what's your procedure for cleaning / am I doing too much or are others doing too little.

[jay198127]

I regularly see other wfp cleaners, in my opinion the ones that give us a bad name for doing a poor job,

that literally don't touch a frame or cover whole glass surface with brush, one rough brush over covering about 60%glass spray window on too the next window same procedure house done in minutes, don't dry frames doors or sills ones you can reach anyway..can't believe people pay for a service like that..

what I do if it's a clean I've done all ready that's regular,

start top, quick go over frames, if it's window multiple openings, example little middle one first with window under it to allow water to run off, side windows then last the window under the opening window done first...each window brush up and down at least twice then rinse then final run brush over sill..

down stairs windows repeat same also clean doors...hear is were I think I do bit much also

all windows I can reach lower level sometimes with a 2 step ladder I dry frames and sills and doors with micro fibre cloth...my opinion leaves the job looking tidier and find customers prefer it..

speak to many window cleaners in my area that charge £8- £10 for same style houses I do in same road for £15- £20 plus and ask them how many houses a day they do and quite often say 20+ and for the clean that they offer and I have witnessed think is stupid...these guys think there great as have so many customers but there's one windy in particular been doing it for 20 plus years and over last 6 months I've picked up a lot of his customers through referrals and from what the customers say he don't care if he looses customers and is quite often rude to them when they cancel him...these customers were used to paying £6- £8- £10 mth and now pay with me £15- £20 and prefer the service they get and are happy to pay the difference...

so what I'm getting at is, is this a common way for wfp cleaners to go about there job, as I see loads that do the same and don't know how they get away with it.... would you be happier doing more houses for less money do less for your customer and know in back your mind if your cutting corners and not doing a proper clean sooner or later you may lose the customer...im quite happy doing 10-15 house a day averaging £15+ each then do 20+ bodge jobs for £8- £10 a pop to feel like I have a bigger round then I need..

averaging same hourly day as these guys but most days cleaning 8+houses less a day, prob for same money as them or more.

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[Dave B]

It depends what you call a lash up job

I have in the past worked with another guy off here and we can do an average semi in minutes together and would never be able to find fault with either of our work

This is due to experience and being methodical rather than being slapdash

I can do around 18-20 average jobs £12-£14 no worries in a day and all perfect

Some people are quick through not giving a toss though

For me reputation is everything

 

[spruce]

I regularly see other wfp cleaners, in my opinion the ones that give us a bad name for doing a poor job,that literally don't touch a frame or cover whole glass surface with brush, one rough brush over covering about 60%glass spray window on too the next window same procedure house done in minutes, don't dry frames doors or sills ones you can reach anyway..can't believe people pay for a service like that..

what I do if it's a clean I've done all ready that's regular,

start top, quick go over frames, if it's window multiple openings, example little middle one first with window under it to allow water to run off, side windows then last the window under the opening window done first...each window brush up and down at least twice then rinse then final run brush over sill..

down stairs windows repeat same also clean doors...hear is were I think I do bit much also

all windows I can reach lower level sometimes with a 2 step ladder I dry frames and sills and doors with micro fibre cloth...my opinion leaves the job looking tidier and find customers prefer it..

speak to many window cleaners in my area that charge £8- £10 for same style houses I do in same road for £15- £20 plus and ask them how many houses a day they do and quite often say 20+ and for the clean that they offer and I have witnessed think is stupid...these guys think there great as have so many customers but there's one windy in particular been doing it for 20 plus years and over last 6 months I've picked up a lot of his customers through referrals and from what the customers say he don't care if he looses customers and is quite often rude to them when they cancel him...these customers were used to paying £6- £8- £10 mth and now pay with me £15- £20 and prefer the service they get and are happy to pay the difference...

so what I'm getting at is, is this a common way for wfp cleaners to go about there job, as I see loads that do the same and don't know how they get away with it.... would you be happier doing more houses for less money do less for your customer and know in back your mind if your cutting corners and not doing a proper clean sooner or later you may lose the customer...im quite happy doing 10-15 house a day averaging £15+ each then do 20+ bodge jobs for £8- £10 a pop to feel like I have a bigger round then I need..

averaging same hourly day as these guys but most days cleaning 8+houses less a day, prob for same money as them or more.

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I strive to do a 100% job and that takes time. Personally, I over clean and over rinse and that wastes time and energy. That boils down to reduced daily earnings. As I'm getting older I'm experiencing that wasted energy translates into reduced earnings.

I don't dry bottom window frames unless there is an issue, but I always wipe/blade the bottom sills and dry the door/s off. (If the front door isn't used then it gets left wet, but the main door - usually the kitchen door, is dried off.

It was once said by a 'local' windie that he was looking for customers who were happy with a 90% job. He believes that its not possible to do a 100% job and there isn't much of a noticeable difference between 90% and the best you can do. But cleaning takes half the time. A few years back he also dumped all his customers who have windows with double openers above a full glass window below. They waste time and the streak down the middle of the glass causes customer complaints. Included in the cull were all those with locked rear gates. Fronts only or nothing; he wasn't going to call or text customers to unlock side gates so he could get access around the back. He didn't have time for that as he has kids to get ready for school. Text the previous evening and customers usually forget to unlock the gate the next morning. Customer's can't "have their cake and eat it to". If they lock their gate for security, its to keep people out - including him.

He has plenty of customers and growing.

When son in law joined us wfp 5 years ago, we passed on a lot of work to him which we had already converted to wfp many years previously. I got a few complaints from customers that he wasn't cleaning the windows properly.

I followed each complaint up and I found nothing wrong, the windows were perfectly clean. The complaints stemmed from the difference in time he took to clean when compared to the time it took me. As he was there for such a short time, he couldn't be cleaning the windows properly they said.

That said, the attention to detail showed when we took the round back on after he left 4 years later. For example, we try to flush as much muck out of the gap between the window frame and the sill. He never bothered, he just wiped the sill with a cloth or put his brush over it with the water turned off. (TBH we could cut our downstairs cleaning time by half if we didn't spend time cleaning the gap out.) He never dried the doors either. I recall one instance I got a phone call saying that he hadn't pushed the newspaper through the door before he cleaned as the paper was soaking wet. What actually happened is that the paper was half pushed in the letter box moments after the door was cleaned and being still wet, the paper had sucked up all the water.

With this customer, the house is back to front, with the back door facing the road. The front door faces an open common. I would dry their back door, but would also put a cloth around the letter box in the front door as that has always leaked water.

When we clean conservatory windows we always run the brush over the gutters as well. He didn't and over time the job just didn't look presentable. The windows were clean but the overall presentation didn't look up to standard. It reminds me of getting dressed in 'a top hat and tails' but wearing dirty shoes.

Overall, he lost us more customers than he gained but he wasn't bothered. He didn't really care. Its the care that is what builds your reputation.

We try to met and exceed customer expectations. Its a spin off from working in sales and after sales service with a blue chip company. You got repeat business if you met or exceeded your new customer's expectations. Most windies have never experienced that; they are in it for how much they can earn, dislike their job, etc.

We took on a new front only clean a few years back on a street we have cleaned for many years. The wife used to clean their windows but she was struggling with doing it herself.

They just wanted fronts done. I asked if I should quote to clean the garage door as well and the answer was no, just the windows. One day about 18 months ago there were a couple of old dears walking past talking loudly as I'm presuming they were both deaf. I overheard the one say to the other, "that old window cleaner does such a good job of cleaning those windows, pity he doesn't clean that filth garage door as well." So I took it on my own bat to clean the garage door and what a difference it made to the whole job I did. I have run the brush over it once since, but the customer has never said a word. As I have always said, what you do is your advertising board and those old couple of dears talking so loudly reminded me of what I had 'forgotten'.

There will always be cowboys. Our new neighbours bought their existing window cleaner with them. Unbelievably, he is one of those who carries a couple of 25 liter plastic drums (2) of water in the back on his car with a botch homemade trolley. I looked at the windows yesterday, and he didn't manage to get his brush to the top of the glass on one window and there were white streaks down the glass on the other. We checked a house he had cleaned in the summer across the road from where we were working. The windows were such a mess it looked as though he was using ordinary tap water.

He looses lots of customers but he always seems to be busy.

I would never knowing take business from a fellow windie, but I said to our neighbour that he needs to get shot of that cowboy and get someone who does a better job (not necessarily me). He never has, even although he says they can never tell if he has cleaned the windows or not after he has been.

.

 

[Solarpanelcleanington]

Scrub.

Rinse.

Wipe sill.

 

[Donal Keegan]

Just a couple of observations. The first is a question. 1. Do customers really want frames cleaned every time? 2. I do wfp and trad. It's just as quick to clean doors with a damp microfibre. No drying and no pool of water in the doorway.

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[Poles Apart]

Just a couple of observations. The first is a question. 1. Do customers really want frames cleaned every time? 2. I do wfp and trad. It's just as quick to clean doors with a damp microfibre. No drying and no pool of water in the doorway.

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I clean frames every time this ensures clean glass, as for doors and sills it's common sense if the customer is liable to open the front door cloth it, with sills I only dry if they have gaps between bottom frame and sill where dirt leaks out otherwise what's the point of drying them I wipe with brush turned off you don't dry glass do you?

 

[mark lee]

Well thanks for that do you still ride round on a push bike ladder on shoulder?

TBH there's no difference between blade and pole cleaning do the job right get a great result with the pole so please don't confuse us with the summer mob who don't like winter and lash up jobs

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[Donal Keegan]

With wfp clean the frames where necessary to ensure glass dries clean. I agree totally. The op wondered if he was doing too much. The point I'm making is that it's not necessary to clean every bit of frame every time. I don't think it makes any difference to the customer. Re doors, the concern with leaving the door wet is that water drops on inside floor when door is opened. But it all depends on the circumstances

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[Poles Apart]

With wfp clean the frames where necessary to ensure glass dries clean. I agree totally. The op wondered if he was doing too much. The point I'm making is that it's not necessary to clean every bit of frame every time. I don't think it makes any difference to the customer. Re doors, the concern with leaving the door wet is that water drops on inside floor when door is opened. But it all depends on the circumstances

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Exactly if the customer is in and I'm going to knock the door for payment I just cloth the glass I'll clean doors as and when needed, I would have thought it was necessary to clean all frames every time it doesn't take any longer really so why not?

 

[Donal Keegan]

If it doesn't take longer then do it. But op was concerned about taking too long.

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[jay198127]

I strive to do a 100% job and that takes time. Personally, I over clean and over rinse and that wastes time and energy. That boils down to reduced daily earnings. As I'm getting older I'm experiencing that wasted energy translates into reduced earnings.
I don't dry bottom window frames unless there is an issue, but I always wipe/blade the bottom sills and dry the door/s off. (If the front door isn't used then it gets left wet, but the main door - usually the kitchen door, is dried off.

It was once said by a 'local' windie that he was looking for customers who were happy with a 90% job. He believes that its not possible to do a 100% job and there isn't much of a noticeable difference between 90% and the best you can do. But cleaning takes half the time. A few years back he also dumped all his customers who have windows with double openers above a full glass window below. They waste time and the streak down the middle of the glass causes customer complaints. Included in the cull were all those with locked rear gates. Fronts only or nothing; he wasn't going to call or text customers to unlock side gates so he could get access around the back. He didn't have time for that as he has kids to get ready for school. Text the previous evening and customers usually forget to unlock the gate the next morning. Customer's can't "have their cake and eat it to". If they lock their gate for security, its to keep people out - including him.

He has plenty of customers and growing.

When son in law joined us wfp 5 years ago, we passed on a lot of work to him which we had already converted to wfp many years previously. I got a few complaints from customers that he wasn't cleaning the windows properly.

I followed each complaint up and I found nothing wrong, the windows were perfectly clean. The complaints stemmed from the difference in time he took to clean when compared to the time it took me. As he was there for such a short time, he couldn't be cleaning the windows properly they said.

That said, the attention to detail showed when we took the round back on after he left 4 years later. For example, we try to flush as much muck out of the gap between the window frame and the sill. He never bothered, he just wiped the sill with a cloth or put his brush over it with the water turned off. (TBH we could cut our downstairs cleaning time by half if we didn't spend time cleaning the gap out.) He never dried the doors either. I recall one instance I got a phone call saying that he hadn't pushed the newspaper through the door before he cleaned as the paper was soaking wet. What actually happened is that the paper was half pushed in the letter box moments after the door was cleaned and being still wet, the paper had sucked up all the water.

With this customer, the house is back to front, with the back door facing the road. The front door faces an open common. I would dry their back door, but would also put a cloth around the letter box in the front door as that has always leaked water.

When we clean conservatory windows we always run the brush over the gutters as well. He didn't and over time the job just didn't look presentable. The windows were clean but the overall presentation didn't look up to standard. It reminds me of getting dressed in 'a top hat and tails' but wearing dirty shoes.

Overall, he lost us more customers than he gained but he wasn't bothered. He didn't really care. Its the care that is what builds your reputation.

We try to met and exceed customer expectations. Its a spin off from working in sales and after sales service with a blue chip company. You got repeat business if you met or exceeded your new customer's expectations. Most windies have never experienced that; they are in it for how much they can earn, dislike their job, etc.

We took on a new front only clean a few years back on a street we have cleaned for many years. The wife used to clean their windows but she was struggling with doing it herself.

They just wanted fronts done. I asked if I should quote to clean the garage door as well and the answer was no, just the windows. One day about 18 months ago there were a couple of old dears walking past talking loudly as I'm presuming they were both deaf. I overheard the one say to the other, "that old window cleaner does such a good job of cleaning those windows, pity he doesn't clean that filth garage door as well." So I took it on my own bat to clean the garage door and what a difference it made to the whole job I did. I have run the brush over it once since, but the customer has never said a word. As I have always said, what you do is your advertising board and those old couple of dears talking so loudly reminded me of what I had 'forgotten'.

There will always be cowboys. Our new neighbours bought their existing window cleaner with them. Unbelievably, he is one of those who carries a couple of 25 liter plastic drums (2) of water in the back on his car with a botch homemade trolley. I looked at the windows yesterday, and he didn't manage to get his brush to the top of the glass on one window and there were white streaks down the glass on the other. We checked a house he had cleaned in the summer across the road from where we were working. The windows were such a mess it looked as though he was using ordinary tap water.

He looses lots of customers but he always seems to be busy.

I would never knowing take business from a fellow windie, but I said to our neighbour that he needs to get shot of that cowboy and get someone who does a better job (not necessarily me). He never has, even although he says they can never tell if he has cleaned the windows or not after he has been.

.

I do the same always flush the bottom sills as you get a build up in there and also strive to do best job I can which I agree sometimes takes more of your time but I'm not happy not doing job properly as for the garage doors if there flush with front of the house also agree it don't look right clean windows frames front door then dirty garage door next to it so have also cleaned the garage door...soon as you clean first time initially it only takes a second on next visit to freshen up...there is a lot of windys out there thay in my opinion like you say don't really care and lose a lot of customers and not intentionally like you say if a neighbour has a different window cleaner and my job after both of us have left is a far better clean I have had neighbours ask me to do there's and cancelled there's which like you say I don't like taking other windys customers but there there's to lose or keep and if done a proper job I wouldn't have been approached in first place to replace them..I don't think I'd have the cheek to do the job some do and take people's money I'd feel on edge and cheeky when it come to collecting the money...but I've also come across customers that know they get a poor job but have a sense of loyalty to to the windy as had him for years or it an old guy they feel sorry for and put up with it and pay it each month..

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[jay198127]

Just a couple of observations. The first is a question. 1. Do customers really want frames cleaned every time? 2. I do wfp and trad. It's just as quick to clean doors with a damp microfibre. No drying and no pool of water in the doorway.

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good questions....frames may not look like they need cleaning all the time but ones you come across and think shall I leave frame and just do the window, when I actually go over the frame you still end up flushing some kind of dirt out of the seal or something that's sitting on top frame and always think is that going to run after and leave a streak on my window just cleaned if I hadn't done it....when I re visit following month I always take a quick look at window initially before clean only takes a second to see if there's any streaks and 99.9 percent time my windows are good....only prob I have with water fed pole is with one of my customers conservatories when first took her on she ditched her last window cleaner because her conservatory windows and all windows were always streaky, she wanted her whole house doing trad as she believed that would be better and she thought wfp was rubbish....I have quite few new customers that have had this opinion and have convinced all so far that it's not the system that's rubbish is the operator and convinced them to let me do same way and see the difference..all been happy and faith restored in wfp....but this on person conservatory I hanged about for a bit and saw what the problem was a lot of her seals were ruined and no matter how much you rinsed when dry left some kind of Mark so I wfp whole house and trad the conservatory and windows all good..and yes in relation to doors I do sometimes if I can see the door is relatively clean I do the door last thing with wet cloth....

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[jay198127]

Well thanks for that do you still ride round on a push bike ladder on shoulder? TBH there's no difference between blade and pole cleaning do the job right get a great result with the pole so please don't confuse us with the summer mob who don't like winter and lash up jobs

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get impression you feel I'm having a dig at you...I'm not criticising anyone personally...just making a observation on what I've witnessed others do first hand...if the way you clean and way I clean gives same results there's no issue....we all like to think we're good at what we do and would like our customers to think so too...just like I've said in a previous reply to a comment some do a job and customers know there getting a poor job and have a sense of loyalty and think some windys know that and take advantage of that situation as they know regardless of final results there still gonna get paid each month.....no offence intended...

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[jay198127]

Well thanks for that do you still ride round on a push bike ladder on shoulder? TBH there's no difference between blade and pole cleaning do the job right get a great result with the pole so please don't confuse us with the summer mob who don't like winter and lash up jobs

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and no....no push bike or ladder on shoulder..

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[Another Clean Window]

I scrub everything, frames, vents, every nook and cranny.

I'll take the paint off glass if it's accessible to me, first clean everything gets sprayed in ubik then a scrub with the flow only just trickling out of the brush and soap up the window, then move on to the next and get as many windows on a side soaped up as I can before going back over again scrubbing and rinsing full flow.

Doors I do the same on a first clean to get them nice and white then after that just a wipe down with a wet cloth if they haven't got that little water deflecting lip at he bottom of the door, if it has and it looks like it's not gonna leak then it's game on wfp every time.

I feel that is getting the Windows cleaned enough that when I come back I can scrub everything again with just pure and as long as it's properly rinsed I'm getting no streaks.

Haven't had any problems yet touch wood but I do see those vents do hold a lot of **** but surely after the 3rd clean and jetting out the vents there can't be much more left to come out.

Like someone else mentioned I find myself jetting out that gap between the sill and window way too much, again there can only be so much **** in there, just keep chipping away at it

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[Dave B]

Jetting out the vents is dodgy

Being a vent means there is a hole somewhere on the other side where water can get in

 

[Hunty]

I lost a customer as her net curtains got dirty off a first clean, I told her shut the vents and she did and she would not have it that would not happen every time, I still spray the crop out of the vents on the first clean and I also find myself trying to venture out the gap on the sill as well but that really can be a never ending story.

I clean a lot of council estates, small houses new double glazing and I clean every 3 weeks so my maintenance cleans are ridiculously quick but I return to collect on Fridays (where needed) and therefore get to check my work so I and customers are happy, but a victorian terrace will take me a lot longer and frames are always done.

I do leave garage doors and front doors a lot as not included in my service but reading this thread has opened my eyes a bit to that and I think I may need to rethink this as was said, our finished work is our advert.

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[spruce]

Just a couple of observations. The first is a question. 1. Do customers really want frames cleaned every time? 2. I do wfp and trad. It's just as quick to clean doors with a damp microfibre. No drying and no pool of water in the doorway.

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They don't care - all they want is clean windows IMHO.

We live and work on the North coast. If we don't clean the frames then we are guaranteed to get streaks from the dirty frame above. I don't know about day to day cleaning inland but we have no choice but to clean the whole window including frame every time.

Quite a number of years ago I got to help a fellow windie whose van had broken down. We traveled a fair distance inland and I found the cleaning much easier as the windows weren't covered in salty sea spray. I cleaned the frames as I normally would have done. I took a bit longer as I made sure I did a better job than the windie I was helping.

.

 

[greenhorn84]

Your never earn to your full potential normally being a perfectionist but your probably always stay busy.

lost count of the times id done extra bits and no one notices and on the same foot ive seen corners cut and no one notices, so purely business wise i can see how a 90% job is best for your wallet.

best window cleaners / or any other job generally not the best earners

while the best earner isn't probably the best window cleaner etc.

 

[Iron Giant]

Jay I personally think you are going way overboard in drying downstairs frames , Sills yes as on certain jobs their can be issues at certain times of the year .

I am thorough at every clean ensuring the tops are frames are brushed and rinsed along with top openers and vents doors are also wfp but not fully dried I wipe around the door frames door furniture and on certain doors were the water sits just incase a customer returns home they don't want water dripping inside their house .

And yes I have seen other windys jobs were only half the frames on a house have cleaned and by this I mean some of the frames are visibly dirty

 

[adamangler]

I over clean at the minute although I think long term that doesn't make the best business sense profit wise.

In terms of profit I think you need to be riding a close line between maximum speed and what the customer will accept quality wise.

I'm sure we all have some customers who are more picky than others.

Also if you are in an area where you have the luxury of getting £20 for a 3 bed semi then you can take a lot more care than if you can only get £8.