Cleaning edges???? - Window Cleaning Issues

Window Cleaning Issues - Canvassing, pole systems, pricing, problems, etc.

Cleaning edges????

Posted by rayzork (rayzork), 29 January 2004

How do you clean the edges after you squeegy?.

I use a wet rag for the bottom and then Hand paper towel all around. I that a slow process? How can you keep your rags nice and dry. How many would you need for a days work. And do you laundry your rags at the end of the day or what?

Thanks,

Posted by mickeyfat (mickeyfat), 29 January 2004

sorry m8 but are you serious? Huh

ever heard of scrim

Try this
http://www.dcs1.com/window/

we all have to start somwere

by the way
well done you just picked the best job in the world....you wont look back
any other questions just ask at this forum...it could mke you rich ..loads of info at a touch of a button

ps this is cool
http://www.georgesystems.co.uk/ Wink

Posted by sham33 (sham33), 29 January 2004

Just buy a load of scrim. On a bad day i get through 1 piece of scrim every 2 house's. Dont bother struggling to use a really damp one, just pick a new one once its too wet.

Posted by jontydog (jontydog), 6 February 2004

I use a piece of Scrim to go round the edges. I get through 3 a day and they get washed daily

Posted by paul (paul), 6 February 2004

depends on the weather this time of year might use one every house in the summer one will probaly last me all day Grin

Posted by Londoner (Londoner), 6 February 2004

I've said this before but that is what I was taught a leather was for. You can use a leather all day to clean the edges and it dries perfectly.
I think a scrim is a just polishing cloth. I was taught to use a leather and I think a lot of the old skills are being lost.
If you learn to use a leather properly you would never consider using a cloth.

Posted by tam (tam), 6 February 2004

I have read all the posts on edges, I thought all you lot out there were pros. Using 2-3-4 scrims a day for wiping edges is not heard of where I work. If I make a mistake I will use a scrim to amend it, but being pros ourselves, we hardly ever use them. No wonder your prices are so high you must take forever to clean a house.

Posted by mickeyfat (VGC), 6 February 2004

I was taught that even when you right up to the edges you can still see a slight water line , if you was to remove this ans all soap and water left then you would take longer and have to charge more.
i do agree though...i have an area that i got of another cleaner and he was crap...and the prices was very bad 3.00 for a 3 bedroom...i can crack this out fastenogh to do about 90 houses a day...i do not wipe the sills and neither do i scrim the edges and the customers do not mind this as they are used to it.....like i said on the other hand i have housses of the EXACT same size that i charge £15.00 for as i do all the "whites" and scrim the edges....hope this is some help to you.....rant eant rant...blah blah blah Grin

Posted by tam (tam), 6 February 2004

doing all the fames etc i can undestand the cost is higher, but that is on request of the customer, not the norm.

Posted by matt (matt), 6 February 2004

on 02/06/04 at 21:33:44, VGC wrote:

...i can crack this out fastenogh to do about 90 houses a day...

90 houses A DAY Huh

average 3 quid a house = 270 quid a day, thats a nice earner

you only got to put them house upto 5 quid a house, and thats 450 quid a day

i must be doing something wrong

Posted by mickeyfat (VGC), 7 February 2004

they wont have it for that much
in fact i did them today ...well 53 of them...it took me from 10-3...to do all in one day takes me from 8-4.30...when it gets dark..did i mention some of them are wooden/metel frames...and the others that are upvc are in a councill street...i aint joking mate...we dont do the front doors or bathrooms on the houses...i have talked to the people and said we could do a better job for £5 but they seem to be happy enough...thinking about it i do have about 4 of them that want me to wipe up i charge £6.00 for these.....believe what you like...i aint here to lie to you!
ps i do have somone helping me! Roll Eyes

pps
i have an area that takes me 5 hours and is 20 houses at about £15.00 each Cheesy

by the time i have to pay out for everything...rain...collection etc..i need to charge a good price or i can afford to do this job

on 02/06/04 at 22:23:20, matt wrote:

i must be doing something wrong

I agree...although this is rare ...i love doing this day because i know im coming home with a few quid ..without collections...most are old people so they are also in alll the time...i wish all my round was like this one
on 02/06/04 at 22:00:39, tam wrote:

doing all the fames etc i can undestand the cost is higher, but that is on request of the customer, not the norm.

I find some customers like it ALL done for that bit extra...what with all the upvc about alot of people view this as part of the window cleaning service...as before though....some dont!!they tell me as long as it looks nice from the inside!

Posted by mogs (mogs), 7 February 2004

[what with all the upvc about alot of people view this as part of the window cleaning service...as before though....some dont!!they tell me as long as it looks nice from the inside! [/quote]

we r window cleaners not upvc cleaners if they want tht done its extra mate. thts wot i say!!

Posted by mickeyfat (VGC), 7 February 2004

i know its extra Huh

!

thats what i mean... Huh

look at it this way Wink

average size 2/3semi

bronze clean.. 3.00...no frills..no scrim or upvc, no bathroom or doors (only when real bad(maybe every 4 months))
silver clean£6.00 wipe ledges(with mop!) and any large lines on edges

gold clean ..all upvc...all windows... all ledges wiped and dryed ..and the glass to be scrimed on all 4 edges and doors all wiped over...£10.00 Grin

Posted by sham33 (sham33), 7 February 2004

90 houses a day, thats insane Grin

I believe u though, if u miss the bathroom and front door and do no scrim work with 2 people cleaning.

Posted by matt (matt), 7 February 2004

on 02/07/04 at 01:40:03, VGC wrote:

i know its extra Huh

!

thats what i mean... Huh

look at it this way Wink

good job there isnt a Tin Clean....this would just be, mop with T bar and leave to dry Shocked

Posted by windows_chepstow (windows_chepstow), 12 February 2004

It must be a pain to collect - from a 'bronze clean' when you do 90 houses a day! A normal collection for me is between 10 to 30 houses, and that's enough for us.

Why don't you insist on doing a 'Gold Clean' on all your houses, charge more, then have less houses to collect; while keeping your income the same.

Me and my missis work together and twenty houses per day (£60 - 150 - depending on how hard we graft) works for us and there's less doors to knock on to get paid.

Tosh.

Posted by simonb (simonb), 13 February 2004

The IRON Clean consists of not actually doing the windows just collecting the money

Posted by simonb (simonb), 13 February 2004

Rayzork
A serious reply.
You are putting too much water on to start with.
If you are using a t bar shake excess water off after dipping in bucket with a fast downward motion.Dont wet right to the edges, leave about 1/4- 1/2 inch. Then when you blade the glass u won't have lots of water running down. Use a scrim over your forefinger to go round the edge. I dont go round the bottom edge as gravity takes care of that. Use the blade to get XS water off sill before wiping. Use A SILL CLOTH not the scrim you do the edges with as the sills are very dirty and using the same cloth for both jobs is not clever
You will get there in the end
Simon

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