Community Discussions
Explore the latest discussions and community conversations related to this domain.
What is a great way to get started with residential window cleaning?
Main Post:
Hey I’m looking to get started with window cleaning but I’m not sure where to start. Can I get your advice on:
- The tools that I need?
- If I need a license to do this?
- Anything I need to expect when starting?
Thank you!
Top Comment: There's some info in the FAQ and a search will get you a lot of answers
Business Profile suspended with no explanation – need help understanding the violation - Google Business Profile Community
Main Post: Business Profile suspended with no explanation – need help understanding the violation - Google Business Profile Community
How to clean windows? I've used dawn, vinegar, windex at least 50 times. Paper towels, rags, microfiber. Just keeps smearing.
Main Post: How to clean windows? I've used dawn, vinegar, windex at least 50 times. Paper towels, rags, microfiber. Just keeps smearing.
Top Comment: Dawn as in dish soap? That explains the streaks! You aren't removing it all before drying the window. Windex + squeegee is the way to go.
Is this acceptable for a professional window cleaning ...
Main Post: Is this acceptable for a professional window cleaning ...
Window cleaning, a great business to start, a guide
Main Post:
Alright, this took several hours to write and I have nothing to gain from this except helping people; no link, no blog, no consultation, no nothing - please read through the thing if you’re at all interested.
I'm a Swedish guy and a computer nerd and someone that doesn't really like manual labor, and still my first real company that I started was a window cleaning company. This was purely due to having a burning desire to have my own business. This, and I had a “friend” that used to work as a window cleaner. He was/is a terrible person but we actually started out together. I always had the feeling the business wouldn’t work out with this guy and it didn’t, but he did show me the basics of window cleaning, and that made me start a window cleaning company in my small Swedish town. This was several years ago and I guess my window cleaning days are over - I now have a couple of e-commerce stores making decent money, but I’m sitting on all this info that I feel could hopefully be really valuable to people, so I wanted to share.
Window cleaning I feel is a fine business to start for anyone, but maybe especially for someone just starting out their entrepreneurial journey. This because it is:
- Cheap and easy to start
- Easy to learn
- High demand
- Cheap marketing
- Scaleable
Marketing
Simple: flyers in mailboxes. My edge over the competition I feel was by putting the price right on there the flyer. For every area I had a price depending on the average size of the houses and the average number of windows of the houses in the area. I felt like a potential customer getting a price quote right on the flyer would increase the conversion rate. People like knowing exactly what they will pay for a service before they pick up the phone, people don’t like haggling or feeling unsure about anything, or feeling they might get screwed over. People like it as simple as possible. They are prepared to pay extra for this.
Only put flyers in areas where people make a good salary and thus have expendable income to spend on things like window cleaning, generally meaning houses, not apartments. At first I did both but I realized that putting flyers through the mailboxes of apartments just wasn’t worth it. As people’s doors are located very close to each other in apartment buildings you’d think that time spent delivering flyers/potential customer ratio would be good, but it’s not. It’s not 0, but it’s not very good in my experience. People living in large cities and capitals might have it different. Also, there are “nice apartments” and “not-so-nice apartments”, the former are of course better to market to.
With this fixed price thing you will of course sometimes get a house that you really should have priced higher, but you will get as many houses that are easier/faster to clean than you first thought. It evens out. Always make a short note in your bookkeeping for every house or apartment cleaned, example: “many/difficult windows, charge more next time”. My personal notes were most of the time “very nice people, no problems”. Payment will be no problem. People don’t mind paying honest money for honest work. It’s quite different from e-commerce that I work with now where people often try to scew you. Elderly people will probably be a large percentage of your customer base. Retirement homes are great places to market to.
I’m a web designer so making a nice website was easy for me. Yes, it makes a big difference. Put your website address on your flyers. Google “window cleaning” and you will get many nice images that you can use on your website - use ‘em. Have a 100% satisfied or money back guarantee - noone will use this but at the same time it builds trust and feels nice to have for the customer. I had a list of all the areas in my town with fixed prices for each area - a trust-builder and thinking back I’m a little proud about this, I think it looks very professional to a potential customer seeing “oh, I live there, and there is a fixed price, no shady or complicated stuff”. Conversion rate increases. I hate SEO so much but it kinda works. Google AdWords always works so use it. Do it yourself, don’t hire anyone to do this, AdWords is easy to work with. Didn’t try Facebook. I imagine it doesn’t’ work too well with services. I was about #6 in Google for the search [my town] + [window cleaning]. My website looked nice and a few customers told me this made them decide on my company. I didn’t focus on SEO at all, but of course it works, shady as it is.
Gear
It’s cheap. Maximum a couple hundred dollars/euros. Many stores have starter kits at a small discount. You need:
- A T-bar with that furry cloth-thing (again, I’m Swedish...) that puts the water and cleaning liquid/soap on the glass and that removes the dirt when you scrub
- Squeegee (lol I like this name, it’s not as fun in Swedish) to remove the water and cleaning liquid after scrubbing
- Good bucket, wide enough for T-bar
- Cleaning liquid/detergent (nothing expensive needed!)
- A couple of pieces of cloth (old bed sheets ripped apart - they rip really easy btw, and surprisingly, in straight lines)
- Small ladder (cheap, folds, and probably fits in your trunk)
- Extension pole
- Scraper for tougher spots and specks of paint
- Car (regular one is fine)
Will help:
- Bucket-on-a-belt, makes it easier and quicker
Kärcher brought this window-vacuum thing to the market that sucks the water off the window. This invention was post my time but I tried it last summer in my house and it did work fine. They make so much money from this invention and I’m jealous. A device like this might be great for you, try it. However it might also... suck. Go ahead and try the device out. That thing they throw in the package with the furry cloth that cleans the window is terrible though, you need a real T-bar for sure. There is a much-harder-than-it-looks technique where you don’t let your squeegee leave the window that you might not have to learn at all with a window-vac. It’s a bit loud, hopefully not a problem for the customer.
Seasonal
The big companies of course clean windows all year round, but it’s really a seasonal business. When spring comes and the sun starts to shine through the windows people see all the dirt and want them cleaned. I worked from (remember, Sweden) late April to late September. During autum/winter I don’t think it’s worth it unless you’re a big player. Cold water on your hands when the winds are blowing is not nice.
The cleaning, how-to
Well, it’s not rocket science. It’s harder than you think, but not super hard. Clean the windows in your own house or apartment several times and learn. Use Youtube and Google. Be smart, humble and willing to learn and it won’t be a problem. Streaks are your enemy. Use your scraper liberally. Never use your cloth more than needed as it leaves residues that will be noticed - it’s for collecting water at the edges of the window.
Other stuff
- Can’t be afraid of dogs
- Being tall helps, I’m not and I was fine, but it helps
- There will be strain on your eyes trying to locate dirt on windows - bring sunglasses, always
- Podcasts, documentaries and audiobooks helped me a lot - you need wireless earphones of course
- Shoulder might begin to hurt - try using an extension pole to take the strain off your shoulder as you can use your whole body
- I’m cheap and didn’t have insurance, didn’t need it, but I can’t advice against it either
Don’t take risks; if it’s a window in a high-up scary place, don’t be afraid to respectfully say no, most people will understand
Conclusion
Again, I’m more of a computer guy and really the last person you’d think would start a window cleaning company, but it went fine, and a part of me wishes I would have kept at it. No doubt I would have a semi-large company by now with a couple of employees, had I kept at it. I recommend it for most people.
There is a ton more stuff and tips I could write, but these are the basics. Go ahead and comment or PM and I’ll reply.
Top Comment:
It's refreshing to see a no-bullshit post on here trying to promote a blog. Great write up and great information for someone looking for a low cost business!
Not everything has to be an online store or tshirt business
New to home owning. Best window cleaner?
Main Post: New to home owning. Best window cleaner?
Top Comment: Safeway glass cleaner
Are window cleanings worth it
Main Post:
I moved into a large two story home with many windows. The windows and tracks haven’t been cleaned in a few years. Do y’all think it’s worth it to pay around 900$ for a cleaning of inside outside and tracks of all the windows ? Is this something important for house maintenance ? I’m mostly looking forward to the tracks being cleaned but just curious how others feel about this.
Top Comment:
I do this myself. So ymmv as to if $900 is worth it to not deal with it? Houses vary as to how big the windows are and the location...
Many of my windows I can tilt and clean from the inside or I can use the hose-attachment windex. I clean the tracks from the inside with a sponge and toothbrush and lots of elbow grease. All lower windows I clean with blue dawn and a squeegee
I don't know how to clean windows. Halp.
Main Post: I don't know how to clean windows. Halp.
Top Comment: Also, it’s best not to clean while direct sunlight is hitting it; clean it before or after that. Apparently direct sun can cause streaking. I use a clean soft rag and blue Windex on everything glass.
Best way to clean glass/windows, I always leave them streaky
Main Post: Best way to clean glass/windows, I always leave them streaky
Top Comment: 70% isopropyl alcohol in a spray bottle, squeegee, wipe dry with cotton cloth.
Professional Window Washer demonstrates how to correctly wash a window.
Main Post: Professional Window Washer demonstrates how to correctly wash a window.
Top Comment: I wonder if this guy gets triggered watching people spray with windex and just smear it around with a rag lol.
Window Cleaning Maintenance
Main Post:
How best to clean windows sills, blinds, all things window related? TIA for any advice.
Much appreciated 🙏
Top Comment: For the window sills and crevices at the base, don't be afraid to get it wet (insert inappropriate joke here). Warm water and dish soap in a spray bottle and using a small tool like this paired with a microfiber cloth to dry does wonders. I've done this for an abandoned hoarders house and it worked like a charm. If there are any windows with any bugs or excessive dirt, take a vacuum to it first. For window blinds, usually a paper towel with some general-purpose cleaner works. Spray the paper towel over each "blind" and slide down. It's a little tedious, but for the most part, they only need dusted. For the inside panel of glass, glass cleaner and towel. For the outside, there are plenty of extendable tools to reach higher floors.