rinse with brush on or off

[Master Jedi Alejandro]

Another thing, years ago I washed a vent above a widow and it dripped black muck for hours, do you get this?

thinking I might change my style if I’m in a minority which I clearly am!!!

When I start I was glass only as that’s what most round my area do. However I realised the ‘selling’ benefits of including the frames, sills and doors. Over a period of a few months I would do so many windows the new way and leave the rest, as trying to convert them all at once would take far too long (as you need to spend more time the first time to get all the dirt off the top of the frame and stop it dripping down). 
Now it’s done it’s great! I use it as a selling feature and the windows look spotless. As regards timing, I take the same amount of time if not quicker. It doesn’t even take a second to flick the brush across the top of the frame each clean. And like @Part Timer said, you don’t need to be as careful avoiding certain bits. 
 

This all said, I know many window cleaners, both WFP & Trad, who are glass only & do great, it’s down to the individual.

 

[Suhrly]

Another thing, years ago I washed a vent above a widow and it dripped black muck for hours, do you get this?

thinking I might change my style if I’m in a minority which I clearly am!!!

Yeah get lots of dirt drippage from vents. But I just give it a bloody good scub, tons of rinsing right above the vent to flush the dirt until it runs clear. I then move onto the next window and do the same. After that I'll go back to the previous window and check the vent and if its still running dirty water...If it is...clean and rinse until it stops. Once I've finished the whole house I'll re-check all windows to see if any need further cleaning. It's worth spending extra time on that first clean then like I said, once it's completely clean, every maintenance clean after that you simply need to run your brush over it once or twice to keep it clean. 1 second worth of work.

 

[scottish cleaning service]

If you have the system then its better doing everything. You will get a hard time from a few vents but after a few cleans there is not much more to come out. On a first clean, i will go back round and rinse below the vents again because they usually leave trails. I still get the odd customer mentioning it but it doesn't bother me now as i explain the dirt is 30yrs old.

 

[Part Timer]

I might be old, but I’m never too old to learn!
 

Well said, bet you wished you hadn't posted now. To get your frames and vents up to scratch would take time and water.

 

[Seriously clean 01]

When I started wfp I got a few vents like that just had to go back and do them again. Never had a problem after second clean. It looks so much better when all frames are clean. 

 

[scottish cleaning service]

I've noticed the difference on white pvc frames but no one seems to notice a difference on brown frames. Brown frames must hide the dirt. 

 

[trevor peacock]

do you rinse the frames or just go over with the brush?

 

[P4dstar]

You are on your own a bit here Trev, I feel a little sorry for you haha. Unfortunately I agree whole heartedly with the others.

I have an easy compromise, an idea another windy gave me. If you clean the entire window thoroughly on the first clean, including the vents. Next time round the top of the frame only takes one pass and in most cases the water can be off at the time (Providing the brush is wet) similar to how you can wipe away dirt with a cloth. From there the sides of the frame and sills take moments to do. I'm 100% sure you've lost customers over the years because you're not doing the frame, they probably just ain't telling you.

 

[trevor peacock]

Funny thing is I don’t lose customers so I must be doing something right. 

 

[Pjj]

do you rinse the frames or just go over with the brush?

We rinse the frames as well but after the first clean it’s an easy quick job 

 

[Suhrly]

Funny thing is I don’t lose customers so I must be doing something right. 

My guess is you're not charging much.

 

[Wind o kleen]

I've noticed the difference on white pvc frames but no one seems to notice a difference on brown frames. Brown frames must hide the dirt. 

?? did you get that from a book

 

[Dave B]

Personally I don't think you're cleaning the window, the window is the glass, frame and sill. If you cleaned everything you wouldn't need to worry about any muck being brought down. This is the way I do it anyway, and fairly certain the vast majority on here do the same.

I clean the whole lot as 1 (top frame included) and don't care about rinsing the glass with the top frame as there is no dirt to leave spots.

I usually clean all the panes in a window and rinse the whole lot together including openers with no problems. 

 

[P4dstar]

Funny thing is I don’t lose customers so I must be doing something right. 

So in 15 years you ain't lost a customer... F*ck me I'm doing something wrong, lost 3 this month ?‍

 

[Davy G]

I've been using poles for about 15 years.

I've never cleaned frames nor 1st floor sills only ground floor and apart from 1st floor town house bay windows, which I clean with upvc cleaner once a year,  I never get complaints. Although when cleaning the glass the frames do get brushed to a certain extent I suppose. You're just wasting water and time in my humble opinion.

I'm not sure this isn't a wind up.

It takes me 20 to 30 seconds at normal speed to thoroughly clean an average size window on a 6 weekly maintenance wash, including the sill and frames . This includes : a couple of swipes on the sill to start with, then the top frame and vents, then the rest of the frames with the brush partly on the glass as well, vertically across the glass to the opposite frame, couple of swipes across the top frame and glass, bring down a curtain of water, finish with a couple of sweeps on the bottom sill. I wouldn't want to be any quicker as the water needs enough time and volume to rinse the dirt down properly. 

It might take three or four times as long to do the first wash if it's really bad and I would generally add 50 per cent to the charge. 

I'm at a loss as to how much quicker anyone would want to be. 

I come across obviously filthy frames and sills on some first washes. They look lovely when I've finished. This is what the neighbours see more than the glass, even from across the road, and that brings more work. 

 

[Cleanco]

To be fair when I first started 20+ years ago there wasn’t one cleaner around here that cleaned the frames unless asked(all trad). There still is a few about that don’t. I was one of them and like the op says you never used to get any complaints and again to be fair since converting my round to wfp I don’t think many have even noticed and are even that bothered that they are as that’s what they have been used to for I don’t know how long. Don’t get me wrong I don’t think it’s possible to get a good finish everytime if you dont clean frames with wfp and also it deffo looks a lot better overall. The only pain is getting all the dirt flushed out which on some windows can take a long time and be a pita. I think the op is trying to play it safe. I spent a hell of a long time converting my round over and it’s not something that can be done overnight because every house is like a first clean again. I split my round into small sections and did a bit at a time. 

 

[Cleanco]

I've noticed the difference on white pvc frames but no one seems to notice a difference on brown frames. Brown frames must hide the dirt. 

That’s because the dirt is a similar colour to the frame. It’s still there you just can’t see it although I have noticed that for some reason windows with laminated colour frames don’t run or spot as much as white frames. Weird!!

 

[Cleanco]

My guess is you're not charging much.

Probs not. Still a lot of cheap and cheerful around here. Although they do a really bad job to today’s standards they never lose any work because they are so cheap. Also they are still making good money as they are banging 3 houses out to every one they could be done properly. So were they charge a fiver for your average 3 bed semi you would have to be charging £15+for the same property to make the same money. It’s just a way of cleaning that has been around for years with most of the customers being conditioned to it although many trad cleaners are now picking up there game as they need to compete with the ever growing wfp industry. Even customers are now becoming more aware of the benefits of doing a good job with wfp and I often get asked for that method over trad these days although I think more of it has to do with safety and damaging their property, walking roofs etc as many still think trad does a better job because of its instant finish. 

 

[Iron Giant]

Also they are still making good money as they are banging 3 houses out to every one they could be done properly. So were they charge a fiver for your average 3 bed semi you would have to be charging £15+for the same property to make the same money.

What because they miss out the bathroom windows and the doors ? in all seriousness no tradder can beat a wfper on a regular job and do 3 houses to a wfper doing one more like the other way round 

 

[Cleanco]

What because they miss out the bathroom windows and the doors ? in all seriousness no tradder can beat a wfper on a regular job and do 3 houses to a wfper doing one more like the other way round 

Exactly that. It’s easily doable when your only doing half the job. You must have been a slow tradder?

 

[scottish cleaning service]

do you rinse the frames or just go over with the brush?

On first cleans I rinse everything and you can notice the dirt running off. After that its just a quick rub and rinse on the frames. I seen someone using a wfp but he doesn't rinse and hardly goes through any pure because his setting is so low. Don't know how the glass turns out but I'm amazed where the dirt goes. I will need to check out some of his windows.