Residential Window Cleaning Services

Not all of us are fortunate to be able to live a comfortable existence on a single salary. Husband and wife, both need to work to make ends meet. Come the weekend and instead of relaxing, they end up attending to household chores including cleaning of windows which, unless one has the right equipment, can be quite tricky. Enter, the residential Window Cleaning Services.

Need for residential window cleaning services

Windows at ground level are perhaps the easiest to clean but what about window cleaning on the first and second floor? Not only these need tall ladders, they are often not easily accessible even by tall ladders. If a ladder can be propped up then holding on to a ladder with one hand while attempting a window cleaning operation with another requires acrobatic skills. Often husbands drop the entire bucket of water and sometimes themselves with it. More folks have landed in hospitals while cleaning windows than in other domestic incidents. Little wonder then that people opt for Residential Window Cleaning.

Residential window cleaning services

Windows need to be cleaned at least once every week. A closed window accumulates dust and when opened, the micro wind eddy that is created, carries the accumulated dust right into your home. Accumulated dust includes pollen and unburnt hydrocarbons – the number one trigger for allergies and diseases such as asthma.

Another reason Residential Window Cleaning Kyle of Lochalsh needs to be undertaken regularly is because visitors or even passersby notice a dirty window. From within your home you might not notice the dirt and dust accumulated on the outside of the window but folks passing by your home do.
Lack of time and dangers associated with cleaning windows especially those on the first and second floors, is the primary reason people opt for residential window cleaning services.

Professional Residential Window Cleaning Services

A professional team of Residential Window Cleaning Inverness service providers not only have the right equipment for the job, their years of experience enable them to do a better and faster job than you ever could.

They have a fully equipped truck, use filtered water, have long hose pipes connected to special nozzles and cleaning squeegees. Windows cleaned by such professional residential window cleaning services are always sparkling clean. No trace of any streaking, much less dust. Additionally, these professional Residential Window Cleaning Isle Of Skye services carry out a window cleaning operation in a systematic fashion. These include scrubbing, scratch inspection, paint, stucco inspection, inspection for cracks, chips, hardened cement spots, etc.

Large especially designed silicon or rubber based scrapers are utilized by the professional residential window cleaning service provides to get rid of tough particles from your windows. This is a delicate operation and needs to be done carefully least it results in scratches. It therefore makes perfect sense to hire residential window cleaning services.

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Professional Window Cleaning Services

Compartmentalizing work and outsourcing services brings about increased efficiency and economy. Window cleaning is extremely tedious work. It requires special equipment and tools and also personnel who are not scared of heights and have special skills. It therefore makes perfect sense to hire professional window cleaning services.

Traditional window cleaning services are hired not only by commercial establishments; they are also hired by estate managers looking after high-rise residential blocks. No matter how tall a building, you will rarely come across one with dirty glass facade or windows. Obviously, the owners of high rise commercial blocks as also residents in high rise buildings don’t do their own cleaning – it would be virtually impossible for them to do so.

In fact, it is the prevalence of professional window cleaning services that encourage architects and civil engineers to think in terms of glass covered high rise construction. Without the professional window cleaning services, almost all the glass covered high rise constructions would remain dirty and dust covered presenting a very bleak view of the city.

One might be forgiven for wondering why Commercial Window Cleaning services is such a big deal. Ever tried to clean a window that is not at ground level? Even cleaning a window located on the first floor would be a challenge. Holding on to a ladder that might topple at any moment, balancing a small bucket of water between your feet or on some small ledge nearby and with the other hand trying to clean a window is definitely not everyone’s idea of spending a relaxed weekend – there’s every risk of landing up in a hospital that way.

Professional window cleaning service providers have specialized equipment such as sturdy extra tall custom built ladders with work platforms attached, they have special outfitted trucks carrying filtered water and high pressure pumps and hose pipes with special nozzles, they have custom made squeegees and brushes meant to clean and shine even the dirtiest windows, they have an onsite supervisor who inspects windows and makes sure they are free from scratches, streaks, hardened cement, dried paint and other blemishes. They have long ropes to lower staff and equipment. They have motorized work platforms that can be attached to roofs and lowered all the way to the ground floor. Finally, they have trained personnel who aren’t scared of heights. It’s a tough combination to beat.

Of late Commercial window cleaning services providers have also added a new tool to their already impressive collection – the robotic window cleaner. These are wired/remote controlled vacuum cleaner like devices that can crawl up and down on a continuous window facade. They use suction properties of specialized wheels or belts to stick to and move up or down on vertical glass. A long hose pipe carrying filtered water is attached to the robot and it has built in tanks for cleaning fluid and also carries attachments such as scrubbers or squeegees. Equipped with these arsenals of tools, professional window cleaning services have come a long way since the mid-sixties and seventies when cleaning crews had to be lowered from rooftops via ropes.

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How to get commercial window cleaning contracts

If you have been into Domestic window cleaning and want to expand into commercial window cleaning then you would be moving in the right direction. However, don’t give up your domestic clients. Their individual contracts might be small and more tedious to service but unless you screw up big time, they will in all probability retain your services for many years.

In contrast, a commercial window cleaning contract tends to be financially more rewarding, less hassle to service but can also be very short-lived. A healthy mix of domestic and Commercial Window Cleaning LOCHALSH contracts are an essential survival strategy.

Steps to getting your first commercial window cleaning contract

Step # 1: Look up Google maps for your area of operation and make a list of all businesses in your area (you can even copy-paste the names, addresses and phone numbers direct from the map).

Step # 2: Find out what cleaning services in your area charge their commercial clients. To do this, you would probably have to send a smart friend to your competitor’s office and pretend he is interested in hiring out a Commercial Window Cleaning Portree contract.

Step # 3: Create an attractive offer. Spend some time thinking about it and create an attractive discount offer for your new commercial clients. It needs to be attractive enough to wean away customers from the competition. Have new attractively designed brochures and business cards ready. Also have a list of existing clients with contact numbers – select clients you know are happy and also first speak with them before you include their names in the list.

Also, hire an expert sales copywriter to create two emails – one a good sales email and the second, a good ‘thank you, hope to do business with you in the near future’ kind of email.

Step # 4: The cold call. Visit the businesses in your list and ask to speak with the person in-charge of hiring cleaning services. You will usually get a direct “yes, we need a cleaning service” or, “no, we already have one and are happy with it”. It will usually be very prompt and business-like. No dilly- dallying like in the domestic window cleaning service.

Remember to carry adequate quantities of brochures, business cards and so on.

Step # 5: Emailer. If a prominent business in the area is giving you the run-around and you are unable the meet the person in-charge of hiring Domestic Window Cleaning Aviemore, send them the sales email.

Step # 6: After the cold calls, you will (hopefully) have a bunch of new commercial clients and you will have a bunch of prospective customers who have said “no”. To this latter group, send the second email; the ‘thank you, hope to do business with you in the near future’ one. If you do not hear from them in a month’s time, send them the sales email with a cover note that you had meet him / her and also mention the discount offer.

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Professional Window Cleaning

First you think that professional window cleaning must be an easy job. Then you look at all the tools they carry and wonder what they are or why they need so many tools for something that looks easy. Well, professional window cleaning is anything but easy. Remember, the glass is not always accessible at ground level. So to clean glasses that are between the ground floor and the third floor they use the Window cleaning services on which they can attach various tools such as Squeegees, glass scrapers, scraper blades, etc.

Let us see what these professional window cleaning tools are.

The Squeegee

The Squeegee is a basic tool carried by all professional window cleaning crews. When in use, it can control and direct the flow of water over the glass and also double up as a mop to remove water from glass surfaces. Squeegees range in size from 4 inches to almost 2 feet. The large squeegee is obviously used on ultra-large glass surfaces. Interestingly, a new squeegee requires assembly. Much like military or police personnel who assemble or disassemble, clean and reassemble their guns, Traditional window cleaning crews do the same for the humble squeegee.

Scraper Blades and Glass Scrapers

Some buildings are located in areas that result in a lot of dirt and grime deposited on the windows and glass surfaces. Over time, the grime tends to harden a bit and this calls for a different tool known as the scrapper blade or glass scrapper. Using the scrapper blade however requires skill – skill of the Commercial Window Cleaning crew. Wrongly used, instead of removing grime, the glass scrapper could result in scratches or worse, broken windows.

Window mop

The purpose of a window mop is identical to that of the squeegee. The difference however, is that the window mop is soft and used on delicate glass surfaces such as church windows or stained glass windows. Window mops are also better suited for smaller windows like the kind fitted in houses and apartments.

Window cleaning pole

For residences and stand-alone shopping malls, a professional widow cleaning crew usually uses the window cleaning pole. A Professional window cleaner will stand on the ground, connect the window cleaning pole to a water supply source and attach a squeegee at the top end of the pole. The window cleaning pole can then be extended to reach windows on the first, second or even the third floor. Due to its weight and physical characteristics of using the window pole, it requires a strong arm and lots of good experience. Professional widow cleaning crews usually carry several different window cleaning poles. In fact, the window cleaning pole is one of the most important tools in their arsenal against dirty windows.

Bucket

If you have ever observed a Professional window cleaning crew at work, you might have also noticed them use a rather odd looking bucket. Standard buckets are round whereas the buckets used by professional widow cleaning crews are kind of rectangular in shape. This design enables them to easily dip the squeegee into the bucket.

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Commercial High Rise Window Cleaning – Robots or Humans

Couple of months back, we at Vision Cleaning tried using automated commercial high rise window cleaners to clean high rise windows. Our purpose back then was to test these robots with the intention of incorporating them into our commercial high rise window cleaning service especially for dangerous high rise jobs.

Two months and 19 attempts later, we’ve given up. Here’s why:

Setting up the commercial high rise window cleaning robot takes about as much time as setting up the tools, equipment and cleaning platform for humans to do the job. The highland window cleaner needed to be properly aligned and its grip to the glass and non-glass surface had to be properly tested before letting it go. The automated window cleaning robot needed to be always released from the top so that the weight of the wire does not detach the robot from the glass surface.

The biggest challenge we faced using robots in high-rise window cleaning situations was the fact that a high rise building or commercial front, is not always 100% glass but usually a combination of glass and metal or glass and concrete or some other fancy material.

Before we let the commercial high rise window cleaning robot begin, we need to ensure that the surface will provide sufficient adhesive force for the robot to cling to. Also, to provide an element of safety, we needed to anchor the robot tether firmly to the roof as there was always a danger that the robot or automated commercial high rise window cleaner might fall off in which case, at the very least we would have lost an expensive piece of equipment and in a worst case scenario, people might get injured or even killed. A Domestic window cleaner can weigh anything from 5kgs to 25kgs. Imagine it dropping on somebody from say 20 stories up. The potential for serious injury or death is very real.

Setup and safety issues apart, the main reason we decided against using automated Professional window cleaning services robots was the fact that as yet, they just don’t do a good job. A robot window cleaning device has no way of distinguishing a dusty window from a grime covered dirty window. It treats all glass surfaces alike and therein lays the ultimate problem to using robots for cleaning windows. Also, unlike humans, the robot has no way of sensing how much pressure its cleaning brush can exert over the glass. In our experience, window panes are not uniformly dirty and therefore treating each and every pane the same does not do a good job of cleaning windows at all.

The ultimate test came when we cleaned two identical glass surfaces of a large shopping mall. One surface was cleaned by our human crew while the other was cleaned by the robotic professional window cleaners. The manager at the mall was far from impressed with the robot. He said and I quote, “good attempt by the robot but your human crew would have to redo the part the robot did”. And that folks was the last time we used an automated window cleaner. When it comes to window cleaning only humans can do a job that will be appreciated by fellow humans.

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Home window washing solution

In one of our articles relating to tips on home window cleaning, we had also mentioned how you could make your own window washing solution. Despite that, we received several dozen emails requesting for our recipe for making a good window cleaning solution. Read on.

Before we make a home window washing solution, let us understand the task at hand. A dirty window will have a dust coat, might have grease, oil stains, streaks and even residual glue from stickers and sticky tape. If you have been using commercial window cleaning solutions, your windows might in addition to the above, also have a coating of wax. This is because a lot ofTraditional window cleaning solutions have a liquid wax to give the windows a high sheen. Wax unfortunately, causes the windows to get dirty a lot faster (and therefore increase the need for more commercial commercial window cleaning solution?).

Making your own home window washing solution

There are several ingredients (most of which would be available in your kitchen) that, in appropriate combination, will remove all the above problems and leave behind a spotlessly clean window.

We at Vision Cleaning have been making our own window cleaning solutions (and so do most other professional window cleaners). A decent window cleaning solution can be made for about a tenth of the cost of a commercial or Home Window Cleaning solution.

To design your own home window washing solution, first, let us ask ourselves the question, what will remove dust, grease, oil, glue and wax? The answer is:

1. Water
2. Vinegar
3. Liquid soap
4. Ammonia and,
5. Lemon juice

You can therefore make a home window washing solution of various strengths using the above ingredients. The general ratio we use is 80 to 90% water and rest is either Vinegar, liquid soap, ammonia and lemon juice. If using liquid soap and ammonia, you can skip lemon juice. Also, lemon juice will reduce the shelf-life of the window washing solution.

Vinegar is an important ingredient because it:

1. Kills bacteria, mold and germs
2. Is a grease remover
3. Has been in use for centuries as an effective cleaner on its own
4. It is also a deodorizer
5. Removes mineral build-up

Ammonia or detergent will get rid of grease, oil and wax.

Here is our recipe for making your own Window cleaning services solution:

Mix 2 cups of rubbing alcohol (70 percent isopropyl), and 3/4 gallon of water

To the above mixture, add 1/2 cup ammonia and 1 teaspoonful of liquid dish washing detergent
Or,

Add about 3 tablespoonfuls of vinegar to 2 cups water and half teaspoonful of liquid dish washing detergent.

Pour the solution you’ve created into a spray bottle!

If you have tried something else and found it works well for you, do write to us at info@ vision-cleaning.co.uk Also write in any suggestions, requests and most importantly, your experiences in cleaning windows 

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Professional window cleaning tips!

There is no house or building that has no windows or does not use glass and unless cleaned regularly, glass catches dust and become about as useful as a pair of dirty spectacle lenses. Even windows that are cleaned everyday can quickly develop smudges due to children touching them or leaning against them.

As professional window cleaners, we get a lot of questions from housewives on how to keep home windows clean. So here are a few home window cleaning tips.

Home window cleaning tips

Tip # 1: If you do not already possess one, buy yourself a good quality squeegee - we recommend the brass or stainless steel squeegees. It lasts longer and is well engineered for the job. The quality of rubber matters. It needs to be engineered just right - not too hard, not too soft. Squeegees can be purchased at any janitorial supply stores.

Tip # 2: You can either use a commercial window cleaning solution or make your own. An ideal window cleaning solution should contain a mild detergent and a small percentage of ammonia. You can make your own window cleaning liquid using water, vinegar (or a mild detergent), and ammonia in the approximate ratio of 90:05:05 i.e. 90% water and the rest split between vinegar (or a mild detergent), and ammonia. If you increase the detergent quantity it could cause streaks on the window.

Detergent or Ammonia gets rid of heavy greasy soils and stains whereas vinegar removes hard water spots.

Tip # 3: The secret to really clean windows is not the cleaning solution we use (although that helps), it's the technique used. So here's the technique that will result in absolutely clean windows:

Start off with wiping dirty windows with a damp cloth.

Hold the squeegee firmly against the window and pull downwards. Lift the squeegee away and repeat the process at the adjacent spot. Don't drag the squeegee around. Remember, from top of the window pull downwards firmly and then lift the squeegee away before you start at another spot.

Instead of the vertical movement mentioned above, you may also do it horizontally.

Tip # 4: If the window had not been cleaned for many weeks, use more water on the squeegee. The extra water removes the hard dirt particles cleanly. In comparison, a drier squeegee might cause dirt particles to scratch the glass.

Tip # 5: Do not use a vacuum cleaner on your windows - we've noticed that windows that have been regularly vacuum cleaner tend to have scratch marks. These were probably caused by the hard bristles at the vacuum head.

Tip # 6: Tilt the squeegee at an angle to the glass pressing about an inch of the rubber blade against the top of the window glass. Move the squeegee horizontally or vertically but stick to any one type of motion and wipe the blade of the squeegee with a damp cloth each time.

We hope these home window cleaning tips prove useful to you. Please feel free to write in to us at mailto:info@vision-cleaning.co.uk your suggestions and experiences are most welcome.

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Media Contact:

Glenn Screeton

Company Name: Vision Cleaning

Contact Number: 01599534196

Street Address: 23 wemyss place , Kyle. Highland. Iv40 8de

Website URL: http://www.vision-cleaning.co.uk/