Two Window Cleaners - Two Interviews

Janai Carlson, owner of A Better Outlook, says she enjoys bringing the outdoors in by cleaning windows for her clients.

Get ‘A Brighter Outlook': Janai Carlson is the owner of A Better Outlook, a window-washing service. (530) 798-8575

What is your job? I am your friendly window washing lady.

What is your typical day like? I come to your home or business and assess the position of the sun to determine the best place to start. I pull all the screens and brush the debris and cobwebs from around the windows and in the tracks. Using a highly concentrated, professional product, I apply the solution and squeegee it off. I then go around each window with a micro fiber cloth to catch any remaining water or smudges. I repeat the process for both sides. After the windows are perfect, I clean the screens and replace them. I also do on-site screen repair.

What would surprise most people about the job if they only knew? It's not as easy as it looks. It is essential to have the right tools, product and technique. With anything, practice makes perfect, and I have been “practicing” for many years and have hundreds of happy customers.

What do you love about you work? I love that I get immediate results and great customer satisfaction. I help people bring the outdoors in and really make their homes sparkle. One lady was so impressed, she said the clean windows helped lift her out of her depression.

What do you find most challenging? Three-story houses. I have a pole that goes about 25 feet and can reach most windows.

What special education or preparation is required to do this? My dad, Eric Carlson, owned a successful window washing business in this community. I worked with him and he taught me all the tricks of the trade.

What is your background? I came here about three years ago from Lake County where I was a Realtor and window washer. My dad was diagnosed with terminal cancer so I relocated in order to spend as much time with him as I could before he passed. I took over his remaining commercial accounts and started to grow my business from there.

What's new? Tools and products are always improving and I have become more efficient. A water-fed pole system filters the water as it goes through a brush and leaves the window spotless.

Dirty job: O'Fallon man has the house-cleaning solution.

Name: Mike Manno

Job: Owner, MJM Window Cleaning and Power Washing, 302 Joy Drive, O'Fallon (632-0527 or 558-5388)

Outlook: "There new so many homes around here with vinyl siding. Every three, four years, those houses need to be cleaned." Mike Manno likes being his own boss. He is also the lone employee of the house-washing business. He washes siding, decks, fences and more for metro-east home owners. He recently talked to business reporter Will Buss about his service:

What can you tell me about your business? "I clean mold off siding of houses. House washing is what I specialize in. I do window washing and clean decks and wood fencing. I can power wash concrete and also wash sidewalks and driveways. I try to focus on house washing."

What do you use for cleaning? "Basically what I use is a chemical mix that is recommended by vinyl manufacturers. It's really bleach water and detergent, but it's something they approve. If you dilute it enough, it becomes biodegradable."

How long have you been at it? "I am in my sixth year. I started in 2006."

How much competition do you have? "I would say there are others, but there are only a handful compared to landscapers who do it. I've been doing it longer than most anybody. I've been around a while."

And you do it all on your own? "Just myself. Only when I need help with a deck of a fence do I get someone else to help, but 95 percent of the time I do it all by myself."

What does your service cost? "It's really hard to say. I am small and local but have low overhead and am pretty competitive with my pricing."

How did you get into this line of work? "There so many homes around here with vinyl siding. Every three, four years, those houses need to be cleaned. It needs to be done. You need to clean vinyl siding as well as the gutters, the soffit and fascia. Before, I was working for a food company. I was a driver and salesman. But I wanted to have more flexibility that goes with self-employment."

Are you looking to expand your business? "That's a good question. This business usually goes pretty well for about eight to nine months of the year. December, January and February are the main months when I have kind of tried a few ideas. One business idea I tried last winter was grocery delivery. I didn't really promote it a lot or put too much effort into it. I also tried garage cleaning and organizing. Sometimes, you see these two-car garages and there are no cars in there because there is no room because there is so much stuff stored in there. I advertised it and got a few calls. I also work for IDOT plowing snow. That's not something to count on, and I wanted some regular income during those three months, so I've tried other little businesses."

What have you enjoyed most about your house-washing enterprise? "I would say the satisfaction of satisfying the customer. Another thing is obviously the flexibility of schedule and to be able to work when you want and how much you want to work."