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Post Info TOPIC: adding window cleaning service
Do you include window cleaning to your list of services? [22 vote(s)]

Yes
13.6%
No
45.5%
Maybe in the future
40.9%


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RE: adding window cleaning service
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Apex Roof Cleaning wrote:
Roof Cleaning Severna Park MD wrote:

Dan, it would most likely be a waste.. You'd have to agitate the window and squeegee it off to get a spot and streak free finish.


 Ya, I know some guys were trying to say that they could use AC's bleach wash and charge like an extra $50 for a window cleaning. That is where the idea was coming from.


Again. Window cleaning is usually time consuming for small money.

I can clean this roof for $350.00 in the time you make $65.00 cleaning the windows.

Then, after you finish, the lady will have you go back for misses and runs.

I will be starting another roof.

So, having done windows as part of my business in the past and stopping it, because it was of very little profit, just a lot of bother.

That's my advice. If you can get $150.00 to clean the exterior windows, maybe it's worth it. BUT NOT TO ME!



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Chuck, I agree with you. IN my market windows cleaning is so cheap, we typically sub it out. We make more per hour by not doing the windows on commercial buildings, and letting someone else provide better results than we can for a fraction of the time and price.

Case study: We cleaned this building in September. My favorite cleaner charged me $150 to clean with a water fed pole and pure water system. It would have taken me a day to clean these windows with a pole & squeegee. Even if I had a WFP, that is still chump change to pay out to not have to worry about the windows.

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Ray Burke
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This is the type of window cleaning job i'm looking for. She gets it done once a year and i'd have her pressure washing, window cleaning, roof cleaning, & snow removal (via sub contract) business for the foreseeable future, without any significant threat of a competitor invading my territory. Sure there's a chance a somebody can and will win some customers over for various reasons, but if I provide all 4 of these services, and do a great job for a reasonable price, why would she risk firing me for an unknown company?

It's like the verizon rep in my territory says; a $100 cash rebate for switching from comcast to verizon means nothing to a lot of people. Why risk perfectly good service for a relatively small amount of money?

My business plan (eventually) doesn't include me performing the labor for any of my services. If I was doing all the work with a couple helpers, and cleaning the windows was preventing me from moving onto the next roof cleaning job, then I wouldn't consider the additional service. I just think if I can land 100 jobs like this one it would certainly be worth it.

 

window cleaning



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sweetwaterfish wrote:

Chuck, I agree with you. IN my market windows cleaning is so cheap, we typically sub it out. We make more per hour by not doing the windows on commercial buildings, and letting someone else provide better results than we can for a fraction of the time and price.

Case study: We cleaned this building in September. My favorite cleaner charged me $150 to clean with a water fed pole and pure water system. It would have taken me a day to clean these windows with a pole & squeegee. Even if I had a WFP, that is still chump change to pay out to not have to worry about the windows.


Thank You!

I tried to make this point earlier on, but no one paid any attention?

The obvious add on to roof cleaning is:

#1. Pressure Washing all but the roof [ I know some jobs up North can be softwashed, but not here in Florida-too many touchy plants! ]

I can do a roof for say $450.00 and add that 2700.00 sq ft house in for pressure washing for $80.00 and it takes 45 minutes. Add a pool enclosure and deck for $95.00 [average] and that's another 45 minutes [less pleasant, with the SH in your face, so I charge more than for a house.] Add a driveway and walk - $65.00 for using a cement surface cleaner, or $50.00 to use roof mix on it and rinse it with a hose. In the end, without driving to another job, my roof job goes from $450 to $650 or more. That's adding $ .

Or, spend 45 minutes, doing something I hate [window cleaning] and make an average of $50 - $60.00 and just before I get my check, the lady says "There are a few spots you need to hit again. 3 misses and 4 runs." Do that and 2 more runs show up. ETC ETC. What you see from outside, is not what she sees from inside. Next thing you know, the $50.00 you quoted her, assuming you had 45 minutes of work, is a 1 hour job and she's still not happy.

Next time her roof needs cleaning, she won't use you, because you left a bad taste in her mouth-all from window cleaning!

The only windows I do anymore, are sliding glass doors, only for a few mgt companies I work for.

Also, like I said before. If you want an extra 50 bucks, instead of playing "window cleaner" cut a branch off a tree for 50 bucks in 10 minutes.



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Serving Englewood Rotonda North Port Cape Haze Venice Port Charlotte Punta Gorda Boca Grande Charlotte and Southern Sarasota Counties in Florida.

941-698-1959
www.bergmanroofcleaning.com

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RNlN3R7CqI



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On the other hand. If you need the work badly enough, cleaning the windows does give you an edge.
Some people don't want to hire 2 different people for a job. That's why I tried adding it, way back when.
Now, I am busy almost all the time, cleaning roofs and pressure washing the house, pool enclosure, lanai, deck, driveway and walk. I don't have time to be a window cleaner too. If they want a "Jack of all trades" roof cleaner / window cleaner / gutter brightener / gardener etc, they can go find one. I just clean roofs and pressure wash.

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Serving Englewood Rotonda North Port Cape Haze Venice Port Charlotte Punta Gorda Boca Grande Charlotte and Southern Sarasota Counties in Florida.

941-698-1959
www.bergmanroofcleaning.com

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RNlN3R7CqI



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Im not saying its a bad add on for some companies, its just not the right add on for us. However, if you do it, make sure you either 1) hire someone with windows cleaning expertise or 2) Take a class to learn how to do it most efficiently.

Good window cleaners can fly through jobs, bad window cleaners ( like me) can take hours and still leave unsatisfactory results.

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Spray Wash Exterior Cleaning
850.528.3226
visit our website
Soft Washing and Pressure Washing
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Serving Tallahassee, FL, The Big Bend
and SW Georgia
http://www.spray-wash.com
 


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Excellent point Chuck ... However, I wouldn't be doing it in order to give myself the edge, or cause I need the work, it's just taking advantage of something that's under the umbrella and thinking 5-10 years down the road. Obviously, there's no right or wrong answer, it's just a matter of what fits you and your business.

For me personally, I want nothing to do with the labor, and eventually very little to do with many parts of the business I'm currently involved with. There's nothing wrong with 1 truck and 1 helper, but I envision 5 trucks, 10 laborers and an office manager, while I concentrate on sales and marketing.

That said, a year from now I might agree with you, and conclude that it's not worth it, but like you did, I'll at least give it a shot and decide whether or not it's worth continuing. And to be fair to both of us, we're not exactly comparing apples to apples. With much less competition there's a bit more margin in Chester County, PA.

Anyway, all the different views and input is greatly appreciated. I'm glad there are different opinions on the subject as we can all weigh different perspectives if/when deciding to proceed with the new service. Thank you!!!

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Roof Cleaning West Chester PA wrote:

Excellent point Chuck ... However, I wouldn't be doing it in order to give myself the edge, or cause I need the work, it's just taking advantage of something that's under the umbrella and thinking 5-10 years down the road. Obviously, there's no right or wrong answer, it's just a matter of what fits you and your business.

For me personally, I want nothing to do with the labor, and eventually very little to do with many parts of the business I'm currently involved with. There's nothing wrong with 1 truck and 1 helper, but I envision 5 trucks, 10 laborers and an office manager, while I concentrate on sales and marketing.

That said, a year from now I might agree with you, and conclude that it's not worth it, but like you did, I'll at least give it a shot and decide whether or not it's worth continuing. And to be fair to both of us, we're not exactly comparing apples to apples. With much less competition there's a bit more margin in Chester County, PA.

Anyway, all the different views and input is greatly appreciated. I'm glad there are different opinions on the subject as we can all weigh different perspectives if/when deciding to proceed with the new service. Thank you!!!


Mike, everyone is different and every area is different.

One year I had 5 employees, plus my wife worked with me on the non-labor end and I absolutely hated it!

Every time I stopped by the jobs, one guy was working and 4 guys having a cigarette break.

Profit with 5 guys sucked!

I would never do it again!

I like a simpler life.

Work crews = hiring, firing, training, theft, making your own competition down the road etc.

To me, it's just a headache.

As a father & son business, I can keep my profit margin up to around 65-70%

With 5 employees, it was reversed.

If 5 trucks, 10 laborers and an office manager is what you want, I certainly hope you succeed and can handle the headaches.

I know some people can. Not me.



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Serving Englewood Rotonda North Port Cape Haze Venice Port Charlotte Punta Gorda Boca Grande Charlotte and Southern Sarasota Counties in Florida.

941-698-1959
www.bergmanroofcleaning.com

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RNlN3R7CqI



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Bergman Roof Cleaning Port Charlotte FL 941-698-1959 wrote:
Roof Cleaning West Chester PA wrote:

Excellent point Chuck ... However, I wouldn't be doing it in order to give myself the edge, or cause I need the work, it's just taking advantage of something that's under the umbrella and thinking 5-10 years down the road. Obviously, there's no right or wrong answer, it's just a matter of what fits you and your business.

For me personally, I want nothing to do with the labor, and eventually very little to do with many parts of the business I'm currently involved with. There's nothing wrong with 1 truck and 1 helper, but I envision 5 trucks, 10 laborers and an office manager, while I concentrate on sales and marketing.

That said, a year from now I might agree with you, and conclude that it's not worth it, but like you did, I'll at least give it a shot and decide whether or not it's worth continuing. And to be fair to both of us, we're not exactly comparing apples to apples. With much less competition there's a bit more margin in Chester County, PA.

Anyway, all the different views and input is greatly appreciated. I'm glad there are different opinions on the subject as we can all weigh different perspectives if/when deciding to proceed with the new service. Thank you!!!


Mike, everyone is different and every area is different.

One year I had 5 employees, plus my wife worked with me on the non-labor end and I absolutely hated it!

Every time I stopped by the jobs, one guy was working and 4 guys having a cigarette break.

Profit with 5 guys sucked!

I would never do it again!

I like a simpler life.

Work crews = hiring, firing, training, theft, making your own competition down the road etc.

To me, it's just a headache.

As a father & son business, I can keep my profit margin up to around 65-70%

With 5 employees, it was reversed.

If 5 trucks, 10 laborers and an office manager is what you want, I certainly hope you succeed and can handle the headaches.

I know some people can. Not me.


LOL ... the way my past month has gone I would certainly tend to agree!!! Right now it's just me and a helper and there's a lot to be said about that. Haven't gotten one call back, other than a bag we left tied to a gutter. I've recieved more referrals from not only being at the jobsite, but from doing a much better job house washing. I'm in no rush to see my son grow up, but as he does I'd love for him to work with me too. 

I'm just processing all the advice I recieved from this post and over the phone from several pressure washing/window cleaning companies. Right now I'm leaning towards alloocating my time and resources into a box truck and expanding the roof cleaning business. This winter I'll be prospecting commercial accounts for 2013 so I'll definately need another truck/crew. There are a lot of other things to tidy up this winter, specifically a much more structured, and formal training program for new employees. That would actually probably make a good thread: employee orientation/training

Thanks again Chuck!!!



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I'm sure you will do well in business, however you decide to do it.

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Mike, I'm a little confused on how you haven't figured this out already. The lady whose home you had shown a picture of she doesn't really care about the window cleaning service. She likes "you" and she wants what ever you have, probably in more ways then one. People like her, want her windows cleaned, just because. She obviously has the money, she isn't going to call you back for a streak.

2 polls, 2 squeeges 1 bottle of mix. $60 at HD. That window cleaning job is atleast $160 outside only. You just made the return on your investment and some profit after you have paid your guys, and now you have all the supplies to do it again.

Its a no brainer, especially if you don't plan on cleaning them yourself in the future.

Dan

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Dan, the problem with that is that cleaning those windows with a squeegee and a pole is usually sloppy unless you are a really good window cleaner. I didn't realize how easy it was to leave a streak (even with professional equipment, not HD stuff) until I cleaned my first windows at a customers home! It took me all day just to clean 25 windows, which is why we invested into pure water equipment. There's no sense in us not doing the work because it's so hard to find a window cleaner that isn't pressure washing too.

At this point in time, we are transitioning into cleaning windows completely WITHOUT a squeegee and marketing our pure water cleaning services as safer and more effective. Cleaning with a squeegee takes FOREVER on a home like that if window cleaning isn't your main thing, but that is probably a 1 hour job with a waterfed pole (if there are no screens). We'll be utilizing pure water technology inside and outside of the home starting next week and at a minimum of $10 per window inside and out, that's a good chunk of change added to your job. It's a simple upsell and people love clean windows once they realize how dirty they probably are.

We average around $100 per hour cleaning windows, investing in a waterfed pole is a good idea.

Another plus is that you can clean windows in the winter time, adding some alcohol to your mix allows you to clean in the cold without the water freezing right away and it can at least keep your people busy if you normally have to shut down in the winter. Last year we had a good amount of customers who wanted their windows cleaned before the holidays and realized it was a good opportunity to keep working.

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sweetwaterfish wrote:

Im not saying its a bad add on for some companies, its just not the right add on for us. However, if you do it, make sure you either 1) hire someone with windows cleaning expertise or 2) Take a class to learn how to do it most efficiently.

Good window cleaners can fly through jobs, bad window cleaners ( like me) can take hours and still leave unsatisfactory results.


 I have started a one day window cleaning class to help those that need some extra hands on instruction to gain some confidence in this area.



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I want to get into cleaning solar panels

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We sell exterior window cleaning. It's a big difference.

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Roof Cleaning Severna Park MD wrote:

Dan, the problem with that is that cleaning those windows with a squeegee and a pole is usually sloppy unless you are a really good window cleaner. I didn't realize how easy it was to leave a streak (even with professional equipment, not HD stuff) until I cleaned my first windows at a customers home! It took me all day just to clean 25 windows, which is why we invested into pure water equipment. There's no sense in us not doing the work because it's so hard to find a window cleaner that isn't pressure washing too.

At this point in time, we are transitioning into cleaning windows completely WITHOUT a squeegee and marketing our pure water cleaning services as safer and more effective. Cleaning with a squeegee takes FOREVER on a home like that if window cleaning isn't your main thing, but that is probably a 1 hour job with a waterfed pole (if there are no screens). We'll be utilizing pure water technology inside and outside of the home starting next week and at a minimum of $10 per window inside and out, that's a good chunk of change added to your job. It's a simple upsell and people love clean windows once they realize how dirty they probably are.

We average around $100 per hour cleaning windows, investing in a waterfed pole is a good idea.

Another plus is that you can clean windows in the winter time, adding some alcohol to your mix allows you to clean in the cold without the water freezing right away and it can at least keep your people busy if you normally have to shut down in the winter. Last year we had a good amount of customers who wanted their windows cleaned before the holidays and realized it was a good opportunity to keep working.


 Winter work!



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240-355-1110

From up on the Roof cleaning, Gutter cleaning, to down on the Concrete cleaning...

All pressure washing services in between!

Serving  PG, Charles, St Marys and Calvert county Maryland

Cleaning service 




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I operate a window cleaning business. I have always been interested in roof cleaning as an add on. However with the recession there are loads of guys getting into window cleaning so now I intend roof cleaning to be my main bread winner.

It needn't cost a fortune to get a decent waterfed pole setup. All you need is a tank, transfer pump, a reverse osmosis unit, deionizing resin at your home/base. On your truck you will need a tank, 12v pump, controller, a tds meter and a good quality carbon fibre telescopic pole (lighter). You don't need an expensive setup.

There isn't a lot to learn with regard to technique. Plenty of scrubbing and a good rinse especially on the side that is getting the sun. Wash the sunny side first and these will probably be dry by the time you finish the other side, you will then be able to check for spotting, runs etc. If the windows are very dirty wash a section and go back and give another quick wash. Old wooden framed windows are a no no. Dirt will keep seeping out of the putty and you will never get them clean. Once your water is pure (a reading between 0 and 10 on the tds meter with 0 being perfect) you shouldn't have too many problems.

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Mike, how do you do the exterior windows, squeegee?

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I have cleaned with a pole and squeegee, and have had great success. The Home Depot stuff worked great. I wouldn't get into water fed as an add on.

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Michael,

In pounds , how much would a decent system cost?



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