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

[Davy G]

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

By setting a higher flow rate we have reduced the number of strokes by one pass, or about 25~30 percent. Thereby also reducing the work effort and time required.

 

[Jaygti]

I’ve found if you want to experiment with flow rates you need a big jump. 
 If it’s set at 28 and you bump it up to 30, there’s not much difference and you won’t go faster. 
 If you stick it up to 45-50 you’ll notice the difference and have more confidence when rinsing.  
Somebody said there is a sweet spot, and I’d agree. I found eventually that I wasn’t going any faster and was just wasting water. 
 Like Davy I like it “ nice and lively at the brush “ too!???

 

[Part Timer]

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. 

Sorry but as soon as anyone says push the limits and do as little as you can before you get complaints isn't my method. My only rule is don't leave a job that I wouldn't be happy to pay for. Your method doesn't fit that criteria.

 

[Spit & polish]

@Part Timer lets be honest this is how alot of things work take dentists on the nhs, xyz are in the bands yet to actually get them theirs an excuse to go private, i know an nhs dentist and they aim to see 40 nhs patients a day and their might be private patients too so even professionals do a quick fast service that may not be as good as it could.

I know a firm doing plumbing maintenance and the workers have to do 14 repairs in their day, now how thats possible even with some advance bookings of say a week i dont know. So trying to find a level the customer is happy with and been efficent makes sense, 

Currently im ocd though.

 

[Part Timer]

@Part Timer lets be honest this is how alot of things work take dentists on the nhs, xyz are in the bands yet to actually get them theirs an excuse to go private, i know an nhs dentist and they aim to see 40 nhs patients a day and their might be private patients too so even professionals do a quick fast service that may not be as good as it could.

I know a firm doing plumbing maintenance and the workers have to do 14 repairs in their day, now how thats possible even with some advance bookings of say a week i dont know. So trying to find a level the customer is happy with and been efficent makes sense, 

Currently im ocd though.

Couldn't give a damn what others do. I set my own standards, no one else. If someone wants to cut corners, whatever their profession, that's up to them.

All I know is I have jobs countrywide because I don't cut corners and do the job properly. By doing this I have built a very good reputation and cutting corners would mean I lose it.

Your business do as you feel fit.

 

[scottish cleaning service]

The more you do a job the quicker one becomes. I have tried different ways to clean windows but always come back to my most reliable one.

 

[Davidpatrick1978]

The more you do a job the quicker one becomes. I have tried different ways to clean windows but always come back to my most reliable one.

Thanks Scott 

 

[Spit & polish]

@Part Timer not so much cutting corners but we sometimes give better service than whats actually paid for, 

Like with window cleaning when say a £15 charge for a first clean when the job took 2-3 times as long and should have been £45 for the 1st clean.

As you say your got a good rep and hopefully people appreciate your providing a quality service.

 

[adamangler]

Sorry but as soon as anyone says push the limits and do as little as you can before you get complaints isn't my method. My only rule is don't leave a job that I wouldn't be happy to pay for. Your method doesn't fit that criteria.

There's the bit that you are missing, I am doing a job they are happy to pay for. I know this because they pay and I get complaint very very rarely. What I am not doing is going beyond and therefore wasting time.

If they accept a 95 percent job that earns me 300 a day why would I do a 100 percent job that earns me 250 a day?

It's a business and I'm in ot for the money.

But like I said it has to be an acceptable job that they pay for otherwise its pointless.

It's finding that limit on what's acceptable that will allow you to clean the most houses per day and maximise the 6 hours, which is what the op asked.

 

[adamangler]

Couldn't give a damn what others do. I set my own standards, no one else. If someone wants to cut corners, whatever their profession, that's up to them.

All I know is I have jobs countrywide because I don't cut corners and do the job properly. By doing this I have built a very good reputation and cutting corners would mean I lose it.

Your business do as you feel fit.

I totally agree.

My business is based on cleaning lots of residential houses fast, I don't do any commercial as I don't care for it. The reason for the speed is mainly because being in the North where prices are lower I decided that if I can't make them pay more then I need to speed up.simple as that.

I know your business is totally different.

But the op wanted to know how to clean lots of houses in 6 hours which Is something I think I'm pretty good at.

 

[RWCleaning]

There's the bit that you are missing, I am doing a job they are happy to pay for. I know this because they pay and I get complaint very very rarely. What I am not doing is going beyond and therefore wasting time.

If they accept a 95 percent job that earns me 300 a day why would I do a 100 percent job that earns me 250 a day?

It's a business and I'm in ot for the money.

But like I said it has to be an acceptable job that they pay for otherwise its pointless.

It's finding that limit on what's acceptable that will allow you to clean the most houses per day and maximise the 6 hours, which is what the op asked.

In a competitive borderline ruthless business sense, you talk a lot of sense.
I often think that with McDonald’s, I’ve personally gone off McDonald’s the older I’ve got. Loved it when I was younger, now I see it for what it is, a combination of the cheapest type of food possible with uncaring service.

But they get away with it as nearly a billion people around the world eat it at least once a year and they’re recently boasting £6Billion revenue this year (despite lockdowns) because for a vast majority of the people who eat it think it’s ‘good enough’. So McDonald’s think ‘’what’s the point using better/ tastier/ healthier ingredients? No point we still earn money by cutting small corners’’

Anyway back to my sausage & egg McMuffin thingy….

 

[adamangler]

Just to show you that it's easily possible with years of refining and hard work.

Started at half 8, it's now just gone 12 and absolutely smashed it today.

20 jobs done already, 5 left then home. Couple of fronts but mainly full houses, mostly semis with 3 or 4 detached. All jobs between 1 and 3 mins drive time between.

 

[JohnDoeWindows]

From my experience, where you park the van based on the obstacles around a particular house makes a huge difference. My reels are at the back of my van so in an ideal situation I always park on a customers drive, if not just in front of it so that I can walk round the house and their vehicles with no issues. Nothing more time consuming than your hose snagging on things like tyres etc!

 

[scottish cleaning service]

I have customers that I clean their garage door when I'm cleaning their windows. It doesn't stop them dropping you when money is tight or a cheaper guy appears like what happened to me last week. There's no loyalty in this game and if you think there is then dream on. 

 

[Iron Giant]

Just to show you that it's easily possible with years of refining and hard work.

Started at half 8, it's now just gone 12 and absolutely smashed it today.

20 jobs done already, 5 left then home. Couple of fronts but mainly full houses, mostly semis with 3 or 4 detached. All jobs between 1 and 3 mins drive time between.

View attachment 26086

That's a lot of bathroom windows missed, proper old skool ?

 

[Jaygti]

That's a lot of bathroom windows missed, proper old skool ?

Does “frosted glass-let it pass” still go on??

 

[Jaygti]

I have customers that I clean their garage door when I'm cleaning their windows. It doesn't stop them dropping you when money is tight or a cheaper guy appears like what happened to me last week. There's no loyalty in this game and if you think there is then dream on. 

If I gave you my customers addresses ,and the price they pay, and you canvassed the lot a bet you wouldn’t get many?

 

[Iron Giant]

Does “frosted glass-let it pass” still go on??

Yes, it does I picked up a job just over 8 weeks ago custys old cleaner skipped the en-suite window whilst they were in the house with both of their cars on the drive and she said the window wasn't touched, 

I think you do have to be as good with frosted glass as clear glass, on our house a 1930's 3-bed semi there is awkward little former toilet window not much room because of the garage at the side of the house, we bought it last year from the old couple who were custys of mine I reckon I wasn't thorough all the time and of course I only noticed this once we bought the house and I wasn't as thorough I could see spotting on the glass it's the most awkward windows I have to clean,

the old couple may not have noticed as the toilet and the bathroom were separate and they had some curtains up at the little window 

 

[steve garwood]

All this ‘don’t chat with customers, don’t look at your phone, don’t have lunch breaks’ , are you really that desperate for that bit of extra cash?

I like to enjoy my day. No rushing about like a blue ar5e fly, scoff up if I’m hungry and a little chat with my customers.

Still earn great money, don’t burn myself out and enjoy my day ???‍?

 

[HWCS]

Round management & experience.

Today we did 4 sites 

7am start, on site 8.00 19 houses, off site 9.45 (1 van move)

Site 2 arrive 10.15 5 houses plus signage, off site 10.45 (no van move)

Site 3 arrive 11.00 14 houses plus signage, off site 12.45 (1 van move)

Site 4 arrive 1pm 4 houses plus signage, off site at 1.30 (1 van move)

 

[Pjj]

Couldn't give a damn what others do. I set my own standards, no one else. If someone wants to cut corners, whatever their profession, that's up to them.

All I know is I have jobs countrywide because I don't cut corners and do the job properly. By doing this I have built a very good reputation and cutting corners would mean I lose it.

Your business do as you feel fit.

Couldn’t agree more we are exactly the same this is why we have kept our largest commercial contract for 20 years we arnt the cheapest by a long way in fact 3-4 times dearer than the other quotes but the reason we have kept this work is beacause the client wants the job done right every time without any corners being cut , I think in 20 years of doing this work we have had less than a handful of complaints , and then it’s been really minor stuff ware a window was accidentally missed or not done due to cracked glass etc , every job every time is done 100% right this isn’t boasting it’s just the way I work and expect my guys to do the same , we are charging for  a top quality job and that’s what the customer expects and gets