Saturday, May 31, 2014

Probably going to have to pay for this mistake

I've made a few mistakes along the way as a one man show learning as I go, but I've gotten lucky and haven't had to replace any windows or pay for any repairs. Razor-scraped plexi-glass once, scraped a tear into interior window tint another time. Today though, I think I'm actually going to have to pay for the mistake I made. I was never aware of this danger, but after a few seconds I think I realized what I did wrong. I use quad zero steel wool, accidentally left a small used piece in my belt pouch, it rusted, I usually stuff huck towels in said pouches and use them as I go........and the rest was history.





But yeah, wiped very ugly and very visible and apparent foggy scratches into a window because I unknowingly had steel wool rust on my huck towel. It's about two square feet of damage, maybe an oval imprint about the size of a football. They're probably the shallowest kind of scratches, but it looks terrible.



To raise awareness for anyone who doesn't already know:

THROW AWAY USED STEEL WOOL IMMEDIATELY AND DON'T LET IT GET ANYWHERE NEAR YOUR TOWELS! I learned this today, the hard way.





Anyone know if these can be buffed out and what a fair price is for such a thing? 2 sq feet of shallow rust scratches? Thanks for any help





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Coming to the USA! NEW FaceLift Phoenix VanMount Systems...

Over the last week or so you may have seen some images flying around for the new VanMount Systems from Facelift... If you haven't , no problem.... within a few weeks WCR will have the new systems in store!



This will be the most functional and user friendly system at the same time as being the best looking... We've pooled the best resources in this industry to make this range of systems and the results are epic!



Here is a small preview...



938224.jpg



So what IS included in the New FaceLift Phoenix VanMount Systems?



Well, to summarise… Everything.



We decided to offer the full kit, everything you expect when you hand over your money to a manufacturer.. Historically the norm has been you pay for a system and then get stung with charges for accessories which are pretty necessary to most.. We wanted to give our system owners less of a headache (and to be honest, make our job easier when quoting!)



Every FaceLift Phoenix VanMount will leave the factory complete and ready to work, leaving who ever is installing it to bolt it down, connect the hose fittings to the inside or outside of the vehicle and connect a wire. Easy.



The price you see at our best distributors will include the following;

- BlackBox Controllers

- Pumps and strainers

- Chosen Filters (Full)

- Multi point anchorage and fitting kit

- Water level gauge

- Battery AND split charge relay with inline fuse

- Internal OR external ports for filling and pump outlets (brass and NOT plastic)

- TDS meter (handheld)

- Filter housing spanner (on RO only)

- Auto shut off

- Instruction manual



The inevitable questions of “is there a fast fill option” and “can I add hot water?” are both YES…



If this leaves you wondering "where is all that gear inside?" ... Here is a short YouTube clip of the system taking a spin and showing its insides! This gives you a pretty good idea of how well designed this system is..







Feel free to fire any questions over... Everyone at WCR will be up to speed with the tech's of all the systems in the next few weeks so until then I'm here to help!



Thanks!



Mike @ Facelift...


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Big job for me. Took 13 hrs. Good or bad?

So I'm a newbe window cleaner. Got a few bigger contracts under my belt in the last month. This one is by far the biggest. I have the yearly contract by the sounds of things. For next year, I'm getting another pole and a helper. My arms and body are tired. Now I need to figure out the type of pole, and pump for my Wash-it. I have a mini but for a helper it's gonna be a cheaper pole haha.



So the pics of the ends of the building took me 1 1/2 hrs each and the front about 9-10 hrs. Ouch.



Problems I had that slowed me down were those metal frames leaking. I had to go over many of the windows twice. I learned alot on this job.



Any tips or comments, I take criticism well.


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Help standard charge for commercial storefront jobs

Hello ,

I'm starting up my business and I just wanted to get a feel of what's the standard charge for commercial storefront jobs in the San Jose area. Please share with me on how you came across your commercial business.

Thanks for your feedback.

Thank you!





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2013 Convention Pics

Who all can you spot?



ISSUU - Eclean magazine issue 17 by eClean Magazine



Don't miss this year's convention. It is much bigger and even better!



Pressure Washing & Window Cleaning Convention 2014





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Video: John Lee @ 1:00 AM






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Friday, May 30, 2014

What Do You Charge For Hard Water Removal?

Today, we cleaned the windows on two homes where there was a lot of hard water. We also cleared hard water deposits on 2 panes for 1 customer, and 4 panes for another customer. We used bioclean and removed the stains with a white pad and steel wool. It only took about 10 minutes per pane, and we charged $30 per pane.



I was just wondering how you charge for hard water removal.





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Question What's the best thing you have found to remove hard water?

I have tried all kinds of things to remove hard water over the years: Sorbo hard water remover, A-1, Bio-clean, and Mr. Hard Water power tool & paste. They all work OK, with the Mr. Hard Water doing the best job.



Does anyone have something else that they use that works better than these products, preferably something that could be removed by hand, instead of using a power tool?





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Apple products anyone?

I love everything Apple, is anyone else as pumped as I am for new Apple news and products?



ImageUploadedByWindow Cleaning Resource1401477643.619296.jpg



What are you looking forward to?





Mike Radzik

Pro Window Cleaning

Central Massachusetts



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Taking a minute to introduce myself

Hello WCRA! I'm Scott and the owner of Urban Street Window Works in Chicago. Been a member for a year but haven't been really active. Jump on here occasionally to find info and it has been very helpful. Looking forward to connecting with others and receiving and contributing any info I can.





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What would you do..

What would you do if your main source of generating work disappeared?



For example your website crashed and you had to start over,or the Post office stop doing EDDM, ect...

(Im not sure how many have a secondary plan)



What would you do, how quickly could you recoup?





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GlassGuru agrees to stop production/manufacturing and distribution

GLASSRENU® REACHES SETTLEMENT AND SUSPENDS LITIGATION IN TWO YEAR PATENT INFRINGEMENT LAWSUIT GlassGuru agrees to stop production/manufacturing and distribution MAY 28, 2014, PACHECO, CA. — GlassRenu Founder and CEO, Cody Thomas announced that following a two year court challenge with … Continue reading →



More...





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Yet another ...






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WCBO Issue 20








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Hose Reel vs Coiling the Hose

So I went to Lowes yesterday and picked up 300 ft of clear 5/16 hose for only $20 on clearance. Should I get a small hose reel or just coil the hose? Some guys use a bucket system. Seems like a lot of hose to coil into a bucket. How do you guys manage your hose?



PS: What's the technique?

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Video: The Mole and Jersey Show Ep 2.9






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Thursday, May 29, 2014

Taking a minute to introduce myself

Hello WCR!

My name is Ryan and I'm starting out as the owner/operator of The Window Washer in NW PA. I'm very excited to get started and extremely thankful to have found this site. I'm learning a lot from everyone here at the site and on the forum. Trying to keep learning and building my business. Any tips and advice are more than welcome, other than that I'll keep studying the site and pounding the pavement.





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Cool news and free advertisement

So I was at the coffee shop and met a business owner who I've talked to before. He had a window cleaner and was unhappy with him. Fish window came and offered to under bid any window cleaner. I'm his new window cleaner and at my price. Sweet.



After a meeting with him at the coffee shop. I went by his restaurant to talk with him as he invited me to do so. As I arrived he was meeting with a rep from a local magazine to renew his ad. To my surprise he decides to place my advertisement on his ad space! For free! It will reach 13000 customers each month.



Out deal was if they book a window cleaning with me. They will receive a free 16" pizza. I would just pay for the pizza at below cost which would come out of the window cleaning. Now that's cool. I'll bust out 15 bucks or less to make a couple hundred.





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Don’t miss out!

      Memorial Day is over but we still have some awesome deals going on. If you missed out this past weekend you can still take advantage of the below deals. They are ending soon though so don’t wait … Continue reading →



More...





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Meet Sophia

@SophiaWCR



I wanted to take a minute to formally introduce Sophia our new in house product specialist that started with us this year.



Sophia came over to WCR from ACWC when I sold it last November. She worked as a phone rep with me for a few years at ACWC.



She has been quietly learning our product line the last 4-5 months. If anyone needs any assistance, she is here to help.





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Video: Tool Talk with Mark the Window Cleaner #85 Wash iT DI Flush







The fabulous Wash-iT Pro available here - http://ift.tt/1hBYw5L






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Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Question How do you do shop front internal window cleans?

G'day folks,



I have several (40) stores inside a mall which have monthly internal window cleans.

I've been using a micro-fiber pad/mop with a 50/50 mix of alcohol/water.

This makes things a little quicker as it reduces drips to clean up afterwards. However, I've found that streaks can be left behind. Is this due to my spray solution? Can you recommend a spray solution?



Also, there is a whole heap of small bug marks/specs on some shops which are a pain to remove, any suggestions as to technique/products that can be used? I'm talking a lot of glass, so its not efficient to hand detail all specs.



I have been considering investing in the Unger Indoor cleaning kit.

Do you folks have any comments on those products?

Are they really worth the investment?(I know this question is all POV stuff).



Thank you kindly,



Moises

Blue-Sky Window Cleaners

Melbourne

Australia.





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Hey

Got a call to do a quote today. When there chatting up the owner she mentioned that she had two other bids.

One bid ALOT lower than mine and the other is from a cleaner called sparks on groupon (again lower than my bid)

While explaining "The Truth" to her she mentioned that the groupon cleaners

"guaranteed" their work for 2 months and would "comeback" And reclean her windows if they got redirtied during this time.

They told her they apply a solution that sheds water and dirt.

The only thing I know of is rainx

Anyone heard of any products like this ?

Not for me to use, but to just look up for my knowledge

And by the way.

She hired us.

Thanks

Pax





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Question Pw

Had any one cleaned cedar siding? They don't want it down , ready re-seal, just cleaned



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What Do You Do With An Unreasonable Customer?

We did a job a month ago. A woman had moved into a new home (not newly built, just new for her). During the window cleaning, she claimed that my crew had broken a window screen, and broken the middle slat of a solar screen, and broken 2 bedroom blinds.



My crew leader, whom I trust implicitly, told me that the screen was already broken. He said the solar screen broke off in their hands as they removed it from the wall. He said that he had cleaned the bedroom windows, and there was no string to pull to lift the blinds, so he lifted the blinds with one hand and cleaned with the other. So, we didn't break any of these items.



However, she vehemently claimed that we broke the screen, so rather than argue with her, my crew leader took her screen home, rescreened it and took it back.



Well, now she calls back a month later, and says we have to do something about the solar screen because it's in front of the house and people see that the little slat in the middle is "off" (not lined up just right). She's still claiming that we broke her bedroom blinds.



We can't really go back and fix the slat in the solar screen, because it will eventually slide back, because it's broke.



The way I see it, we have no responsibility for these items, but she's claiming that we do. To top it all off, she is an Angie's List customer, and could write a really horrible review if we don't make her happy.



So... what would you do in this situation? Would you give her a refund so she can replace all these items? Would you go out and buy all of these things, take them over, and install them? Or would you tell her that our crew did not break them so it is her responsibility?



Brian Anderson

Master's Window Cleaning





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Car with a roof rack: unprofessional?

Basically, I hate debt. With a passion. I'm trying to do this with as little debt as possible, and I draw a blank when it comes to my work vehicle. I've got two kids that I may occasionally have to haul, so my little car does a decent job of that. My full time job supplies me with a work vehicle, and because of that my car has been rarely used.



I'd like to get a van or pickup with a ladder rack, but I'm having a hard time deciding on that because of the lack of an ability to haul my family of four. I know several of you guys started out with an SUV, and I think that's awesome. My deal is that I don't have a car with an existing roof rack to carry ladders. Then, the idea dawned on me. A roof rack! Something like a Thule or Yakima that most people use to carry bikes and kayaks and such. Just enough room for a small extension ladder, a step ladder, and I can carry all my bucket and stuff in the trunk.



I've heard that most people don't care what you're driving, just care about the job that you do. But I think a Nissan Sentra with a handful of ladders on the roof would look dumb.



Care to elaborate? I think I should stop worrying and get out there already.





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Product Expert Position Open

Product Expert





Seeking a well qualified person to service our customers as a Product Expert. Previous window cleaning experience is required. Responsibilities include:






• - Servicing existing store accounts and customers



• - Help our clients select the right products through phone, email and live chat



• - Develop relationships over the phone and deliver superior customer service





This is a commission only position. Earn commission on all orders placed, no cap whatsoever.



• - Great position for someone who likes to talk on the phone and make customers happy!



• - Remote work is ok. No need to come into the office everyday





Please use the form below to submit your application, no resume needed. No phone calls about this position will be taken, contact is only to be through this web-form.



Form





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Cheapest Resin Available

We have tons of replacement Virgin and Regenerated Resin available at the lowest cost anywhere. Orders over $94 ship free this week as well - DI tank, deionization, deionized water | Buy Window Cleaning Supplies, Tools, Equipment, Products








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Pro-Prosal so far not good

So I thought I'd give the pro-posal a try. I'm just not that impressed so far. I was hoping it would easily calculate the windows for me but no. I would need to go into my estimate software invoice2 go, make the estimate then add the cost to proposal. Or I could use the calculator add up all the windows and prices (manually) then it would populate a price. Not to mention my previews did not work AND after about 20 minutes (so far) I have not received my email. I don't think I'll be purchasing this one. Sorry guys. If you have better luck let me know.





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Grrr

Hooked up my aquatap yesterday and the tube kept popping off the barbed connector.

What a p.o.s. this thing is, such a simple connector and they can't even make it right, probably done in China, sooo frustrating, it just ruined my day and now I have to go the trouble of returning it and getting my money back, dang I hate this thing. Oh wait, I can't get my money back because I won it in a WCR contest. Now I'm really upset because, stupid WCR, giving stuff away like that........

HAHA... Actually I love the AquaTap I just couldn't resist doing a little parody of a recent complaint thread here that I found rather funny. I did have that problem with it yesterday but it's an easy fix. The ease of using this is great. Just twist the pole and it shuts off or turns on. I tend to be really aggressive in scrubbing so I have to be careful about not twisting the pole and shutting off flow when I need flow. A minor adjustment in technique. A very cool little tool.





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John Lee plays Golf, Tiger Woods plays Golf ...

What do they have in common ?



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Tuesday, May 27, 2014

introducing myself kael with clear solutions window cleaning

Hey everyone.

I wanted to say hi. I just joined wcra and am waiting for approval! I've toyed with the idea of starting a window cleaning company for awhile. I had a few who does mostly storefronts let me work with him for a few weeks and im going to work on my own starting next week. I bought shirts with my company name ,poles ,squeegees and business cards. I'm looking for a little storefront as i get started but was thinking of jumping into residential. I also am thinking of doing house washing to go along with it. I'm looking forward to using the postcards on wcra any tips on direct mail outs or ways to do it would be awesome.

I made a website and listed with google business and yelp any tips on that would be awesome as well.



look forward to learning and sharing information on here



kael





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Oh, my! Christmas came early this year.

Took a little drive today. Thank you @Alex for taking care of things. As always your customer service is top notch. Next time I will spend a little more $$ and make it worth your time.





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Car cameras and after market radio decks

1. anyone have a dash cam and or rear cam that is recording every second while you are driving, maybe for reasons of safety/security or just for the heck of it?

- with the prices coming down a bit and also technology making things easier I am seriosly thinking about purchasing one, got my eye on this website BlackboxMyCar.com- Canada/USA Best Quality Dashcam Store



2. anyone install custom radio decks into your vehicle? it would be nice to bluetooth my phone calls on the car speakers, play my mp3's and podcasts from my phone.



I just find myself spending a whole lot more time in my car driving and adding certain conveniences into the car could possibly boost productivity or atleast morale.





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OKGO - A New Waterfed Delivery System






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Question How do I safely clean vinyl window panes on a sunporch

Hi. One of my customers called asking what he should use to clean the vinyl window panes he has on his sunporch. He used a product from Zepp on his Florida home that he purchased from Home Depot. However, he is now in his Minnesota home for the summer and the Home Depot up here does not carry that Zepp product he used down there.



So here's the question or two.. Is there some sort of special product necessary a guy has to use to clean these types of windows or will soap and water work?



Thank you.

John





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