Window Cleaning News From The Week

Washing windows: Top picture - Jeremy Wilken of G and M Window Service squeegees the cleaning solution away from the window his partner J. R. Elkins cleaned on the walkway that goes from the Embassy Suites Lincoln to the parking garage on Friday afternoon. Bottom picture: Jeremy Wilken (left) and J. R. Elkins of G and M Window Service look south down 10th Street as northbound traffic passes underneath their cherry picker on Friday afternoon, April 8, 2011. The pair were cleaning the windows of the walkway that goes from the Embassy Suites Lincoln to the parking garage. Click to enlarge.

Window Washer Creates Scare in Downtown Richmond: Did you see a man hanging from a red rope on the side of the Suntrust building downtown Wednesday afternoon? It was a window washer that appeared to be stranded and in need of rescue. It happened sometime between 4:30 p.m. and 4:45 p.m. on 9th and Main Streets and prompted a call to the Richmond Fire Department for rescue. Lt. Shawn Jones, a spokesman for the fire department, says a ladder truck was dispatched to the scene but when they spoke to the window washer, he refused rescue.

Cleaning the windows on the box seats at O'Brien Field is made a whole lot easier with special tools as Michael Webb of Fish Window Cleaning reaches up with a custom pole system that allows him to clean windows up to four stories high. Click to enlarge.

Schedule window washing: April's usually a good time to wash windows. Ryan McPheters of Virginia Window Cleaners has three tips for DIYers: Use a squeegee, not rags. Overlap passes, and wipe off the blade after each one. If you’d rather have a professional do the job, prices range from $100 for humble digs to $2,000 for estates. McPheters's company typically charges $6.50 per double-hung window, plus $2.50 if it has a storm window.

On the same cruise, our riverboat had to go through a couple of locks. That was an opportunity for the cruise line to get the boat's windows washed from the outside. The window washer could stand on the top of the concrete lock wall and wash windows on both sides of the boat without using a ladder and without having to find a way to wash windows on the side away from a dock. One of our fellow travelers, a young woman, didn't know that. She thought no one could be looking in through the windows of a riverboat from the outside and was surprised when she saw the window washer doing his job while she was running around her cabin in her underwear.

Region's MPs claim £150,000 for two months expenses: Greater Manchester's MPs claimed almost £150,000 in two months, the latest round of House of Commons expenses show. The records – which relate to claims in November and December last year - suggest politicians are continuing to show restraint since 'Expensesgate' struck in 2009. How much your MP claimed: David Crausby, Bolton North East, £14,019.22 Claims included £5 window cleaning and £170 for a fridge and kettle for his office. He claimed the maximum £1,450 in accommodation.

Window Cleaner takes battle against red-light ticket to Kitsap Superior Court: PORT ORCHARD - A quarter-second after the traffic lights at Wheaton Way and Sylvan Way flashed from yellow to red, Sky Steimle's white van coasted right through. Digital cameras installed in March 2008 to deter red-light runners caught Steimle in the act, snapping photos and capturing video footage of the violation. But instead of paying his $124 ticket to the city of Bremerton, Steimle has contested the citation and appealed an earlier Bremerton Municipal Court decision. So far, it's cost him $520 in fees to fight the ticket. Steimle doesn't deny running the red light. But he questions the legality of the city's photo enforcement system, calling it "corrupt and fraudulent."

Appearing before Kitsap Superior Court Judge Anna Laurie on Monday without a lawyer, Steimle became the first person to appeal a Bremerton Municipal Court ruling for red-light infractions to Superior Court. Bremerton contracts with the Arizona-based company Redflex for its nine red-light cameras, paying the company $4,850 a month per camera to administer the program. The cameras are at six intersections. "I feel it's my duty to shed some light on this matter," said Steimle, who lives in Port Townsend and owns a window-cleaning business.

Steimle alleges that sensors in the pavement trigger red lights as drivers approach on yellow. He said he filmed cars passing through the intersection for three hours to back his claim, but he lost the footage when his laptop died. Among a host of complaints brought to court Monday, Steimle challenged Hill's authority to have presided over the case. Hill is a commissioner certified by the Washington Supreme Court, but she isn't a licensed attorney. She serves as a judge pro tem and deals only with traffic and parking infractions. Steimle cites a pair of statutes requiring that municipal court judges take an oath of office and have the same qualifications as other judges. Records requests show Hill isn't an attorney and has no oath on file, he said.

Lawsuit: Woman hit by window washing equipment in Libertyville: A woman is suing a window cleaning company for negligence, claiming she was hit by equipment while walking near a Libertyville Walgreens store last summer. Judy Roberts claims that on Aug. 17, 2010, she was at a Walgreens store in Libertyville when she was struck by a piece of equipment being used to clean the windows, according to a lawsuit filed in Cook County Court. The suit claims that Crystal Clear MSM, Inc., which does business as Fish Window Cleaning North Shore were cleaning the outer windows of the store when Roberts was injured. Fish carelessly and negligently handled the cleaning equipment and failed to train its employees, who were allowed to wear headphones while working, according to the lawsuit. The three-count lawsuit also names Walgreens Company, Bond Drug Company of Illinois, and Blanca Allocco, who owned, operated or managed the Walgreens store. The lawsuit claims negligence and negligent hiring and seeks unspecified damages. A spokesman for Crystal Clear refused to comment and spokesmen for Walgreens and Bond Drug were unavailable for comment.

Jason P. Michael has served for about three years as a member of the Holts Summit Board of Aldermen. He became a member of the board one year earlier after he was appointed to fill an office after a resignation from the board. He won the next election for a two-year term and is now seeking his second full two-year term. He is unopposed in Ward 1. For the last five years, Michael and his wife have owned and operated three businesses in Holts Summit. They include 2 BM Inc. Services, a window washing, pressure washing, lawn care, and air duct cleaning service; Servant Professional Janitorial Services, which provides commercial cleaning services; and Where Ya Headin’ Christian Books & Gifts in the Summit Plaza in Holts Summit. “I also am working toward ordination to become an ordained non-denominational minister. I am one of about 15 or so people who travel around the nation and do street preaching at large events such as Mardi Gras, Super Bowl, presidential inaugural speeches, and when the Pope comes to a city,” Michael said.

It's a seemingly mundane scene. Five buckets, a couple of sodden mops, a squeegee and small pools of water behind a rough cordon. But this is not a cleaning site, it is an art installation by renowned glass artist Wendy Fairclough commissioned for the Smokestack Gallery space at the Canberra Glassworks. In Breach, Fairclough combines cast and blown glass and aluminium objects with a soundtrack of rain falling on a roof as she explores the aftermath of trauma and what happens to our perception of the world when all that we have assumed to be permanent, stable and safe is suddenly wrenched away. Breach is one of two displays that opened at the Canberra Glassworks yesterday. The other is Drink!, a salute to the humble cup by 30 artists from around Australia. Click to enlarge the art!

Dodgy window cleaner warning: Dodgy window cleaners are being targeted in a fresh crackdown in Dumfries and Galloway. Householders and traders are being reminded to check the credentials of window cleaners in a bid to protect themselves against unlicensed cowboys. PC Audrey Johnstone told the Standard: “Licensed window cleaners are required to carry a photographic licence at all times when working and people should verify this.” All licensed window cleaners must have Public Liability Insurance and be licensed with the council under the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982. If they fail to do so they could face prosecution. Licensing Standards officer Richard Graham said: “The aim of licensing is to safeguard the public and ensure that anyone working as a window cleaner is a fit and proper person to do so.” For more information or to check licensed window cleaners in your area, contact Dumfries and Galloway Council on 01387 24922

We had a daft wee rescue dog in Easterhouse, a bearded collie called Squeegee. When I took Squeegee for walks, the kids would run up to speak to her. One time when I was walking along to the shops on my own, I overheard one little girl say to her friend: “That’s Squeegee’s dad.” Squeegee’s dad – quite a title.

Police Offer Tips to Identify Potential Burglars: Capt. J. Martin Lurz urges residents to stay alert for suspicious activity. Previously, I have described how some burglars use "door-to-door" sales pitches as a ruse for casing a home to see if it is occupied. There are many legitimate folks that go door-to-door as well, but they are more likely to have some type of credentials, a huckster's permit, etc. Here's what I need the residents to be particularly alert for in their neighborhoods if a solicitor comes to your door with a sales pitch of "just starting a new landscaping company" or selling some sort of "window cleaning spray."

Protestors against a new superstore in Dean Road marched through Scarborough town centre yesterday afternoon. Organisers said more than 100 people turned out for the march, which began on Dean Road and progressed to the Town Hall. A petition against Tesco plans for the site, containing 2,700 signatures, was handed to the council. Protesters remained outside the Town Hall for around half an hour, under the watchful eye of PCSOs, but there were no signs of any disorder. Neil Price, a committee member of the Scarborough Town Against Tesco Store group and owner of Kingsway Guest House, said the event had been a success. “It’s a great day, and we’re really happy with the turnout,” he said. “The town is speaking up for itself,” Mr Price added. “People are starting to realise that this is a huge superstore and not just a normal supermarket. “We believe it will decimate small businesses and all the little stores, and another main concern is traffic congestion. “If this goes ahead, in four or five years people will be saying ‘why did we let that happen?’ “This isn’t only a protest against Tesco, we are not in favour of any supermarket on that site.” The decision over whether to grant planning permission will be taken in the summer. Yorkshire Coast College student and window cleaner Matt Witty, 17, said he was worried about the impact a store would have on businesses.

ACE program deals graduates another chance at life: ACE offers a four-to-six-month vocational program of individual counseling and paid street-cleaning work to homeless people from around the city. Many ACE members are simultaneously enrolled in drug or alcohol rehabilitation programs so they can overcome their addictions.“I have a warm spot in my heart for them, ’cause I’ve been in their shoes,” said Steve Martin, who was homeless for 28 years before starting substance abuse treatment in 2006. “If I can do it, I know they can do it.” In 2007, Steve Martin joined ACE, where today as crew supervisor, he assigns members their work shifts and periodically checks on them while they’re on their routes. In addition, ACE provides window washing, snow removal and furniture moving for local businesses.

Question: The sash windows in our attic are stuck with paint, so we can't clean the outside easily. I have heard that a sponge attached to a magnet can be controlled from inside by a sponge and magnet. Is this true?

Answer: "Feedback on magnetic window cleaners hasn't been good," Stephanie Zia says. "The outside part can drop off, and they sometimes leave streaks or, worse, damage the glass. If you can't un-stick the paint (try a putty knife and WD-40), use a Squeegee with a telescopic pole. If you have access via a lower window, a 3.5m pole might work (£14.99, from tooltime.co.uk). For more elaborate systems, including the Mr Longarm Hydrasoar Pole.

Even the NZ governor-general eats leftovers – especially when the country is belt-tightening. "He does not lead a lavish lifestyle. Food is recycled," a government official said of 66-year-old Sir Anand Satyanand's expenses, which show the former district court judge and his aides spent $4.12 million in the last year. Tens of thousands have gone on VIP transport, security, drycleaning, photography, flowers, newspapers, pest control and window washing. Between 2009 and 2010, $410,510 went on horticultural expenses, almost $50,000 on printing, stationery and couriers, and $107,322 on rubbish removal and cleaning. Republican Movement chairman Lewis Holden said the figures were "staggering during a time of austerity", that there were too many staff, and it was absurd to pay people to advise him on legal issues when he was a lawyer. Staff and contractors associated with the office are paid more than $1.56m a year, and the role comes with an annual salary of $191,645.

Fuelling business with incentive scheme: Shopping in Bargo (Australia) now has a few added advantages. Business owners have united in an attempt to promote the town, with seven businesses taking part in the inaugural Shop Locally promotion. Friendly Store owner Barry Evans said the promotion was about giving customers something back. “If local businesses don’t get local support they won’t survive,” Mr Evans said. Each week for 10 weeks, customers who use the participating businesses will go into a draw for a chance to win $100 worth of fuel. Businesses included in the promotion are Budget Window Cleaning.

One tall order - First Canadian Place, designed by Edward Durell Stone, opened in 1975. In 2007, a slab of marble fell off the building's 54th floor, forcing police to close King Street. Workers have hung 14 suspended elevated platforms around the circumference of the building, attached to the roof by cables that run through the window-washer channels. These platforms are three storeys high.  On the top platform -the 56th floor, on Thursday -workers with Sota Glazing Inc. use huge steel arms with electric suction cups to affix new 8-foot by 10-foot sheets of triple-layer glass on brackets that steelworkers have attached to the building. Each sheet replaces eight pieces of marble. "The guys are happy. Morale is a big thing," says a smiling Nino Pastore, general foreman for Sota. He has 26 guys working the day shift, 13 at night, and now four for the midnight shift. Another challenge, Mr. Pastore says, is fostering "harmony" between two unions -glaziers and ironworkers -on this deck, especially since "sometimes we're under the gun for time, to make sure we're on time." Still, he says, "We're doing pretty well." In nine months, workers replaced the marble on 16 storeys.

On the First Canadian Place makeover: 54,000 Number of slabs of Italian Carrera marble that workers will remove from the building. Each slab measures 3-foot-11 by 2-foot-6, is about one-and-a-half inches thick and weighs about 100 kg. 5,986 The number of glass panels that Sota Glazing Inc. is baking in Brampton to cover the building. They measure eight feet by 10 feet and are known as "unitized spandrel panels." They are made from a laminate consisting of five layers which, sandwiched together, make the panel 7/8 of an inch thick. Most are white, though the panels in the tower's corners will be bronze. Each panel weighs about 500 kg and replaces eight marble slabs. 70 Number of winches on the tower roof to hold the 14 suspended elevated platforms on which more than 100 workers are toiling to replace the skin of the tower. 900 Height, in feet, the First Canadian Place, unrivalled since it opened in 1975 as Canada's tallest office tower.