[michael mckeary]

Difficult one as I clean her daughter's who lives next door. But it has p1ssed me off TBF. A quick Google and I've found out the window cleaners are also handymen, painters and decorators... you name it they do it. And to cap it all off they're based over 20 miles away.

That's the future of window cleaning now. I've been doing it for 6 years and I see other folk have it on their vans. Today a customer asked me to come in and take a look at the dishwasher. It was 10 years old and I told her to buy a new one and I would fit it. Integrated so need to put wooden door back on new one when she gets it. Then she wants all the slabs Softwashed and a deep clean on a headstone at the cemetery. Great customer and I'm happy to oblige, have already replaced a bathroom tap and popup waste. Multiple streams of income so that's the reason I keep my tools in my van with deadlocks fitted. Its the future I'm afraid. The more one can do then the more you make. Realise its not for everyone.

[Bungle]

Difficult one as I clean her daughter's who lives next door. But it has p1ssed me off TBF. A quick Google and I've found out the window cleaners are also handymen, painters and decorators... you name it they do it. And to cap it all off they're based over 20 miles away.

That's the future of window cleaning now. I've been doing it for 6 years and I see other folk have it on their vans. Today a customer asked me to come in and take a look at the dishwasher. It was 10 years old and I told her to buy a new one and I would fit it. Integrated so need to put wooden door back on new one when she gets it. Then she wants all the slabs Softwashed and a deep clean on a headstone at the cemetery. Great customer and I'm happy to oblige, have already replaced a bathroom tap and popup waste. Multiple streams of income so that's the reason I keep my tools in my van with deadlocks fitted. Its the future I'm afraid. The more one can do then the more you make. Realise its not for everyone.

Jack of all trades springs to mind.

[Slacky]

Yea. So you moan others are prattling around not being one specific trade, then you yourself offer to fit some old birds washing machine.

Muppet.

[Smudger]

Doubt it - any by the time you've half arsed about doing that you could have done 4/5 cleans and earned 200 notes instead of 40

there will always be people (customers  ) asking you to do odd little jobs - usually because they get it done cheap.

One word of caution - check you have permission to "Deep Clean" headstones - and I don't mean your customer

[AuRavelling79]

And if you have public liability insurance - does it cover all these 'odd jobs'?

[tlwcs]

Difficult one as I clean her daughter's who lives next door. But it has p1ssed me off TBF. A quick Google and I've found out the window cleaners are also handymen, painters and decorators... you name it they do it. And to cap it all off they're based over 20 miles away.

That's the future of window cleaning now. I've been doing it for 6 years and I see other folk have it on their vans. Today a customer asked me to come in and take a look at the dishwasher. It was 10 years old and I told her to buy a new one and I would fit it. Integrated so need to put wooden door back on new one when she gets it. Then she wants all the slabs Softwashed and a deep clean on a headstone at the cemetery. Great customer and I'm happy to oblige, have already replaced a bathroom tap and popup waste. Multiple streams of income so that's the reason I keep my tools in my van with deadlocks fitted. Its the future I'm afraid. The more one can do then the more you make. Realise its not for everyone.

The future of window cleaning, FFS.
Ask Dazmond what extra services he offers, in fact look at all the successful guys on here and see if you can find a post of them sending someone out to do anything other than their core business.
Maybe having a fat pension each month clouds your judgment.
For most, unless you have the tools, time and skills, spend your time building 1 business

[Spruce]

Each to their own @tlwcs.

I certainly agree that sticking to your core business is the only way forward for most of us.

There are a number of window cleaners in our area who have stopped doing add-ons. So we get approached quite often by their customers. In the beginning, I thought that if they employed me to do the work that their regular cleaners wouldn't do, then they would get me to clean their windows as well.

It never happened. So now I reluctantly only do add-ons for by current customer base.

[AuRavelling79]

Bit of a pile-on here chaps. Play nice.

For me I am actively reducing any add-ons. I stopped doing gutters and soffits a couple of years back and pass them on to Dan the Man.

I don't even do Conny roofs anymore (unless it's an existing customer and a simple lean-to), but that's more of a 'looking to wind down' thing than anything else.

If MM has a pension or other work then good for him. If he enjoys doing odd jobs then who cares?

Having said that it seems strange to complain about a customer winning a free clean. That's such an outlier that unless I was looking for an excuse to dump even I would let that pass without a flounce.   

[Soupy]

Having said that it seems strange to complain about a customer winning a free clean. That's such an outlier that unless I was looking for an excuse to dump even I would let that pass without a flounce.   

Exactly.

The correct response is:

That's great, congratulations. Just give me a shout when you need me back.

[dazmond]

Difficult one as I clean her daughter's who lives next door. But it has p1ssed me off TBF. A quick Google and I've found out the window cleaners are also handymen, painters and decorators... you name it they do it. And to cap it all off they're based over 20 miles away.

That's the future of window cleaning now. I've been doing it for 6 years and I see other folk have it on their vans. Today a customer asked me to come in and take a look at the dishwasher. It was 10 years old and I told her to buy a new one and I would fit it. Integrated so need to put wooden door back on new one when she gets it. Then she wants all the slabs Softwashed and a deep clean on a headstone at the cemetery. Great customer and I'm happy to oblige, have already replaced a bathroom tap and popup waste. Multiple streams of income so that's the reason I keep my tools in my van with deadlocks fitted. Its the future I'm afraid. The more one can do then the more you make. Realise its not for everyone.

Jack of all trades springs to mind.

He might be a jack of all trades but these people are handy to know.good luck to him he will make a lot of people happy around his chosen area fixing and cleaning all sorts of things...

We need guys like him in society

[robbo333]

A free window clean in a raffle...fair enough. If it was one of my custys, I wouldn't really even think about it, just contact them next time and carry on; I've been cancelled for far worse reasons! 
M.M. you've been cleaning for 6 years and you still have time to do extra work! I was up to my proverbial bottom in windows after 6 years!
And as for the' future of window cleaning'...it's window cleaning!  Nothing more, nothing less; provide a good, friendly, reliable service, be professional and polite and offer a fair price. And repeat, and repeat, and repeat.

[Tam1872]

It's not a good sign that she Is willing to see you out of work to save a few poxy quid. Shows lack of respect for you and that she is a tight get.

On the other had if it's just one clean and then it's back to normal who cares. However I doubt these cleaners are looking to clean windows for free just for the hell of it, its a tactic to get them in the door and hopefully take the ongoing work.

I alway struggle with these things, on one had it doesn't matter at all on the other it grates at me. Hmm dump or not dump I would be toying with.

You take it too personally, at the end of the day to most customers, we’re just a service, they don’t think about our well being or financial circumstances.

Obviously there are some customers who become good friends, but it’s not a given…

She just wants her free clean, and why not? If she then jumps ship to new guys then so be it, it’s not like she’s in a contract, she probably couldn’t care less. To some people we’re just simply a window cleaner and nothing more…

Why would you want to be anything other than just the window cleaner?.

[michael mckeary]

Why would you want to be anything other than just the window cleaner?.

I just find cleaning windows all the time drives a man into depression or drives you crazy. One day window cleaning and then one day doing add-ons. Flexibility is the reason I have loyal customers. Did a gutter clear, SFG clean and first clean on windows this morning. Started at 9am finished for 12.30pm and made £300 plus I have the monthly clean. Can only do it because I have Vac, Nano Trolly, Hypo and van system with 25' pole as I wasn't allowed to go on roof. Wouldn't have went on roof anyway, it was a new slate roof. The window cleaning gives me continuity with my customers who come first above everything else and they provide the add-ons, I see it as a win win situation. The reason Bungle is upset is because he may only do window cleaning, if on the other hand he does add-ons then he might have been able to fit something in. Happens to me and I finish earlier so I visit B&Q and buy material for a job I have booked that month. I believe the answer we have all been looking for is flexibility, add another skill to your bow and more money will come in. If you are happy just cleaning windows then so be it, its a free world so they say.

[the king]

I like add on’s they are a nice change from the glass and if priced right they are a nice boost in cash 💰 

[Bungle]

Why would you want to be anything other than just the window cleaner?.

I just find cleaning windows all the time drives a man into depression or drives you crazy. One day window cleaning and then one day doing add-ons. Flexibility is the reason I have loyal customers. Did a gutter clear, SFG clean and first clean on windows this morning. Started at 9am finished for 12.30pm and made £300 plus I have the monthly clean. Can only do it because I have Vac, Nano Trolly, Hypo and van system with 25' pole as I wasn't allowed to go on roof. Wouldn't have went on roof anyway, it was a new slate roof. The window cleaning gives me continuity with my customers who come first above everything else and they provide the add-ons, I see it as a win win situation. The reason Bungle is upset is because he may only do window cleaning, if on the other hand he does add-ons then he might have been able to fit something in. Happens to me and I finish earlier so I visit B&Q and buy material for a job I have booked that month. I believe the answer we have all been looking for is flexibility, add another skill to your bow and more money will come in. If you are happy just cleaning windows then so be it, its a free world so they say.

Have you got heated seats and a 5* holiday booked by any chance?

[zesty]

I’ve  recently started doing gutter repairs and replacements (not just the usual gutter clearing/cleaning we all do) and it’s absolutely fantastic. The money is better than window cleaning and it’s something a bit different.

Granted, it’s not my core business so I can take it leave jobs. Pick the cream jobs.

So glad I ventured into it, set up a dedicated website for it, it brings in a trickle of jobs and I really enjoy getting away from the windows for a day.

It is sometimes worth adding other strings to your bow. But only, and I mean only, if it’s more enjoyable and earns you more than window cleaning.

[Smudger]

Why would you want to be anything other than just the window cleaner?.

I just find cleaning windows all the time drives a man into depression or drives you crazy. One day window cleaning and then one day doing add-ons. Flexibility is the reason I have loyal customers. Did a gutter clear, SFG clean and first clean on windows this morning. Started at 9am finished for 12.30pm and made £300 plus I have the monthly clean. Can only do it because I have Vac, Nano Trolly, Hypo and van system with 25' pole as I wasn't allowed to go on roof. Wouldn't have went on roof anyway, it was a new slate roof. The window cleaning gives me continuity with my customers who come first above everything else and they provide the add-ons, I see it as a win win situation. The reason Bungle is upset is because he may only do window cleaning, if on the other hand he does add-ons then he might have been able to fit something in. Happens to me and I finish earlier so I visit B&Q and buy material for a job I have booked that month. I believe the answer we have all been looking for is flexibility, add another skill to your bow and more money will come in. If you are happy just cleaning windows then so be it, its a free world so they say.

what's with the consent pricing and list of equipment - do you not think everyone else has equipment and in all honesty its better than what you've listed...

From experience - adding things like grass cutting - shed erecting - decorating dent work it severely limits your earning power/potential that in real terms you are going backwards - related add ons - Conny, sfg cleans gutters etc.. work well all the rest is just for someone just playing at running a biz who has either another job or large pension so they puff up their own ego a kid themselves they run a really good business

[Jay Le Huray]

I personally love doing addons but only in the cleaning jobs, ie I do a lot of gutter cleans using a gutter vac also FSG and con roofs but  I do draw the line at fitting washing machines or cutting customers grass.

I used  to do a lot of jet washing but packed that up due to loading and unloading the petrol jet wash from the van.

Having said all that, the other week I was cleaning windows at an old girls place and she asked if I could possibly run the hoover over the top of her kitchen unit as she could not get on the step ladder,

she has been a customer for over 20 years so I did do it for her, (it only took 3 minuets) she offered to pay me but I refused , bless her .

Later that day I get a text from her daughter saying thank you so much, sometimes that is better than money.

[KS Cleaning]

Can’t be ersed with tool boxes, gutter vacs, ladders, power washers, dosatrons etc etc, I prefer to keep things simple. Regular maintenance window cleaning is the easiest work out there😉

[AuRavelling79]

I personally love doing addons but only in the cleaning jobs, ie I do a lot of gutter cleans using a gutter vac also FSG and con roofs but  I do draw the line at fitting washing machines or cutting customers grass.

I used  to do a lot of jet washing but packed that up due to loading and unloading the petrol jet wash from the van.

Having said all that, the other week I was cleaning windows at an old girls place and she asked if I could possibly run the hoover over the top of her kitchen unit as she could not get on the step ladder,

she has been a customer for over 20 years so I did do it for her, (it only took 3 minuets) she offered to pay me but I refused , bless her .

Later that day I get a text from her daughter saying thank you so much, sometimes that is better money.

Doing a little favour for a loyal elderly customer isn't really the issue. I think we'd all do that wouldn't we?

But I can beat that, Jay! I actually lent an old biddy £30 in cash when her bank account got frozen due to suspected fraud activity.