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Chems/first cleans/noobs

Guybrush

Active member
Messages
208
Alright guys and gals,

Back from up North duck.

I know theres many threads on this and have read a load but just wanted some clarification.

When doing a first clean I want all the frames and sills looking pretty good as the last thing I want is a bad rep from day one plus I want the job to look good, and I would price up to reflect this, is that normal on a first clean?

Now I have been advised that I can get a spray bottle (or one of those weed killer bottle things where you pump it up) stick some TFR in it squirt it at the windows and frames from the ground and then scrub away, if they was pretty minging. Would that be any good? it can't be that easy. And also what about black marks/spots on the frames and sills? surely they would need a good scrub with this virosol or ubix I keep reading about and would that mean getting the ladder out or could you squirt it up there and if it hits the glass will it be ok?

I just wanna get out there now but don't wanna go and do a **** job and want to have the right stuff. 1 week of training from tomorrow on family and mates houses then i'm gonna bash peoples doors in. I don't even have a bloody ladder.

Advice on here has been top notch. I just need someone to say you need a bottle of this and do this with it and a bottle of this and do that with it.

Have to say I enjoyed being out working in Grimsby even though it wasn't long. Kinda enjoyed the trad work as well o_O got a nice rhythm to it. I could get addicted to that as i'm a bit strange.

So many hurdles to go feeling like colin jackson today.

Guybrush.

 
On first cleans using WFP, you can't go far wrong squirting neat Ecover on your brush and blitz everything until the froth has gone, then rinse, rinse and rinse :thumbsup:

 
You defo would need to rinse all the frames & glass very well afterwards @Tuffers if using neat washing up liquid on a wfp brush. That's when a van mount on a high flow rate would be better/quicker to rinse down than using a backpack/trolley & containers surely?

 
To be honest , you don't always need to use any chemicals at all , the power of pure water and good old fashioned elbow grease I find in 99 out of 100 jobs is more than enough, if you do want to use virosol or ubik I just make a mix in my bucket and apply it by dipping my wfp in it

 
Frames & sills that are fairly new may come up well just using pure but so many I do are discoloured, tiger striped, and stained with bug poo etc so pure water alone is not enough if the customer expects them to be brought back to white.

 
Plastics restoration should be costed into the job on one-off/first cleans that is if they want them looking good again.

I have also done many mainly top bay windows that have lichen growing on the frames & sills that takes years to grow. You are not going to get that off just using wfp method for sure :rolleyes:

 
I always carry a variety of chems in the van so best you pick up a few to see what works best for you.

Microcloths, none scratch pads & magic sponges are also handy to have.

 
Hi Guys,

Some advice needed. @puraclenz @WWC

I cleaned my mates house today and one of the windows was really misty and I can't understand why because all the other windows were fine apart from one which had a small kinda like trail on it, I scrubbed this one three times and put neat ecover on it twice but would hardly budge. The windows had been done 4 weeks before by a window cleaner and were dirty but not too filthy.

Because I was at a mates house I was able to go upstairs and check them (the misty window and one with a trail on were on the first floor) but if this was a customer I wouldn't have been able to go . If it was my house I wouldn't have asked me back./emoticons/sad.png

I'm using a gardeners Duel-Trim Medium-Mixed Bristles brush as was recommended by them for best all round brush.

The insides are quite dirty but the windows on the right came out spot on. The one on the left was I don't know a bit of a mystery to me. Hopefully you will be able to see it in the pic, was hard to capture it with the glare of the sun which is why I had to stand back.

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If it was on a double glazing unit which is common to see the seals blown allowing water to get trapped between the panes of glass. A blown dg unit will often be misty and you will often see run marks too.

 
I'm on photo bucket and there is a choice of three links I copied and pasted the HTML embedded but obviously I got it wrong.

Thanks Smurf that's exactly what it looked like. Yeah I was thinking snail trail Tuffers was only small but just bugged me it wouldn't shift but got it down a bit. Right let's try and get that pic up.
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Dont you just admire those little critters. I looked out of my bedroom window one day to see a snail right at the top of the glass. The little fecker had climbed up the wall of the conservatory, over the conservatory roof, up the house wall then onto the window. I feel tired just thinking about his/her little expedition /emoticons/biggrin.png

 
I'm on photo bucket and there is a choice of three links I copied and pasted the HTML embedded but obviously I got it wrong.
Thanks Smurf that's exactly what it looked like. Yeah I was thinking snail trail Tuffers was only small but just bugged me it wouldn't shift but got it down a bit. Right let's try and get that pic up.
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Copy IMG code and paste here.

 
Yes broke unit , if I find this at new customers houses I always inform them about the broken seal , nowadays you can get a company out that drill a tiny hole in the glass and fill the unit with cleaning solution and then they drain it and it leaves it clean

 
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