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Window cleaning in the rain

Tom in leeds

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22
Hi there, now I'm looking at taking over and expanding my fathers window cleaning business of 33 years with my brother. I'm sure I will have many questions on ths site but my first one is-

What are people's thoughts on window cleaning in the rain ( fairly heavy not just a passing shower) does it stop play and does it ruin the clean?

As its been a gradually building side business for my dad he could always afford to call it a day if the wether was a bit ****.

My feeling is that we need to crack on in all weathers if we want to expand.

Thanks in advance

 
Hi & welcome to the forum :thumbsup:

If you like getting wet then crack on but I would not trad windows myself if it was raining unless I was working indoors.

 
Although it's possible to trad when it is raining, customers won't like it. Slight drizzle, light rain is OK, but if you want to build up the business, you'll have to bite the bullet when it's peeing down.

 
If I was a WFPer then I would go for it every time. But as a trader, I won't anymore. Its hard, if not impossible to get a good result in heavy rain. I've seen the finished result of my work in the rain after its dryed, and its not good. That said, if the rain starts when I'm half way round the house, then I finish it regardless. Also, if the rain is just light, or even heavy with no wind (therefore protected by the overhang of the gutters), then I crack on. Its just a judgement I make on the day.

Another thing to add is that it depends on finances too. I have other jobs I can do which keeps the money coming in, and the bills paid, but if all I did was window cleaning, then I would be very unhappy to take a day off due to rain in this country. I find it pays to diversify.

 
i only wrk in lite drisel or very lite rain if i have to not keen on geting wet my custmers rnt keen on me cleaning in rain:rolleyes:

 
crack on is what i do- its not true that customers dont like it - well one or 2 do and they do kick up a fuss so much so that you Think its a real problem for everybody . not true. fact is the majority say nothing and dont give a hoot

 
another way of looking at it is

when the weather is gd make the most of it work hard get the cash in

when it is wet dont loose gd customers by working in rain that would really xxxx you off

gd luck

 
i just wish it would peeeee down so i can have a bloomin break....

if i wanna finish something unless its really bad it gets finished..but i never set out if the forecast is bad...however...and that it the worst...they canna get it right and sometimes i sit at home looking at a could have worked day...grrrrrrr

the weather is the worst aspect of this job......

 
when u need the money and your workers need the money you must go to it. we work in all weathers and it gets easier once you face up to it. i lost about 5 customers who didnt want us in the rain,not many . i recommend working in the rain

 
i just wish it would peeeee down so i can have a bloomin break....haha
if i wanna finish something unless its really bad it gets finished..but i never set out if the forecast is bad...however...and that it the worst...they canna get it right and sometimes i sit at home looking at a could have worked day...grrrrrrr

the weather is the worst aspect of this job......
u arm chair looks very cunfy cnc i bet u just cant wate to get bk in it an watch the box on a rainy day /emoticons/biggrin.png

 
u arm chair looks very cunfy cnc i bet u just cant wate to get bk in it an watch the box on a rainy day /emoticons/biggrin.png
its been a bloomin long time since i sat and watched in peace and quite.....whens xmas?...i am that worked up at the mo that i dont know if i could sit and watch it like i used too..../emoticons/smile.png

 
I work in light rain or drizzle...with light wind. If the rain is hitting the glass big style, then I take a break to see if it clears. Like tolish said earlier, if its really piling down then you cant do a proper decent job. You cant detail properly...end up with marks around the glass edge. Mind you, I do have customers who really dont care and they tell me so. I get a few who are more bothered about having the sills and surrounds cleaned than the glass.

Its also good to have non window jobs stashed up so that you can do them when its raining....gutters, pvc cleans, conny roof cleans, interior windows, garden jobs. I have one customer who says whenever it rains then I can call him and he will always find a job for me.

 
its been a bloomin long time since i sat and watched in peace and quite.....whens xmas?...i am that worked up at the mo that i dont know if i could sit and watch it like i used too..../emoticons/smile.png
You sound a bit stressed cnc......5.30am start as well. Sundays are meant for drinking And chilling. Its the law dont you know.

 
yeh but needs must...very very busy...actually wasnt too bad when i had finished over the road i had a sunbathe and set the barby up and ....this is a first ....the wife actually started doing some gardening....she seemed to want to clip and cut so i said go for it...

i just haven't the strength for my own garden....still....twenty odd bungalows of old dears tomorrow...no ladders...cant be bad...just have to dodge all the cups of tea.../emoticons/smile.png

 
when u need the money and your workers need the money you must go to it. we work in all weathers and it gets easier once you face up to it. i lost about 5 customers who didnt want us in the rain,not many . i recommend working in the rain
It's not exactly ethical is it? People are asking you to do a job, and you are not doing it properly, and yet you expect to be paid in full. Would you let a hand car wash clean you car/van outside on the forecourt if it was chucking it down? Rain is an occupational hazard, and will always be.

 
It's not exactly ethical is it? People are asking you to do a job, and you are not doing it properly, and yet you expect to be paid in full. Would you let a hand car wash clean you car/van outside on the forecourt if it was chucking it down? Rain is an occupational hazard, and will always be.
Agreed. We all know window cleaning is a weather dependant job long before we choose it as a career.

Mart.

 
It's not exactly ethical is it? People are asking you to do a job, and you are not doing it properly, and yet you expect to be paid in full. Would you let a hand car wash clean you car/van outside on the forecourt if it was chucking it down? Rain is an occupational hazard, and will always be.
I Quite often see my local car wash lads cleaning on rainy days . this "ooo we cant have it,its raining " is not how the majority of the population see it. i believe if you do think that way,its because you were told that as a child,its imprinted in your brain. perhaps your parents or family hated rain . i myself have never minded rain ,in whatever job iv had . i was a car mechanic many years and never minded crawling under a car at the roadside in the rain. i knew of other mechanics who probably would rather haul the car away on a breakdown truck to fix it inside back at the garage -fair enough . either way the job got done

 
I Quite often see my local car wash lads cleaning on rainy days . this "ooo we cant have it,its raining " is not how the majority of the population see it. i believe if you do think that way,its because you were told that as a child,its imprinted in your brain. perhaps your parents or family hated rain . i myself have never minded rain ,in whatever job iv had . i was a car mechanic many years and never minded crawling under a car at the roadside in the rain. i knew of other mechanics who probably would rather haul the car away on a breakdown truck to fix it inside back at the garage -fair enough . either way the job got done
gd point boar we had it many years on building sites not to work in the rain

 
I Quite often see my local car wash lads cleaning on rainy days . this "ooo we cant have it,its raining " is not how the majority of the population see it. i believe if you do think that way,its because you were told that as a child,its imprinted in your brain. perhaps your parents or family hated rain . i myself have never minded rain ,in whatever job iv had . i was a car mechanic many years and never minded crawling under a car at the roadside in the rain. i knew of other mechanics who probably would rather haul the car away on a breakdown truck to fix it inside back at the garage -fair enough . either way the job got done
It's all about customer service, give the customer what they want, and they'll come back. what do you think these supermarkets and stores are advertising about all the time. They want you to come back. Crawling under a car in the rain is not going to prevent you doing a good job, in fact the owner may be pleased that you are doing it by the road and not carting it off to the garage, where it might remain for the next three days. I've worked in several jobs that involve customer service, and it's really about "going that bit further" to satisfy the customer.

 
youre right about customer service . im thinking the majority of customers have had a bad window cleaner over the years ,so are surprised when one keeps coming with a pleasant attitude . just my opinion,but i try not to be too pleasant,and i wont go inside for coffee /biscuits /sit down for tea , cos it can really backfire ! [ get buddy buddy next thing they say" can u leave it this time Mate" . }

 
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