[lee_dewing]

Hello everyone

I work for my next door and neighbour in my road.

Done this for 10+ years
I do have too much work

And if I’m honest I think you should never work in the road you live in, not as a window cleaner anyway as once a month !

Maybe once in a blue moon

Was going to print a note off
What would you write ✍🏻

I’ve been asked for neighbour customers to
Do them a favour and clear their loft and another said they needed my help to repair their garage door

I’m a helpful guy
But me thinks it’s time to pull the rip cord😳😄

What would you put?

[lee_dewing]

Hello Neighbour, I’ve cleaned your windows today,

But I can’t in the future as I’m spread too thin these days, thanks for the work.
Regards Lee

[zesty]

Hello Neighbour, I’ve cleaned your windows today,

But I can’t in the future as I’m spread too thin these days, thanks for the work.
Regards Lee

Trouble is, they’ll see how often your van is on the drive, or home by 3pm and think ‘he’s got loads of time’’

 

[lee_dewing]

I wish
I’m not home until 6pm

5pm 🕔 now due too lack of daylight

After finishing work my pure water fill up is at my parents 15 minutes drive from my place

So fill up tea and biscuits too

As they don’t have off street parking I’m doing 2 barrels at a time to the van however
Close I can park 10 barrels

Back ward’s 10 times 🥲

Alternative is lottery winner for a bigger place for me or going back to ladders 🥲😄

[dazmond]

I clean a couple of neighbours flats occasionally when I clean my own.no charge and not regularly.

All paid work is further afield.

Lee you always seem to remind me of my former life as a window cleaner...gave up using  barrels and cleaning on my doorstep years ago...

[johnny bravo]

just clean there windows only.  Depending how much £££s you make from them sell them on to another local windy  who will be glad of extra work.
Just tell them you are helping another windy out who needs some extra work to keep going  as hes finding it hard .
they will  of think you as a hero

[Stoots]

Just wondering if you could perhaps fill up at a customers house and just fill your tank with tap water. D.I on board.

I used to have this issue when I first started. I lived in a flat and filled up at my mums house 20 mins away. I once filled my tank up at the local garage with their pressure washer was pretty quick.

[zesty]

I wish
I’m not home until 6pm

5pm 🕔 now due too lack of daylight

After finishing work my pure water fill up is at my parents 15 minutes drive from my place

So fill up tea and biscuits too

As they don’t have off street parking I’m doing 2 barrels at a time to the van however
Close I can park 10 barrels

Back ward’s 10 times 🥲

Alternative is lottery winner for a bigger place for me or going back to ladders 🥲😄

How do have the energy to work till 5pm everyday?

Sounds like you might need to change the business model a bit?

[lee_dewing]

Hello Zesty

I start 9.30 am ish until 4.00 pm ish now
And 5 ish when not so dark.

I wouldn’t start cleaning another house after 4.15 pm in these dark days 3.50 pm

Then 10-20 min drive to parents
With 30mins filling barrels and loading and a cup of tea

20 min drive home

So 1.5-2hrs until my bum is on my settee
After cleaning the last window.

I fill up 3-4 times a week at parents

That’s the way it’s been since August 2006

[lee_dewing]

Stoots

I’ve looked into using a portable Merlin system to re-fill barrels at customers houses

But I think the Merlin would cost a lot to run as I live in Essex on London borders, with hard water

Also with customers having cameras everywhere
I don’t think they’d appreciate it!

Also thought of filling up at one of them pure water pump dispenser jobs but what it costs in a week to produce my own is what I’d pay a day at pure water pumps 🤦‍♂️

[Smudger]

Sounds like they like to take advantage - anything like this I let them know I’m not insured so the answer is no

9.30? Jeez that’s a late start no wonder your out until after dark

Darran

[JandS]

I clean most of our Avenue including one of my next door neighbours......takes a steady 6 hour day  including breaks.and I don't have to move the van off the drive.

[Bungle]

I'd take a look at your start time firstly. 9:30 is way too late, half the day has gone by then. Try starting at 8:00/8:30

[deeege]

I avoid cleaning neighbours windows, I won’t even take on work 2 or 3 streets over.

[cgh window cleaning]

I don't clean any residential only commercial and one of the positives is I have no problem saying no to any friends,family or neighbours in my road.
My answer is always sorry I don't take on any residential.

Granted that can be a bit harder if you do clean residential and especially if like most on here your home for 1pm.

[Stoots]

If you started at 8 you could finish 2:30 and work the same hours surely that would be better ?

I used to start at 9 now i start at 8, id rather finish early plus having the majority of work banged out by the time i stop for lunch just feels a lot better.

Also you say 10 barrels every day, do you only use 250l  a day ?

[robbo333]

I don't do neighbours at all, on a regular 8 weekly.
All my neighbours are really friendly and nice, so I may do the odd front for free, or a house for a tenner (token gesture) but this is very rare.
If you want to stop doing your neighbours, tell them you have a dodgy elbow, (or whichever part of your body hurts the most) so you are cutting down on your workload.
I actually do have a dodgy elbow, so if anyone pics me up on it, I can say my elbow is a lot better now I have cut down.

[lee_dewing]

Hello Stoots
Yes 250 litres a day or less

I’m very economical on my water usage
Uni valve and my xline brush has 11 pencil jets

I use large brush 14 inch is it🤔

My biggest day is 14 semi detached houses
Takes 6 hours

2 houses are just fronts
But 3  houses have flat roofs so up a ladder
1 of these has a large conservatory

This takes 10 barrels
Luckily this is road my parents live in and where my water setup is

So if I ran out of water can fill up on site 😄

I can always carry more barrels

My setup is very diy

Rectangle bucket with shurflo pump screwed inside short end a large bolt pops up through bucket floor,
acts as a barrier stops car battery 🔋 sliding along bucket and squashing pump

And an eBay power regulator switch to turn pump speed up and down

I do lift hose reel out of van and it’s connected to and pump box with pole hose that I shut under van door and lock

My parents road where pure water is has a school at top of the road so 3.15 to 4pm
The road is full of Chelsea tractors 🚜

My parents don’t have off street parking so
I’d have to fill up water before 3 or after 4 pm

I don’t have the flashiest equipment
So lose some speed there
But I think I’m quite quick

I’ve watched other wfp windies work
While I’m having a sandwich and I’ve thought there quite slow

But probably people think I’m a slow coach 💁🏻‍♂️

I take it all with a pinch of salt now

I’ve heard some outrageous claims on this
Site on how many houses have been cleaned in a day and how much waters been used, earnings etc

Maybe I’m a snail 🐌😂

[lee_dewing]

Hello Robbo

I will tell the 5 customers in my road I have too much work, cutting back.

I find them all to be false, blank avoid you mainly then,
Super friendly watch out favour request coming.

If I get quizzed which one of them will

Sarcasm maybe 🤔 used

The voices in my head are telling me not to clean your windows 🤣

[Stoots]

Hello Stoots
Yes 250 litres a day or less

I’m very economical on my water usage
Uni valve and my xline brush has 11 pencil jets

I use large brush 14 inch is it🤔

My biggest day is 14 semi detached houses
Takes 6 hours

2 houses are just fronts
But 3  houses have flat roofs so up a ladder
1 of these has a large conservatory

This takes 10 barrels
Luckily this is road my parents live in and where my water setup is

So if I ran out of water can fill up on site 😄

I can always carry more barrels

My setup is very diy

Rectangle bucket with shurflo pump screwed inside short end a large bolt pops up through bucket floor,
acts as a barrier stops car battery 🔋 sliding along bucket and squashing pump

And an eBay power regulator switch to turn pump speed up and down

I do lift hose reel out of van and it’s connected to and pump box with pole hose that I shut under van door and lock

My parents road where pure water is has a school at top of the road so 3.15 to 4pm
The road is full of Chelsea tractors 🚜

My parents don’t have off street parking so
I’d have to fill up water before 3 or after 4 pm

I don’t have the flashiest equipment
So lose some speed there
But I think I’m quite quick

I’ve watched other wfp windies work
While I’m having a sandwich and I’ve thought there quite slow

But probably people think I’m a slow coach 💁🏻‍♂️

I take it all with a pinch of salt now

I’ve heard some outrageous claims on this
Site on how many houses have been cleaned in a day and how much waters been used, earnings etc

Maybe I’m a snail 🐌😂

It just sounds to me like you could make some improvements to your round/equipment to make life easier for yourself in the long run.

For example I cleaned 24 houses today 8 till 2pm and used about 500l of water. That's not to brag at all but it's a fairly normal day for me so just to show what can be done. 250l and 14 houses seems painfully slow for 6 hours. Again that's not to knock you nothing wrong with taking your time that's your perogative but what if you did have the latest gear such as high mod poles and electric reels maybe you would be able to get through works faster.

Things such as climbing on flat roofs would be a no no for me too time consuming.
Maybe invest in equipment and invest in gaining new work to compact your round and get rid of jobs that slow you down.

Just sounds like you are struggling, 14 houses and not home till 5pm sounds not very enjoyable at all 

Is there any reason you can't start before 9:30 ? I would be aiming to finish before 3 to fill your water up before the school run...