[NWH]

Yes Luke but the mats i use are bigger 3ft square so it`s a bigger area for the ladder to go on therefore less chance of it slipping,like i say i`ve used this on very dodgy surfaces in the past and never had any trouble though i must say with WFP it`s not really worth taking a chance,how would you feel now if you fell off the ladder knowing you have all the kit to do it from the ground.

[Elginn]

You may find your Insurance is void if the correct safety device isn't used, check your policy's.

[Captain Scarlet]

I dont use ladders at all anymore but I will need to soon. We have rojaks and ladder mats, and they work great but a mat like that would take too much room to carry round! Luke

[jouk45]

just use the custys door mat, 

[[GQC] Tim]

LadderM8rix all the way. I have used it on Decking, mossy, slimey patios. Everything.

http://www.ladderm8rix.co.uk/index.htm

[cvdewsbury]

 health and safety officer let us use ladders on a job as the tenants did not want wfp so in soft ground we use ladders with safety spikes on , on hard ground we use a safety mat good advice is to work  in a 2 man team and have your ladders held or if in doubt miss them

[Londoner]

Life is too short for all this rubbish. My ladders are purely for decoration on the top of my van. If I can't WFP it then its a no.

[cat9921]

I love my reach & wash, I relly do 
But there are times the you just need A ladder.
So What I say is this if you need a ladder to get access to a roof then Ok, But I will not work off a ladder..

and before anyone says it can be dangerous using a ladder to get on to a roof ( you're right ) but If its not wet and slippery its safe 

[Paul Coleman]

Life is too short for all this rubbish. My ladders are purely for decoration on the top of my van. If I can't WFP it then its a no.

Yes indeed.  I'm thinking of wrapping tinsel around mine this year.

[alanwilson]

what a load of pansies!

firstly using ladders for access is fine as long as you take precautions (ie limpet bars etc)

I've used coconut mats a few times, works well but have a set of limpet bars which offer a little more stability.

How'd you lot manage to get by on ladders in the past? No need to take risks but seriously, toughen up a little.

[Scrimble]

what a load of pansies!

completely agree,

[cleantecross]

if in doubt use a rojak or just get someone to foot the ladder [if you are a 2 man team] but dont go fully wfp as you can lose customers as it doesnt clean until around 4 cleans

[Londoner]

Actually, if you read the original posting on the topic you will see that he was using the ladder to access a single storey roof.

That is THE most dangerous thing you can do with a ladder but because its not very high we are all a bit cocky about it.

Shifting your weight off the ladder onto the roof and then the reverse when you go down are the two times when a ladder is going to kick out or slide.

Two of the most pants filling experiences of my window cleaning life involved flat roofs. The third, was when a ladder blew sideways with me on it due to a sudden gust of wind.

In all three cases I never saw it coming.

I now am almost entireley WFP although I was on my ladder today. The truth is WFP is better, better for me, better for my bank balance and better for the windows. The customers love the results.

 I don't understand cleantecross's comment about 4 cleans. My windows are bang on first time although there was a steep learning curve at first.

[NWH]

Cleantecross the window`s should come up ok on the first or second clean but after that the only reason we say that 4-5 cleans is because it`s a lot easier for us as WC`s time wise,to get them up to a standard on the first clean you have to take your time more where`s when they`ve been done 4-5 times upwards you will fly round them,that`s why it`s not until about 6 months before you here WC`s saying it`s a lot quicker than traditional cleaning.