[tightswerve]

Took day off work to catch up on  window cleaning work today.

Worked from 9 till 4 and made £97 is that any good ?
I'm bl**dy knackered...! 

Steve Wright 

[pjulk]

is it more than you would have earned if you where at work.
If so it must be good

Paul

[tightswerve]

As the months have passed i have become quicker.

For example a very large detached house i do(huge conservatory,indoor swimming pool,leaded french windows every where) used to take me 4/5 hours i can now do in 2and a half !But i feel a little guilty as i still charge £45.

This is the case with other jobs,when the customer is in i try and leave it till the very last minute(put ladders on van etc) before i ask for money.

Should i not worry about this and just get on with it?  :

Steve Wright

[WavieDavie]

i can now do in 2and a half !But i feel a little guilty as i still charge £45.
That's £18 per hour, which is quite cheap by the standards of some on these boards. Don't just time yourself while you're cleaning the windows - you've got to get to their premises, so factor in the cost of that, you also need to purchase all the gear you need to enable you to do the job, plus the time taken to complete the paperwork later, the cost of your insurance, time wasted while the old darlings hunt for their purse after watching you at every window all round the house and haven't quite connected the fact of you being there and needing paid when you're finished . . .

This is the case with other jobs,when the customer is in i try and leave it till the very last minute(put ladders on van etc) before i ask for money.
If you've given them a price for the job don't feel guilty about asking for the money. Try starting the job so that you'll finish at their front door and knock that when you're two windows away. Why? Because by the time you've finally finished, they'll have the right money ready and you can wish them a cheery goodbye as you're on your way back to the motor.

To wean yourself into this system, why not ring the bell after you've finished and then start to put the ladders back on the van? They'll come to the door, you can shout out that you'll be there just as soon as you've tied the ladders on. I'm sure they'll start to get the hint!

Should i not worry about this and just get on with it? 
CORRECT 

[tightswerve]

Once again WavieDavie wise words 

Will take on board what u have said!

Thanx Steve Wright 

[Duke]

I seem to be averaging about $25 per hour, for 5 hours work, Mon to Fri, using the pole. (I'm a bit lazy) That's £100 per day, £500 per week....part time really, but hey ! I've got other things I'd rather be doing with my time...(like riding my Bandit 1200, or going Scuba Diving..lol)

[Steve_Richardson]

Hi,

I also work two or three days per week to other commitments and find that since moving over to WFP my earnings ahve gone up. As I only had aenough work to fill 2 days per week using ladders it's taken a while to build up more now that I am quicker with a WFP.

I also found that I could take on work I wouldn't dream of doing with a ladder (too high, too awkward) and I can charge a "healthy" sum to do it with my WFP.

I am now trying to ween out from my round the houses that are too cheap, and replace them with the high paying house, 3 storey houses, large coutry properties, awkward to reach windows ect, so I can make my WFP pay better.

i also got the feeling when I first switched that on some places I was cleaning them too quickly for the price I was charging but I view it this way:

I invested £xxx in the WFP for my benefit (safer/quicker ect), not the customers benefit. We agreed a price for the job, not for the time spent. As long as they are happy with the job that's what counts.

If you are really worried about a customer complaining that you ahve been "too quick" jsut aim to clean it when they are not there!!!

Cheers
Steve

[thewindowcleaner]

just joined the forum .......Hello
well i stay in scotland ....(Very posh area)
if i dont break 18 pound an hour i dont do them
i work a 3 day week with a friend of mine .......... he pays me 10 an hour(but i know i earn him at least 16 an hour......... (simple maths for every hour i work he gets 6 in his pocket for me just working)
anyway im just starting out myself and have managed to get a few customers but only enough for about 5 hours a week but its a start..... hoping to build on that......... have a word with other window cleaners in your area ..........
most have houses that they r dying to get rid of (generally horrible wee panes)
start from there .........charge a wee bit extra .... say a pound........  print yourself a few flyers..... post them in shops..... post offices etc........
generally if you get one new one in a street ..........within a year you will have at least 5 on that street......... word of mouth is our best way of new customers

[DJC Clean]

I`ve just started this week and i`m earning £10 an hour. I still need to speed up a lot to up thew earnings but its not bad !!!

This is on my own round

[WavieDavie]

just joined the forum .......Hello
well i stay in scotland ....(Very posh area)

And Hello to you too thewindowcleaner, glad you popped in.

Any chance of you filling in a bit more of your profile, so we know a bit more about you, and which posh part of God's own land you're from? Edinburgh, Glasgow, city, countryside?

[tightswerve]

Got to take my hat off to you full time guys! 


Have been using holiday time i have left this year and have been working all day 9till 4ish(gets a bit dark) and don't know if i could do it week in week out?

The time certainly flies by and out doors all day i could sleep for England! 

Earning 80-£100 a day with 20mins for lunch.

Steve Wright 

[AuRavelling79]

Sounds like you're gradually picking up speed quite nicely - I'm sure that as time goes by and you use some of the techniques to be found on this board you'll soon be approaching £150 on a dry 9 - 4 day!
You could've taken me home in a wheelbarrow after a busy day in the early stages of my cleaning career!

[Duke]

I reckon on a reasonable day....using the pole, I make about £25 an hour. Not every hour, as I have to travel a few miles for some country jobs, but generally....
I try to make £100 in about 5 hours, mon - fri....I don't think that's unreasonable or un-attainable...works for me anyway....I used to work for Tewkesbury Borough Council for £6.48 an hour, then they cut my hours to 30 a week...what a joke....now I make more than three times as much for many less hours.....go WC's !