt

 

[johnny bravo]

untill they moan just arry on regardless.

 

[Philip]

Any ones I've talked to and explained it to seem happy enough. Went back and collected tonight out of all the ones I done there was only one house which was the black crappy rubber it left some marks it's down stairs so il trad them few from now on and the customer was happy enough with that.

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[spruce]

Any ones I've talked to and explained it to seem happy enough. Went back and collected tonight out of all the ones I done there was only one house which was the black crappy rubber it left some marks it's down stairs so il trad them few from now on and the customer was happy enough with that.
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I think you always have to be careful what you promise as these become compromises. Give an inch and they will take a mile as the saying goes. Neighbours talk and very soon others will be asking your to trad their windows as well 'like you used to.'

We have a house which is terrible with black stains due to deteriorated rubber seals. The rain water between cleans adds to the issue. We still wfp them. If there is a black residue onto the sills after we have rinsed well, so be it. The seals need to be replaced. That's the customer's problem.

If we did the lower windows trad then we would still have black marks when detailing. The windows are clean when we leave.

Unfortunately, there will be customers who don't like your new cleaning method. As I mentioned before we had one tell us to get the ladder's out and do them properly. He told us that he didn't care about if we fell or not; that wasn't his problem. Your can't reason with stupid. So we thanked him for his previous business and parted company with him slamming his front door. His was an extreme case. There will be some windows that wouldn't agree with wfp cleaning. We have a house where every window bar one has those dreaded top openers above a large glass pane below. They are also old windows. Every window cleaner she has had has eventually gone wfp and stopped coming. IMHO these customers aren't worth the trouble keeping unless there are other factors involved. In her case, we clean all her top windows first, go away and clean other houses in the area and come back hours later and do all the bottom windows. She's happy to have them done all at the same time and for us not to bother about the streaks down the center of the glass, but that's not an acceptable standard to us.

.