[L.U.K.E]

Just been made redundant and I'm looking to start my own window cleaning round, Any help from you guys would be great. I live in Dorset near Poole.

How much should I charge?
How much could I earn?
Where and what equipement should I buy to get myself started?
Is there anyone living near by I could team up with to gain some experience? 1-2 days per week…

Many Thanks..

Luke..

[Lee Pryor]

why do you want to be a window cleaner luke?

[Martin ccs]

one step is going on a forum - which you have done  

alot of new cleaners will go straight for the wfp systems, rather than ladder.

ladder method needs more practice than wfp systems - some ladder cleaning or "trad" skills are a total must.

cheap to start up with just a ladder n bucket but pro window cleaners do make it look fast and easy but beware its not as easy as it looks.

best advice i can give is to try and get someone local to help you for a few days - may even get some work out of it aswell  

[Ian Lancaster]

Unfortunately Luke your first two questions are "how long is a piece of string" type.  As a rule of thumb I calculate £1 per window (say £3 for a 6 panel bay) then add it all up and adjust it to suit my "gut feeling".  This could be affected by access issues, proximity to other jobs, type of windows, condition of paintwork etc etc.

Only way to find out is to try - make a few mistakes and learn.

As to earnings - you could open a can of worms with that one

I would just say that after you've gained some experience and built a halfway decent round you should be aiming to turnover about £30-£40 per hour.

As always, that's "turnover" not "wages"  - that depends on how much running your round costs you. Equipment, insurance, vehicle, office, advertising etc etc.

Basic equipment, I presume you intend to start "trad" (ladder and bucket)

Get a decent 3.5m double pointer window cleaners ladder - if you buy from Midland Ladders you can get a pair of safety feet fitted, and a 2m single point.  Then you need a couple of scrims, a couple of bits of terry towelling for mopping sills etc, a 14" applicator and sleeve, a 12" squeegee and a little (say 6") one for georgian squares and an oblong bucket and a scraper for the bird poop.

A bottle of decent household detergent (fairy) and away you go.

All you have to do now is learn how to use the tools and find some customers - that's where the fun begins

All the equipment can be bought on-line from a multitude of suppliers, most of whom you can find by doing searches on here.

[Lee Pryor]

i think thats good advice martin. i started traditional for 2 years untill i had built my round, almost no overheads made it easy. then go wfp and take on a bit more giving you a safer and bigger income.

best advice is work hard and consistantly and realise it can take years to really pay off

[amayze]

I hear there are some BIG houses in Sandbanks !

[colley614]

Unfortunately Luke your first two questions are "how long is a piece of string" type.  As a rule of thumb I calculate £1 per window (say £3 for a 6 panel bay) then add it all up and adjust it to suit my "gut feeling".  This could be affected by access issues, proximity to other jobs, type of windows, condition of paintwork etc etc.

Only way to find out is to try - make a few mistakes and learn.

As to earnings - you could open a can of worms with that one

I would just say that after you've gained some experience and built a halfway decent round you should be aiming to turnover about £30-£40 per hour.

As always, that's "turnover" not "wages"  - that depends on how much running your round costs you. Equipment, insurance, vehicle, office, advertising etc etc.

Basic equipment, I presume you intend to start "trad" (ladder and bucket)

Get a decent 3.5m double pointer window cleaners ladder - if you buy from Midland Ladders you can get a pair of safety feet fitted, and a 2m single point.  Then you need a couple of scrims, a couple of bits of terry towelling for mopping sills etc, a 14" applicator and sleeve, a 12" squeegee and a little (say 6") one for georgian squares and an oblong bucket and a scraper for the bird poop.

A bottle of decent household detergent (fairy) and away you go.

All you have to do now is learn how to use the tools and find some customers - that's where the fun begins

All the equipment can be bought on-line from a multitude of suppliers, most of whom you can find by doing searches on here.

That's spot on, I couldn't agree more. Just remember to keep plodding on! I always look at it this way. 'All I have to do is get the job next to my customer every month and my work would double every month.'