How to clean 20 maintenance houses a day in around 6 hours

[Davidpatrick1978]

Hello guys how do u get around to doing 20 maintenance jobs a day to get to ur £1000 a week mark done 12 in 5 hours today so I’m improving all the time 

we are moving in to a 4 bedroom house in march plus I will be quitting factory job 

so I need more money in short time 

 

[ched999uk]

Following but at a guess compact round and small modern houses! 

If you need more ££ than maybe try upping your quotes a little and see if you still win them. If you could get your average up to £13 then the 12 you did today in 5 hrs, proportionally in a 6 hr day would be 15. So 15x£13 =£195 

 

[Pjj]

Hello guys how do u get around to doing 20 maintenance jobs a day to get to ur £1000 a week mark done 12 in 5 hours today so I’m improving all the time 

On compact housing estate work we move the vans a few hundred yards in a week and clean between 4-7 houses per hour per man but this is very compact work and 95% of it is 4 weekly and we know exactly how to approach each house for  the fastest and most effective use of time , we also are using van mount with fixed reels this also speeds things up no end . 

 

[Davy G]

I can't say that I could do 20 a day on my own. Probably when younger and stronger I may well have done if the equipment we have today was available. The key to big numbers in small time frames is efficency. Several aspects to that. In my case; tight rounds, in different, reasonably local pockets. This of course takes time to achieve. Customers notified in advance, meaning gates unlocked, payments left out the back in an agreed safe place, or payment by bank transfer after we've left a pre-printed, specific business card saying "Windows cleaned as promised. Kind regards, Kathy, David and Johnathon" (wife, son and self). Wife is management, voice on phone, communicator on text (personal touch), son and I are work crew. No faffing climbing gates, wasting time which is not paid for, and energy while risking damage to self and property. No knocking hoping someone is in to open up and then waiting for them to find their keys and shoes, finish feeding the baby or end a phone call.
Van laid out for speed and efficiency as similar to a fire engine to suit our methodology as sensibly possible. No getting in the van for any equipment or controls. Parking the van in exactly the right place to line up for as straight a pull of the hoses as we can. Move it to make life easier rather than pulling hoses around a street unless on the rare occasion that's easier for us. No wasted strokes on the brush. Windows cleaned thoroughly with the flow settings high and lively, jets fizzing like a firework. Using the amount of strokes needed, and no or very few more. Working with a purposeful stride, not a rush as such, nor an amble.

I think you're job numbers per week are not bad at all. You will increase speed even more with time, experience and confidence. Don't worry too much about racing. Keep the quality and efficiency and the speed will come.

As important as anything else is the pricing. Aim for fair but high end of, professional prices, if at all possible. This is easier achieved if the frequency is not too close. Ie, 6 weekly in preference to 4 weekly in my case. Most customers are happy that they don't have to find the payments as frequently so are also happy to pay slightly more per visit. Another 6 weekly customer is recruited for the fourth week space. And so the round is built.

 

[Part Timer]

Don't fall into the trap of trying to be the same as others. When you're up to your speed you will find where your happy number is. If you constantly think that others are quicker, and therefore better, then you you will just end up putting extra strain on yourself.

Everyone has numbers, or targets, they set themselves and as long as they are realistic they will get there. Thinking that a newbie can set up and achieve a compact round in a large city nowadays is probably something that isn't achievable. You can build a round that will pay very well and finding out how to do this is far more important then trying to knock 20 houses a day out.

 

[Davidpatrick1978]

I can't say that I could do 20 a day on my own. Probably when younger and stronger I may well have done if the equipment we have today was available. The key to big numbers in small time frames is efficency. Several aspects to that. In my case; tight rounds, in different, reasonably local pockets. This of course takes time to achieve. Customers notified in advance, meaning gates unlocked, payments left out the back in an agreed safe place, or payment by bank transfer after we've left a pre-printed, specific business card saying "Windows cleaned as promised. Kind regards, Kathy, David and Johnathon (wife, son and self). Wife is management, voice on phone, communicator on text (personal touch), son and I are work crew. No faffing climbing gates, wasting time which is not paid for, and energy while risking damage to self and property. No knocking hoping someone is in to open up and then waiting for them to find their keys and shoes, finish feeding the baby or end a phone call.
Van laid out for speed and efficiency as similar to a fire engine to suit our methodology as sensibly possible. No getting in the van for any equipment or controls. Parking the van in exactly the right place to line up for as straight a pull of the hoses as we can. Move it to make life easier rather than pulling hoses around a street unless on the rare occasion that's easier for us. No wasted strokes on the brush. Windows cleaned thoroughly with the flow settings high and lively, jets fizzing like a firework. Using the amount of strokes needed, and no or very few more. Working with a purposeful stride, not a rush as such, nor an amble.

I think you're job numbers per week are not bad at all. You will increase speed even more with time, experience and confidence. Don't worry too much about racing. Keep the quality and efficiency and the speed will come.

Thanks Dave always on hand  

 

[Davy G]

Thanks Dave always on hand  

You're very welcome, my friend. The questions you're asking now are the questions you'll be answering for other people in a year or two. ??

 

[Davidpatrick1978]

Don't fall into the trap of trying to be the same as others. When you're up to your speed you will find where your happy number is. If you constantly think that others are quicker, and therefore better, then you you will just end up putting extra strain on yourself.

Everyone has numbers, or targets, they set themselves and as long as they are realistic they will get there. Thinking that a newbie can set up and achieve a compact round in a large city nowadays is probably something that isn't achievable. You can build a round that will pay very well and finding out how to do this is far more important then trying to knock 20 houses a day out.

Thankyou my friend 

 

[Jaygti]

Leave your phone alone, leave it in the van, it just wastes time  

. 
Don’t chat to customers. Be polite and friendly, but no more. Unless there is a problem, or they are in difficulty.
 

Bring food with you so, you don’t drive around looking for somewhere to eat. 

Don’t keep stopping for a snack. I cut my sandwiches in small chunks, so I can eat on the go. I don’t stop for lunch as I struggle to get started again. 
 

Get stuck in. Work hard and with purpose, but don’t rush. 

 

[Martyn]

If you want to be doing £200 a day consistently on £10 jobs they are going to need to be very close to each other, I suppose it depends where you live as to the type of properties and what you can hope to achieve over time. We don't normally do anything for less than £15 excepting pensioners/sheltered housing.

 

[adamangler]

I regularly do 20 - 25 a day on my own and on some days nearer 30. They arent particulary compact but i guess thats subjective. All my jobs are 1 job then move the van apart from the odd few where i may have 2 or 3 in reach of the hose.

On average i would say if my rounds in the best order generally theres probably 1/2 minutes drive between each job.

So how to get faster.

1. Know the round off by heart - slows you down if you need to use navgation or check whats next.

2. Write all your slips out in your pocket at the start of the day in order then you are not going back and forth on each job.

3. use the lighest pole and brush possible

4. Use an electric reel

5. Park the right way, order your round so you are turning and parking on the left where possible, in some instances its better to do the opposite and come the other way up a street to have the back doors facing the house. 

6. Get rid of jobs that slow you down, whether its talking, parking, access, gate issues, dog muck, bins, velux or whatever. Also consider dropping jobs that drain you, i still have it on my round where i will be spanking out 10 jobs in a couple of hours then you hit that job you dread, big reach over the conny and a few velux windows. That job might not take any longer on a £1 per minute basis but the extra strain and struggle can take its toll on the body and ultimately fatigue you earlier.

7. Time jobs - linked to the above point - from pull up the getting back in the van i want to be hitting £1 per minute, any jobs that dont conform price needs to go up or get rid.

8. Use pure water - if my water is zero tds then in theory i can rinse quicker or rinse less than someone using higher. 

9. Flow - shouldnt be anything less than full whack. Full on the controller or no controller at all. Baffles me why people piddle water out, get a good flow and rinse faster.

10. Be in the zone - dont check your phone, dont answer it, dont dawdle, dont talk to cutomers. Take only 15 mins to eat your lunch, if you need to do something on your phone, make a call etc do it then.

11. Set targets - when i started i bet i was only doing £100 a day, but over time my daily target has gone up..150, 200, 250, now most days i feel bad if i havent hit 300 in 6 hours. Theres always something to refine and push... 

12. Cut corners - This is the game changer. Experiment by cutting corners until you get complaints then back off a little. The fastest you can clean a house is the point where you do as little as possible to be acceptable to the customer and not lose work. So can you get away with not cleaning the top frames on every clean, or the sills, can you skip that awkward velux that no ones bothered about or dont rinse that frosted one. Can you do one swipe on the sill rather than 3 or 4 etc. Each house maybe different in this regard, i have houses where i spend longer than others that may be down to the fussyness of the customer or the type of glass and seals etc.

Hope this helps

 

[Deleted member 7446]

Hello guys how do u get around to doing 20 maintenance jobs a day to get to ur £1000 a week mark done 12 in 5 hours today so I’m improving all the time 

we are moving in to a 4 bedroom house in march plus I will be quitting factory job 

so I need more money in short time 

I wouldn't try and be like the Jones or do what he does.

It's can take upto 20 years to be that fast successful and efficient.

Go to work do your best and be like yourself and no other.

It's so easy to become disillusioned by what someone has quoted, earned and became over years of graft 

 

[Pjj]

I regularly do 20 - 25 a day on my own and on some days nearer 30. They arent particulary compact but i guess thats subjective. All my jobs are 1 job then move the van apart from the odd few where i may have 2 or 3 in reach of the hose.

On average i would say if my rounds in the best order generally theres probably 1/2 minutes drive between each job.

So how to get faster.

1. Know the round off by heart - slows you down if you need to use navgation or check whats next.

2. Write all your slips out in your pocket at the start of the day in order then you are not going back and forth on each job.

3. use the lighest pole and brush possible

4. Use an electric reel

5. Park the right way, order your round so you are turning and parking on the left where possible, in some instances its better to do the opposite and come the other way up a street to have the back doors facing the house. 

6. Get rid of jobs that slow you down, whether its talking, parking, access, gate issues, dog muck, bins, velux or whatever. Also consider dropping jobs that drain you, i still have it on my round where i will be spanking out 10 jobs in a couple of hours then you hit that job you dread, big reach over the conny and a few velux windows. That job might not take any longer on a £1 per minute basis but the extra strain and struggle can take its toll on the body and ultimately fatigue you earlier.

7. Time jobs - linked to the above point - from pull up the getting back in the van i want to be hitting £1 per minute, any jobs that dont conform price needs to go up or get rid.

8. Use pure water - if my water is zero tds then in theory i can rinse quicker or rinse less than someone using higher. 

9. Flow - shouldnt be anything less than full whack. Full on the controller or no controller at all. Baffles me why people piddle water out, get a good flow and rinse faster.

10. Be in the zone - dont check your phone, dont answer it, dont dawdle, dont talk to cutomers. Take only 15 mins to eat your lunch, if you need to do something on your phone, make a call etc do it then.

11. Set targets - when i started i bet i was only doing £100 a day, but over time my daily target has gone up..150, 200, 250, now most days i feel bad if i havent hit 300 in 6 hours. Theres always something to refine and push... 

12. Cut corners - This is the game changer. Experiment by cutting corners until you get complaints then back off a little. The fastest you can clean a house is the point where you do as little as possible to be acceptable to the customer and not lose work. So cand you get away with not cleaning the top frames on every clean, or the sills, can you skip that awkward velux that no ones bothered about or dont rinse that frosted one. Can you do one swipe on the sill rather than 3 or 4 etc. Ech house maybe different in this regard i have houses where i spend longer than others than may be down to the fussyness of the customer or the type of glass and seals etc.

Hope this helps

Agree with most of this apart from 9 and 12 that’s a definite no no always do a thorough job don’t  cut corners you are charging for  the full job and that’s what the customer is paying for , expects and wants anything less is unacceptable if it’s a difficult job and takes longer  then price accordingly .

 

[adamangler]

Agree with most of this apart from 9 and 12 that’s a definite no no always do a thorough job don’t  cut corners you are charging for  the full job and that’s what the customer is paying for , expects and wants anything less is unacceptable if it’s a difficult job and takes longer  then price accordingly .

By cutting corners dont mistake this for me saying "dont do a good job".

Thats not what i mean, you need to do a good job that is acceptable to the customer first and foremost.

However i found that in the early days i was ocd, i was overcleaning. I have been able to speed up much faster and still do an acceptable job (measured by getting next to no complaints) by doing what needs doing and no more.

For example ive found i only need to brush over the sills once with the water on. Ive dont clean top frames every clean i would only clean them rarely when they look dirty. On some windows i rinse on the glass. I dont scrub as much as i used to nor do i rinse as much. But you have to know when you can work faster and when a window requires more work, perhaps it catches the sun or the seals are likely to run, this only comes with experience. 

As for flow, if you are working slower then you may as well have a lower flow as you will just be wasting water. 

 

[scottish cleaning service]

Its okay if they are quite near each other and have easy access and no building work going on. I have one that I have to use ladder to reach a window door and go over their gate, i don't mind because its priced well. The other one is always getting building work done and I clean it off the windows and patio doors but priced well. Today I was doing new houses and putting cards through the doors which new tenants moved in. Immediately I got a call but she wanted me to move from £8 per month to £6 a month. I told her to try the opposition but I couldn't go any lower. Most folk give me a tenner when its £8 so don't really want her as a customer to begin with. ?

 

[scottish cleaning service]

However i found that in the early days i was ocd, i was overcleaning. I have been able to speed up much faster and still do an acceptable job (measured by getting next to no complaints) by doing what needs doing and no more.

I was the same and I think everyone that begins is a bit ocd. I have it down to a fine art now. Scrub all the perimeter and sill then the glass, finally rinse the glass straight down usually three sweeps does a normal size window, job done. 

 

[Martyn]

I think that there is a sweet spot for water flow and for me that is not flat out, it would require a larger tank and therefore a larger van which would cause access issues where I live.

 

[Pjj]

I think that there is a sweet spot for water flow and for me that is not flat out, it would require a larger tank and therefore a larger van which would cause access issues where I live.

On normal jobs we have the flow rate set at 64 and find this gives a good fast clean and rinse , on costal hotels that are lagged in salt we run the controllers flat out as volume of water makes the job much quicker and easier we can fill up on theses jobs whilst working to water isn’t an issue 

 

[Davidpatrick1978]

I regularly do 20 - 25 a day on my own and on some days nearer 30. They arent particulary compact but i guess thats subjective. All my jobs are 1 job then move the van apart from the odd few where i may have 2 or 3 in reach of the hose.

On average i would say if my rounds in the best order generally theres probably 1/2 minutes drive between each job.

So how to get faster.

1. Know the round off by heart - slows you down if you need to use navgation or check whats next.

2. Write all your slips out in your pocket at the start of the day in order then you are not going back and forth on each job.

3. use the lighest pole and brush possible

4. Use an electric reel

5. Park the right way, order your round so you are turning and parking on the left where possible, in some instances its better to do the opposite and come the other way up a street to have the back doors facing the house. 

6. Get rid of jobs that slow you down, whether its talking, parking, access, gate issues, dog muck, bins, velux or whatever. Also consider dropping jobs that drain you, i still have it on my round where i will be spanking out 10 jobs in a couple of hours then you hit that job you dread, big reach over the conny and a few velux windows. That job might not take any longer on a £1 per minute basis but the extra strain and struggle can take its toll on the body and ultimately fatigue you earlier.

7. Time jobs - linked to the above point - from pull up the getting back in the van i want to be hitting £1 per minute, any jobs that dont conform price needs to go up or get rid.

8. Use pure water - if my water is zero tds then in theory i can rinse quicker or rinse less than someone using higher. 

9. Flow - shouldnt be anything less than full whack. Full on the controller or no controller at all. Baffles me why people piddle water out, get a good flow and rinse faster.

10. Be in the zone - dont check your phone, dont answer it, dont dawdle, dont talk to cutomers. Take only 15 mins to eat your lunch, if you need to do something on your phone, make a call etc do it then.

11. Set targets - when i started i bet i was only doing £100 a day, but over time my daily target has gone up..150, 200, 250, now most days i feel bad if i havent hit 300 in 6 hours. Theres always something to refine and push... 

12. Cut corners - This is the game changer. Experiment by cutting corners until you get complaints then back off a little. The fastest you can clean a house is the point where you do as little as possible to be acceptable to the customer and not lose work. So can you get away with not cleaning the top frames on every clean, or the sills, can you skip that awkward velux that no ones bothered about or dont rinse that frosted one. Can you do one swipe on the sill rather than 3 or 4 etc. Each house maybe different in this regard, i have houses where i spend longer than others that may be down to the fussyness of the customer or the type of glass and seals etc.

Hope this helps

Absolutely brilliant thank you my friend I’m hitting around £100 every time I’m out still working in a factory at the moment 4 on 4 off so hopefully in April I’m full time I’ve got the lot at the moment van system 2 poles 24& 18 ft got 70 customers in 3 months starting to get busy now but want to be getting what u get ur advice is absolutely brilliant 

 

[scottish cleaning service]

My flow rate is set at 68, not sure if that's 2 litres a minute.

 

[Davy G]

We set ours at 65~70. I don't know what lpm that is. Never measured it but it's nice and lively at the brush.