[C Senor]

Hello all, firstly what a cool forum !!

I've been 'umming and aahing' for weeks thinking about starting a window cleaning business and after discovering this forum i've been inspired by you guys to go out and just DO IT ! 

I am just studying the MCSE course (Microsoft Engineer) as i plan to get an IT Networking job in the next couple of years, but i've been pondering what to do while i study. I needed something which allows me plenty of flexible time to study but also has the potential to cover my bills, i've been looking at the usual ratrace 9-5 jobs and to be honest, they left me totally disheartened.

I'm after any general advice should anyone wish to offer any ? I'm not totally inexperienced as i used to window clean when i was a 17/18 year old brat. I'm 33 now and it seems that things have changed alot since i was stretching off the top of a triple ladder with my ratstail mop and scrim.

I'm just waiting for my roofrack to arrive, i've got some ladders and once i've got my gear then i'm off canvasing, i am curious though as to how you guys use the microfibre cloths as to an alternative to scrim and leather ? If you could let me know that would be great.

If theres anything you can think of that might help me out, please let me know - it will be very much appreciated. If not, no probs - its been a great read browsing through the previous posts.

Carl   

[Paul Coleman]

Hello all, firstly what a cool forum !!

I've been 'umming and aahing' for weeks thinking about starting a window cleaning business and after discovering this forum i've been inspired by you guys to go out and just DO IT ! 

I am just studying the MCSE course (Microsoft Engineer) as i plan to get an IT Networking job in the next couple of years, but i've been pondering what to do while i study. I needed something which allows me plenty of flexible time to study but also has the potential to cover my bills, i've been looking at the usual ratrace 9-5 jobs and to be honest, they left me totally disheartened.

I'm after any general advice should anyone wish to offer any ? I'm not totally inexperienced as i used to window clean when i was a 17/18 year old brat. I'm 33 now and it seems that things have changed alot since i was stretching off the top of a triple ladder with my ratstail mop and scrim.

I'm just waiting for my roofrack to arrive, i've got some ladders and once i've got my gear then i'm off canvasing, i am curious though as to how you guys use the microfibre cloths as to an alternative to scrim and leather ? If you could let me know that would be great.

If theres anything you can think of that might help me out, please let me know - it will be very much appreciated. If not, no probs - its been a great read browsing through the previous posts.

Carl   

Why waste your time with Microsoft?  Just window clean full time and knock Gatesy out the the richest persons list 

[C Senor]

lol, you never know..

[supernova77]

Hi mate,

Welcome to the forum.

I left the world of IT to start my own window cleaning business and would never go back and work in an office again.

Why not put all your time into building up your own business instead of studying for a boring office job which you will be bored of after a year anyway? 

Andy

[C Senor]

Hello,

You never know, it may well come to that ! I'm ready to start maybe tomorrow or Saturday (probably Sat as there are more people at home).

I was gonna grab myself a bucket on a belt, but had second thoughts. Isnt it awkward if you are getting in and out of a car ? please let me know how you all get on.

Just got to work on some flyers to take around with me, knock a few out and away we go !

Carl   )

[pjulk]

I was gonna grab myself a bucket on a belt, but had second thoughts. Isnt it awkward if you are getting in and out of a car

No just take it off.
Most window cleaners don't use a BOAB as a bucket but somewhere to hold there applicator and squeegie whilst they are working.

Paul

[gsw]

I am just studying the MCSE course (Microsoft Engineer) as i plan to get an IT Networking job in the next couple of years,

qualified nt4 mcp workstation and server, trust me you will earn more cleaning windows if you put the effort in and you wont have to study ever again!!! otherwise you will get your mcse and then have to embark on the ccnp and that is difficult!! (apparently)

good luck

[chris@c.m.s]

I spent 3 1/2 years qualifying as plumber then training as a heating engineer although I enjoyed doing both, I prefer window cleaning and its almost stress free and can bring in an equal wage. If you dont want to get hooked I'd give it a mis,  It wouldnt be easy to let your customers go. as for the boab I wear mine on a belt with a squeege holder that easilly unclips and goes in the boot with the bucket.

[David 'Duck' Clare]

i have an Unger ergo tec belt system - this is the dogs nats!

its a grey padded belt, with the personal bag (phone and cash holder), the 3 pocket cloth pouch and the unger green BOAB.

i simply put the belt on at the job and unclip it back at the car when i finish each job - take 5 seconds and i put the belt system into a dry bucket so no spillages in the car at all. i poor clean water onto the applicator at the start of each job (i.e. each house) and this does me fine.

i use a clean applicator head every day.

DC

[jeff1]

I have city & guilds in electronics, spend 15 years as an alarm engineer,
then started window cleaning 9 years ago, I will never do anything else, its the best job in the world.

[C Senor]

Hello,

Thanks for the replies !

I went out at the start of last week and have been knocking a few doors, then doing the windows and i now have picked up £163 to start with. I am chuffed with that, i think its from roughly 6 days of knocking (10am until about 3pm) - So i'm encouraged by that start. I think i have got my prices right and i'm guessing that its probably just under two days work.

It seems the hardest part is finding somewhere that hasn't already got a window cleaner, i have also noticed that even when you knock on some doors and get the 'oh we already have a window cleaner' replies then it's worth carrying on knocking - I did this the other day and it seemed that the whole of this one street were cleaned by someone else, but then i picked up about 8 houses a bit further up the road.

It's nice to come back to this forum as its a great source of inspiration when you're having a few doubts.

I will keep you posted as to how i am getting on, big thanks to everyone for your help !

Carl   )

[Mike George]

Hi Carl and good luck with your new business.

It seems the hardest part is finding somewhere that hasn't already got a window cleaner, i have also noticed that even when you knock on some doors and get the 'oh we already have a window cleaner' replies then it's worth carrying on knocking - I did this the other day and it seemed that the whole of this one street were cleaned by someone else, but then i picked up about 8 houses a bit further up the road.

I used to get downhearted when people told me that, but I've learned not to take any notice. This afternoon I put my flyers out in a small close with 15 houses. At the last house a man was in his front garden and told me he had a regular window cleaner who also did a couple of the other houses, and there was another w/c who did some more.

Half an hour later I got a phone call from one of his neighbours - a woman who said she had been looking for a window cleaner for ages!

[C Senor]

Hello,

I have noticed the same thing.  Its definately worth knocking ALL doors in a street even if you get knocked back at the start.

I guess that sometimes you can catch people at home when other window cleaners have missed them, plus i guess some window cleaners dont like the look of the job at some houses - for example, i canvased a road last week where there was already a window cleaner, i didnt get downhearted and carried on. Further down the road i picked up £36 of work and even met the window cleaner that did the other houses - turned out to be a local bloke who was getting on a bit and didn't do 'tops' any more.

Mind you, it works the other way as well - i went to another street, got the first house and thought 'great' then didnt get a thing from the rest of the street, they all had a window cleaner !

Carl   )

[mfwindowcleaner]

Dont be scared to ask other window cleaners if theyve got any work they want to offload...........
i picked up a crappy job (small sash windows, hundreds of them ) off a window cleaner ....... big job but a pain in the ass... done them twice for a very good price then they got new windows (big double glazed job) ........ i can do the job myself in half an hour now ...... and kept the price the same 

i also got a small farmhouse off one guy ........ 8 months later the farmer converted his steadings into 14 houses .....   so i got the lot

better doing crappy windows than no widows

[david68]

Hi
Do not think window cleaning is easy.
Believe me i started a couple of weeks ago and had smear problems glore.
But thanks to people on this site, I have now resolved this.
Practise and with that squeege.

Dave

[C Senor]

Thanks for the words.

I definately know that window cleaning isnt easy. I've only just started up again but i used to w/c when i was younger, out in the freezing cold, mops frozen solid and hands freeze welded to the ladders - lol.

'Squeegee'ing is like riding a bike i've found !  Hadn't touched one for over 15 years, got it in my hand and i was off !! It was as if i had been doing it for years !!

Dreaded doing my first leaded windows jobs a couple of weeks ago, got 2 houses £15 and £20 all leaded. I used to scrim them but THANK GOD for Microfibres !!! Much easier once you get used to the moisture level required. Still hate the leaded though, good job theyre decent prices. (half hour and forty five mins)

 :

[pylofm]

Just got my gear delivered this afternoon and have been practicing on my own house, I am 38 and last did w/c when I was 21, am amazed at how it has semi-come back to me....

Will be 'out in the wild' in about 3 weeks....

ps.....Love microfibre...it's the bee's

Cheers all
Dave.