[RPCCS]

Im totally sick of window cleaning now. Done it 30 years and the winters are starting to take a toll on my joints. I now have problems with neck, back. shoulders, wrists, knees and ankles. My heart isnt in it any more, last year I started a carpet cleaning business which has failed to take off. Since starting in September, I have had a total of 8 jobs. Whether to carry on trying or give up and sell the gear I dont know. Done the leaflets, church mags , newspapers. .twitter and Facebook, all this generated 2 jobs. One from the paper and one from a flyer. The rest habe been from existing window cleaning customers.

[֍Winp®oClean֍]

I think we all feel the same at times, the older I get the less tolerant to cold weather I get. It's not a very taxing or exiting job after all but....... it pays well for short hours. I only do about  30 hours a week these days- which helps.

[SB Cleaning]

Do you do add ons like pressure washing, fascia/gutters etc

I enjoy doing the add ons I would go mad doing windows all the time it does get very boring.

[mike1986]

Do you work alone? If so I would focus on building enough work to have someone with you every day. I’ve found it’s made a huge difference to my happiness in the job.

[The Jester of Wibbly]

For your aches and pains why not try out a regular sports masseur?

Stick on some music, a podcast or an audiobook to help time pass easier.

Also try mentally transporting yourself to how you would feel in another more stressful job, with longer hours.  You may feel relief when you come back to earth.

Finally, book a nice holiday to look forward too.

[andyM]

Chin up.
Spring is just round the corner!

[johnny bravo]

you don't say how old you are

sell some work and do less hours a week.        £sss  per hour window cleaning are one of the best going .    3 day week  will give you plenty of time to try other things.       Jet washing the spare days.     good manly fun holding the lance in your hands.   blasting that muck away

[dd]

I think anyone who plans to do this job a long time needs to put in place a retirement plan.

It helps to do this fairly early on.

Mine is simple.
1. Pension investments (SIPP)
2. Isa investments
3. Equity released from house (selling and moving to smaller house in cheaper area)

I have been window cleaning 31 years and could probably retire tomorrow if I wished (would have to live a simple life though).

I find working towards my retirement plan helps motivate me to keep going as the end is in sight and i have options e.g work less or stop entirely.

[Smudger]

I’d recommend a massage - it certainly helps the body when tired.

With regards to the cc biz - I’ve been told it takes at LEAST a year before it starts to even pay for itself - that info comes from 2 diff Enti people I know that carpet clean, so it’s still early days and tbh from the prices I’ve seen on the cc board (and been quoted myself) I dont know how they make a living

Perhaps, depending on circumstances take on a youngish lad to train up, would give you a chance to focus more on carpets if that’s what you want or be out working when you can’t

Darran

[dazmond]

I think we all feel the same at times, the older I get the less tolerant to cold weather I get. It's not a very taxing or exiting job after all but....... it pays well for short hours. I only do about  30 hours a week these days- which helps.

Hit the nail on the head......I do the same....Even less hours some weeks.....

Personally I don't think we ve ever had it so good in this game with ultra lightweight  WFPs,round software,hot water systems and electronic payments.....its a lot easier than ladder work and pays a hell of a lot more....

I might feel different if I suffered with aches and pains...but i don't and I've been window cleaning 27 years......

[dazmond]

This weather is the worst to work in.....cold windy wet weather....it'll soon change to warmer times ,lighter nights and  much more pleasant easier working days...

I think your mad to try carpet cleaning......surely you 've built up a great round of repeat window cleaning customers,no advertising needed apart from sign written van,easy......no heavy cleaning machines needed and no going into customers houses!bliss!😀

[dazmond]

Do you work alone? If so I would focus on building enough work to have someone with you every day. I’ve found it’s made a huge difference to my happiness in the job.

I found the opposite....I absolutely hated having someone working my round with me...

[Shrek]

It has been difficult recently with the weather, was lovely and warm in February and now it just seems to Chuck it down everyday!! Hailstones today 😩
Tomorrow is supposed to be nice 😀
Look into investments , something that brings in a bit of dosh each month so all your wage doesn’t come from window cleaning, it will make life a lot easier

[Stoots]

Yeh window cleaning is pretty poope when you do it every day.

 Ive been fed up of it for a while, cant wait to get home as soon as i get to first house.

I think as a sole trader you end up building the thing most of us were trying to escape which is a job.

Thats all it is when you get busy, just a job, have to drag yourself out of bed everyday to go clean some glass, quite often in miserable weather.

Having a week off is more stressfull as it just piles up so you have to keep ploughing on.


Good news is you can change it, sell some work off or employ or just pack it in altogether.

As long as you have a plan and a way out it shouldnt really be a problem. My goal is to get a full timer in so i can go back to being a part timer 

[dazmond]

It's a great job though!short hours,good money,virtually stress free and very flexible to fit in with your lifestyle.......

......it could be a lot worse!.......you could be  a carpet cleaner!

Every other job I've ever had has been a lot worse than window cleaning in regards to money earnt and hours worked!

[nathankaye]

Not that I would recommend it, but having other stressful things in your life makes going to work like an holiday. 😂😂

However, like many who have been cleaning glass for a while, it does become tedious and boring after a while. For me, switching from trad to wfp just over 3 yrs ago brought a new leash of life to it. However I also added jet washing n soft washing to my cleaning services which breaks it up nicely.
But the main thing for me that helps, is actually slowing things down a little.  I used to be proud with how fast n efficient I could work and how many houses I could clean in a day. Yet because I know I csn get my work done within a certain allotted time, i know I can slow down and take coffee breaks etc. I also enjoy speaking with the customers and having a coffee with some of them as well.

[P @ F]

I think I may well have slowed down too much 

[P @ F]

That said , I do seem to be focusing and enjoying making things to do with window cleaning a lot more than actually cleaning , maybe that is my get out , I think I would have to keep maybe 2 days a week to keep my hand in and test my poop 

[tony day]

Im totally sick of window cleaning now. Done it 30 years and the winters ate starting to take a toll on my joints. I now have problems with neck, back. shoulders, wrists, knees and ankles. My heart isnt in it any more, last year I started a carpet cleaning business which has failed to take off. Since starting in September, I have had a total of 8 jobs. Whether to carry on trying or give up and sell the gear I dont know. Done the leaflets, chirch mags , newspapers. .twitter and Facebook, all this generated 2 jobs. One from the paper and one from a flyer. The rest habe been from existing window cleaning customers.

I Personally think Window Cleaning is a Head Fu#k. The same Customers every month talking Bullsh#t, chasing Money owed, the long drown out Winter, keep looking at the Forecast day in day out. I've been doing Window Cleaning for 20 year's and i'm only 35! The people who say they love it must be very Mentally ill, or starved of stimulation as a Child!

[P @ F]

Cue Dazmond