So when did you think full time window cleaner.

Hi guys,

Recently i'v bought a window cleaning round and i'v been juggling it with a full time job doing 160 hours per month at my full time job. Now that i'v spread out the run across 1 month doing weekends on the glass. It's becoming to much and I believe I'll have to quit my full time job.

Gaining customers nearly everyday I go out and it's becoming far to much. 

The only fear I have is because I bought alot of customers from a window cleaner that he could poach them back. He's unlicensed, uninsured and was claiming benefits and has been caught. So he sold the round. 

Just wondering what advice any of you could give me. The current job I am working ain't the best payer it's working out £14k after taxes.

With advice from people on this forum I believe I could make the transaction into full time more easily.

How did you go full time? Did you just make a blind leap of faith.

I want to know 

Gazz if it was me i would pack in your relatively liw paid full time job and put all your efforts into building a round,also add gutter clears all you need is the gutter pro tools and a decent ladder [emoji6][emoji16]

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I was unemployed when I started, I just went for it, the more time you have, the more you can canvas and the more you can grow the round. My only advice would be get a bit of money saved, around 2-3 months of bills, just in case it takes longer to grow then you'd expect. Losing the safety net is sometimes the best thong to do, if your in a position where you can

Only you know your financial circumstances, if you are getting more customers all the time then I would've thought it was a no brainer. Your current salary should be eclipsed with a 2 day week on the glass. As for the previous guy just make sure you do a good job so if he doesn't honour his side of the deal your customers should stick to with you. 

The first thing the customers said is that I do a better job than their previous cleaner. He told me he changes his rubber once every 6 months. I held the laughter in. 

I kept a receipt to prove I purchased the business from him just in case I need legal advice and kept the proof on Gumtree.  

I don't think I have to worry about any of that. 

I do believe I'll go full time in the next few weeks. The round generates enough to pay my bills,rent etc. The past 2 days I gained 8 monthly cleans all in the same area because the round is built for walking distance. 

I worked for Woolworths for about 6 years when  was younger. Started window cleaning about a year before it went bust. When that happened, I really wasn't sure if I could make window cleaning work. A year later, I had doubled my customer base and was looking to employ staff.

Maybe ask your current employer if you could go part time, and be upfront about your goals with the window cleaning business. They maybe amicable and accommodate you, to give you a bit more time to build up your customer base.

I will take a leap of faith at some point. Get some cash reserves built up if you can, and enough customers to pay yourself a wage you can survive on in the mean time.

Get everything in place first. Save up as much as you can the take a leap of faith. 

I did the same thing, very scary but you will soon surpass your previous earnings. 

My current employer wouldn't give me part time hours. I'v got 100+ houses to clean per month right now which is enough to pay my bills. My girlfriend would also help me if needed be.

I do believe that the more time I spend in this factory the less time I spend getting out there and on the glass. More time I have the more customers I can get.

All 100 of my customers are 5-10 mins walking distance for the lot of them. All glass only cleans but low pay cleans. Fair enough it'll take less time to clean and it'll be quick to move onto the next house.

I will ask them if they'd want all the frames cleaned for an extra £2.00 

But I believe I'll get there.

Mate you have bought the round but that doesn't mean they want to be your customer for certain. Quit your job (its not a big loss, the pay suggests you can get a similar job in whatever field that is with ease) and focus on keeping those customers happy! to avoid the poaching just do a better job than the last guy and maybe interact with the customers a little so they wouldn't go back anyway. Don't let them know you have bought them though...

Honestly I had nothing to start really and I'm already getting accounts and making hardly any money but its enough to get by! 

As long as I can get 3+ new customers daily I'm happy! 

Basically I started full time with 0 customers and I quit so I'm certain, If you want it, you can too! with your new spare time just go advertise everyday and that pays for itself in time!!!

Also I believe there is nothing you can do legally to stop him taking them back (as if he could as your better). All you do when buying rounds as far as I'm aware is buying the goodwill of his business and basically a recommendation to his old customers. I wouldn't mentioned you paid for the round. Would make people feel like they were purchased. 

I think the customers just don't care who cleans them as long as they get cleaned when I'm supposed to be there. Long as I don't mess them about and do a better job than someone who they said was coming "whenever he wanted and hardly cleans the windows, misses them out". 

So I believe I'll be doing ok. The only issue is the houses are low payers and are glass only. Mind you the houses only have between 5-8 windows. Works out £1.00 per window and average at £5.00 per house, All close together though.

That's not that bad a price, leave it there until they get to know you. After 3-6 months I would then offer to clean the frames etc for more money. 

Part Timer said:

That's not that bad a price, leave it there until they get to know you. After 3-6 months I would then offer to clean the frames etc for more money. 

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If they weren't close I believe it wouldn't be worth it but the full 120 houses that I clean are literally 10 mins walking distance to cover nearly the full run. It's all in one part of the same town. 

I just don't know what direction to go. If i clean frames the price would be worth more. If i don't then the glass clean would be faster. So its speed vs higher rate per house. 

Gazz said:

I think the customers just don't care who cleans them as long as they get cleaned when I'm supposed to be there. Long as I don't mess them about and do a better job than someone who they said was coming "whenever he wanted and hardly cleans the windows, misses them out". 

So I believe I'll be doing ok. The only issue is the houses are low payers and are glass only. Mind you the houses only have between 5-8 windows. Works out £1.00 per window and average at £5.00 per house, All close together though.

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I would be carefull before building a business based on cheap prices and glass only cleans. 2 years down the line when you are full to the brim with cheap work you might regret it. 

adamangler said:

I would be carefull before building a business based on cheap prices and glass only cleans. 2 years down the line when you are full to the brim with cheap work you might regret it. 

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This is the type of advice I'm looking for. Eventually I could drop them off the run and fill it up with good paying jobs. With me possibly adding frames I would be unique in my area. 

But on the other hand if I had alot of cheap work and the work was there I could perhaps hire someone in and get them to help me cover more houses per hour meaning the overall pay would be Good or so I hope.

Mind you I'd rather do say 2-3 houses per hour for £20-30 rather than 3-6 for £15-30. More houses mean more ladders and more movement.

How do others price windows for domestic cleans? £1 per window, £1 for a double and 50p a single or what? I know varies wherever in the country you are but just after a rough guide. There's a guy around my area that apparently charges £6 to clean a decent sized house. I'm obviously going to have to compete and was thinking 50p single and £1 for double window. Average £6/10 per house?


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Gazz said:

This is the type of advice I'm looking for. Eventually I could drop them off the run and fill it up with good paying jobs. With me possibly adding frames I would be unique in my area. 

But on the other hand if I had alot of cheap work and the work was there I could perhaps hire someone in and get them to help me cover more houses per hour meaning the overall pay would be Good or so I hope.

Mind you I'd rather do say 2-3 houses per hour for £20-30 rather than 3-6 for £15-30. More houses mean more ladders and more movement.

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The first and hardest part is building a business. You are new to your customers and therefore don't need to rock the boat. Keep these customers as your base and expand from there. If you start charging them more straight away you are giving them a reason to look elsewhere. Any new business you get by all means increase your prices and offer more services. When you are in a position to be able to afford lose some of the initial customers, as you have got more customers, then put your prices up. You are better off making £100 a day early on and being busy then sitting on your backside earning sweet fa 

itsthewindowcleaner said:

How do others price windows for domestic cleans? £1 per window, £1 for a double and 50p a single or what? I know varies wherever in the country you are but just after a rough guide. There's a guy around my area that apparently charges £6 to clean a decent sized house. I'm obviously going to have to compete and was thinking 50p single and £1 for double window. Average £6/10 per house?


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Depends on what part of the country and customers you're cleaning for. In the North East I would say a standard 3 bed semi price ranges from £5-£12

Part Timer said:

Depends on what part of the country and customers you're cleaning for. In the North East I would say a standard 3 bed semi price ranges from £5-£12

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Cheers bud, Cambridge way here. Despite it being a wealthy area other competitors seem to price similar to what you mentioned.


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itsthewindowcleaner said:

Cheers bud, Cambridge way here. Despite it being a wealthy area other competitors seem to price similar to what you mentioned.


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I'm down your way in a couple of weeks doing some commercial work, led to believe the small villages around Newmarket struggle to get window cleaners, might be misinformed.

I'm down your way in a couple of weeks doing some commercial work, led to believe the small villages around Newmarket struggle to get window cleaners, might be misinformed.

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I'm based in one of those small village and those are the areas I'll be targeting .. fingers crossed it's true, I'll be starting in around two weeks with the flyers etc. Created a website and logo, waiting to Gardiner to get stock back in for the equipment.

Where you doing the work on mate?

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Gazz said:

This is the type of advice I'm looking for. Eventually I could drop them off the run and fill it up with good paying jobs. With me possibly adding frames I would be unique in my area. 

But on the other hand if I had alot of cheap work and the work was there I could perhaps hire someone in and get them to help me cover more houses per hour meaning the overall pay would be Good or so I hope.

Mind you I'd rather do say 2-3 houses per hour for £20-30 rather than 3-6 for £15-30. More houses mean more ladders and more movement.

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Theres no right or wrong really with prices, it just depends on what you want from your business and where you wnt to take it in the future.

I started out with high ish prices (high for round here up north) and stuck to it religiously. It was certainly hard to do so as the amount of work i could have had by now by going in cheaper is ridiculous. But i knew i wouldnt be happy cleaning houses at a fiver or so years down the line. I knew it would pay off eventually, and as i get more towards a full round its starting to come together. 

Nothing at all wrong with starting cheap then getting rid and replacing with better work as time goes on but i just couldnt do it that way, it really annoys me when im cleaning a house cheap  The reason i did it the way i did was i had my finger in a lot of pies, i had a part time job that i started at 30 hours and then reduced to 16 hours, i did car valeting, carpets, gutter, pressure washing, fsg etc to fill in the gaps.

Good paying, loyal friendly customers who are willing to pay good prices will come, you just have to stick it out long enough, it can seem an enormous task at first with endless amounts of messers, non payers etc, you really have to gut it out in the early days before you start to reap the rewards.

itsthewindowcleaner said:

I'm based in one of those small village and those are the areas I'll be targeting .. fingers crossed it's true, I'll be starting in around two weeks with the flyers etc. Created a website and logo, waiting to Gardiner to get stock back in for the equipment.


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There's a 27' Gardiner pole for sale on this site in Newmarket. Asking a bit much, for me, but might do a deal