I respect your quality of work but I tried that and it did not work in my area. My $120.00 quote would be $190 with tracks, my $220.00 quote would be $340.00 with tracks and my $375.00 quote would be $510.00 with tracks. I am not hunting cheepos in fact the opposite but when it comes down to forking over an uncompetitive bid just to get tracks cleaned people go with the other quote. Think about it this way Are most people shopping at thrift stores for clothers?No! Are they shopping for expensive high end clothes? No! Most people shop for mid quality medium priced clothes and thats what I do with window cleaning. I don’t show up and do a half way scrub on the glass with no screen cleaning or sill cleaning but I’m not showing up as mr luxiourious thats expensive. I have good prices for good quality and that is what MOST people buy! Do you know how many people call up a window washer and say my glass is clean but these screens are dusty when are you free? Lol nobody they call because they want a view out of their windows.
There are window cleaners and then there are glass cleaners, I used to be a glass cleaner. Glass cleaning will work 90% fine in a commercial environment, I find most of my customers have had an experience with another window cleaner so when I give them a quote they ask about the screens and the tracks as the last guy only did the glass. They don’t mind paying more than they paid before with the glass cleaner for a window cleaner who does a complete and thorough clean and 8/10 calls I get are from referrals.
I’m not really sure how fast comes into it, as long as you are making your hourly rate and have your day/week/month filled with quality customers who can’t stop raving about their window cleaner, generating all the leads you ever need.
Most of my customers open their windows periodically. If when they do they see dirt, debris, and mud in their tracks then they start to question what they paid for.
I explain at the time of quote the service that I provide and what all it entails. Spider webs and bug debris brushed away - Window cleaned - Frame wiped down (it will get wet anyway, why not just go ahead and clean it up too?) - Tracks brushed, vacuumed, and wiped down - screens cleaned through a screen washer and towel dried - Weather beaten or torn screens repaired (Bump that ticket!). I really don’t care how low the competition is going - I’m not racing anyone to the bottom of the scale.
What works for you might not work for someone else. Either way , your making the hourly wage that you need to stay profitable.
Now when you present your estimate how do you say your cleaning there screens. Do you just say screens cleaned, or are you say something different. My thing with this is … what is the expectation level. What do they expect ?
IMO when I say screens cleaned they expect me to bring them outside an clean them , and if they don’t see me outside with them they might be questing if I’m doing the right job especially if they’re a first time customer, and yes I get a lot of people that call and ask if I do the screens , if I do the sills.
The reason being is , there are probably a lot of guys not doing this, and just cause I am doing it doesn’t mean I’m not still making the same hourly wage as cleaning the window.
I understand your market might b different an the way you do it isn’t wrong , but are you setting the expectation level , and how are you promoting it to them ?
My estimate says Windows cleaned in/out , and sills wiped down.
I say sills wipe down , so they don’t think I’m Steam cleaning them or breaking out a Q-tip, but screens cleaned I would think they expect to see me bring them out, and yes a lot of times if they just need a quick brushing that’s all I do, and to me the Power Washer is the fastest an easiest way if they’re in bad shape.
I believe the first time your at someone’s house they’re paying attention to how your doing things. I know you knock the screen cleaner , but it’s a good look. I’m hoping a power washer is a good look too 
. I’m assuming it is , either way that’s the way I do it , and that’s the way I’ll always do it.
So to sum this up , set the expectation level an make what you need to make the way you do it.
There are a lot of ways to do something some right , and some wrong , but not all ways are for everybody.
Quick Story : About 6 years ago. I was doing a house for the first time. Small house ,used my screen cleaner , the following year she calls me back to do it again , didn’t have my screen cleaner on board for some reason , but the screens really didn’t need it, so I’m sitting in my van I’m her driveway , after brushing all the screens an finishing all the outsides. My brother comes out , and says are these done , yup … ok I’ll put them back in. She comes walking over and says I’m only paying you half or something like that … I was like … WHAT , what’s the problem. She goes th last time you used a washer to clean the screens I don’t wan them cleaned this way I want them cleaned the same way you cleaned them last time. I said well we cleaned them they’re clean , an if you want I’ll use your hose to clean them again I don’t have the screen cleaner on board. No she says I’m only giving you X. Yup all hell broke loose it got ugly . She actually just through the money at me while I was sitting in my van… Lol 
, an she says all you did any way was sit in your van all day. Lol . I don’t think I ever got so angry at a customer ever . It was bad , an I’m lucky I didn’t end up in jail. I didn’t get violent , but there were definitely lots of words said. No bad review ether which I was shocked.
Anyway yup she expects me to use my screen ckeaner agian. 
I agree with you on everything except the PW usage on the screens. But if you not having issues then that’s great!
Expectations is exactly it. I do screens at EVERY job I clean. If there’s 5 or so screens I won’t pull out cleaner unless I’m in a super rich neighborhood. Most jobs I have a minimum of 15 screens. Even when I would hand wash them using strip scrubber and towel smack. Unfortunately I don’t live in a place where screens are already clean enough to do that……
Every job I upswell the screens for an additional $4 no matter the size (averages out anyway).
I too get so many text (I don’t answer phone calls) about do you clean the sills,tracks and screens? My last guy only did the glass and everything else stayed dirty and got windows dirty again!
I charge extra for inside tracks.
I have a lot of businesses and people here that think I’m stupid for giving an itemized quote, I would say 85% of my clients love that I do that so they know what’s included and what’s what.
Like you said, if your making clients happy and your getting what you believe your worth, then fantastic! However, you setting the bar at that level for all future clients , their friends, and if they even call you back.
Yesterday’s job I made $700 in 6.85 hours. I spent two hours in between chatting with client about life and their home. She admitted other cleaners quoted 200-300 less but my website explained what to expect etc etc etc. I mention in my insurance section I have the CCC endorsement and so many love it. Even if they still stay home haha, they just love knowing they can leave at anytime and my insurance protects us still.
EXPECTATIONS!
If I return mid year to clean again I offer the cheaper $1 wipe down or the $4 screen cleaner.
If it’s yearly or more I make them pay the full cleaning. Always works out for me…
Why charge same price on screens if your just ass wiping them?
Oh man 
… Why ??? You don’t think it looks professional, or you don’t think it does a good job ?
Most of my clients don’t shop at thrift stores.
Well except when I offer 50% off my services for low income families, I get a major boost in sales and many MANY “rich clients” who want to book at full price and so proud of me for offering such discounts.
I don’t shop at harbor freight tools if I’m wanting a perfect tool to last me years.
I’ll shop at harbor freight if I want a quick in and out job. But I expect to pay less.
If you want dewalt /Milwaukee you’re going to need to pay more and trust me you’ll want to it’s so worth it.
If your having to cut major dead or prices or leave out tracks and screens, make sure they understand what they are getting. Maybe you have the not exact demographic you’re needing or should have?
Neither actually, I think it may do a great job?
I’m scared how much damage it could do, which tip you using? The soap one or first angle?
It may look professional in your area, in my area my clients would look at ME like I’m an idiot, but most of us avoid using PW on anything unless we have too. Huge EPA rules in Oregon haha. Even home owners are legally required to pay for epa permit before using a pressure washer.
I could understand you thinking that, but the trick is not to use a high pressure tip. I’ve never ripped a screen yet, and just like the WFP if it didnt do as good a job as a strip washer an squeegee I would use one 
What the hek 
. God help us all. This better never happen here.
That’s awesome, again I’m just going off my area, thanks for understanding I wasn’t trying to insult you, your quality of work, or how you run your business. I would shit my pants if I was told to use any PW on screens lol. I’ve also seen toooooo many idiots ruin screens and windows by full PW (not soft wash) a house and continue onto the windows and screens etc etc. washing screens while still installed !!!
I use either a 30,40 tip with 25degree or the M5 Twist downstream nozzle. All work fine for screens
I know your weren’t
I’m glad to see your doing good I remember when you first started out.
Electric or gas PW? Low psi setting when doing it? I’m still too scared to do it but I may have to test it on my old screens at home.
I’m getting new windows on our family home we bought!! Major upgrade, going broke, well worth it, no windows are perfect haha!
Thanks man, yeah I remember you too, I think you were the one who had sent me some images of your old logo because we laughed how similar ours were, I’ve updated and upgraded them a few years ago using a professional artist. Logo’d everything, my truck hats shorts coffee cups you name it. Squeak n squeegee stickers are a huge thing over here! Not even kidding I’ve officially seen 8 cars (assuming clients but I give stickers out everywhere!!) using them on bumpers or windows!
Gas ! I have an 8GPM , but iim sure lower GPMs would work fine. Yes low pressure …use a big tip … Meaning a big hole they go by numbers . The bigger the hole the bigger the number . 10, 20, 30 as the number goes higher the presser gets lessor. You can use a 25degree or 40 degree tip. That just determines the width of the spray pattern.
The M5 Twist is sweet . I’m not sure what pressure it is , @Infinity Alex would know he’s the resident geek when it comes to technical stuff, but it’s low pressure . You can twist it to make the spray pattern go for 0 Degree to 60 degree.
I do not race to the bottom I am the medium priced window cleaner which is where I like to be and I will actually tell customers that I am the medium priced window cleaner if the conversation leans that way I do not care if I get every job or chase the low paying customers. I also don’t personally enjoy digging out mud and dead flies while kneeling on a customer’s white down comforter or running around with a vacuum. In my area when your bids are $110 higher and it’s to get the dirt out of the crevices of the windows that people barely look at it’s not justifable to spend the extra money. I’ve never had a customer call me and say my friend said her tracks looked beautiful lol. And yes I’m sure you get customers that use the previous window guy that said he didn’t do my tracks and they get your customers that say he’s too expensive so it’s around about world. You don’t care if you lose customers to the competition because you are expensive and some people don’t care if they lose customers to you because they don’t clean tracks everyone has their own strategy. I like to be a mid-level quality guy with middle level pricing not the cheap shit window cleaner but not the dude running around like a circus cleaning every crevice
