. thank you so much mate , really appreciate all the tips and advice , i’m really listening to everything i can at the minute and is all so helpful@T.H Window Cleaning lots will depend on the car you have mate. For basics you will need equipment, insurance and a way of marketing your work.
For equipment a wcw big boy backpack will be fine. Easier to manoeuvre about and lift in and out of your car. You'll also need a pole and brush (my go to is a Gardiner SLX but you might find window cleaning warehouse do a deal with a pole included with the backpack which will save you money).
Pure water either made at home or from your local filling station.
Maybe a few traditional tools like a half decent squeegee, t-bar/applicator, bucket etc.
A Facebook page is free to create so that's good. At your age you are probably good with computers so that will be a breeze for you.
Insurance (public liability) isn't too expensive, but you might find it make your car insurance really pricey if you've just passed your test, and you won't be able to carry too much water in a car, but probably enough for a few jobs at a time.
Buying the equipment is the easy part, building a round of decent customers is the hard and time consuming part. Tell all your family and friends etc what you're doing and to ask you if they want the windows cleaned. Maybe get some fliers printed and deliver them locally.
Loads of this will be on this forum and there are alot of people very experienced on here so don't be afraid to ask a question.
Some YouTubers are brilliant for window cleaning - my personal recommendations would be Squeaky Clean Dave, Trad Man the window cleaner, and a guy called Rob from Crystal Clean Windows who has a very underrated channel in my opinion.
It's a nice time of year to be working outside (you'll see lots of posts by people who want to start up in spring and summer), but it can be hard in the winter keeping going and even just covering your usual customers with shorter days and bad weather etc.
I assume you might still live at home so make practice on your windows at home as much as you can - I'm sure your Mum and Dad won't complain about having the sparkliest windows in your road
Apologies for the long reply but I noticed nobody else had been able to reply yet so I hope it helps. Well done on your work ethic mate and I wish you all the very best with your new venture.
thank you so much mate , i’ll take all the advice
It's not a cheap trade when you add up equipment, insurance, water purchases or production, advertising, vehicle insurance premium will jump massively because of your age and intended vehicle usage
Have you noticed the massive price hike on THFST ? Sealey now sell the same design and also Cobra. https://www.mowers-online.co.uk/cob...MKeZfK8GM6pEtIhOKipkXLl_ZTmGeH3MaApvCEALw_wcB
All the best, hope it works out.@T.H Window Cleaning lots will depend on the car you have mate. For basics you will need equipment, insurance and a way of marketing your work.
For equipment a wcw big boy backpack will be fine. Easier to manoeuvre about and lift in and out of your car. You'll also need a pole and brush (my go to is a Gardiner SLX but you might find window cleaning warehouse do a deal with a pole included with the backpack which will save you money).
Pure water either made at home or from your local filling station.
Maybe a few traditional tools like a half decent squeegee, t-bar/applicator, bucket etc.
A Facebook page is free to create so that's good. At your age you are probably good with computers so that will be a breeze for you.
Insurance (public liability) isn't too expensive, but you might find it make your car insurance really pricey if you've just passed your test, and you won't be able to carry too much water in a car, but probably enough for a few jobs at a time.
Buying the equipment is the easy part, building a round of decent customers is the hard and time consuming part. Tell all your family and friends etc what you're doing and to ask you if they want the windows cleaned. Maybe get some fliers printed and deliver them locally.
Loads of this will be on this forum and there are alot of people very experienced on here so don't be afraid to ask a question.
Some YouTubers are brilliant for window cleaning - my personal recommendations would be Squeaky Clean Dave, Trad Man the window cleaner, and a guy called Rob from Crystal Clean Windows who has a very underrated channel in my opinion.
It's a nice time of year to be working outside (you'll see lots of posts by people who want to start up in spring and summer), but it can be hard in the winter keeping going and even just covering your usual customers with shorter days and bad weather etc.
I assume you might still live at home so make practice on your windows at home as much as you can - I'm sure your Mum and Dad won't complain about having the sparkliest windows in your road
Apologies for the long reply but I noticed nobody else had been able to reply yet so I hope it helps. Well done on your work ethic mate and I wish you all the very best with your new venture.
@T.H Window Cleaning lots will depend on the car you have mate. For basics you will need equipment, insurance and a way of marketing your work.
For equipment a wcw big boy backpack will be fine. Easier to manoeuvre about and lift in and out of your car. You'll also need a pole and brush (my go to is a Gardiner SLX but you might find window cleaning warehouse do a deal with a pole included with the backpack which will save you money).
Pure water either made at home or from your local filling station.
Maybe a few traditional tools like a half decent squeegee, t-bar/applicator, bucket etc.
A Facebook page is free to create so that's good. At your age you are probably good with computers so that will be a breeze for you.
Insurance (public liability) isn't too expensive, but you might find it make your car insurance really pricey if you've just passed your test, and you won't be able to carry too much water in a car, but probably enough for a few jobs at a time.
Buying the equipment is the easy part, building a round of decent customers is the hard and time consuming part. Tell all your family and friends etc what you're doing and to ask you if they want the windows cleaned. Maybe get some fliers printed and deliver them locally.
Loads of this will be on this forum and there are alot of people very experienced on here so don't be afraid to ask a question.
Some YouTubers are brilliant for window cleaning - my personal recommendations would be Squeaky Clean Dave, Trad Man the window cleaner, and a guy called Rob from Crystal Clean Windows who has a very underrated channel in my opinion.
It's a nice time of year to be working outside (you'll see lots of posts by people who want to start up in spring and summer), but it can be hard in the winter keeping going and even just covering your usual customers with shorter days and bad weather etc.
I assume you might still live at home so make practice on your windows at home as much as you can - I'm sure your Mum and Dad won't complain about having the sparkliest windows in your road
Apologies for the long reply but I noticed nobody else had been able to reply yet so I hope it helps. Well done on your work ethic mate and I wish you all the very best
thank you very much mate , i’ll use all that information you just gave me %100 mate , really appreciate itNice one fella. Go for it. I started with a Gardiners backpack our the boot of my car (I will say though that whatever vehicle you use will get SOAKED, so don't go thinking you can have too much pride in your car if you are working out of it!). I got an IBC (1000 l tank) at home and kept that topped up each day using 2 resin vessels chained together. Then I got 12 20 l barrels and fitted 6 in the boot and 1 behind each chair of the car. Filling the barrels was quick with the IBC, about 5 secs per barrel. I kept 4 in reserve in case resin ran out or just for a quick change in the middle of the day.
I bought a round from a local windy who was very gracious and gave me a decent price, plus he allowed me to pay it in 2 installments. Very good of him, or it would have been a LONG grind to where I am now. Then I just kept working it and building up.
After a short time, I mounted my backpack onto a collapsible trolley, like the Cobra one AW suggested (I went through a couple of cheaper, lighter options, but you need a strong axle and good wheels or they break. Also, if it's like mine, the wheels are replaceable wwhen the bearings inevitably go).
Now I work with a 350l tank in a van, and a fixed pump feeding a 100m hose. There's advantages and disadvantages, but overall I prefer this.
I find this forum useful, and I also watch Squeeky Clean Dave, AE Mackintosh and Chris Addis on youtube. I find that it's good to feel like you have colleagues in such a solitary job.
I know this hasn't answered your question regarding whether the equipment will suit you, but in truth I think it's not the equipment that will be a massive issue. I'm reasonably sure that most equipment out there that isn't cheapo rubbish will be useable, and some of us will have our personal preferences, I know I do. Therefore, whatever you get will be ok for you to start up I'm sure. Where it may differ (I believe) is in ease of use and longevity, and for that you'll pay, but if you're making money from it then it's all good. So instead, what I'd say is, don't try to save too much money on equipment, as it will cost you. Do some research on what you need, and find the best price for that by all means, but don't try to find the cheapest pole, or the cheapest brush etc.
To start off, here's a list of the basic you'll need (I'm sure I'll forget something, so others will probably add to it!):
Water supply
A pure water supplier (you'll need to factor in cost), or
An outside tap, along with a resin system or RO system (and hose, fittings etc.)
Water Storage
At least some barrels, and a way to fill them and transport them. Possibly some home storage too (if you have a resin system I find it good to keep a reserve in case you have to wait a few days for replacement resin)
WFP system (Assuming you're going down the backpack route and not van-mounted)
A backpack (and charger obviously)
A pole (I've always used Gardiners, they're reliable for poles)
At least 1 brush (I started with a 26cm(?) but now use 45cm Flocked as my main brush)
A hose and relevant fittings
A gooseneck system to mount the brush to the pole
I would STRONGLY advise a tap system of some sort to control water flow without having to put down the pole - the two best I've used are the Gardiners swivel tap (I forget what it's called), or the univalve. I know both cost a bit, but trust me, you'll save in the long run, as you'll use less water with means less cost, plus less trips home to refill
Spares - try to keep as many spares as possible. It's a pain to have to lose a day or two of work for the sake of a couple of fittings!
Admin
Some way to securely organise and store your customers details and your earnings etc. I use an Excel spreadsheet that I've created for the purpose. I have it on my phone so I can update it in real time (so I don't forget what I've done), and then I back it up at home on a PC, and keep a record of my earnings for the accounts
That's probably enough to get you started I think. I'm sure there'll be comments on my comments too, but that's (a condensed form of) what's worked for me. Happy for you to DM if you want. If I don't reply straight away, I'll do so when I notice the message!
After-thought: Also, you'll need to have a bit of an engineering mindset. You'll need to be able to fault-find, diagnose problems and visualise how your systems work. You don't need those skills right now, but you'll need to be open to acquiring that (IMO). Also, mentally, you need to be able to work on your own with little social interaction, and to be able to handle rejection (such as when customers cancel), as well as more overtly negative interactions (such as a customer claiming you damaged their property when you didn't, or even silly things like claiming you didn't clean the windows properly after 3 or 4 weeks). Just thought it might be good to give you an idea.
I did notice they had gone up by about 50% over the last few years. Nice find the red trolley, looks identical.
Good luck mate,get practicing on your family's windows first then reach out to customers.once you get the hang of wfp it's the easiest job in the world once you do mate
I spoke to the UK importer and distribution for the Handy brand and they mentioned the spike in sales after I purchased 12 in one go
Have you thought about making your trolleys commercially? There are a few 'diy' ones kicking about and yours look a lot better quality.
Yes, I made and sold 20. I have a laser cnc cut stainless steel template jig for the control panel setup and also pre cut aluminium backing plates for the internals. Unfortunately the profitability on products Vs what the retail is doesn't give me a big enough margin to compete with the lower quality warrior variants
@T.H Window Cleaning you’ll be fine mate. When you start just keep going. All the very best to you buddythank you very much mate , i’ll use all that information you just gave me %100 mate , really appreciate it
The warrior ones are rubbish I had two the battery’s were glued in the box on the wooden frame with sikkafkex you couldn’t get them out without destroying the case one of mine from new wouldn’t last more than 30 muinits on full charge the guy was nice as pie when you asked questions but after purchase made every excuse under the sun to get out of sorting the issues out he never did any about it , in the end I threw them away and put it down to a learning curve , my advice would be AVOID AT ALL COST DONT BUY FROM HIM .
