Spring Window Cleaning News

Spring is in the air and for many people that means it’s time for spring cleaning. Cleaning companies are able to capitalize on the annual ritual by pushing their products through advertising campaigns. This is only natural, says advertisers and those in the cleaning industry. “Advertising that appeals to the wants and needs of the consumer is generally very effective in generating sales and profits,” says James W, Kroeger, an assistant professor in South University’s College of Business.

That appeal encourages companies like Simple Green to employ marketing and advertising strategies around spring cleaning. Denise Dochnahl, marketing specialist for Simple Green, says the company generally does a combination of print, cable television, and radio advertising in conjunction with spring cleaning each year. “Simple Green does do a ‘push’ in consumer advertising during the spring because spring cleaning is somewhat of a nationally recognized ritual, especially when winters are harsh and leave behind a myriad of messes,” she says.

Marketing Spring Cleaning: Stephanie Bane, director of account planning at Smith Brothers Agency, a marketing firm in Pittsburgh, agrees that spring cleaning is a good advertising event. “The ritual of spring cleaning is satisfying and fun,” she says. “It’s the one time of year that projects like cleaning, organizing, and doing repairs around the house don’t feel like chores – they feel like a fresh start. Spring cleaning is an inherently positive experience and provides good associations for many products, brands, and retailers. Bane says that in addition to cleaning-related products or brands, advertising for spring cleaning can also be effective for service-oriented businesses like dry cleaning, carpet cleaning, and window washing.

Kroeger includes even more types of businesses in his list of who should use spring cleaning as an advertising hook. “A large variety of businesses can and should take advantage of this time of renewal in attracting consumers eager for a change,” he says. “All companies focused on interior decorating services and supplies have an advantage this time of year, including firms offering paints and supplies, wall coverings, window treatments, flooring, cabinetry, and furniture. Carpet cleaning and window cleaning will be a priority. After a long, hard winter, attention will be focused on roofing, siding, and gutters, and general home improvements. Garden centers, landscaping services, and do-it-yourself stores see a dramatic upsurge in business with spring events.”

Spring cleaning is a good advertising event for Simple Green, Dochnahl says, adding that print advertisements with coupons tend to generate a lot of purchases in the spring. Television and radio ads also drive traffic to the product website during that time of year, she says. “People are getting out and starting to think in terms of cleaning up the home and the outdoor living areas for spring and summer, which means they’re buying cleaning products for those jobs, especially if they live somewhere that winter has ‘left its mark,’” Dochnahl says.

Spring Cleaning and Money: Spring is also a time of year when consumers have more disposable income because of lower utility bills and income tax refund checks, Kroeger points out. That translates to more consumer dollars available to spend on spring cleaning products and services. “Spring is a natural time of rebirth and renewal for all of nature, and consumers are no exception,” he adds. “Knowledgeable advertisers can take advantage of this fact by targeting consumers who have endured months of drab, dreary, and cold weather, and are in a mindset to be more active in sprucing up their homes, cars, and yards.” And as Bane points out, sometimes that sprucing up can turn into a larger project, meaning even more consumer money being put into the economy. “Every small project around the house turns to be bigger – and more expensive – than you think it is going to be,” she explains. “Even something as simple as organizing a closet can lead to a lot of money spent on things like dry cleaning and storage products.”

Spring Cleaning Goes Digital:  Because of the success that Simple Green and other cleaning-related companies and products see through spring cleaning advertising campaigns, the trend is generally expected to continue. However, like so many other things, this trend, too, will probably go digital. “The primary change will be a continuing increase in the trend of utilizing digital media for advertising,” Kroeger predicts. “As we continue to see a dramatic increase in technology with the advent of iPods, iPads, Blackberries, ‘smart’ phones, etc., daily newspapers as we now know them will evolve to a digital subscription-based format.” Dochnahl says Simple Green already utilizes e-mail blasts and newsletters as part of its advertising campaigns. For Simple Green, if the advertising is working, there is no reason to change it. “For us, the trend will remain constant, with our marketing and advertising continuing to be predominantly targeted toward the spring cleaning movement,” she says.

A stillborn baby was miraculously brought back to life after being frozen for 3 days. Little Ella Anderson had been dead for 25 minutes after she was starved of oxygen in the womb. Medics managed to revive her but feared Ella could still die or suffer severe brain damage. She was whisked 30 miles away to Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, and placed in a cooling blanket. The pioneering procedure protects against brain damage by forcing the organ to repair itself. Ella's temperature plummeted from 37C to 33.5C. After 72 hours it was slowly raised by half a degree at a time. Dad Jason Anderson, 33, of Werrington, Peterborough, said: "When we went to see her in the hospital she was wired up to every machine and tube imaginable. "I laid my hand on her head and she was ice cold to the touch." The treatment worked and the youngster was allowed home just 11 days later. Now nine-months-old Ella has stunned doctors with her incredible progress. She still needs physiotherapy but scans have shown no abnormalities on her brain. Mum Rachel Claxton, 32, and window cleaner Jason have started a Facebook campaign to raise money for the unique procedure.

Customer Service Award: The Customer Service Award, which honors an employee or owner of a member business, who exemplifies high standards by giving priority attention to every customer, client or guest, went to Dean Behan of Behan Window Cleaning. "Nominated for this award unanimously by the board of directors, Dean exemplifies high standards and is consistently giving his time and energy to fulfill his customer's requests, even when it is not expected of him," Bemis said of Behan. Chamber officials also noted Behan's customer service does not stop with his own business but carries over to the children he teaches snowboarding and skiing at Mount McSauba.

"Dean has earned a reputation as one of the most requested snowboard and skiing instructors at the recreational facility. Not only do the children enjoy their lessons but the parents and staff alike cannot say enough wonderful things about what an asset he is to the program." Bemis said Behan's peers describe him as a hard working, positive individual who cares deeply not only for his customers but for everyone in his community, this is what makes his service so outstanding. "He is not concerned about profit margins or business capital, but about forming a relationship with his customers."

Christian a rock of the community: Christian Mathieson spent three days and two nights on the kilometre-high El Capitan vertical rock formation in California's Yosemite National Park and has also tackled the intimidating "India" route on Victoria's Mt Arapiles. His love of rock climbing remains undiminished, but these days he is content to make a business from training others to scale those heights. Mr Mathieson, 36, owns the Lactic Factory in Abbotsford, Australia's first indoor training facility for bouldering, the rock climbing equivalent of sprinting. He opened the facility six years ago, exhausting himself working as a high-rise window cleaner by day while running the climb centre at night until the business was on a sufficiently solid foundation to be run as a full-time job. With 250sq m of timber climbing walls set at a range of angles, including overhangs, the centre is used to build climbers' fitness, with some spending as long as four hours on gruelling training sessions.

On the day of the big quake, engineering experts from Auckland were in Christchurch preparing to give a seminar. The subject: making older brick buildings more earthquake-resistant so walls and parapets might not fall down and kill people.

The efforts of water trucks to dampen the roads are futile. Dust masks are now another essential in Christchurch's arsenal. People don't complain about their own plight when they know that in the CBD people lie dead. Outside, local Dale Finch is dropping his chimney rubble off at the corner.  He doesn't expect to keep his job: he's a window cleaner on high rise buildings in the CBD.

Mexican Dirt Causes Muddy Rain In South Texas: SAN ANTONIO - As people made their way to their vehicles Tuesday afternoon, they noticed what might just be a car wash owner's dream. A large dust storm in Mexico made it's way into the atmosphere and mixed with the showers focused over South Texas, causing rain mixed with dirt and creating a mud shower. Many San Antonians were unfamiliar with the meteorlogical oddity. "As long as I've been living in San Antonio, I've never seen this before," Edward Jarmon said.

Rainstorm leaves dirty surprise in Missouri: Clay Frisbie wondered why his windshield wouldn't get clean during Monday morning's rain. When the wipers kept sending smudges across his windshield, Frisbie realized the raindrops themselves were dirty. That's just what the National Weather Service called an unusual weather event: dirty rain. The brown film could prove to be a boon to Frisbie, whose Class Glass Cleaning specializes in window washing. "We probably will get some calls," Frisbie said. "It's the first time I've seen this happen in a long time." While Frisbie was anticipating calls from people wanting clean windows, other businesses rushed to rid themselves of the grime.

Social Media marketing specialist, Charly Caldwell (pictured) presented along with Jason Evers to more than 300 people at the International Window Cleaners Association (IWCA) Convention and Trade Show last weekend. The topic of the presentation was “How to Network Effectively”, providing useful resources and suggestions for effective networking, both in person and through social media online. “Speaking to this group was a wonderful opportunity,” said Charly Caldwell, Founder and President of Internet Services Group of Florida. “We were able to educate 300 to 400 companies from around the United States, and provide them with valuable strategies that will allow them to extend their personality and networking efforts online. Through the proper use of Social Media and other online resources, these business professionals will now be able to translate their networking into the creation of new business.”

In the kick-off keynote session, Jason Evers of Coastline Window Cleaning discussed the value of effective networking, how to network more effectively, and how to make it more comfortable for everyone. Charly Caldwell, of Internet Services Group of Florida, LLC (ISG), followed up with a presentation entitled “Create Business Now with Social Media”. In Caldwell’s presentation, he provided an in-depth look at the latest social media avenues that are currently available, and explained how this type of networking can used as a valuable tool to create new business. He also discussed strategies for ranking in Google and other search engines, along with various other no cost online techniques that will help generate business.

The business of the environment: All of those efforts, she said, are about doing the right thing — not about how many customers might be attracted to green-friendly businesses. “For me, it's my conscience, the future of my children and other people.” Still, Yoder said, it is a goal of certification to make it more in vogue to be the business with the “certified green” sticker on the window. Kristi Wamstad-Evans, the City of Omaha's sustainability coordinator and a Green Omaha Coalition board member, said many consumers are beginning to take companies' environmental records into account when they decide where and what to buy. She said it's important to have standards in place so people know what a company means when it claims to be green. “People are taking more personal responsibility, and that affects where they spend their dollars,” she said. “Having a decal up on the window basically certifies that the business is not just green-washing, that they're accountable to some third party.”

The tale of the cat that fell 10 stories and survived: Daniel Sansone, 21, let his father’s two cats, Kitty and Socks out onto the balcony of their 10th floor apartment near O’Hare Airport one afternoon last weekend, as was their habit. The cats like it out there, and the Sansones didn’t see any harm. When Daniel looked out a few minutes later, however, Socks was nowhere to be seen. Daniel made a more thorough search of the balcony, then of the apartment itself, hoping the answer wasn’t what he feared.  “I started freaking out,” he said. His father, Charles, 49, just home from the hospital and recuperating in bed, noticed his son’s agitated state and asked what was wrong. “I think the cat went over the balcony,” Daniel said. As a matter of cat, the cat had gone over the balcony — and fallen approximately 90 feet to the ground. But let’s end the suspense right here, because as you can see in the accompanying photo, Socks is just fine.

Actually, though, it happens all the time, with cats surviving falls from even greater heights. It happens so often that veterinarians long ago gave the phenomenon a name, High-Rise Syndrome. Back in 2009, a New York cat named Lucky fell 26 stories and survived, that particular incident gaining more notoriety than most because it was photographed by a window-washing crew that happened to be working across the street. There were also news stories in 2007 about a cat in Northbrook that survived an 18-story fall with some broken bones. Dr. David Gomsky of West Loop Veterinary Care said one downtown emergency clinic where he previously worked sees 50 to 75 cases of High-Rise Syndrome in a year, sometimes as many as three in a single weekend when the weather turns warm. The highest fall that anyone there could remember a Chicago cat surviving was 22 stories. That cat had the good fortune of landing on an awning, which helped break the fall. Some of these cats fell off balconies and others tumbled from windows or rooftop decks. While the cats who make it to veterinarians tend to survive, they are often the worse for wear with head trauma or lung damage.

TOP DRAWER: A listing of the honourable, noteworthy, new & what's ahead for business people in Columbia - Ben Appleton, commercial manager of Shepherd’s Co. of Fulton, won two medals at the International Window Cleaning Association Convention and Trade Show in St. Pete Beach, Fla. Appleton won a silver medal in the window speed cleaning competition and a bronze medal in the speed and quality competition. More than 30 contestants from five countries participated in the contest.

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World's Germiest Places: Is it your Building? We in the professional cleaning industry hear about germs every day. But have you ever wondered about the "germiest" places in the world? The Forensic Science Technician, an organization that promotes the teaching of forensic sciences, has compiled a list of the 50 germiest places in the world some of which are everyday locations, while others are a little less common. The top 10 germiest everyday places include:

1. Portable toilets 2. Kitchen sinks 3. Door handles 4. Underwear 5. Purses and handbags 6. Hotel linens and towels 7. Computer keyboards 8. Communal office equipment/workstations 9. Cell phones; and 10. Kitchen sponges.

Some of the more unusual germiest spots include:

1. The Blarney Stone in Ireland, kissed by thousands of tourists each year

2. Baku, Azerbaijan, considered the world's germiest/dirtiest city

3. Oscar Wilde's grave in Paris, which tourists traditionally kiss

4. Airplane bathrooms

5. Health care facilities and nursing homes

6. Vacuum cleaner bags

7. Beds (beds are practically Petri dishes, according to the report)

8. Murder/suicide scenes

9. Automatic teller machines; and 10. Money.

"There is not much our industry can do about cleaning up the Blarney Stone," says Matt Morrison, Communications Manager for Kaivac, developers of the No-Touch Cleaning system. "But there is a lot we can do to hygienically clean and sanitize toilets, door handles, and other surfaces." For instance, to clean high-touch surfaces, Morrison encourages cleaning professionals to use flat-surface cleaning systems that combines microfiber, a window squeegee and chemical injection technologies. Additionally, he advises using the new generation of microfiber "smart towels" that can be folded into quadrants, allowing a fresh section to be used for each cleaning task.

Terry "Turbo" Burrows becomes World Champion again! Cadbury is the official treat provider of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games. To celebrate, we want to help the Nation re-capture their playful spirit and get everybody to play more; so we invented Spots v Stripes, the biggest, funnest game ever! In the run up to London 2012 we're asking you all to pick a side and join in the fun. This month, we’re breaking records, Guinness World Records! EddPlant v Terry Turbo: Cadbury World Record Tea Making: Get Racing! Cadbury Spots v Stripes has launched Race Season and created 9 new Guinness World Records for everyday things like Tea-making and Mouse Scrolling. In this round, Terry Turbo, the world's fastest window cleaner competes with musical youtube star EddPlant in an attempt to attempt to break the record for the world's fastest tea making.

Business briefs: Post-storm site still a useful tool - A database of reputable companies sparked by contractor scams in the wake of Hurricane Charley has evolved to include all sorts of professions, from accountants and outdoor lighting to home security and feng shui consulting. The Quality Service Pros directory, at qualityservicepros.com, has a mission to educate consumers on how to hire smart, said founder Jason Evers, president of Coastline Window Cleaning Inc. The database features companies that have provided proof of licensing and insurance and passed a screening process. A networking group focused on competent, honest business practice has grown out of the database. Members offer training seminars on business administration, customer service and quality management topics. The cost for local companies to join the directory is $99 per month. Download a free guide, "Ten Things You Must Know Before Hiring a Contractor" here.