[Richie76]

Well after a lot of deliberation and a wealth of good advice off here I went out and bought a cleaning warehouse back pack last week 11l di vessel and all the bits needed I also bought the cleaning warehouse trad kit as the traditional methods is obviously something I need to learn.
I went for the cheaper option choosing the back pack as I have no customers yet and I've just had to buy a new van.
To gain custom I intend to leaflet drop and canvass as well as making use of all the free advertising website and also spam all my local buy sell groups on facebook to high heaven as well as creating a page and possibly a website.
I've started off by practising on my own house my windows haven't been cleaned for a good 5 years and we're a total disgrace so I went at them with the pole and gave them what I thought to be a good clean...later in the day I looked again and they had more spots that a leper with chicken pox.
I'm assuming it was a mixture of the extent of filth on the frames and me not rinsing enough.
I did them again today and they all looked fine.
So then I decided to have a go at tradding the back  not as easy as it looks is it lol
I shaped up the windows wiped the frames over then put the squeegee to work but couldn't seem to get the water off the window completely it took several passes with the squeegee I then went over them with a dry micro fibre cloth which worked to an extent although it did seem to smear them a little
I'm wondering whether the squeegee needs breaking in as it's the first time I've used it and also the extent of the dirt present in the rubbers.
Anyway il be off to clean my moms tomorrow and anyone else that'll let me practise on them
I used pure water to trade the backs in the bucket with the soap not sure whether it's beneficial doing that or not I just thought it'd have less impurities.
Anyway that's my experience so far as a complete novice that said it's definitely a job I'm going to enjoy I just hope I get good enough to make a decent living from it.

[bobplum]

where do you live

[jonboywalton75]

When tradding, squeegee off liquid is brilliant for good slippage on the squeegee

[Johnny B]

I find Fairy Liquid (the blue one with antibacterial agent) with a little white vinegar, and using the red squeegee rubbers give the best trad results.

John

[nathankaye]

Yep, many people think they can pick up a squeegee and do a streak free clean.  Over the years I've had different customers who have asked to give it a try and they all come to the same conclusion.   Haha, I then changed my attack and mop a window whilst blading the other. It looks more complicated and people then realised and stopped asking.

Whilst your a beginner, don't try anything fancy whilst using the trad equipment.
Did you get 14inch ones or the 18?   The important thing is getting the right consistency of soap water.  Don't use too much squirty and add it to the bucket after the water. So you don't have a bucket of foam.
You only need the squirty to help the squeegee slide on the glass, that's all.   Turn the squeegee slowly making sure the rubber is always on contact with the glass and you will soon get the hang of it.

Wfp, the worst mistake people do when using a trolley is trying to reserve the water. You need a good flow to do a good job. Just be mindfully of all the things the water may drip from which may cause spotting and clean them well. With practice you will soon perfect your technique.
But practice, practice and practice some more. Lol even us chaps who have been doing it for some time are still learning new techniques or perfecting them. So don't give up buddy

[Stoots]

Spend everyday canvassing, posting leaflets and smashing the buy sell groups on facebook along with a website and paid adwords/Fb ads if funds allow and you`ll b well on your way by the summer.

Forget the trad work,  get used to the backpack then get a van mount asap.

With first cleans, clean the entire frames and glass, then either allow time to drip off or dry it manually with a cloth(frames) then re do the glass.

[Marc Stock]

I wouldn't get too carried away honing your trad skills. That will come with practise and unless your going to be doing car showrooms, shopfronts and inside cleans, put your efforts into WFP skills

About wfp. Its ok, but there are limits with it. So the important thing to know is if the customers property falls within the scope of wfp. 90 percent of the properties you come across will fall into wfp but you will get the problem ones, and part of building  profitable round is keeping the work that brings in the money by staying clear of problem cleans.

Dont price low. Work on the 3rd rule.

So for every day you work expect to get 3rd of the payments on the same day; 3rd of the payments over the next couple of weeks/days and a 3rd of the payments you will have to chase. This is important, because if you have £500 booked in for the week expect to only get around £170-£250 of that money to run your business and that can be very difficult to manage; especally if your starting out.

Expect to be building your business for around 5 years before you get what i would classify a 'stable' business.

[Stoots]

Aye cashflow can be a bit worrying at times, some days I'll look and my balance has hardly moved. Then other days you'll look at 20 have paid all on the same day.

It's good to have a couple of grand in there as a buffer.

[tlwcs]

Walsall, land of the one offs.
They will promise you regular, they will drive your price down and on your second visit a child will come to the door and say they only wanted 1 clean.
Price well there's some affluent areas big properties where you are

[tlwcs]

where do you live

Walsall aye it Bobby baby

[Richie76]

where do you live

walsall mate