Welcome to the UK Window Cleaning Forums

Starting or own a window cleaning business? We're a network of window cleaners sharing advice, tips & experience. Rounds for sale & more. Join us today!

A little help with these windows please

messy

New member
Messages
5
Hi guys, need a little help please I am going to qoute a home owner for a 3 story townhouse window clean, only problem it has a small fence halfway up the window. Any ideas how I can clean the window without opening the doors from the inside ?

I use water fed pole

I have attached an image

Thank you

View attachment 3499

 
I can't really see from the pic but if it's just vertical bars then a gardiner thin type stock wfp brush should fit between the gaps in the bars. Obviously the brush needs to be turned to get it in/out either using a swivel neck or by putting the pole at an angle

 
I have a few of these type of windows. I turn the brush sideways on and feed it through the bars, then turn the brush the right way round to clean the glass. It is time consuming.

 
Thank you for your reply.its obvious now . you can properly tell I'm

Just starting out.

I will Have to factor in extra time and work out a price

 
No probs as members on here all had to learn the art of stick waggling including myself :thumbsup:

 
Take extra care cleaning the glass above the steel work as over time your pole can rub on the paint and leave a obvious mark

 
I have a few of these type of windows. I turn the brush sideways on and feed it through the bars, then turn the brush the right way round to clean the glass. It is time consuming.
Tuffers is on the 'money' with his comment.

Being new it will take you ages to clean the glass between the gaps.

We once had a block of 27 flats with these windows on each 1st and 2nd floor flat. It took me longer to clean the french doors than it did for my son to do the other flat windows and the communal internal and external stairwells windows.

So IMO it will take you longer to do the french doors than it will the rest of the fronts, ie the top attic window, the staircase windows and the front door. I would work on it taking you 20 minutes to price it up for doing fronts only. It will take you months to get into the swing of cleaning behind those bars, and if you get the job at a good price it will be a good little earner when you master it.

You may even be able to get the brush between the gap at the bottom of the doors. If you can, that will get the job done quicker but you will have to stand slightly to the side to stop you from getting wet. A Gardiner brush with a 90 degree brush holder probably won't work, but the same brush with an angled brush holder may just make it.

OBTW they are called Juliet balconies to be posh. You will sound more professional if you refer to it at that when quoting the customer face to face.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
cheers spruce,getting a little worried lol, owner has just moved to this house recently.

At the minute and don't laugh lol, i'm using a diy water fed pole set up. i'm managing ok i can reach about 22ft.

i am going round today it try the length of the pole to the attic window( a quick try) while i quote her.

my pole works fine on the large georgian properties up to 2 story, just hoping these new townhouse builds are slightly smaller than average size 3 stories.

but if it does not reach i wont worry about it, but if i start getting requests for larger 3 storey properties (quite a few in my area) i might need to invest in a longer pole

(could be a gap in the market for hard to reach high windows) not many water fed pole operators in my area.

 
cheers spruce,getting a little worried lol, owner has just moved to this house recently.
At the minute and don't laugh lol, i'm using a diy water fed pole set up. i'm managing ok i can reach about 22ft.

i am going round today it try the length of the pole to the attic window( a quick try) while i quote her.

my pole works fine on the large georgian properties up to 2 story, just hoping these new townhouse builds are slightly smaller than average size 3 stories.

but if it does not reach i wont worry about it, but if i start getting requests for larger 3 storey properties (quite a few in my area) i might need to invest in a longer pole

(could be a gap in the market for hard to reach high windows) not many water fed pole operators in my area.

We have a couple of new builds with the top attic window. I can just reach with my SLX22 pole. An SLX25 would be fine.

 
Just come back from qoute she has has many window cleaners quotes non of them would touch the top windows back and front,

my pole reached the long narrow one but not the top

Attic one.

I will look into buying a new pole

any one recommend a basic brush to use.

I bought a cheep one it's falling apart now.

Cheers

 
Can't you stand on a step ladder - Oh sorry H & S - shouldn't have suggested that. :eek:

A would suggest you wait for Gardiners to open on Monday and see what they've got brush wise. But if you wait a few moments Richard will be on here tell you why you should only buy a brush from him.

 
get a clx 27, with a extra section to make it to 32, reach upto 37feet. disconnect added section when job done, take it back to 27. this job will pay for it. you have to get it to do job sucessfully. use a visa if not got the cash in bank. pay it back monthly. no worries about quoting bigger jobs then. just dont leave in van overnite. too valuable for work.

 
get a clx 27, with a extra section to make it to 32, reach upto 37feet. disconnect added section when job done, take it back to 27. this job will pay for it. you have to get it to do job sucessfully. use a visa if not got the cash in bank. pay it back monthly. no worries about quoting bigger jobs then. just dont leave in van overnite. too valuable for work.
Getting in debt to buy a pole to do a job isn't a good idea, this woman may cancel after 2 cleans

 
Turn brush to parallel with bars and you're in!

I have loads of arrow slits in barn conversions that have same issue.

 
Getting in debt to buy a pole to do a job isn't a good idea, this woman may cancel after 2 cleans
You're right. But Messy feels that there is a 'market' for someone with a pole to reach those high windows - not many wfp boys about. Sometimes you have to take a risk. You've got to speculate to accumulate.

Messy need not spend big bucks. He could get an Unger Teleplus ali pole with a couple of extensions and a brush holder adaptor for around £100. Once he has that then he can knock on all the doors confident that he can clean the lot.

Once he has a good high level customer base then he can buy a better pole. If he doesn't then he will still have a usable pole. I have a Teleplus which still gets used occassionally.

 
You're right. But Messy feels that there is a 'market' for someone with a pole to reach those high windows - not many wfp boys about. Sometimes you have to take a risk. You've got to speculate to accumulate.
Messy need not spend big bucks. He could get an Unger Teleplus ali pole with a couple of extensions and a brush holder adaptor for around £100. Once he has that then he can knock on all the doors confident that he can clean the lot.

Once he has a good high level customer base then he can buy a better pole. If he doesn't then he will still have a usable pole. I have a Teleplus which still gets used occassionally.
if it's doable for that small amount of cash I agree , honestly thought it would be a 6-£700 pole needed

 
if it's doable for that small amount of cash I agree , honestly thought it would be a 6-£700 pole needed
I agree. Spending that amount at this early stage would be crazy, especially going into debt to get it.

 
Thank you guys, I will look into your suggestions.

At the moment I may stick with 2 story cleans at the minute.

Window cleaning for me is still a side line, my main business is cleaning ovens and carpets.

i started window cleaning as many of my customers wanted a one off type window clean.

 
Bloody hell lol just red all that for it to be a side line job lol [emoji23]

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 
Back
Top