Obscure windows rinse or not?

[Chris34]

As title, is there any point in rinsing the bathroom windows?  I was on a job yesterday that has 2 awkward ones that really get the arms hurting, they looked fine after cleaning but while rinsing I was thinking is there any point in going through this pain?  Only thing I can think is tiny bits on the glass but would most people even look at them?

 

[Oli]

I don’t bother rinsing bathroom windows

 

[HWCS]

If your paid to do the job then do the job.

Thats my phillosophy

 

[Chris34]

If your paid to do the job then do the job.

Thats my phillosophy

Ah but where do you draw the line between clean and not clean?  I've been in the cleaning industry for 23 years, there is no such thing as perfect, it's a case of finding the acceptable level that keeps the customer happy.  

 

[HWCS]

Ah but where do you draw the line between clean and not clean?  I've been in the cleaning industry for 23 years, there is no such thing as perfect, it's a case of finding the acceptable level that keeps the customer happy.  

You sound like a guy i used to work with, his favourite saying was

'near enough is good enough'

 

[Davy G]

You sound like a guy i used to work with, his favourite saying was

'near enough is good enough'

Hey! Yeah! I think I worked with the same guy. He used to get fired and re-hired depending on how busy the utilities contractor was. They weren't fooled.

Once across and back with vertical agitation, curtain of water on the top of the glass and bring it down with quick, side to side swipes, is what I do. I have been picked up for marks on obscure wìndows especially in the early days. Marks are easy to spot from the inside with daylight outside. A lot of the obscure windows are in side alleys under tv arials where birds perch. ?

 

[ks789]

The best customers if you can get them are blind people or poorly sighted. Bet they rarely complain. But watch out if their family are visiting asthey may point out any substandard work ?

 

[Pjj]

On a first clean then yes , a normal clean no unless there has been a large bird poo that needs rinsing , if however it’s a bungalow and people walk past then yes 

 

[Chris34]

You sound like a guy i used to work with, his favourite saying was

'near enough is good enough'

Started in January, zero compaints, zero lost customers.  I'm too perfect and looking to reduce my standards.  

I spent 1.5 hours on a house yesterday that should take 1 hour.  I'm the opposite of corner cutting but if there is no difference to doing a final rinse then I have to ask, 'what is the point?'

 

[Davy G]

Started in January, zero compaints, zero lost customers.  I'm too perfect and looking to reduce my standards.  

I spent 1.5 hours on a house yesterday that should take 1 hour.  I'm the opposite of corner cutting but if there is no difference to doing a final rinse then I have to ask, 'what is the point?'

I'd say, try to maintain a standard of excellence. Perfection is probably unachievable. We're aiming for visually clean not forensically/clinically clean. One and a half hours sounds like an awfully long time for one house and so does an hour, unless it's absolutely huge and complex. I'd aim to speed up. If you start to get the occasional complaint. I wouldn't lose sleep. Learn from what wasn't right, put it right and move on. 

Time very definitely is money. ?

Ps, I would always rinse down, from checking my own work occasionally prior to rinsing to see whether it was necessary. I felt on balance it was better, more thorough and quicker (a rinse down on a bathroom window takes less than 5 seconds and almost no effort as the brush is descending) to go with the full technique.

I used to find kitchen windows were the ones I was most likely to be pulled up on. Customers stand very close to them. 

As I've gained experience I've developed a technique which I'm very confident in, so it's now pretty much carved in stone. I very rarely get complaints now. I generally know how to rectify them, so I don't worry like I used to. I did lose some nights sleep in the very early days with problems that were easily solved with a little knowledge: Mainly,  spots caused by oxidation on old frames and milky run-off for the same reason. 

 

[wee man]

If you have a high flow then I wouldn't bother, just watch out for any bird on it as they will deffo see that from inside. I don't rinse bathroom windows at all. 

 

[Part Timer]

I wash every window the same, why risk a complaint for 5 seconds of rinsing. Does this mean if you don't rinse you don't do the sills as well. Slippery slope in my eyes.

 

[dazmond]

As title, is there any point in rinsing the bathroom windows?  I was on a job yesterday that has 2 awkward ones that really get the arms hurting, they looked fine after cleaning but while rinsing I was thinking is there any point in going through this pain?  Only thing I can think is tiny bits on the glass but would most people even look at them?

why are you in pain?what pole and brush are you using?

i usually rinse on the glass for frosted windows,it just depends how dirty it is....ill rinse off if its got bird muck that ive just scrubbed off,etc....

for minimum strain you want an xtreme pole and xtreme brush(standard or the new sill) with a carbon gooseneck,light as a feather and rigid as hell.....?

 

[Pjj]

I wash every window the same, why risk a complaint for 5 seconds of rinsing. Does this mean if you don't rinse you don't do the sills as well. Slippery slope in my eyes.

Yes we do the sills , if there is a need to rinse then we do but generaly on an upstairs window I don’t feel it’s needed 99% of the time . 

 

[steve garwood]

This depends on how obscure the glass is. If it’s very obscure, then I don’t rinse it.

Never had a problem 

 

[Chris34]

I wash every window the same, why risk a complaint for 5 seconds of rinsing. Does this mean if you don't rinse you don't do the sills as well. Slippery slope in my eyes.

This is not about standards, this is about whether it's needed or not.  If you have cleaned the glass, there are no bits on the glass, you can't see through the glass because it's an obscure window then what is the point in rinsing?

why are you in pain?what pole and brush are you using?

i usually rinse on the glass for frosted windows,it just depends how dirty it is....ill rinse off if its got bird muck that ive just scrubbed off,etc....

for minimum strain you want an xtreme pole and xtreme brush(standard or the new sill) with a carbon gooseneck,light as a feather and rigid as hell.....?

The windows in question were on a fully stretched pole above a rear extension, I had cleaned them all but then trying to lift the pole back to the top with a side to side rinse all the way down on each pane (8 panes of glass on 2 different windows) ... well my arms were already hurting, the windows looked clean, no bits on, so I was rinsing thinking 'is there any point in rinsing when all I might be doing is damage to the tendons in my arms for something that might not be making a difference?'.

I'd say, try to maintain a standard of excellence. Perfection is probably unachievable. We're aiming for visually clean not forensically/clinically clean. One and a half hours sounds like an awfully long time for one house and so does an hour, unless it's absolutely huge and complex. I'd aim to speed up. If you start to get the occasional complaint. I wouldn't lose sleep. Learn from what wasn't right, put it right and move on. 

Time very definitely is money. ?

Ps, I would always rinse down, from checking my own work occasionally prior to rinsing to see whether it was necessary. I felt on balance it was better, more thorough and quicker (a rinse down on a bathroom window takes less than 5 seconds and almost no effort as the brush is descending) to go with the full technique.

I used to find kitchen windows were the ones I was most likely to be pulled up on. Customers stand very close to them. 

As I've gained experience I've developed a technique which I'm very confident in, so it's now pretty much carved in stone. I very rarely get complaints now. I generally know how to rectify them, so I don't worry like I used to. I did lose some nights sleep in the very early days with problems that were easily solved with a little knowledge: Mainly,  spots caused by oxidation on old frames and milky run-off for the same reason. 

I tried a new technique today, seemed to work really well.  I'm going to work on a technique that I use for most windows and stick to it.  

Basically I do all the frames first, then on the glass it's two swipes across the top then down up across, down up across until all the glass is covered and on the last down stroke I do a little circle in the bottom corner and then slide across the bottom to the next corner and do the same little circle, then back to the top corner do the same, then across to the other corner do the same and then zig zag  across once in a downward direction across the middle part of the glass from the top to the bottom, then rinse off the glass from the top.

I'll try and get a video but it's quite a good technique, it essentially means all the glass is gone over twice but it doesn't feel like it's rushing, it feels more like a dance.

 

[Part Timer]

This is not about standards, this is about whether it's needed or not.  If you have cleaned the glass, there are no bits on the glass, you can't see through the glass because it's an obscure window then what is the point in rinsing?

In my eyes that's like saying if I don't get in the corners of the frames it's not really needed as it won't be seen. It's your business, you can pick and choose what you think is best for you. For me washing every window as well as I can, and rinsing them well, is my chosen method.

If you're cleaning the fifth floor and it's opaque you cant see if there's any bits on or not so you rely on your tried and trusted technique. Everything in business, in my eyes, is to do with standards, be it the state of your van to the state of your hair, if you've got any that is

 

[Incheck]

Rinsing them is best practice, however, my biggest advice, on all windows, check the state of your upstairs sills, if you can get a ladder to them. 
No amount of water fed poling is ever going to do the same job as a scrub by hand when it comes to an upstairs window sill. even if you change the brush angle and rinse a lake over it.

You may notice sometimes that you will have a problem with patio door sills where those endless pieces of crud spill out and you just need to “cloth it” or embedded stuff that needs sponging (baked on bird poo) or else youre using litres and litres of water. 
well, all this will also be on the upstairs window sills more often than not i can guarantee it. Windows may look visibly and acceptedly clean from the ground but climb the ladder and you may just have a shock. Seeing is believing and customers will open bedroom windows to check standards especially if you're a new cleaner.

its much easier to put the necessary elbow grease in to your pole scrubbing on ground floor windows, but the higher you go the less effective your elbow grease and less effective the method is. 
lichen and green algae will grow on upstairs window sills especially Where the windows are obscure in side alleys etc.

im not saying put yourself out and start worrying about window sills above rockeries, slippery decking, extensions, connys etc, but any obviously accessible window sills to a ladder are worth checking.

this is just my opinion, i probably wind a lot of people up saying this, im not trying to & dont want to annoy anybody, but competition is stiff in this game now. To get the best prices you have to stand out above average. Its also an online world, one bad review means 100 of your customers might see it and they will all start checking this and that to see whats been missed. Complaints are no longer isolated one to one private issues they are broadcast to the community. Its well worth having this in mind.

i love water fed poles, for some windows they really are the only option as you just can not get to them in any way by hand, but they do have their limits, especially at height. 
I also agree that there is no such thing as a perfectly clean window but customers expect a lot for their money these days because labor simply costs more. 
dont worry about the time youre taking, if your standards are high you should theoretically always be in demand. We put an average of 5-12 man hours on FSG jobs, i know competitors that will do a full hit (clear out gutters, clean fascias and windows in 2-3 hours) and are charging 1/3 of the price we are. but thats just not me. Im slow and meticulous and thats my comfort zone, but i’m never perfect (who can be)
budget windies are also in very high demand (there are a lot of people out there happy to pay cheap get cheap etc) doesnt bother me. it just depends which side of the fence you want to sit on. I can not do more than 2-3 maintenance cleans an hour on my own. if i was, i would be worried about my quality control. 
These are just my thoughts and i dont expect anybody else to agree with me ? because at the end of the day, i know the struggles we all go through and i love you all ?

 

[Davy G]

This is not about standards, this is about whether it's needed or not.  If you have cleaned the glass, there are no bits on the glass, you can't see through the glass because it's an obscure window then what is the point in rinsing?

The windows in question were on a fully stretched pole above a rear extension, I had cleaned them all but then trying to lift the pole back to the top with a side to side rinse all the way down on each pane (8 panes of glass on 2 different windows) ... well my arms were already hurting, the windows looked clean, no bits on, so I was rinsing thinking 'is there any point in rinsing when all I might be doing is damage to the tendons in my arms for something that might not be making a difference?'.

I tried a new technique today, seemed to work really well.  I'm going to work on a technique that I use for most windows and stick to it.  

Basically I do all the frames first, then on the glass it's two swipes across the top then down up across, down up across until all the glass is covered and on the last down stroke I do a little circle in the bottom corner and then slide across the bottom to the next corner and do the same little circle, then back to the top corner do the same, then across to the other corner do the same and then zig zag  across once in a downward direction across the middle part of the glass from the top to the bottom, then rinse off the glass from the top.

I'll try and get a video but it's quite a good technique, it essentially means all the glass is gone over twice but it doesn't feel like it's rushing, it feels more like a dance.

Hey, yeah! That sounds a bit like my technique. Not exactly the same but your own style. And yeah, "almost a dance" that's the tipping point for making it easier and more enjoyable. 

 

[Den]

@Chris34 my advise is to get the extreme medium sill brush the brushes are perfect for the fully stretched out pole above extensions etc as they don’t splay much I never rinse off the glass with these sorts on windows. 

 

[Incheck]

In my eyes that's like saying if I don't get in the corners of the frames it's not really needed as it won't be seen. It's your business, you can pick and choose what you think is best for you. For me washing every window as well as I can, and rinsing them well, is my chosen method.

If you're cleaning the fifth floor and it's opaque you cant see if there's any bits on or not so you rely on your tried and trusted technique. Everything in business, in my eyes, is to do with standards, be it the state of your van to the state of your hair, if you've got any that is

I haven’t had a hair cut since december 13th mate. My old man started losing his hair in his 30’s so i thought better try and grow it long while i can before i lose it, else id have gone through life never knowing what i’d have looked like with long hair ? 

as for the van, cleaned the roof on it not long ago, man what a nightmare that was, took me ages with magic sponges the roof rack bars make it a real PITA of a job.