I have just started a window cleaning company.
I had my first job which was a house that had 35 windows all with screens. I use a wfp, the only problem was I still needed the ladder to get up and down to remove and re-install the screens after cleaning.
The issue I have is it took me 6.5 hours to finish the job and what took the longest was the screens. The way I clean the screens is I soak up the screens and spray them down with the hose.
Any tips from you pros
If you have access to the inside of the house, most screens can be taken out/put back from the inside. That can save you time instead of using the ladder. Also, you can wash the screens first and let them dry in the sun while you are now working on the windows, instead of drying them with towels.
If you are able to take them down from the inside do it. It is much faster.
After that I wipe them with my regular scrubber and tap them on the floor to remove and excess of wager still in.
If the frame in dirty I just wipe it with a huck towel and that’s it.
It takes 1min or 2 each.
Although, in on of mister sanchez video on WCR he explain how to clean a clean in place with a WFP. You might wanna give it a try.
Thanks for the reply. I do usually do the screens first and let them dry in the sun, I just think the process of it, removing, cleaning and putting them back is more time consuming than the windows. Thats why it blows me away when I see window cleaners saying that they have cleaned houses with 30 windows and screens in about 2 hours.
I hope in future, I will have access to the inside that would certainly make it easier.
Since I do not have a WFP system yet, I have a small power washer I carry with me. Only takes about 15 seconds per screen and cleans them like new. I never charge for screens either. Sometimes I curse myself for doing that, but it has also been the decision maker when the customer is taking multiple bids.
Type “Screen Cleaning” in the Search box at top of this page and after reading all the info, pick what suits you best. When I do screen repair I show my customers how simple it is for THEM to clean their screens in less than 30 seconds (not counting removal and re-installing). After that I get their window cleaning also.
What pressure washer are you using? I need to try that.
Thanks
I hate to be the fly in the ointment, But have you ever thought that some window cleaners will stretch the truth a bit???
I don’t believe a window cleaner can professionally do 30 windows in and out, including screens in 2 hours with any quality, and expect to be invited back the next year
10-15 min if they aren’t super dirty
Better off tapping them with a towel as not to damage the frames 
You mention that your new to the biz. Just know, you will get faster. That house next year will take half the time. Honestly, if you have to get up on a ladder to remove a screen, you might as well throw on a belt and clean the window with a squeegee. As others said, removing the screens from the inside is the way to go. You will hear a lot of different opinions on screen cleaning here, and most of them can be found using the search function. Choose the best method for your company, and go to town!
I do. Depends on dirtiness, accessability, and method to clean.
we used to wash them old brush and soap on driveway method .But in az we have houses coverd in sun screens takes forever to clean and very labor intensive. THEN we got a 3000 psi gas powerd pressure washer and it changed everything . revenue jumped way up and employees loved them. Try it and you will never go back to old method
I used a little electric karcher one for screens for years… It worked pretty well and it was quick.
I had cleaned screens by dry-brushing (10 seconds) and spraying with a screen sealer screen magic or winsol (3 seconds) and was cool with it. I ran out of solution and was told by a friend that I “didn’t need to waste money on that shiz”…after one home with 35+ screens and 30+ minutes of wet screen by rag cleaning.
…at the next opportunity I bought the solution again.
http://www.nicestwindowcleaners.com/glass-scratch-repair
Soft bristled brush mounted on a pole, lay them flat and I can wash 30 screens in about 15 minutes (soap and water). While they are drying I WFP the outside, walk around and put the lower screens back in, then finally on my walkthrough, install the upper screens from the inside. I charge $5 per screen. I do not use any screen sealer or any other conditioner as I believe it changes the glass to hydrophobic and not good for WFP work.
Enjo mitt,from wash mix to screen.
Don’t need access to hose so you’ll save water and mess.
And then moist towl to detail.
There not cheap,but it is one other way to attack it.
Cheers.
I use a nozzle on a hose to save water, and it allows me to rinse away any dirty solution.
There’s no real mess if one positions the screen cleaning area logically, eh?
I used to wet wash every screen, but now mostly dry brush unless they are too dirty to clean that way. Some need the frames wiped down with a wet towel while others need scrubbing with soap and water.
30 screens in 30 minutes - I suppose that means subtracting the time to remove, layout, replace - which when you’re talking about the time it takes to do a job and omitting information then a true average assesment of the time to do that job is not very accurate. About half or more of the screens I run accross remove from the outside. I also do not own a WFP which would still mean climbing up in most cases to remove the screens. If I can dry brush while on the ladder and hang the screen from my ladder with my handy dandy clip on a line, then I can clean the window and replace the screen without a separte trip up and down the ladder. This saves time, unless like I say they need to be cleaned w/soap and water.
Yeppers, by the time you have removed all 30 screens from the frames, and before you have washed or brushed a single screen, you have spent 30 minutes of your two hours. If you can then clean 2 screens a minute, you are now up to 45 minutes of your 2 hours. pulling your WFP system from the truck, laying out the hoses and hooking to system up, you are now up 1 hour of your time.
So, even using a WFP on the outside, I don’t believe it is possible to wash the tracks, frames and squeegee the glass on 30 windows inside in less than 1 hour…even if the homeowner moved all the junk, furniture, knicknacks from in front of their windows beforehand.
