Agreed. Dawn will work in a pinch, but it’s by far not the best soap for softwashing.
Back a few years ago there was a saying here at WCR that most will remember - “dinosaurs will die”. It was intended for some of the hard core distributors who did not like WCR. They did not like what WCR was offering… did not like the change.
Seems like that saying could work here as well.
Try something. Switch some things up. You can always go back. You may be surprised what you’ve been missing out on.
Michael, I don’t know if your coming to NOLA or signed up for Micah’s class, but I think it would benefit you because he will be covering these soaps and how it can make you more money…
Michael, why would it be such a big deal to carry two soaps? One for WC and one for soft wash
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I think that most of the people who are really geeked up about E-Cover are owner/operator one man shows. That’s great for them, and if I was the one cleaning every window then I would want to use the absolute BEST soap on the market, hands down, no matter what the cost… because I know I won’t waste it, use too much, leave the cap open in the back of a truck so it all fills up the bed of the truck, etc., etc., etc.
But I’m not the only one who cleans windows for my company… so if Dawn works 75-80% as well, I’m pretty likely to stick with that, instead of constantly having my guys experiment with all kinds of new soaps.
So that’s my thoughts on E-Cover, if all I did was window cleaning.
But I also do Soft Washing… and, say what you will about all of the nice specialty surfactants (which I’ve used a few of), Dawn does (again) 75-80% as good a job, for a lot less money, while being WAY more easy to grab at any grocery store or convenience store. I don’t have to pay for shipping for Dawn because it doesn’t have to be shipped to me from Kentucky. I can grab Dawn from 3 different stores that are all within 10 minutes of me, right now.
I don’t think I’m a dinosaur, Micah. haha. I just don’t want to be constantly asking my crew to experiment with new, costly detergents.
And Larry, there’s no problem in principle with carrying two soaps for the two different applications… but if one soap is pretty darn good for both applications, the simplicity of just using that one soap for BOTH applications is what I’d prefer… versus using two different soaps that are each a 10-20% improvement over the one soap.
I dont’ know if this’ll make sense, especially to the one man shows who are using a totally different business model than me. But it’s where I’m at right now.
I hear ya, Michael. However ecover is cheap compared to gg4. I can get ecover for about 12 gal vs 30 something for gg4.
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I believe that!!! What ISN’T cheap compared to GG4?
That’s why we use Dawn, though I’m certain a professionally designed formula can do better. It’s neither readily available nor inexpensive enough that my employees accidentally dumping it all over the place will not cause me heartburn.
Using my mix ratio you could make 1,024 gallons of solution for $12. That’s 14 cents per gallon. Is that really expensive for a solution that is 20-30% better? Not trying to crusade for ecover, just asking 
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And very probably better…not proven yet !.. but a bloody good chance for several reasons . and not because its cheap.
Ecover I was willing to try if it would work as well as Dawn for soft wash, cuz it is more available…
Mikey…Try it you’ll like it !
EcoScrimDange/ EcoGeek:)
i ain´t got a clue about soft washing Mike … i was on about window cleaning and really REALLY good clear… crystal clear !!! window cleaning . this what ecover gives you. plus it has no PETRO CHEMICALS IN IN IT. and its better for your hands and body plus you save 10 % on working time . with this soap you dont have look back you just get into a really focused working ZONE . no set backs no smearing no streaks…
Mike you remember the film with Michael Caine the " the Italian job " when hes say in a strong London accent.
" You was meant to blow the Bloody doors off "
well mike do yourself a favour
" Go an get a bloody bottle of Ecover Mike "
said in nice way Mike
all the best John
To each their own. My business model insist that we provide the highest level of care to our clients - even if that means using professional products and paying a dollar or two in shipping and keeping a few specialty cleaners in stock.
Micheal, how many guys do you have working for you and how long have you been out from behind the squeegee or wand? I would also like to know how long you have been soft washing and how many houses your crews have done for the year to date? If you have a big company as your portray yourself to be and how much of a hassle it is to change your whole entire fleets soaps, it has to be a pretty big outfit…
Ignoring the glaring arrogance…
you’re saying that you can get the standard house cleaner w/ a “specialty product” than you can with Dawn as a surfactant? Cuz before you were just saying that other products are more efficient. Now you’re saying that actually do a better job for the customer??
Maybe he is just putting his model for the future in place now. That’s pretty smart, actually. Michael, I’ll bring a bottle to you in NOLA.
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Never said I was a fleet. I only have one full-time crew, and another part-time crew. But I hardly do any window cleaning or soft washing personally anymore, so ANY change at all means more work than it did back when I was the only one working. Back then, I could change soaps any day I wanted to, just to experiment. Now, we have a good system that is working just fine, with satisfied customers. I don’t see the sense in A. buying all new soaps (including multiple specialty products), B. having them shipped to me, C. teaching the guys how to use them, D. monitoring to make sure they use this costly soaps properly. Simply put, smaller companies are more agile, and can change with the wind whenever they desire. I don’t desire to be a small company, so I’ve quit acting like one.
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We’ve been soft washing for about 18 months now. We have soft washed 231 houses in 2011, with another dozen or so to complete this next week since temperatures are over 65 out.
Any further questions?
Also… you mis-spelled “hassle” on your website. “Get a Hassel Free Quote” Bottom right on the home page.
Absolutely. There are products that do a much better job of cleaning then dawn. That’s exactly why I use them, and not dawn. The fact that they work more efficiently is a bonus. And the cost of these products is not that much more expensive. In fact, it may be cheaper.
In a pinch, dawn will work. It won’t clean as well, in my opinion, but it’s better then nothing.
Thanks Laurence!
