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So I bit the bullet and brought a backpack...

the 22 will cover a lot of work compared to the 18, worth the upgrade for sure.

For a first clean on even a small 2/3 bed semi you might need to refill 2 or 3 times, don't be tempted to use a low flow to try and conserve water it will only cause you problems with spotting, you need plenty of water to wash all the dirt away while you are scrubbing and a good final rinse.

 
I brought this https://windowcleaningwarehouse.co.uk/collections/backpack-starter-kits/products/facelift-bigboy-2-backpack-phoenix-deal

hope it arrives before Saturday as I have my first bookings. 3 to be exact. Signed up to spotless water and just need to buy some water containers...I have a trolley...so just got to wait for the courier now...

any advice chaps?
Make sure you give it a good charge when you get it and test the battery actually works as there have been many that don't.

Give the backpack a good rinse out with tap water or pure before using it and pumping. You may get dirt or debris in for from production.

Be aware of passers by and have eyes in the back of your head.

Be aware of trip hazards, some signs wouldn't go a miss 

Ideally you'd need a minimum of 8 25L containers to start out

Pace yourself and don't press like mad on the glass 

 
Thanks guys. All tips written down. I only have 3 25l containers at mo. Can’t get anymore until I get paid from them jobs lol. In fairness there small jobs. And have been conserving water on my main job by cutting off water supply when it’s not needed. 

 
For first cleans why not use the customers tap water to clean most of the dirt from the windows. Then use the pure water just to finish off & get the glass sparkling.

 
Univalves are great for saving water. Don't know if anything has been invented since I bought them a few years ago that's any better.
they are still the only manual invention on the market that hasn't yet been cloned. 

You can always fit a 433mhz wireless remote control to a backup once it's exceeded it's warranty 

 
I brought this https://windowcleaningwarehouse.co.uk/collections/backpack-starter-kits/products/facelift-bigboy-2-backpack-phoenix-deal

hope it arrives before Saturday as I have my first bookings. 3 to be exact. Signed up to spotless water and just need to buy some water containers...I have a trolley...so just got to wait for the courier now...

any advice chaps?
Hi mate,

I am new here. I've been intensively researching the subject in the past few weeks now.

I am in a familiar situation. Although I and my wife already run a cleaning business to which we want to add window cleaning service to as we have had many requests recently but had to let go of the small extra money as we didn't have a kit.

I have been trying to put a low budget kit together based on professional advice, including the almighty Trad Man ? First, I wanted to go with trad only, in fact, in a way so that we could cover up to 2-storey buildings without the use of ladder. Trad Man put a nice kit together for me for around £300 (with 10% discount).

But then as I was dwelling on it, I was watching numerous YT videos from all around the place I ended up on Gardiner's website of which I found to be "soothing" as there's literally everything I need. Now, that I read the forum more intensively, it seems that my sixth sense was right.

My main concern was first cleans or any cleans that involve a lot of dirt of which I may not be able to investigate or clean properly without a ladder and climbing up (in order for me to have a proper ladder and carried on my car safely, I would need to invest more than £500 - of made me think that I should go WFP system instead if that's the way forward anyway). Thankfully, as I was digging deeper, I found Maykker and their HandySleeve.

But so I will go with Gardiner backpack as it's legendary with a transfer pump, probably a 200-250L water tank in my Grand C-Max, CLX 22 pole, twist action gooseneck to save water. Some other useful bits and pieces. I may also add basic trad tools to do the ground level as I'll be out with my wife so we can then cover more ground. Later as the revenue justifies it, we'll then upgrade. For now, and according to all the info I got from the pros, this is good enough to get started. This is around £600-700.

I have to say, it wasn't easy to arrive to this stage. My head is still spinning from all the different advices, equipments, techniques etc. Layman would think that oh it's just window cleaning, should be easy-peasy. Well, it certainly isn't - unless you don't care of the outcome.

 
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Hi mate,

I am new here. I've been intensively researching the subject in the past few weeks now.

I am in a familiar situation. Although I and my wife already run a cleaning business to which we want to add window cleaning service to as we have had many requests recently but had to let go of the small extra money as we didn't have a kit.

I have been trying to put a low budget kit together based on professional advice, including the almighty Trad Man ? First, I wanted to go with trad only, in fact, in a way so that we could cover up to 2-storey buildings without the use of ladder. Trad Man put a nice kit together for me for around £300 (with 10% discount).

But then as I was dwelling on it, I was watching numerous YT videos from all around the place I ended up on Gardiner's website of which I found to be "soothing" as there's literally everything I need. Now, that I read the forum more intensively, it seems that my sixth sense was right.

My main concern was first cleans or any cleans that involve a lot of dirt of which I may not be able to investigate or clean properly without a ladder and climbing up (in order for me to have a proper ladder and carried on my car safely, I would need to invest more than £500 - of made me think that I should go WFP system instead if that's the way forward anyway). Thankfully, as I was digging deeper, I found Maykker and their HandySleeve.

But so I will go with Gardiner backpack as it's legendary with a transfer pump, probably a 200-250L water tank in my Grand C-Max, CLX 22 pole, twist action gooseneck to save water. Some other useful bits and pieces. I may also add basic trad tools to do the ground level as I'll be out with my wife so we can then cover more ground. Later as the revenue justifies it, we'll then upgrade. For now, and according to all the info I got from the pros, this is good enough to get started. This is around £600-700.

I have to say, it wasn't easy to arrive to this stage. My head is still spinning from all the different advices, equipments, techniques etc. Layman would think that oh it's just window cleaning, should be easy-peasy. Well, it certainly isn't - unless you don't care of the outcome.
I used to like trad man but now he's all about his youtube channel and getting paid.

 
I used to like trad man but now he's all about his youtube channel and getting paid.
Well, I wouldn’t know that but I never follow anyone blindly. I instead ask, listen, consider, observe as many as possible and try to build a solid idea of what’s right based on my conclusions. That is why I have made a long way from there and ended up here.
 

In general, I have had my share in life, made mistakes and learned from those.

 
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Hi mate,

I am new here. I've been intensively researching the subject in the past few weeks now.

I am in a familiar situation. Although I and my wife already run a cleaning business to which we want to add window cleaning service to as we have had many requests recently but had to let go of the small extra money as we didn't have a kit.

I have been trying to put a low budget kit together based on professional advice, including the almighty Trad Man ? First, I wanted to go with trad only, in fact, in a way so that we could cover up to 2-storey buildings without the use of ladder. Trad Man put a nice kit together for me for around £300 (with 10% discount).

But then as I was dwelling on it, I was watching numerous YT videos from all around the place I ended up on Gardiner's website of which I found to be "soothing" as there's literally everything I need. Now, that I read the forum more intensively, it seems that my sixth sense was right.

My main concern was first cleans or any cleans that involve a lot of dirt of which I may not be able to investigate or clean properly without a ladder and climbing up (in order for me to have a proper ladder and carried on my car safely, I would need to invest more than £500 - of made me think that I should go WFP system instead if that's the way forward anyway). Thankfully, as I was digging deeper, I found Maykker and their HandySleeve.

But so I will go with Gardiner backpack as it's legendary with a transfer pump, probably a 200-250L water tank in my Grand C-Max, CLX 22 pole, twist action gooseneck to save water. Some other useful bits and pieces. I may also add basic trad tools to do the ground level as I'll be out with my wife so we can then cover more ground. Later as the revenue justifies it, we'll then upgrade. For now, and according to all the info I got from the pros, this is good enough to get started. This is around £600-700.

I have to say, it wasn't easy to arrive to this stage. My head is still spinning from all the different advices, equipments, techniques etc. Layman would think that oh it's just window cleaning, should be easy-peasy. Well, it certainly isn't - unless you don't care of the outcome.
Welcome to the forum, Hope you stick around and not just pick our brains like most and disappear off the face of the planet.

None of us water fed pole window cleaner's use ladders to look at upstairs windows and sills before we clean them.

If you meet a potential new customer and it's save to do so ask them to show you around the home and look out of the windows to check the standard of cleanliness and sills. 

Pointless buying trad gear when your debit card is screaming water fed pole 

 
Welcome to the forum, Hope you stick around and not just pick our brains like most and disappear off the face of the planet.

None of us water fed pole window cleaner's use ladders to look at upstairs windows and sills before we clean them.

If you meet a potential new customer and it's save to do so ask them to show you around the home and look out of the windows to check the standard of cleanliness and sills. 

Pointless buying trad gear when your debit card is screaming water fed pole 
Yessir ? 

I don't intend to. I might share my own experiences in the future - I already have stories to tell, but those are internal jobs at places you would probably never want to set foot in. Animals often live more decently than some human beings. 

I am actually quite grateful for such an "oldschool" forum. Just like back in the days when no social madness and armchair experts existed.

 
Yessir ? 

I don't intend to. I might share my own experiences in the future - I already have stories to tell, but those are internal jobs at places you would probably never want to set foot in. Animals often live more decently than some human beings. 

I am actually quite grateful for such an "oldschool" forum. Just like back in the days when no social madness and armchair experts existed.
I've worked in nursing homes haha 

It's a great forum with years of experience advice and fun 

 
I've worked in nursing homes haha 

It's a great forum with years of experience advice and fun 
I told my wife yesterday that the future for us will be 95% external jobs and 5% mucking out... When I discovered the world of window cleaning, it pulled in all the other options to expand and I suddenly felt like we started on the wrong end of the rope.

I used to work on dairy farms in the early 2000s, I wanted to become a farmer so that I could be outside in sun, rain, snow and with animals rather than people, haha! I did enjoy it and have been missing it ever since. Maybe that is why I sympathise with these external jobs.

I then chose to drift away from that and studied food science, graduate from university but stayed on the dairy side of the industry as I loved the science of milk. Then I fell in love with cheese making so instead of becoming a master of filtration and spray drying, I mastered artisan cheesemaking. I even made it to Mongolia as a cheesemaker ?  It wasn't much fun, in fact, it almost turned out to be a real escape situation. Maybe I'll write a book in the future! Will be a bestseller ? 

And now, here I am, scrubbing mouldy grout and disgraceful toilet, crawling on the floor all day in the dirt... I think window cleaning will be like a dessert after all this filthy work! ? Our escape plan with wifey.

 
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@JustLiamI have that phoenix glass fibre pole and it’s lasted absolutely ages, as has the brush head. It’s a backup pole for me now as I use a carbon one now and couldn’t switch back. The glass fibre poles are quite whippy and be a bit careful if you need to go over a conservatory or anything as they do bend quite a bit but for regular first floor windows they do a very good job.

 
@JustLiamI have that phoenix glass fibre pole and it’s lasted absolutely ages, as has the brush head. It’s a backup pole for me now as I use a carbon one now and couldn’t switch back. The glass fibre poles are quite whippy and be a bit careful if you need to go over a conservatory or anything as they do bend quite a bit but for regular first floor windows they do a very good job.
Ah great. Well it’s meant to arrive tomorrow so I will update you all on how it goes. Very excited. 

 
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