Window Cleaning News + Video

Mongolian rally - The lengths some people will go to in order to help others. Next summer, Mike Ashton and his crew will drive nearly 10,000 miles and through 20 countries to Mongolia - and, once they've arrived, they plan to leave their car there. That's because they're competing in the 2010 Mongolia Charity Car Rally, in which entrants donate their vehicle, equipment and cash to suitable charities in the remote country. The Rally starts on July 11.
Mongolia is nearly five times the size of the UK but only has one major accident and emergency unit. Mike's team intends to contribute a four-wheel-drive ambulance that's fully equipped to save lives in Mongolia. He was inspired by the need for him to require emergency treatment at the A & E department at his local hospital, treatment that most of us take for granted. Mike's team is called NoMad Adventure. He will be joined on the drive by his son Callum 16, and Syd Wall, a friend. The team's first fund-raising event is on November 13 at Talton Lodge, Crimscote for a Mongolian-themed evening of food and entertainment with a lot of local companies donating the meal and drink.
The team is looking for main sponsors to cover the costs of the vehicle, fuel, equipment and visas, as well as the all-important vehicle preparation. A self-employed gardener/window cleaner and greenwood craftsman, Mike intends to make large quantities of charcoal for his wife to sell during next summer, in order to replace his income while he'ds off raising money. The rally starts in London on July 11 - after that, the crews are on their own. Sponsors for vehicles, equipment and general help can pledge their support on the Mongolia Charity Rally 2010 page on the Charity Rallies website where there's a wealth of information and pictures about previous rallies, the vehicles donated and the projects supported.

Record for pocket powerhouse Tommy: Pint-sized strongman Tommy Campion has broken the world record for being the lightest competing bodybuilder. The window cleaner turned muscleman entered the Guinness Book of Records after weighing in at 55.5 kilos – eight-and-a-half stone. Tommy, who lives in Presthope Road, Pennywell, travelled to Manchester this summer for an over-50s competition where he weighed in at a record light weight. Now the dad-of-three has received his official certificate from adjudicators. "It's a novel achievement, I know, but it's still something to get yourself in the Guinness Book of Records," Tommy said. "I've now got the certificate to prove it." The 51-year-old, who is also a keen runner, said his low weight, is not down to dieting, but to genes. At just 5ft 2in tall, Tommy said he takes after his "slightly built" mum. "I'm pretty sure that's where I get it from," he said. "She was this tiny, little person. "I was only six stone when I left school at 16 and I almost became a jockey at one point. Somehow I got into bodybuilding and I really took to it." Tommy began bodybuilding 25 years ago and for the past eight years has been competing as a member of the British Natural Bodybuilding Federation. In recent years he has been placed fifth and sixth in national competitions.

Who must clean windows (South Africa)?
Question:
In a sectional title complex or block of flats, is the body corporate responsible for cleaning the outside windows?
Answer:
At the moment the situation with regard to window panes is not clear, but there is an amendment to the Sectional Titles Act 95 of 1986 (the Act) in the pipeline. This will provide that the boundaries of sections go through the middle of window frames and it will then be clear that the exterior portion of windows is always common property.
The body corporate is responsible to repair and maintain the common property, including common property windows. However, common property maintenance would not normally be considered to include the cleaning of all exterior window panes, even once it becomes clear that these are all common property.
In a high-rise building where occupants cannot easily clean their own windows, the rules of the scheme may oblige the body corporate to employ window-cleaners. In schemes where occupiers can readily access the exterior of their windows, they will not normally be entitled to insist that the body corporate clean the outside of the window panes.
As the situation is currently not clear from the provisions of the Act, it is suggested that this issue be dealt with in a scheme’s rules so that all owners in the scheme are aware of what the position is for their scheme.

Gonzalez is still cleaning up here: Tony Gonzalez may not play football in Kansas City anymore, but a piece of him remains here. As everyone knows, Gonzalez now lives in Atlanta, where he plays tight end for the Atlanta Falcons. But Gonzalez still operates his business, Extreme Clean 88, out of Lenexa. While Gonzalez concentrates on football during the season, the day-to-day operations of Extreme Clean 88 are handled by Dennis Allen, Gonzalez’s cousin and co-founder and manager of the business.
Gonzalez calls Allen at least four times a week to offer advice or render suggestions. Gonzalez admitted Monday that this area holds special meaning to him. “I grew up in Kansas City,” he said. “Kansas City will always be my base. It’s where I started my career. And it’s where Extreme Clean 88 started.” In 2007, he bought into Rigdon Inc., a company that specialized in window cleaning. The name was changed to Extreme Clean 88. Gonzalez added services, including hood exhaust cleaning, gutter cleaning and janitorial services. Extreme Clean 88 now has about 40 employees.
A family connection sparked Gonzalez’s interest in commercial cleaning. He has an uncle that runs a similar business on the East Coast and in Tennessee. Gonzalez has been successful in snagging work around town almost as easily as he snags passes from quarterbacks. The company almost doubled its revenue in 2007, and this year business is up 50 percent.
The company cleaned the Arrowhead Stadium training facility and did the final cleanup on the Arrowhead Stadium improvements. The company also did the final cleaning on the glass of the Sprint Center before it opened to the public. “The business has been doing well despite the challenges with the economy,” said Kerry Rigdon, the other manager and co-founder. “We’re growing and looking to expand on our current services.” Depending on his health and the team he has in Atlanta, Gonzalez told his cousin that he plans to play only a couple more years. After he retires, he wants to expand the business.
With Gonzalez serving as the face of the company, its services have been easy to market. “There’s some credibility that goes with that,” Rigdon said. “Tony opens doors. He has a brand that gives people a level of comfort.” The company also has done work at schools such as Kansas State University and Johnson County Community College and at the four casinos in the area. “When the economy comes back, we’re going to be doing pretty good,” Rigdon said. Kansas City shouldn’t feel slighted by Gonzalez’s departure. He’ll obviously devote more time to his business once he hangs up the pads. Watch the videos.

OTTAWA, Canada — Mark Albert, a 45-year-old man killed in a rowhouse fire Saturday morning, lived on loyalty. Dave Stenson, owner of Howard’s Pawn Shop on Carling, said Albert had been cleaning his windows for the past 10 years. As kids, the two would go fishing together at Britannia Pier. But as they grew up, Albert grew apart from his friends and family. Through window washing, Albert relied on people like Stenson to keep himself financially afloat. He was a fixture in the Bayshore area, plying the streets looking for clients. “He’s a lifelong resident of the west end,” Stenson said. “All I was doing was giving him a couple of bucks to get by.” Albert died in Unit 13 at 2959 Penny Dr., in a fire that took 36 firefighters over an hour to bring under control. The fire broke out shortly after midnight in a second-floor bedroom before spreading to the roof, fire officials said. They estimated structural damage at $200,000 and contents damage at $250,000.

The body of an elderly man has been found in rural farmland between Burnley and Pendle. Police said they were investigating whether the body was that of Jessie Shaw, 83, who went missing three weeks ago. Although a formal identification has yet to be made, Jessie’s daughter, Julie Shaw, said she was ‘convinced’ it was her dad. She said a lifelong friend of her father made the discovery while out hunting in fields close to Higham on Saturday lunchtime. Despite having no official confirmation that it is that of her dad, she said she was ‘99.9 per cent sure’ it was him.
She said: “It’s our dad. He had the same clothing on that he was wearing when he disappeared. Jessie, who had suffered from Alzheimer’s for four years, spent all his life in Padiham and worked down the pits before starting his own window cleaning business.

"DIRTY JOBS" - Is there any job that is just off limits to the show or to Mike? Eddie Barbini (producer of "dirty jobs") - " Not really." "We haven't turned down a job yet." "Mike is always game for whatever is up as long as it's not dangerous but he walks that fine line putting himself in situations that you just think 'How is this guy going to do this?'" "Last week, what aired is the window-washing segment in Hawaii." "Mike washes windows on an over-400 foot skyscraper in Hawaii." "He washes it not in the traditional way on scaffolding but he's actually in a little swing seat that he goes down with pulleys along the side of the building." "I'll tell you that it's frightening." "Our cameraman wouldn't even go on and backed out of it." "Actually, it'll rank up there at the top as one of the dirtiest jobs even though it's not dirty in the sense of dirt but the characters are phenomenal and the experience is phenomenal and Mike is hysterical in it."