[Ooooooog]

I’m hoping I’m retired before I’m as old as you lot!!!!

Probably get bored though.

It’s only a hard job if you go at it hammer and tongs. Trying to do silly amounts everyday.
Cant’t be much harder than playing golf, if you take it gently.

[Stoots]

As you get older you are going to slow down so perhaps a idea would be to push for higher priced/ easier work.

Invest some money into building the round with better prices.

That way you can work slower and still earn the same money.

[Dave Willis]

I go to the gym and play the drums, in the evenings I attend gigs and lift weights. I’m thinking of taking up alcoholism.

[KS Cleaning]

I’m 51 and relatively fit, I play 5 a side football one night a week. In the past I’ve had a rotator cuff issue and tennis elbow. I used to have quite a big round with 4 employees but over the last  4 years or so have sold off a lot of work and kept the cream to myself.  I got a new van in July and didn’t even bother putting a roof rack on it, the few jobs that required a ladder to get onto a flat roof got passed on to another window cleaner.  I don’t clear gutters or wash fascias anymore  either, I much prefer the regular window cleaning, which I find easy in comparison.

[nathankaye]

Why?  Why at that age would you still be happy to climb ladders cleaning gutters?
Im only 43 and gave ladders up when switched over to wfp. Ive done the odd gutter clean but regret it as soon as i start to climb the ladder. So there is no way i would want to be doing so this year or any yr moving forward. Invest in a gutter vac or simply stop doing them. As others have said, increase prices or drop your lower price work and take on new.

[G Griffin]

Out of interest whose the oldest on the forum?

It's Soupy, I think.
He's in his 70's and he works with his Dad.

[Mike Halliday]

I’m 56 I Still work now as hard as I did when I was 30. 2yrs a go I had bilateral hip replacement  this took 3 months to recover from, and the previous 3yrs before the operation I was suffering bad pain but still worked.

I do a lot of fascia-soffit-gutter cleaning off ladders and using poles, nothing we do is hard unless you are talking 8hr days 6 days a week then there might be a cumulative  effect  but easy 5hr days shouldn't be a problem

[bravo20]

I’m 51 and relatively fit, I play 5 a side football one night a week. In the past I’ve had a rotator cuff issue and tennis elbow. I used to have quite a big round with 4 employees but over the last  4 years or so have sold off a lot of work and kept the cream to myself.  I got a new van in July and didn’t even bother putting a roof rack on it, the few jobs that required a ladder to get onto a flat roof got passed on to another window cleaner.  I don’t clear gutters or wash fascias anymore  either, I much prefer the regular window cleaning, which I find easy in comparison.

What treatment did you have for the rotator cuff and tennis elbow?  I've got a second appointment  at MSK clinic today for shoulder, physio doesn't seem to have helped over last few weeks.

[Jay Le Huray]

I'm 66 now and started to notice the slow down effect a year ago when I reached 65, I now only do about 60% of what I used to do

[RPCCS]

Can relate to all the comments, I will be 53 this year and for last 4 years I have wound window cleaning hard going. Especially during the winter, the aches start at back of my neck, shoulders,wrists, lower back, knees, ankles,feet. I do a handful of gutter jobs in winter and find the ladder work tough now, even 10 years ago, I was still fit. This is why in late 2018 I started the carpet cleaning business  to try and get out of the window cleaning.

[dazmond]

As you get older you are going to slow down so perhaps a idea would be to push for higher priced/ easier work.

Invest some money into building the round with better prices.

That way you can work slower and still earn the same money.

We should all be doing this anyway...its called refining your round......keep putting existing jobs up every few years  as well as charging more for new jobs......

Also I'll be phasing out any work over 25ft over the next decade....

[dazmond]

Can relate to all the comments, I will be 53 this year and for last 4 years I have wound window cleaning hard going. Especially during the winter, the aches start at back of my neck, shoulders,wrists, lower back, knees, ankles,feet. I do a handful of gutter jobs in winter and find the ladder work tough now, even 10 years ago, I was still fit. This is why in late 2018 I started the carpet cleaning business  to try and get out of the window cleaning.

What hours are u doing day to day window cleaning?
What pole are u using?
Do u use a fixed electric reel with microbore hose?
Do u rinse on the glass for upper windows?

If your already using xtreme poles,electric reels and working short days,do u think u might be suffering from arthritis?

[dazmond]

My default setting(typical day) these days is....

3 hrs work then 30 min lunch followed by another 2 hrs work.then home,fill up and print slips,charge batteries.all done and dusted by 4pm-430pm.

Today I'll work

930-3pm

[alank]

Over the last few years I've phased out all the ball ache jobs only take on jobs now if I can hit it all with an 18 ft extreme you can keep the 3 and 4 storey stuff been there done that.
Only on the glass four days a week now most  prices will be going up in the spring and all new work is priced as high as possible I'm 53 and still have aches and pains but at least my work load is manageable and I don't have to work all day every day.
Daughter works with me and I subcontract some work out to another window cleaner this all lightens the load.

[nathankaye]

I hate the 40's lol.  Personally i think your health takes a nose dive at 35 and without your consent lol.
Up till that age, I could eat whatever i wanted and without worry of weight gain and now ive cut right back and mostly on a diary free diet (not classing myself as a vegan s true vegans seem to be nuts lol)
I also never got ill for longer than 24 hrs and now colds etc take 48 hrs and sometimes longer to shake off.
Sleep, well I think ive said before how little sleep I usually get but I feel in this last week, all the years lack of sleep has caught up with me.  Im shattered going back to work this week 
But then, it could just be the stress levels of non work related stuff

[NWH]

i could never ever go back to ladders now if all of a sudden we had to I would have to re think what I do you earn money,I pity anyone over 40 that has to ladder every job they must be sadomasochistic.

[Slacky]

I hate the 40's lol.  Personally i think your health takes a nose dive at 35 and without your consent lol.

You probably think you're old too....

[nathankaye]

I hate the 40's lol.  Personally i think your health takes a nose dive at 35 and without your consent lol.

You probably think you're old too....

Nope, just a noticeable difference but i have a bad ankle from an old football injury now playing up. A bad back that flares up periodically and trigger finger which i have two injections per year to manage as i dont want the op yet!  So by time im your age I will definitely feel old

[dazmond]

I hate the 40's lol.  Personally i think your health takes a nose dive at 35 and without your consent lol.
Up till that age, I could eat whatever i wanted and without worry of weight gain and now ive cut right back and mostly on a diary free diet (not classing myself as a vegan s true vegans seem to be nuts lol)
I also never got ill for longer than 24 hrs and now colds etc take 48 hrs and sometimes longer to shake off.
Sleep, well I think ive said before how little sleep I usually get but I feel in this last week, all the years lack of sleep has caught up with me.  Im shattered going back to work this week 
But then, it could just be the stress levels of non work related stuff

personally ive loved my 40s up to now......lots of luxury holidays that once i could only  dream of,financially stable,we got the band back together,i met my current girlfriend when i was 41,new van,grippa hot system,new golf GTD and i earn more money now than i ever have cleaning windows and short hours to boot,i took up bodybuilding again when i was 44(4 years ago),ive now finally got my dream drum kit and cymbals(which will last me the rest of my life now!).......

i can honestly say its been the best decade of my adult life,its been a blast........

[KS Cleaning]

I’m 51 and relatively fit, I play 5 a side football one night a week. In the past I’ve had a rotator cuff issue and tennis elbow. I used to have quite a big round with 4 employees but over the last  4 years or so have sold off a lot of work and kept the cream to myself.  I got a new van in July and didn’t even bother putting a roof rack on it, the few jobs that required a ladder to get onto a flat roof got passed on to another window cleaner.  I don’t clear gutters or wash fascias anymore  either, I much prefer the regular window cleaning, which I find easy in comparison.

What treatment did you have for the rotator cuff and tennis elbow?  I've got a second appointment  at MSK clinic today for shoulder, physio doesn't seem to have helped over last few weeks.

A decent Physiotherapist should be able to recommend the best stretching exercises for them, also the NHS website has stretching instructions for both. You should also look at how you work, for instance, how you hold the pole when scrubbing. If you’re like me and you have the right hand near the base of the pole, the left hand should be alternated throughout the day so you see  the day so sometimes your knuckles should be showing and at other times it should be your finger nails showing, doing this uses all the  muscles around the rotator cuff so there is less chance of RSI. For tennis elbow I found the two best exercise were 1, stretching your arm out with your knuckles showing ( as if to say stop ) then with the other hand pull your hand back and forward slowly from the base of the fingers (  not the point of the fingers ) 2, stretching your arm out but this time point your hand downwards, place your other hand between wrist and knuckles and press your hand slowly back and forward. Hope this makes sense...it does to me🤪