I am new to the window cleaning business and wfp. A couple of questions:
One day an old bull and a young bull are standing on a hill looking down on a whole lot of cows. The young bull starts snorting and scuffing up the dirt and says "come on pops, let’s run down the hill and we can each fuck one of them. “Pops” looks at the youngster and says “let’s just walk down there real slow like and fuck them all”.
In general wfp is much faster, exactly how much faster depends on the the user.
I use wfp everyday, not because it’s faster but because it’s less stressful than climbing
a ladder. And there are many situations where it’s not easier, too many obstacles, and then I just go with trad even if it may actually be slower.
Look at it this way. Let’s say you have a house. 30 windows, $15 a window. $450. By hand, assuming its 2 stories with double hung windows, you’ll be in and out in 4-4.5 hours. Even if the WFP saved you 2 minutes a window. (Setting up a ladder, climbing it, getting down, breaking it down and moving it) that’s an hour you save. That makes your 4 hour job a 3 hour job. And the second you have more time, you have more time to make more money.
Ground level can be a push. But 2nd story WFP will always be faster.
even if a situation is a draw on the time, which would you rather do, squeegee or wpole?
Its faster than setting up and moving ladders for sure. Unless you do it wfp and then have to do traditional because it doesn’t look good for some reason. I am not sure if it’s me and my technic or type of windows in my area but I run into it quite a bit.
The one with the least amount of labor . Work smart !!!
At the end of the day it would depend on how you set yourself up.
For me I will NEVER use pencil or fan jets again after using a rinse bar on a pivot brush, I wont say it is what I’m using but I’m sure you can guess.
I go out of my way to WFP all externals even if its not worth it to bust out the set up. I even made a indoor WFP set up for louvers. The looks on the customers face when I start WFP inside is priceless.
One less known advantage of having two methods to do the same job is it reduces repetitive strain by using different muscles.
Yep, there is that…Sometimes I’ll do trad just because my body is tired
of WFP muscle movements.
I recently got a 14" Gardiner rinse bar on a 14" dual trim Streamline brush and it’s the best. No chance Taint brush compares.
No chance lol
I bought an 18" dual trim a few years ago, I have used it like 5 times. Worst brush I had ever bought TBBH!
I do 95% by hand because the WFP just doesn’t get everything off. I only use it for stuff I can’t safely reach.
Use the right technique and scrub pads you don’t need to use traditional. WFP will always be safer than a ladder. With first time cleans we hit them with bronze wool after a quick soak, scrub and hit with regular brush and rinse.
whats the bronze wool used for?
It will clean off all the crap that has built up over the years. Works great for first time cleans and tougher jobs.
For me it depends on the details of the job. Most single story homes I just do traditional. Other times, especially if the frames are dusty/dirty/bug debris, I use WFP. If there are just a few 2nd story windows I may opt for just a couple ladder sets and trad clean, otherwise I try and use WFP as often as possible for those. A lot of times vegetation won’t let me trad clean some windows easily, so I bust out the WFP. For years I only did traditional window cleaning and made a good living without a WFP system; The WFP does have some advantages, but learn to swim before you race.
For the OP, I hope you see and understand the need to master traditional squeegee cleaning, and HOW to get the windows as clean as possible; understand what it takes to get the results of a really clean window, frame, track, screen, and sill. This is a luxury service that the customer is paying good money for, so you should present yourself and ability (no matter how difficult it is to do) as a service provider of a luxury service. You’re not a lawn guy or a roofer, you are a window cleaner, and many times you will have to be inside peoples really nice homes. Present yourself as a person they don’t mind inviting in. Be professional - Be efficient - Be clean - Be neat - Be proud of the results.
Some additional thoughts:
Do you have a handheld vacuum for tracks and a track brush?
What do you do to protect against dripping water on the interior floors or furniture?
Do you pre-brush window frames and sills to remove large debris and bugs before cleaning the window?
Do you scrub screen frames as well as the mesh (just wetting and wiping still leaves them dirty).
Most janitors have a uniform - not saying you need to have a uniform, but consider your appearance to enter peoples houses. (It is not practical to avoid cleaning interiors - that is just leaving money on the table).
