Exterior window cleaning method statistics.

[Mystery Man]

Hello Window Cleaning Community.

I am gathering statistics at the moment for exterior window cleaning method usage.

I would like to understand:
How many of you are cleaning exterior windows with the traditional window cleaning method only?
If you are one of them why have you not gotten a water-fed pole system for exterior window cleaning?

Would love for some answers to get some understanding of statistics in this field.

Thanks in advance.

 

[dazmond]

The only reasons established trad window cleaners don't go wfp is

1.cost
2.fear of change(losing customers)
3.unsuitable home(no driveway or no vehicle access near their house)

I was a trad window cleaner for 17 years then switched to wfp. I've been wfp for 14 years now.

I dont clean any windows on my round with a squeegee anymore apart from the odd inside kitchen window for elderly customers.

 

[Yogi1872]

I wouldn't say cost is an issue tbh, buying bog standard stuff wouldn't cost alot to switch over. It's not the best of jobs when you have decent stuff so I couldn't imagine what it would be like with the cheapest option.


There's a trad window cleaner near me who doesn't drive. So unless he fancies getting a bike pulling a tank around hel never switch.

The same people who fear they will loose customers are the same ones who claim they have loyal customers, if what they say is true then there shouldn't be any worry about loosing alot of there round.

 

[Pjj]

Hello Window Cleaning Community.

I am gathering statistics at the moment for exterior window cleaning method usage.

I would like to understand:
How many of you are cleaning exterior windows with the traditional window cleaning method only?
If you are one of them why have you not gotten a water-fed pole system for exterior window cleaning?

Would love for some answers to get some understanding of statistics in this field.

Thanks in advance.

What’s the purpose of you information gathering ? What are you trying to do with the statistics?

 

[Iron Giant]

World domination

 

[Septimus Meek]

A

What’s the purpose of you information gathering ? What are you trying to do with the statistics?

A bit strange isn't it.

 

[dave1]

A

A bit strange isn't it.

Tbh i agree why do you want to know.

 

[Chester64]

I started window cleaning in 1985, using chamois leather and scrim. Then along came blades, then microfibre. There were no winter and summer blades just one make and it lasted a couple of months . Then in April 2010 got my first van and Brodex tank. Was brilliant and I actually doubled my turnover in the first year. Lost a few custies but gained so many more esp taller buildings. Main reason I changed were knees killing me after using ladder for 25 years, can clean more houses per hour so much higher income, loss of life less likely. Best thing I did

 

[Part Timer]

There's some paranoid people on here, the OP has asked a simple question, he might be looking at setting up and trying to find out the percentage of trad guys compared to WFP guys. He might be the HSE but if yu are concerned that you might be caught out, or it's somehow malicious, just don't answer.

 

[THL4KEL]

He's only ever written one post.

 

[Part Timer]

He's only ever written one post.

He's only.been a member for 6 months, there's "members" that have been coming on regularly and never posted a question, or answered one, in 10+ years
Sounds like a newbie doing a bit of research to me, something all newbies are told to do.

 

[Septimus Meek]

There's some paranoid people on here, the OP has asked a simple question, he might be looking at setting up and trying to find out the percentage of trad guys compared to WFP guys. He might be the HSE but if yu are concerned that you might be caught out, or it's somehow malicious, just don't answer.

Could be the case. Strange the person doesn't answer when asked though.

 

[Part Timer]

Could be the case. Strange the person doesn't answer when asked though.

He hasn't been on since Monday and there hadn't been any replies by then. He might think he's not going to get any.

 

[Mystery Man]

Hello everyone who replied. @Part Timer @Septimus Meek @THL4KEL @Chester64 @dave1 @Iron Giant @Pjj @Yogi1872 @dazmond

I'm thankful that there are answers in this thread, as I was not expecting to get much replies really...

Let's address all the paranoia, questions, and answers that have arisen in this thread.

@dazmond - Thank you for the answer to my question. Great to see your look at why someone is not changing to a water fed pole system. It has woken up some perspectives that I wasn't thinking about before reading your answer. Good to see that you have been crushing window cleaning for 31 years. That is awesome.

@Yogi1872 - Great insight. Also sparked some thoughts in my head. I guess sometimes people may not be educated enough about water-fed poles to be able to switch over, then that might be one of the reasons that they are staying traditional. Cleaners on bikes - that's another one to think about... ☝

@Pjj @Septimus Meek @dave1 @Iron Giant The purpose of this information gathering is to gain information on what is blocking cleaners who are cleaning exterior windows with the traditional method from switching to a water-fed pole as that would benefit them so much. Also to gain information if there are many people in this day in age who are cleaning exterior windows only traditionally or has the window cleaning industry gone to a level where everyone has already adapted to trusting the water-fed pole method and understands the benefits of it. Basically, I am trying to understand the industry deeply/fully... Why? So I can help the industry grow to new levels... starting from the market that I am in (not the UK) and moving towards world-impacting domination. Nothing strange, nothing to get paranoid about.

@Chester64 Wow. Very nice information. Great to hear how it all started and evolved. And in terms of you changing only because your knees were killing is exactly the reason why I came to this forum and asked this question. There are so many benefits that you gained from water fed "doubled your turnover / can clean more houses per hour so much higher income, loss of life less likely. Best thing I did". But you only switched because of the knees... So I am trying to understand, if there's someone cleaning exterior windows traditionally, why would they stay with that method if they can almost instantly gain all these benefits just by switching? I am looking to get to the core of this so I can help and awaken the people who are blind to these benefits so they can get the benefits as quickly as possible.

@Part Timer Exactly. No need to get paranoid. Only getting information to understand the window cleaning industry that is here at this exact moment. And you were right. I thought that this thread would not be this active with people wondering about all this stuff and actually replying with all this valuable information. + I actually forgot that I wrote this thread for some time.

Conclusion:
I'm not some secret agent who has arisen here from the trenches with this 1 post to extract all your life statistics and use them against you.
I'm just a simple guy looking to evolve the window cleaning and cleaning industry as a whole by gaining information from the people who will know exactly what is needed - cleaners (all of you).

Thanks to everyone for answering and see you in the future.

 

[Pjj]

Hello everyone who replied. @Part Timer @Septimus Meek @THL4KEL @Chester64 @dave1 @Iron Giant @Pjj @Yogi1872 @dazmond

I'm thankful that there are answers in this thread, as I was not expecting to get much replies really...

Let's address all the paranoia, questions, and answers that have arisen in this thread.

@dazmond - Thank you for the answer to my question. Great to see your look at why someone is not changing to a water fed pole system. It has woken up some perspectives that I wasn't thinking about before reading your answer. Good to see that you have been crushing window cleaning for 31 years. That is awesome.

@Yogi1872 - Great insight. Also sparked some thoughts in my head. I guess sometimes people may not be educated enough about water-fed poles to be able to switch over, then that might be one of the reasons that they are staying traditional. Cleaners on bikes - that's another one to think about... ☝

@Pjj @Septimus Meek @dave1 @Iron Giant The purpose of this information gathering is to gain information on what is blocking cleaners who are cleaning exterior windows with the traditional method from switching to a water-fed pole as that would benefit them so much. Also to gain information if there are many people in this day in age who are cleaning exterior windows only traditionally or has the window cleaning industry gone to a level where everyone has already adapted to trusting the water-fed pole method and understands the benefits of it. Basically, I am trying to understand the industry deeply/fully... Why? So I can help the industry grow to new levels... starting from the market that I am in (not the UK) and moving towards world-impacting domination. Nothing strange, nothing to get paranoid about.

@Chester64 Wow. Very nice information. Great to hear how it all started and evolved. And in terms of you changing only because your knees were killing is exactly the reason why I came to this forum and asked this question. There are so many benefits that you gained from water fed "doubled your turnover / can clean more houses per hour so much higher income, loss of life less likely. Best thing I did". But you only switched because of the knees... So I am trying to understand, if there's someone cleaning exterior windows traditionally, why would they stay with that method if they can almost instantly gain all these benefits just by switching? I am looking to get to the core of this so I can help and awaken the people who are blind to these benefits so they can get the benefits as quickly as possible.

@Part Timer Exactly. No need to get paranoid. Only getting information to understand the window cleaning industry that is here at this exact moment. And you were right. I thought that this thread would not be this active with people wondering about all this stuff and actually replying with all this valuable information. + I actually forgot that I wrote this thread for some time.

Conclusion:
I'm not some secret agent who has arisen here from the trenches with this 1 post to extract all your life statistics and use them against you.
I'm just a simple guy looking to evolve the window cleaning and cleaning industry as a whole by gaining information from the people who will know exactly what is needed - cleaners (all of you).

Thanks to everyone for answering and see you in the future.

My question s weren’t due to paranoia just interested to know what your angle was as this will also affect the answers ones will give . Some don’t want to change to WFP but with all things they get updated ie window cleaners used to use a chamois leather , this then was superseded by mop and blade , this has been replaced by WFP although there is still a place for trad work . The vast majority coming into window cleaning now will go WFP I know a few near me that don’t have trad gear and wouldn’t have a clue how to use it anyway.
How are you going to help the industry to grow to new levels ? What exactly do you mean by this ? This is exactly why I asked my original questions and ime still unclear what you are after ? Are you proposing some new way of cleaning Windows ? Or some new app ?

 

[Septimus Meek]

Hello everyone who replied. @Part Timer @Septimus Meek @THL4KEL @Chester64 @dave1 @Iron Giant @Pjj @Yogi1872 @dazmond

I'm thankful that there are answers in this thread, as I was not expecting to get much replies really...

Let's address all the paranoia, questions, and answers that have arisen in this thread.

@dazmond - Thank you for the answer to my question. Great to see your look at why someone is not changing to a water fed pole system. It has woken up some perspectives that I wasn't thinking about before reading your answer. Good to see that you have been crushing window cleaning for 31 years. That is awesome.

@Yogi1872 - Great insight. Also sparked some thoughts in my head. I guess sometimes people may not be educated enough about water-fed poles to be able to switch over, then that might be one of the reasons that they are staying traditional. Cleaners on bikes - that's another one to think about... ☝

@Pjj @Septimus Meek @dave1 @Iron Giant The purpose of this information gathering is to gain information on what is blocking cleaners who are cleaning exterior windows with the traditional method from switching to a water-fed pole as that would benefit them so much. Also to gain information if there are many people in this day in age who are cleaning exterior windows only traditionally or has the window cleaning industry gone to a level where everyone has already adapted to trusting the water-fed pole method and understands the benefits of it. Basically, I am trying to understand the industry deeply/fully... Why? So I can help the industry grow to new levels... starting from the market that I am in (not the UK) and moving towards world-impacting domination. Nothing strange, nothing to get paranoid about.

@Chester64 Wow. Very nice information. Great to hear how it all started and evolved. And in terms of you changing only because your knees were killing is exactly the reason why I came to this forum and asked this question. There are so many benefits that you gained from water fed "doubled your turnover / can clean more houses per hour so much higher income, loss of life less likely. Best thing I did". But you only switched because of the knees... So I am trying to understand, if there's someone cleaning exterior windows traditionally, why would they stay with that method if they can almost instantly gain all these benefits just by switching? I am looking to get to the core of this so I can help and awaken the people who are blind to these benefits so they can get the benefits as quickly as possible.

@Part Timer Exactly. No need to get paranoid. Only getting information to understand the window cleaning industry that is here at this exact moment. And you were right. I thought that this thread would not be this active with people wondering about all this stuff and actually replying with all this valuable information. + I actually forgot that I wrote this thread for some time.

Conclusion:
I'm not some secret agent who has arisen here from the trenches with this 1 post to extract all your life statistics and use them against you.
I'm just a simple guy looking to evolve the window cleaning and cleaning industry as a whole by gaining information from the people who will know exactly what is needed - cleaners (all of you).

Thanks to everyone for answering and see you in the future.

You say in your reply to @Chester64 you are trying to awaken trad cleaners to the benefits of WFP. Why? What's in it for you, do you sell WFP systems? As @ Pjj said we are still no further forward as to why you want this info.

 

[dazmond]

I still know a trad cleaner. He's in his early 40s now and often see him when I'm walking my dog. He just says it wouldn't suit his round.

Why anyone would want to carry on climbing ladders to clean upper windows is beyond me when there's a far easier,faster, safer method is beyond me....

 

[Septimus Meek]

I still know a trad cleaner. He's in his early 40s now and often see him when I'm walking my dog. He just says it wouldn't suit his round.

Why anyone would want to carry on climbing ladders to clean upper windows is beyond me when there's are far easier,faster, safer method is beyond me....

I'm still trad only as well.

 

[dazmond]

I'm still trad only as well.

What's stopping you from going over to water fed poles instead of ladders?

 

[Septimus Meek]

What's stopping you from going over to water fed poles instead of ladders?

Ah. If I answer that I'll be giving the info the original commenter is after and I don't want to do that until they come clean as to why they want it.

 

[Iron Giant]

My question s weren’t due to paranoia just interested to know what your angle was as this will also affect the answers ones will give . Some don’t want to change to WFP but with all things they get updated ie window cleaners used to use a chamois leather , this then was superseded by mop and blade , this has been replaced by WFP although there is still a place for trad work . The vast majority coming into window cleaning now will go WFP I know a few near me that don’t have trad gear and wouldn’t have a clue how to use it anyway.
How are you going to help the industry to grow to new levels ? What exactly do you mean by this ? This is exactly why I asked my original questions and ime still unclear what you are after ? Are you proposing some new way of cleaning Windows ? Or some new app ?

Whatever it is, it will cost money no doubt about that.