[Sanity]

Thats still a hell of a lean to the right to clean the window.  WFP all the way for me (did some silly cleans as a trad, scared myself with some of the stuff i did to get to windows.)

[paulscotney]

Why risk spending the rest of your life in a wheelchair. Refuse to do the dangerous windows, if u r trad. You only live once. If u do the windows it will always be on your mind every month that u have to go back.

[Paul Coleman]

i need some advice
i have just started out [trad] and went to clean a friends house and they have a little roof thing above thier front door. the problem is i cant get my ladder to the window above it.

do i have to invest in a: extension pole
                                    : Angled Adaptor and what else do i need

which 1 should i get also how to use the squeegee on it and how do i use the scrim so that i can wipe the excess water around the edges.

there are loads of houses extenstions or conserv at the rear of house but how do you reach the windows above these. i dont want to turn down work because i cannt reach them

When working trad, I used an extension pole with applicator and squeegee for such windows.  I wouldn't soap up to the very edge though except for the first clean.  Occasionally I would wrap a bit of dry scrim around the end cone if there was surplus liquid but I would never soap up to the very top as it can run down after.  Sometimes it is possible to get to such windows by extending the ladder to rest on the facia - thus reducing the angle but you need to take care with your angles and take account of whether the ground is slippery or not.  Also, sometimes there is too little gap beneath the guttering so rest the ladder solidly and if the ground is damp, the ladder can sink a bit making the top of the ladder slip off the bottom of the facia.  Better to use a pole I think.  They may have to accept that, in the interests of safety, the quality of the clean for a difficult window will be reduced.

[Ian W]

When I took some houses over from the previous cleaner, he told me that he stood on a porch roof. I tried it the first time and, because of the steep pitch of the roof, scared myself silly.
Every time since I have used a combination tool on a pole. 

[Helen]

i need some advice
i have just started out [trad] and went to clean a friends house and they have a little roof thing above thier front door. the problem is i cant get my ladder to the window above it.

do i have to invest in a: extension pole
                                    : Angled Adaptor and what else do i need

which 1 should i get also how to use the squeegee on it and how do i use the scrim so that i can wipe the excess water around the edges.

there are loads of houses extenstions or conserv at the rear of house but how do you reach the windows above these. i dont want to turn down work because i cannt reach them

You need to take note of things like this when you first price up and explain to the customer that due to health and safety rulings you can't reach certain windows with normal methods, but you can with an extension pole, but cannot guarantee that the quality of finish will be as good as the others. Do not turn work down without trying, just cause you can't reach a window! Speak to the customer and perhaps if they are in when you clean they will let you clean from the inside? Many different ways to get around these situations, you just have to think on your feet whilst quoting.....just one thing do not compromise safety with a couple of extra quid....not worth it.When you are more established you can think of WFP, but this still cannot reach everything

[Bobs Window Cleaning]

1) Do NOT lean over to clean the window (stupid advice.. Altho I used to do it)
2) Dont climb on the porch roof.

Use a pole or knock off a pound and dont clean it.

Bob

[Scrimble]

i use a stand off bracket and a ladder base mate stabiliser, very secure and safe i bought mine from midlandsladders

[M & C Window Cleaning]

I watched a trad cleaner the other day cleaning a window over a conservatory by splitting his ladder and hooking one half over the pointed plastic decoration on the apex of the con roof. He then climbed up to the edge of the con roof with the other half, climbed onto the half that was layed on the con roof and walked up it to the window steadying himself with his hands on the wall. Scared me silly just watching him. It supprises me that the custy was happy for him to do it.

As for windows over porches, I used to use an extn pole with my trad tools attached. If I felt the slightest bit at risk I would leave it out and explain the safety issue to the custy. If they made an issue over it I'd drop them. It's not worth risking your neck for the sake of cleaning a two or three feet square piece of glass.

I took what I considered to be a small risk once and it cost me a severely broken ankle. It could have been worse. I'm grateful it wasn't.