Free e-Books - On Starting a window cleaning Business
The Window Cleaning Business Manual really has helped many people get started in business. It is bay far one of the best e-books I have seen, well besied my own that is…lol But he did have the money and know-how to bet it to market before me. An now that he has made what money he could from it he is now giving it away for free… Good Job Jim!
There is no charge for either of the e-books. Just one gimmick… To get the free 280 page full color e-book you must leave a comment below and i’ll e-mail you the link.
Yes I know it cheap but I need to build viewership…
Comment and you will get the free book link with in 24 hours.
Written by: Judy Suval
Contributed & Edited by:Cleaning Solutions Magazine
Once again I need to remind you to just be careful with scrapers. It’s one the one other ways besides breaking a window that you can damage a window.
Scraping
For actual window cleaning, first determine if the entire window needs scraping. Experience will tell you. I didn’t normally totally scrape unless it was unusually dirty or new. If it does need scraping, inform the customer of its need and the additional charge.
Before scraping, be sure to determine whether or not there is any type of tinting film or coating on the window which a blade might destroy. Also determine if the glass is tempered. This type of glass will often have a blemished surface caused by tiny particles not washed off before the glass was placed in the tempering oven. These microscopic “pimples” can break off under the blade and then scrape the glass as you push them along.
For thorough scraping, use the four or six inch blade. Razor blades can scratch glass, so make sure that you have a new blade in the holder to start and check the blade often to make sure there aren’t any burrs that have developed on the blade edge which will scratch the window. Turn a double-edged blade over in the holder to a fresh side. If you’re doing a large job, you’ll have to change the blades often–maybe several times before you’re done.
Next, wet the strip washer with water from the bucket, and thoroughly wet the window. If you’re on the inside, slightly squeeze the excess water out of each end of the strip washer with your hand. Another technique is to let it drip for a few seconds, holding one end down, then flip it over and wash the window–no drips! Always thoroughly wet the glass before and during scraping and be sure you reach the edges and corners. Scrape the glass being careful not to damage the casing at the edges with the blade–or damage the blade with the casing! Scrape the windows in a one-way motion, not back and forth. If you drag the blade back, it tends to pick up grit which can scratch the glass. Also, beware of using the four inch blade on the end of the extension pole. Make sure the blade is flat against the glass; it’s easy to scratch with the ends. Make sure that the blade is retracted or is in its safety cover between uses. Cuts that require stitches are no fun!
An alternate scraping tool, preferred by some window cleaners, is the broad knife, usually a six inch sheet rock taping knife kept very sharp–sharpened up to twice daily with a file. Note–keep rust off the blades of both razor scrapers and broad knives, for rust can easily scratch glass.
This would be an appropriate time to mention CONSTRUCTION CLEANING, a specialized area of window cleaning which consists of cleaning the windows of newly built homes and buildings. It involves a thorough and often difficult scraping of windows to remove paint splashes, plaster over spray, caulking, mortar and the general heavy duty dirt and grime left over by the act of construction. This work is extremely difficult and requires particular knowledge and expertise not only to remove the various substances but to avoid damaging the glass while doing so. Because of this, construction cleaning should probably be a full-time specialty, and not an add-on opportunity to regular window cleaning. It can, however, be lucrative, often earning up to three times as much as normal window cleaning–if you are proficient you may get from $250– $450 per house/building.
Written by: Judy Suval
Contributed & Edited by:Cleaning Solutions Magazine
O.k. so now you have an idea about the tools and lets face it, this ain’t rocket science! Still you will need to get a feel for the squeegee and the angles… Here is what I did, I went out on a Sunday and went to a closed business and I cleaned the windows over and over again till I got it right…
Once you get it right then do it again…
Window Cleaning Techniques
Practice
Practice is the key to success. Handling a squeegee feels awkward at first, as does any new skill, but it doesn’t take long to become comfortable and confident. Don’t be discouraged that you can’t master squeegeeing after a few days. Technique is the key to streakless, clean windows achieved in minutes. Preparation
When you arrive at the first account of the day, put on your apron; put a small cloth and sponge in the left and right hand pockets. Make sure you have a good single-edge razor blade in the center pocket; the squeegee, with a good, sharp edge, in the right hand holder; and a large towel over your left shoulder. The strip washer should be in the bucket. If you use a chamois, soak it and wring it to properly dampen it.
Put a small amount of cleaner (3 or 4 squirts) in the bucket (2 ½ gallons of water in a 5 gallon bucket). Half fill the bucket with warm water if possible, and change it regularly to help prevent streaking.
Where To Begin
If ladders are necessary, set them in place. Normally, I started on the outside because I liked to get the hardest part over with first. During the winter I started my day on the inside until the weather got warmer. During the summer, if I could, I arranged my day so that I was not washing windows on the sunny side or was not staring into the sun.
When beginning on the outside, do the highest windows or the hardest ones first to get those out of the way. To work efficiently, determine a starting point and then work around the house or building, carrying the bucket and step-stool or pole, if necessary. Keeping all your tools with you makes trips to the car unnecessary. Always start with upper windows as you will be dripping on the lower ones. Use the same procedure for the inside windows.
Its very important to protect woodwork and floor on the inside of homes and buildings. Use less water on the inside windows, catching spills with a towel on the floor or sills. If the woodwork around windows gets wet, wipe it off immediately. Lay towels on the floor under the windows to catch water.
FREE - A Woman’s View: Professional Window Cleaning
A Woman’s View: Professional Window Cleaning Part
Written by: Judy Suval
Contributed & Edited by:Cleaning Solutions Magazine
This was a good guide and it’s not done yet Judy continues with Window Cleaning Techniques. This will be fun since there are some many different ways to clean a window. The thing to remember is your in business to make money. So you only need to learn the basics to start making money.
New Equipment Line
While there are definitely great new developments in technology–like deionized water–and equipment, like the invention of a tool to speed up the awkward and time-consuming tasks of cleaning louvered windows, most products are simply improvements in the design of existing tools, such as lighter, stronger squeegee handles, handles that adjust to any angle without slowing you down, and solvents that remove dried on particles without damaging the environment. Here are some of the latest innovations:
Squeegees and strip washers now come in numerous sizes, from 4 to 50! inches. Not only do the blade sections swivel, but the handles do as well, for increased ergonomics, less wrist strain and greater freedom of movement. Perhaps the best at this is the new WAGTAIL brand from Australia. Spring and quick-release handle mechanisms are also improving all the time.
FREE - A Woman’s View: Professional Window Cleaning part 8 - WFP
A Woman’s View: Professional Window Cleaning Part
Written by: Judy Suval
Contributed & Edited by:Cleaning Solutions Magazine
We talked about this before and here Judy goes over some of the basic but some much has change and now almost every major supplier has there one type of WFP. The newest can go up to the 4th floor (75 to 85 feet) and are made of a carbon fiber and is very light and easy to use… The purification of the water has change some too even the de-ionizing and portable units had change so much I am just going to find a few video clips instead of trying to write about it.
Water-Fed Extension Pole
This is another type of extension pole, and is usually referred to as a Tucker pole, after the primary manufacturer. It consists of a large brush on a long handle made of several aluminum telescoping sections. You connect the attached tubing to a garden hose and the water and a detergent solution is fed up to the brush and onto the window.
No squeegee is necessary. After the window is washed, the detergent solution is shut off, clear water rinses the window and the job is done. It allows you to wash and rinse hard-to-reach windows without ladders or scaffolding.
This type of window cleaning is most effective when it utilizes a new technology known as De-Ionized water. A deionizing tank contains resin beads that are both positively and negatively charged. As the normal tap water flows through the tank, the various minerals in the water adhere to the beads, so that the water leaving the tank–and coming out the end of the Tucker pole as rinse water–is “pure.” The window will supposedly dry without streaks or water spots. In fact, some cleaners have claimed that you don’t even need the detergent attachment, but can simply use the extra cleaning power of the deionized water, at least on windows that are regularly maintained.
The deionizing tanks are housed on a truck bed or trailer. One hose connects to the on-site water source and another to the water-fed pole. Many cleaners have suggested modifying the system with quick release valves to all the hoses, so changes can be made without having to turn off the water at the source.
Window cleaners are still in dispute as to the actual reality of these claims. If it does work it will mean a larger initial outlay– purchasing the deionizer–but other equipment costs such as squeegees and towels are then lowered, and time and labor are saved as well. Some reported drawbacks of the system have been that since the pole is filled with water it can get very heavy, and the poles have been known to break, especially at the joints where the sections connect. Aluminum poles can also be cold on the hands in cold weather. The manufacturer has been responding to these complaints over the last couple of years. If you are considering working in a city on high office or apartment buildings.
