[davids3511]

Starting out at this job is so frustrating!! I started last August with a few customers WFP. I made the jump from my old job to WC about 2 months ago and hit the leafletting hard. I now have about 170 customers, mostly 3 bed semis. I just cannot get more then 6 done in a day, all first cleans at the moment and am now about a week behind. I cannot start before 9.30 as I need to drop my son to school and with the dark nights, I am finishing at about 4.30.

I know it is slow to start with but I just seem to be swimming through tracle. Please tell me it gets better sometime soon.

I am using a backpack by the way

[Jeff Brimble]

Ok, It does get better and quicker. Back tonight.
Please describe how you clean a house.

[Pole2pole]

Slowly, by the sounds of it Sorry, that doesn't help. Dave sounds to me like you're takin way too much care on initial cleans. Be precise,be thorough. But don't give a 3 bed semi any more than 15 minutes.......20 max. That should only take ya to 2 hours for 6 houses. But it will get better bud. We all take a solemn oath on that

[Ian_Giles]

Jeff is right,  (and Dino) you will soon be able to do 6 standard semis comfortably in under 2 hours...very comfortably...even if they are all drive betweens.
And as Jeff also went on to say, let us know your method!

Ian

[Kwackers]

I also use a backpack, and i'm just filling out of a tank so takes quite long, first time round i did all tops, then all bottoms, to wait for everything to stop dripping.

Today i have found that every house, it's quicker to do a window thats not affected by the dripping (conserv, side windows etc) or just wait.

What took me 6.5 hours on initial cleans and all tops and then all bottoms, took me about 5.5 Hours, including an extra £9.00 clean i've took on, should be even faster next time.

I would seriously advise going out for a day with someone as it really helps.

[Sanity]

My second day WFP today (trolley).

Took me from 9AM to 2pm to do 10 cleans inc 1 first clean.  This includes travelling time, lugging the trolley / water barrels in and out of the car, setting up, explaining to the customer the system (if they asked)

I suspect it will get quicker and quicker

[djhaydn]

Hi
it does get quicker. i started wfp in June, todays round i done 5 large houses and i mean large, 4 smaller ones and 2 bungalows trad , toook 6 hours,
i think i spend to much time on mine, i could be quicker, but i like to make sure i dont miss anything,
as for dripping and waiting,,,,,,, i do all tops first then come back to the lower ones starting from where i started the tops,
bear with it bud, my first cleans were a nightmare, wanted to chuck trolley in the bin after a week.

Haydn

[davids3511]

Ok, It does get better and quicker. Back tonight.
Please describe how you clean a house.

For starters this is what I mean by a standard 3 bed semi - http://www.rightmove.co.uk/viewdetails-15984127.rsp?pa_n=14&tr_t=buy

I start at the front, on no 2 on the backpack and clean the top frame and then the glass and rest of frame. I then rinse off. Once I have done that, I will start on the bottom and then more of the same round the back and sides. I find I can wash the frame and glass in no time, it is the rinsing that takes ages. However, I very rarely have a problem with spotting or runs.

I am starting to do some 2nd cleans in volume now and it is far faster. I have them down to about 30 mins, just I have loads of 1st cleans still to do and it is getting me both down and behind.

[Jeff Brimble]

You need to earn for xmas, maybe put some of the 1st cleans off till the new year. tell them your booked solid. RU 4 weekly or 8 ?

[davids3511]

Hi

Monthly. Afraid that if I put them off I will loose them.

David

[Davew]

I hate first cleans. I did a horrible one today- the frames had oxidized, the glass was filthy, the sills were stained and after going round twice the glass was still terrible. The half-wit of a customer had sprayed them in the past with a hosepipe and we live in a very hard water area.

[mick hay]

David, your not far from me....your welcome to come out with me for a day...i do 20 - 25 a day, drop my lad of at school and am back to pick him up, actually i usually fininsh about 2ish!!!...let me know mate

[Jeff Brimble]

Split them up over the next 4 weeks. But give them an approx date to keep them quiet. Concentrate on your xmas money not trying to please everybody.

[davids3511]

David, your not far from me....your welcome to come out with me for a day...i do 20 - 25 a day, drop my lad of at school and am back to pick him up, actually i usually fininsh about 2ish!!!...let me know mate

Would love to, but maybe not a full day, I am far enough behind as it is. Where are you and when would be good for you?

Thanks


David

[Jon-scwindows]

i am the same at the moment- i done 4 houses in 4 hours!  flaming took me ages- they were quite big- i was aiming for about 15 per day this week, but today i was slow- i made an effort to do a good job, but i dont know what its turnt out like

i thought id go the trolley way- made my own custom built trolley- looked good at first now- I hate it!
getting in and out of the car, changing containers, wheeling around, untangling hose, not a good idea, im going to get a hose and floor mounted reel asap. then a box in the back and reel the hose out easy, so much fiddling about with the trolley.

and i had new customers - who werent in and left theyre back gate locked!
and i left my list of customers at home!

hopefully it will speed up this week though.

[Kwackers]

Taking me about 30 mins on setting one though as i find i save alot of time by not filling up every 2 minutes..

Im the same to i probably spend 10 minutes of the 30 (inc packing up, extending poles etc) just rinsing.

[Jeff Brimble]

Whatever setting you can save water by making the jets smaller. I use 4 1mm jets water goes further, windows just as clean.

[mick hay]

Anytime dave, but not fridays. I drop my lad of at school in worsley, so would be best to meet there.

When you want to, give me you e-mail and i'll arrange it with ya.

[Jeff Brimble]

David, snap his hand off it will save you weeks.

[Londoner]

You need to analyse your time to see where the time is going. With WFP its easy to waste a lot of time setting up and packing up. I know because I was spending more time faffing about than actually cleaning windows.

Treat it as a proper time and motion exercise and then target areas / practices that need to be improved and find ways to do it quicker.