Advice for New Starter

Hi Guys,

Seriously looking at getting into the window cleaning business and would appreciate any advice given ?

I would eventually like to have a van mounted WFP system but funds at the moment dont allow me to start out with that. I was thinking of starting out Trad but then again I am not a fan of going up 3 story houses / Commercial units on a ladder (Plus i'm a pretty big guy ?) although would definitely start out with that if my best option.

I hear good things about the Gardiner back pack v3 but cant find any available or in stock for a while. Would going with a back pack be a good starting point until I build up enough business to get the van system in place? And also something I am not sure of is if I do start with a back pack, what ways are there of making / getting pure water to put into my barrels to use?

Again, advice much appreciated. Cheers

Hi mate, welcome.

Sounds like you're close to me so might be able to help you out with a few things. 

You need to get a TDS meter first and find out what reading your water is giving you. I've personally found the cheaper ones on eBay/Amazon to do the job fine. If you're just starting then a single or double DI Vessel might be your cheapest option to see if it's for you or not. Wouldn't bother with traditional myself, even though I'm having to trad reachable windows for a while ? 

Get yourself a backpack and a small trolley, can work really well, especially around Bradford where it's good to lock the van/car whilst round the back of a house. 

There's a spotless water in Leeds at the minute and I believe the Bradford one is coming soon (wouldn't wait around for that one).

At the end of the day, I realised if I just kept with one squeegee, one mop, a bucket, ladders and a roof rack at the start then Trad would have been a much cheaper option but me personally, I always find traditional equipment to buy ? and I ended up spending the same amount on Trad as I did for a backpack setup.

I have quite a bit of work around Bradford but just be wary, there's some very cheap guys around Bradford. These are not the sort of cleaners you want to be competing with. When someone tells you my old window cleaner did it for 4 pounds don't lower your price.

How you doing steve,

Without just jumping on Josh's band wagon, I'd tend to agree with him. I'm also very early days in building my round. 

My finances also didn't allow me to go full steam van mount 1000l tank etc etc. I'm getting on with a backpack systerm currently and using spotless water as they are a stones throw from me. I use WFP for 90% of what I do cost me about £450 to get going and paid for its self very quickly. 

Is it ideal? No of not course theres more efficient ways of working but but you play the cards your dealt. The only plus I have with my back pack set up is I only add to my set up as the work requires I do so (yes I'll spend slightly more) but I'd rather not have the pressure of HAVING to cover those overheads early on. 

Coming from a building background and using tools, I see trad as just that. I still trad things here and there or if I just fancy it for some big bifold doors. I would never wanna limit my self but I would say from my limited experience I get faster and sometimes better results from wfp and its safer...

Hay, i started not long ago. couldnt find a gardier in stock back then ither, I got a bigboy back pack instead. so far its been fine. price wise i think there ruffly the same. thay seem like the best place to start doing water fed pole work. im lucky i have a pure water station only round the corner from me so. found the pure water company to be really good too. got an extension on the free amount of water thay give you for signing up as oi was never going use it in time.  im glad its near me as sorting home purafiying althought problery cheaper in the long term is alot of cost t set up and time effort, pit fall ect.  so buying it is simple way to get going. and still cheap enough to make money.  

Great feedback guys, much appreciated 

Not much point saying the same as the guys above @SteveC I'd just like to say good luck with the new venture. I started not to long ago, about 5 months in now. Still using the Gardiner back pack and clx pole combo, I got a Daqua RO and 11 litre Di vessel, combined with a 600 litre ibc tank. I use 25 litre barrels for carrying water about and a sack truck, which doubles for backpack.

Only recent addition is some new hose, double the length I had before which works much better and further more doesn't kink half as much. Getting a reel soon and I'll be sorted.

good luck mate and any other questions ask away ? 

Alright Steve!

I think you'll find the back packs sell out during the hot months - once it starts getting cooler stock will last and be plentiful - that's the theory anyway. 

As for going with a back pack yes it's a good way to start / get in cheap. Just to get going i bought the back pack, pole (and brush, jets etc), hose, barrels etc. Spent about £500 just to get started. Anyway.. the BP weighs about 8kg by itself, the water it holds is 23L (1L of water is roughly 1Kg) so that's 30Kg. Too heavy to carry and Gardiner themselves recommend you mount it on a trolley which is the way most of us back packers do it. I've got mine mounted on a folding clarke strong arm trolley like this:



Many windys here will say the trolleys are **** and don't last long. There may be some truth in that, the alternative cheaper versions literally weigh half the weight of the clarke version so they're clearly inferior - look on ebay, some weigh just 4kg! I bought mine 16-17 years ago from machine mart (who still sell them by mail order) and I've been dragging it round with me while (part time) canvassing for months now and yes the release bar and other bits came loose (design fault inside - they used normal nuts instead of locking nuts) but i've taken mine to bits a couple of times, put locking nuts in (4mm) and tightened up other bits (which threadlock could be used on) and that seems to do the job for me. I'm in my 4th month now. Those who say they don't last long are DIY dodgers - it's actually quite a solid design with only a few bits inside that can come loose. If you want a trolley either go for this clarke version or get a non folding trolley which won't have weak points.

As for pure water, spotless water are your best bet - if they have a filling station near you then you're sorted. If not, ring other windys in the area and ask them - most are actually quite helpful. Its the only trade where the established guys try to encourage other people into the industry - never seeing any sort of threat to their own business. Eventually the whole country is going to be window cleaning mad lol.

Cheers for the help guys. I was working in schools but using these 6 week holidays now to try and build a good enough round to firstly match what i am earning so i can hand my notice in before i go back in September.

Going by all your advice and having a go at doing trad, I am definitely going to go with a backpack system. Any tips on decent poles to use that can be bought at a fair price?

Gardiner poles have the best reputation. I got a clx27 which is their longest budget pole and also the heaviest at that length. Does the job though. 

the big boy back pack i got came with a pole as part of the deal. I have no idea about poles as not long started myself.  it has to be a bottom of the rung pole considering the price. but iv cleaned windows with it and its done just fine.  sure as time passes I will look back on this pole and think what a piece of **** that was, but as i dont know any diffrent at the moment it seems great to me. its 30ft total length, made of aluminium,  it dose the job. got it from windowcleaning warehouse. think it was about 200 odd quid for pack and pole. you cant go far wrong to be honest.  personaly i will up grade the kit as and when the size of the round requires it, or something breaks. 

Great stuff, cheers guys.

I know yous may be different in how you take payments, but what would you consider to be best..

I’m liking the way Darren from Green Pro uses the Go Cardless so he can just clean the windows and take payment through the app rather than going back round at night or whenever to pick up payment. Or do you find it best going round after and picking up cash?

i was thinking getting all my regulars on go cardless and maybe taking cash from those wanting 1 off cleans (at a higher price than normal for it only being a 1 off) and commercial etc..

Any suggestions or opinions??

I'd say if you can get your customers to go careless that's going to be the easiest way forward, I however offer a few ways to pay, the customers (now they have been worked properly) all pay in good time and accurately when instructed.

i do 80% bacs or online payment, 20% cash which I collect on a Sunday morning (text them Saturday with a template stating I'll be there Sunday morning). I get one or two cheques but not often.

as long as I get paid I really don't care how it comes to me but you will want to train your customers well.

Ana said:

I'd say if you can get your customers to go careless that's going to be the easiest way forward, I however offer a few ways to pay, the customers (now they have been worked properly) all pay in good time and accurately when instructed.

i do 80% bacs or online payment, 20% cash which I collect on a Sunday morning (text them Saturday with a template stating I'll be there Sunday morning). I get one or two cheques but not often.

as long as I get paid I really don't care how it comes to me but you will want to train your customers well.

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Training customers i like that , Ime still trying to do that after 20 years some are fine others a right pain ????

Pjj said:

Training customers i like that , Ime still trying to do that after 20 years some are fine others a right pain ????

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Haha yeah it's not an exact science @Pjj I still have a few issues with a few set customers, time and again. 

The previous cleaner didn't do his pick ups that often and many took advantage of his laziness, not with me tho I'm way more on the ball.     

Ana said:

Haha yeah it's not an exact science @Pjj I still have a few issues with a few set customers, time and again. 

The previous cleaner didn't do his pick ups that often and many took advantage of his laziness, not with me tho I'm way more on the ball.     

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Some customers are un trainable ??? , but I totally agree with what you say , I have had some that have owed me £40 and come out with £10 to pay I have said I cannot go to Tesco and do a £40 shop and pay £10 so why should I clean your windows and you only pay me that, the job is done and payment in  full is due , I a reasonable person but that does wind me up , I have dumped many over the years fir this attitude once they have paid I don’t go back , I have had a few phone up asking why I haven’t been in months so just tell them why I haven’t returned generally there is a long silence and they don’t know what to say , some have evan had the cheek to ask me to start again just say your spot has been taken by someone who appreciates what we do and lays on the day if full . 

You're attitude is spot on in my opinion, there is no excuse to avoid payment and any one who does with me is on a limit straight off the bat. I will clean twice without payment on the second occasion,after which I expect it in full, online ideally.

ive had one customer who had them done twice, I called on Sunday on both occasions and they sent there kids to answer the door! Later that week, after the second clean I got a text asking how much was owned in total, told them it's £24 as I didn't get paid the previous month.

no payment ever turned up and I know Ill get a call or a text asking why I haven't been. I'll do them again but I will require (in cash) £36. That's £24 for the past two times and the other £12 for that months clean, then were done.

IF I have time ?

SteveC said:

Great stuff, cheers guys.

I know yous may be different in how you take payments, but what would you consider to be best..

I’m liking the way Darren from Green Pro uses the Go Cardless so he can just clean the windows and take payment through the app rather than going back round at night or whenever to pick up payment. Or do you find it best going round after and picking up cash?

i was thinking getting all my regulars on go cardless and maybe taking cash from those wanting 1 off cleans (at a higher price than normal for it only being a 1 off) and commercial etc..

Any suggestions or opinions??

Click to expand...

Cash collection can be real pain I did it for 14 years and it got daft, I would be owed £100's and go collecting for 2 hrs and get £30, far better to use GoCardless although there isn't a GC app, using GC means a new client will happily sign up if they are wanting a regular service, so a show of commitment from them although not everyone will be happy to sign up. 

Yeah maybe being a bit naive to think I could get all customers to go GC but will certainly try for it and be happy to pick up cash from the rest (all be it from good payers) 

Looking forward to getting started now. I see Gardiners have the back pack back in stock and I have already put my order in!!

Cheers for all of your advice, its being most valuable ?

riggy said:

 i dont know any diffrent at the moment it seems great to me. its 30ft total length, made of aluminium

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Whatever you do, please don't do any windows above extensions with that pole where you've got it almost horizontal and at max (or long) length. You will severely strain yourself. It may be okay in the vertical position but even a lighter CLX pole can be a struggle in a horizontal position.

Obviously if you're a body builder with a back built from solid rocks then you can disregard this advice.

Tango said:

Whatever you do, please don't do any windows above extensions with that pole where you've got it almost horizontal and at max (or long) length. You will severely strain yourself. It may be okay in the vertical position but even a lighter CLX pole can be a struggle in a horizontal position.

Obviously if you're a body builder with a back built from solid rocks then you can disregard this advice.

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 yeh still a pain with an slx, when extended over 20 foot horizontally. Has to be done some jobs. Like grappling with some 200 pound catfish on the end of it ?