WFP to clean my house...

[AlexH]

Looking for a residential quality WFP to clean my windows/soffits (get lots of spider webs around them) and for use when softwashing the render.

Any thoughs on eithr of these two:

7m Reach Carbon Window Cleaning Pole & Brush Bundle | Xline Systems

7m (23ft) Carbon Composite Window Cleaning Pole & Brush Bundle - Easily Clean Windows, Conservatory's, Fascia's, Soffits, Solar Panels & Plastic Roofs.

www.xline-systems.co.uk

5METRE TELESCOPIC WINDOW CLEANER KITS,GLASS CLEANER,WINDOW CLEANING POLE SYSTEM | eBay

Plus on the reverse side has 10" squeegee blade Gloves can be machine washed 60 degree. Replaceable gloves and squeegee blades are available. The cleaning head and combined squeegee can be removed thus very useful for cleaning downstairs windows and of course any interior windows/glass doors.

www.ebay.co.uk

I've noted the second has a built in squeegee whereas the other would need some pure water setup (expensive).

 

[ched999uk]

First question, how high are your soffits as the poles you linked to are only 18ft ones? The x line one will be better as long as it gives you enough reach - they list things as 'reach' so not pole length so be careful when comparing stuff.

Not sure I would want to be cleaning windows with a brush I had used on render - could cause scratches!

Trying to use even a pro squeegee on a pole isn't as easy as people make it seem. It takes lots of practice and the ebay one looks like a very diy job so I wouldn't hold much hope of doing a good job with that.

 

[AlexH]

My Soffits are 5.5m from the ground.

Regarding the brush, can you not just clean off any trapped bits and then its fine to use on window?

Point taken on the squeegee.

How bad is streaking if you just use tap water on windows, no pure water setup?

 

[THL4KEL]

Cheaper to pay some every two years to clean them. The pole alone I use is £700. There is no flex in it. Poles that flex it's easy to cause damage.

 

[Deleted member 7446]

Looking for a residential quality WFP to clean my windows/soffits (get lots of spider webs around them) and for use when softwashing the render.

Any thoughs on eithr of these two:

7m Reach Carbon Window Cleaning Pole & Brush Bundle | Xline Systems

7m (23ft) Carbon Composite Window Cleaning Pole & Brush Bundle - Easily Clean Windows, Conservatory's, Fascia's, Soffits, Solar Panels & Plastic Roofs.

www.xline-systems.co.uk

5METRE TELESCOPIC WINDOW CLEANER KITS,GLASS CLEANER,WINDOW CLEANING POLE SYSTEM | eBay

Plus on the reverse side has 10" squeegee blade Gloves can be machine washed 60 degree. Replaceable gloves and squeegee blades are available. The cleaning head and combined squeegee can be removed thus very useful for cleaning downstairs windows and of course any interior windows/glass doors.

www.ebay.co.uk

I've noted the second has a built in squeegee whereas the other would need some pure water setup (expensive).

Hire the services of a small independent window cleaner and support a local tradesmen

It's cheaper in the long run plus you don't have pure water

 

[AlexH]

I did hire a pro and he didn't get all the cobwebs. Plus knocked out a drainpipe, said he'd come back to push it back but hasn't. And I prefer to do stuff myself and not have the hassling of negotiating with people, calling for quotes yada yada.

Plus I hear softwashing is expensive and I've already done one side of house and it worked out fine. So no bogey man around here.

 

[THL4KEL]

Doesn't sound like a pro, more than likely one of the many who give it a go at this time of year and sell all the equipment in September...

 

[AlexH]

Nah he has hundreds of google reviews and 5 stars. To be fair he didn't do a bad job, but pros seems to use the 80/20 rule. Whereas if I do it myself I can spend the extra time to get everything. Plus my house seems to be a spider magnet so it needs doing often to keep the windows from getting all clogged up with webs.

 

[Iron Giant]

Nah he has hundreds of google reviews and 5 stars. To be fair he didn't do a bad job, but pros seems to use the 80/20 rule. Whereas if I do it myself I can spend the extra time to get everything. Plus my house seems to be a spider magnet so it needs doing often to keep the windows from getting all clogged up with webs.

Not me, nor any of the lads I know, I have no idea where you are getting this 80/20 rule complete

 

[AlexH]

I'm going off my experience that he didn't get all the spider webs and when I leaned out the window to point out the bits he missed... he expressed that I was getting a great deal (basically not to push it).

In any case, I prefer to do stuff myself if I can than hire people. A lot of people are that way and c'mon cleaning **** ain't rocket science is it.

 

[Part Timer]

Plus I hear softwashing is expensive and I've already done one side of house and it worked out fine. So no bogey man around here.

What chemicals did you use to softwash one side? Or did you just wash the surface dirt off.

 

[Stuart S]

Hi Alex,

I too tend to prefer to do things myself if I can, and the answer is yes you can certainly do it yourself. I doubt you'll find it cost effective though. It's going to be a few hundred quid for equipment and will also cost you time to research and put together your system. Then you will have to learn how to use it, which doesn't take a lot of time if you're doing it regularly, but if you're doing one clean every few weeks then you'll not really be giving yourself the best chance to learn. In addition, you'll have to maintain your equipment and either change resin or source pure water. It will take you a LONG time to build up the muscle memory to do your windows effectively, without streaks and without causing damage to either your property or yourself (muscle injuries are a real concern with wfp).

To answer your question "How bad is streaking if you just use tap water on windows, no pure water setup?". My experience is very bad. You definitely don't want to do it unless you can put up with the OH nagging you to redo them!

With all that out there, Gardiners or Xline might be your best bet. Certainly a backpack based system. You'll need a backpack (allow £150) and brush (and probably a bumper if you're going to be scrubbing spiderwebs off a lot. allow £40). You'll need a reliable pole (allow at least £200 for an entry level pole). You'll need 2 resin vessels ( allow about £70 each), and resin to stock them (allow at least £120). You'll need a number of fittings and fixtures, including hoses and connectors. You'll need to time to put it all together and troubleshoot, plus time to research how to clean safely and without causing damage. Also be aware that if your pole is going to come near electrical cables or might cross into a neighbour's garden while you use it then there are additional H&S concerns.

For me, all this investment is totally not worth it just to clean my own windows now and again. FAR more efficient to find a reliable pro, but if you choose to go with it then good luck to you and I'm sure we'll endeavour to continue to answer your questions. Also, for the record, I feel like I speak for all when I say that pros don't use the 80/20 rule. A professional aims to do a good job and, although obviously conscious of making money, they care about maintaining a good standard of work. It's far more efficient to do a good job and keep customars than it is to have to keep canvassing because you're losing all your work because you do a bad job.

All the best.

 

[steve garwood]

Coming onto a professional forum to inform us that only 80/20 of us care and our job is ‘hardly rocket science’ and then asking for advice?
Here’s some, stick that cheap pony pole where the sun don’t shine

 

[Iron Giant]

I'm going off my experience that he didn't get all the spider webs and when I leaned out the window to point out the bits he missed... he expressed that I was getting a great deal (basically not to push it).

In any case, I prefer to do stuff myself if I can than hire people. A lot of people are that way and c'mon cleaning **** ain't rocket science is it.

You are going off one single experience and that's your basis for all window cleaners are , it's insulting people like you, who don't appreciate professional service providers like us lads on here who give 100% every time, that will avoid and blacklist people like you who don't value any working class tradesperson at all.

 

[Stuart S]

Coming onto a professional forum to inform us that only 80/20 of us care and our job is ‘hardly rocket science’ and then asking for advice?

I might be wrong, but isn't he suggesting that we take the approach that 80% of customers will just shut up and pay? Our job isn't rocket science though is it? It is a skilled job and takes investment and maintenance, and is under-rated I think, but it's not rocket science.

Not taking the other person's side. I think it's pretty rude, judgmental and arrogant too. But why not let him go and spend hundreds of pounds to find out that actually he should have just hired a professional?

I once overheard a customer complaining to her husband that all I did was splash a bit of water on the windows and then use a brush to scrub it. She reckoned he could do that with a hose and a yardbrush. I could have interjected and put them right, but why bother? Let him see what kind of result he gets with a yardbrush and a hose!

You can't reason with people like this in my experience, so isn't it better to just wish them well in their endeavours and then walk away?

 

[spruce]

My Soffits are 5.5m from the ground.

Regarding the brush, can you not just clean off any trapped bits and then its fine to use on window?

Point taken on the squeegee.

How bad is streaking if you just use tap water on windows, no pure water setup?

Clean a down stairs window by hand and then put some tap water over it with a watering can as though you were rinsing it off. Then leave it to dry and see the results.

 

[Scrubsy]

@AlexH if you are in a normal size two storey house then a 22 foot pole will probably reach e everything (unless you have a conservatory for example when you'll need a longer one).

A half decent brush, probably a flocked one.

Wouldn't even attempt to use the second item, using a squeegee at height is difficult enough, and the quality of it will be awful.

I see sometimes budget supermarkets sell these things and people buy them. They are absolute junk.

As for soft washing, I think sometimes people think that is exactly what it is - washing gently with a mild detergent or similar - when it actually involves applying and cleaning with a chemical solution, often quite a strong one. Only my opinion but I wouldn't even think about it without a bit of training. I have a customer who uses a local bod to clean her paths and patio. I thought the price he quoted seemed cheap until I saw the job. I know times are hard but if you need a job doing it's worth trying to get a decent person/company in.

For cobwebs just but a cobweb brush and stick it on the pole. Window cleaners disturb hundreds of spiders every day and I'm forever seeing them clambering about under sills and right up in apex's etc. Not saying he shouldn't have removed them all but they come out of everywhere sometimes.

 

[Iron Giant]

Clean a down stairs window by hand and then put some tap water over it with a watering can as though you were rinsing it off. Then leave it to dry and see the results.

You are been too kind, let the clown crack on,

He'll be same type a customer told me about the other day, her friend didn't want to pay the price she had been quoted to have their conservatory roof cleaned, end result was she fell through the roof in her attempt to save money.

 

[Deleted member 12462]

Make sure when your using your cheap pole off Ebay and plumbed up to the tap water that the sun is at its hottest so that it dries quicker

 

[Stuart S]

 

[AlexH]

Coming onto a professional forum to inform us that only 80/20 of us care and our job is ‘hardly rocket science’ and then asking for advice?
Here’s some, stick that cheap pony pole where the sun don’t shine

Becaue on this thread and a previous thread I made I got the same advice to hire a pro. Gatekeeping someone cleaning their own house is ridiculous.

If you're hurting for business that bad maybe take up something more in demand, eh

Not that I need to justify myself but if I'm paying soeone I would do it once a year, if that. If I have the kit myself I can do it little and often to keep these spiders off my windows and render. What's the answer to that big mouth?