No rinsing needed

[Iron Giant]

But I don't need to rinse more thoroughly, my work is as good as it can be, I rarely get any complaints and when I do it's not the cleaning it's usually something wrong with glass like when the lead has lost its coating, I can't remember the last complaint I've had about the actual cleaning, or should I say something that I can fix via cleaning better.

How many on here wipe the sills with a microfibre? When you leave them wet then bits can stick to the water and dry stuck on the sills. Is that 100% perfect? I don't have that problem as I dry the sills off, is that someone who is not trying to achieve perfection? But even though I try and achieve as good as possible I don't go about saying it's 100% as I know it's can't ever be 100%, it's more of a case of how close you can get it to 100%.

I think people are confusing with not rinsing as being shoddy, inferior...etc... it's not, it's getting the same results as rinsing off the glass but rinsing on the glass.

And just to add to your point about the van mount, I've looked at my work and I don't believe it would speed up my work on the whole, some jobs it would, others it would be a pain in the backside. The trolley allows for access to awkward to get to properties and I make good money from them. I'm always looking to speed up but I think I've pretty much got it nailed, my technique has slightly altered recently and it's saving me a few minutes off each job, my hourly rate is £45+ all the time now, not up and down and it's actually more like £50+ and peaks at £60 all without complaints so I'm happy with that, I realise some will be on more like £70+ per hour but I can't hit those sort of rates until I'm even more established with the work being more compacted and being able to drop jobs that don't suit the working day.

Thanks for the clarity.

I don't see any point in wiping sills down as you are only wiping the lower sills down unless you are tall enough to wipe the upper sills down as well , when I switched to wfp around 15 years ago the information available you could almost write on the back of a stamp and I used to wipe the sills but overtime saw no point as stopping the water and swipe the sills a few times with the brush is more than adequate how you wipe the lower sills down with a brush allows you to see how the brush sits on the sill and how effective swiping is and if that method needs tweaking if you are thorough enough there is no point in making more work for yourself.

I'd say I'm as close to 100% as I can be but I have two developments that were fitted with poor standard windows and trickle vents these cause issues more so the ones where the external beads on the PVC windows have started to warp they get an extra going over and this estate probably costs me more time and money with having to be extra thorough

 

[dazmond]

It's a fine line....I want to do a good job but I don't want to overdo it and waste time so for me using hot water,electric reel and very light carbon poles plus 13 years of experience helps me get my work done in a timely and efficient manner...

As for using trolleys I've been there and used one for 2 years and there's no way it's quicker than a van mounted system IMO....

But each to their own....I still see window cleaners who hump their reel out at every job and plug it into a side port on their van,use heavy,bendy poles with heavy brushes on the end and some who still go collecting....

Rather them than me as its not the easiest or the most efficient way of cleaning or running their business

 

[Crystalalan]

Calm down lads!

 

[adamangler]

I clean as fast as i can without getting complaints, but i always say if you get zero complaints you aint going fast enough, its all about riding the line between maximum speed and maintaining your customers.

Just as theres no point going so fast you lose work theres also no point going overboard, you dont get paid overtime for it!

 

[THL4KEL]

Why do you need to wipe the sills with a microfiber? Clean window do the next window cut the flow and wipe the first window with brush... You dont need a cloth for perfection.

 

[Iron Giant]

Calm down lads!

Those Geordies look a bit posh to me, typical assumption is that all northerners are Geordies flat cap-wearing Brown ale swigging whippet owners

 

[Pjj]

Those Geordies look a bit posh to me, typical assumption is that all northerners are Geordies flat cap-wearing Brown ale swigging whippet owners

Don’t forget the ferrets ????

 

[Iron Giant]

Don’t forget the ferrets ????

I don't need ferrets with my whippet she caught over 10 rabbits in a week although she still hasn't mastered the art of killing them fast so our 12 year old lab has do the deed ?

 

[Chris34]

Thanks for the clarity.

I don't see any point in wiping sills down as you are only wiping the lower sills down unless you are tall enough to wipe the upper sills down as well , when I switched to wfp around 15 years ago the information available you could almost write on the back of a stamp and I used to wipe the sills but overtime saw no point as stopping the water and swipe the sills a few times with the brush is more than adequate how you wipe the lower sills down with a brush allows you to see how the brush sits on the sill and how effective swiping is and if that method needs tweaking if you are thorough enough there is no point in making more work for yourself.

I'd say I'm as close to 100% as I can be but I have two developments that were fitted with poor standard windows and trickle vents these cause issues more so the ones where the external beads on the PVC windows have started to warp they get an extra going over and this estate probably costs me more time and money with having to be extra thorough

My sills are clean, really clean, I was just pointing out that if I didn't have high standards then I wouldn't be wiping the sills off dry to prevent bits sticking to them.

Personally I think I could clean to 50% of my current standard and most customers would be happy, it's like Dazmond pointed out, it's where you draw the line. Do you want to be the best window cleaner or do you want the best window cleaning business? The two are different, one is about your work ethic, the other is your business acumen.

I could probably make more money by being less thorough, but I'd expect I wouldn't be able to charge the prices I get now and probably would end up with more awkward customers who don't really want a regular window cleaner. So the net effect would probably be the same money for more work at a lower standard.

My last business I learned a lot about pricing. It was an Ebay business and I could see that if I dropped my price then I'd get more sales. However when I went down that route it mean't more parcels being sent out, more returns, more stock having to be purchased which wasn't always so readily available, long story short I ended up with more sales but the profit was no higher, just more work for the same profit.

 

[Part Timer]

Brown ale swigging whippet owners

Thought you drank Broon Ale as well as having a whippet ?

 

[Iron Giant]

Thought you drank Broon Ale as well as having a whippet ?

I'm stereotypical to a tee, I'll be out with the dogs this morning with my flat cap on as well

 

[Iron Giant]

My sills are clean, really clean, I was just pointing out that if I didn't have high standards then I wouldn't be wiping the sills off dry to prevent bits sticking to them.

Personally I think I could clean to 50% of my current standard and most customers would be happy, it's like Dazmond pointed out, it's where you draw the line. Do you want to be the best window cleaner or do you want the best window cleaning business? The two are different, one is about your work ethic, the other is your business acumen.

I could probably make more money by being less thorough, but I'd expect I wouldn't be able to charge the prices I get now and probably would end up with more awkward customers who don't really want a regular window cleaner. So the net effect would probably be the same money for more work at a lower standard.

My last business I learned a lot about pricing. It was an Ebay business and I could see that if I dropped my price then I'd get more sales. However when I went down that route it mean't more parcels being sent out, more returns, more stock having to be purchased which wasn't always so readily available, long story short I ended up with more sales but the profit was no higher, just more work for the same profit.

MY sills are also so very clean and I don't get complaints although I am aware on some of the jobs I mentioned previously that when I've gone back 4 weeks later there is the odd bit of spotting from a trickle vent on one window on the odd job customers don't say a thing because I assume that probably only happens 1-2 times a year, but I won't drop my standards otherwise I'd have customers jumping ship,

I know of lads that clash their work out and are well known for not being great yet because they are cheaper they keep their work, I don't want to be one of those I'd sooner set the bar than be going under like a limbo dancer.

 

[Chris34]

I know of lads that clash their work out and are well known for not being great yet because they are cheaper they keep their work, I don't want to be one of those I'd sooner set the bar than be going under like a limbo dancer.

I'd love to be one of those lads but I don't think you can pick and choose, it's your own moral work ethics and if you did lower your standards it would eat you up thinking about not doing the best you can.

I have lot's of jobs with the vents, I know some on here swear by thoroughly scrubbing the vents free of dirt, however if I did that then I would have trickle lines down the glass, no amount of scrubbing the vents will remove those trickle lines afterwards. For me the glass clear is more important than those vents being spotless, so I first switch off the water and then glide the wet brush over the vent to remove loose debris and cobwebs, the vent will not be spotless but it won't have cobwebs on it, I then switch the water back on and clean the rest of the window as normal. Now some would regard that as inferior work, but for me a spotless glass without trickle lines is more important than a spotless vent with trickle lines on the glass. If the vent goes the full length of the window it's fine I clean as normal without any problems, the shorter ones though is the only way. I'm not going to spend all day going back and fro waiting for vents to dry chasing trickle lines, it's just not warranted and I've never had an issue with customers complaining about it, the only time they've complained is trickle lines and that was when I first started not realising about the problem with vents.

Cleaning is a perception, I've always said this, one persons idea of a top job is anothers idea of a mediocre job. I've worked alongside other cleaners in office cleaning, 100's of them over the years on at least 100 different sites so I've seen what people are like with their standards. People are very strange with what they regard as important and it's their own perception.

 

[Pjj]

I'd love to be one of those lads but I don't think you can pick and choose, it's your own moral work ethics and if you did lower your standards it would eat you up thinking about not doing the best you can.

I have lot's of jobs with the vents, I know some on here swear by thoroughly scrubbing the vents free of dirt, however if I did that then I would have trickle lines down the glass, no amount of scrubbing the vents will remove those trickle lines afterwards. For me the glass clear is more important than those vents being spotless, so I first switch off the water and then glide the wet brush over the vent to remove loose debris and cobwebs, the vent will not be spotless but it won't have cobwebs on it, I then switch the water back on and clean the rest of the window as normal. Now some would regard that as inferior work, but for me a spotless glass without trickle lines is more important than a spotless vent with trickle lines on the glass. If the vent goes the full length of the window it's fine I clean as normal without any problems, the shorter ones though is the only way. I'm not going to spend all day going back and fro waiting for vents to dry chasing trickle lines, it's just not warranted and I've never had an issue with customers complaining about it, the only time they've complained is trickle lines and that was when I first started not realising about the problem with vents.

Cleaning is a perception, I've always said this, one persons idea of a top job is anothers idea of a mediocre job. I've worked alongside other cleaners in office cleaning, 100's of them over the years on at least 100 different sites so I've seen what people are like with their standards. People are very strange with what they regard as important and it's their own perception.

With the greatest of respect you are showing your inexperience with the vent issue we clean all vents out on the initial clean and might have to remove run lines on the first clean but after that never have an issue , I think your problem is having a limited water supply , most of us on hear clean the vents out and don’t have problems we also have to deal with salt that makes it much worse , it’s all down to experience and trying different methods until you stop this happening

 

[Dave B]

With the greatest of respect you are showing your inexperience with the vent issue we clean all vents out on the initial clean and might have to remove run lines on the first clean but after that never have an issue , I think your problem is having a limited water supply , most of us on hear clean the vents out and don’t have problems we also have to deal with salt that makes it much worse , it’s all down to experience and trying different methods until you stop this happening

Some of us have the experience and just get on with it rather than constantly analysing things and worrying
It’s window cleaning for gods sake just clean the windows and move on

 

[Iron Giant]

I have lot's of jobs with the vents, I know some on here swear by thoroughly scrubbing the vents free of dirt, however if I did that then I would have trickle lines down the glass, no amount of scrubbing the vents will remove those trickle lines afterwards.

I quickly scrub and rinse the vents every time and have no issues on the vast majority of my jobs,

the issue I have on these two developments is the crappy vents, typically the slats inside the vents the front and back of them are welded to the frame of the vent the back of these slats simply sit against the window frame about 1mm below the opening in the window frame and some of the slats are actually inside the opening in the window frame either done when fitted or pushed in by a previous heavy handed cleaner these are the only ones that I have intermittent issues with

 

[doug atkinson]

Quite a few of our customers have used Nuclear Grade Resin with very good results better than using hot water This is more to do with Commercial window cleaning where companies get called back due to clients not happy with the clean. Those who do commercial cleans will know what I’m talking about.

Problem it’s the resin is very expensive but we now have a Tulsion product off very high purity.

How can you get better than 000ppm, you will have to purchase a high spec ms/cm meter to see the difference. The water quality is used in the likes of production of contact lenses is one example.

I have wondered if using this high grade water would it take out the need to rinse. That I do not know the answer to but may work.

The was a chap who used to be regular on forums Jeff Brumble and he swore on ultra pure water giving no spotting.

It will never be to everyone’s taste as people will clean with water higher than 001 ppm.

 

[Pjj]

Quite a few of our customers have used Nuclear Grade Resin with very good results better than using hot water This is more to do with Commercial window cleaning where companies get called back due to clients not happy with the clean. Those who do commercial cleans will know what I’m talking about.

Problem it’s the resin is very expensive but we now have a Tulsion product off very high purity.

How can you get better than 000ppm, you will have to purchase a high spec ms/cm meter to see the difference. The water quality is used in the likes of production of contact lenses is one example.

I have wondered if using this high grade water would it take out the need to rinse. That I do not know the answer to but may work.

The was a chap who used to be regular on forums Jeff Brumble and he swore on ultra pure water giving no spotting.

It will never be to everyone’s taste as people will clean with water higher than 001 ppm.

I have used the nuclear grade systems from Ionic’s had one on demo for a couple of weeks when the tank fills it runs a pump for a couple of hours or so re circulating the water through the resin to give 18 ohm water as they call it , I didn’t notice that much difference in cleaning results, I know a couple of window cleaners that have put this set up in there vans building it themselves they purify the water using nuclear resin then just leave it circulating for 3-4 hours personally cannot see the benefit?? But always open to new ideas

 

[Part Timer]

Quite a few of our customers have used Nuclear Grade Resin with very good results better than using hot water This is more to do with Commercial window cleaning where companies get called back due to clients not happy with the clean. Those who do commercial cleans will know what I’m talking about.

Problem it’s the resin is very expensive but we now have a Tulsion product off very high purity.

How can you get better than 000ppm, you will have to purchase a high spec ms/cm meter to see the difference. The water quality is used in the likes of production of contact lenses is one example.

I have wondered if using this high grade water would it take out the need to rinse. That I do not know the answer to but may work.

The was a chap who used to be regular on forums Jeff Brumble and he swore on ultra pure water giving no spotting.

It will never be to everyone’s taste as people will clean with water higher than 001 ppm.

As the vast majority of my work is 3 monthly, and buy the water in on our travels, we would need to put the Di, with Nuclear, between the pump and hose reels. Can we run hot water through it when on the odd occasion we run with hot water?

 

[Clean zero]

Interesting point can’t see why not but we don’t want to start a nuclear reaction just see the headlines now window cleaner blown his van up and has caused chaos for miles around best to be sure ?

 

[Chris34]

With the greatest of respect you are showing your inexperience with the vent issue we clean all vents out on the initial clean and might have to remove run lines on the first clean but after that never have an issue , I think your problem is having a limited water supply , most of us on hear clean the vents out and don’t have problems we also have to deal with salt that makes it much worse , it’s all down to experience and trying different methods until you stop this happening

Dazmond has vast years of experience, I believe longer than yourself? He has the same issue with vents. Are you saying that Dazmond is inexperienced?

I don't have limited water supply, I clean the glass on full flow and use roughly 1.8 litres per minute. I've tried everything, degreaser, more water... nothing works. Dazmond says the same, everything he has stated I find as fact as that's what I see when I'm out there.

£370 today, tell me what I'm doing wrong....