Window Cleaning News

Washing windows on skyscrapers is not for the faint of heart: Highrise window cleaners are a peculiar bunch. They strike that unique balance between summertime ubiquity and occasionally scaring you half to death as you’re dancing in your birthday suit in front of your window. Steve Warner is a gregarious 25-year veteran of the biz and the owner of Sky Pro, a full-service building maintenance company. He is also the man who will suspend me like a marionette while I pray to maintain control of my bowels. “Listen, I’m just happy I didn’t go with a company named SkyFall,” I explain.

Highrise window cleaners are a peculiar bunch. They strike that unique balance between summertime ubiquity and occasionally scaring you half to death as you’re dancing in your birthday suit in front of your window. Steve Warner is a gregarious 25-year veteran of the biz and the owner of Sky Pro, a full-service building maintenance company. He is also the man who will suspend me like a marionette while I pray to maintain control of my bowels. “Listen, I’m just happy I didn’t go with a company named SkyFall,” I explain.

Warner employs a staff of men and women - and possibly hybrid squeegee-kids - who seek physical exertion and peacefulness in a career. His former employee roster even includes the fellows in Darkest Days, who toured with Nickleback. (Isn’t everyone’s darkest days listening to Nickleback?) Washing one unit’s windows can take minutes - a bonus for residents but a nightmare for exhibitionists who might have a propensity to repeat “you missed a spot.” Warner shares industry yarns involving nudity, and one story about a window cleaner who once hopped onto a balcony to steal a marijuana plant before descending down the building. Good luck reporting that one to the cops.

I will learn to master a highrise descent and inspect the brick, but not before watching a video on “fall arrest” training, a method for preventing hazards and accidents on the work site. I’m confused by the name, mainly because if I do plummet, I would imagine the police officer would have a tough time cuffing all 10 pieces of my body together. So on a foggy Tuesday, I harness up, secure my “rope grab” to a safety line, and saunter towards the edge of the building. “Any last wishes?” says Steve’s co-worker Len jokingly. “Huggies pull-ups!” I plead.

The first 60 seconds proves to be the most unnerving, as I sit back into the chair and push off the wall. My left hand operates the "life line” while my right grasps a line that controls my descent. When my arm is strained, I tie-off to a hook and dangle. The fog matches my pallor. Len travels down beside me, swinging without a care in the world. I pause and hook off at least four times while Steve photographs my panic. Looking for distraction, I scan empty bedrooms but can’t see anything remotely scandalous. My feet finally hit the pavement and the second drop, my testicles, also completed the fall. Steve was never worried all along. With a $5 million economical policy, we had enough liability coverage for me and half of Jennifer Lopez’s ass. Today’s lesson learned is people who live in glass houses… should put some pants on.

Morgantown - Mike King, who just celebrated his 51st birthday, has fond memories of playing in the early 1980s on the West Virginia men's basketball teams. He was a 6-foot-5, 215-pound forward from Fairchance, Pa., where he starred in high school. King revealed that since graduating from WVU, he was diagnosed with cancer and spent several months in a cancer center in Houston being treated. He has since been declared cancer-free. While he has worked at various jobs, King and his three sons are putting together a family business. It is a professional window-washing company in West Virginia and Pennsylvania. "We are really excited about doing this," he said. "We will be accepting appointments from small businesses as well as residents. We'll travel together with a working crew." His sons are Jeremy, 26; Justin, 24; and Julian, 22. One of them just graduated from Indiana, Pa. The other two are still college students.

Men in kilts take window cleaning to new level: Seattle, Wash. In a city renowned for its eye-catching views, here's a 'sight' compelling some to do a doubletake. Cody Guthrie loves second looks and his reputation as a window washer is spotless.  The name of the company is "Men in Kilts."  There slogan is "No Peeking."  They do window cleaning, gutter cleaning roof cleaning, pressure washing and siding cleaning and they do it all while climbing around buildings in a kilt. Usually the feedback is positive.

Clever business names, and John likes the gardening service in Torquay called I.C. Weeds. A different John likes the pet shop in Carrum Downs called Pooches `N' Cream and the pet grooming mob is Seaford called Woofer Wares. And Mo likes the window cleaners out Cranbourne way called Invisible Windows.

Home Based Business: Window Cleaner - A window cleaner has to do one thing well: clean a window until it’s crystal clear. The two things you need to remember to be always an ideal window cleaner are clear from left to right …  Everyone hates cleaning windows, but everybody also knows it requires to be performed. Did you understand that it’s incredibly inexpensive to buy the supplies you have to become a professional window cleaner? And with only a few tricks of the business, you can get started on this new income opportunity.

A window cleaner has to do one thing well: clean a window until it’s superior. The two things you need certainly to make sure to be an excellent screen cleaner are clean from left to right starting at the top on the inside, and from top to bottom starting at the left on the outside (if you are a leftie, change the handedness). This allows you to clean the dirtier parts following the parts are done. And because you begin by crossing over the body, you’ve an easier time determining whether you’re getting all of the dirt off. Furthermore, if your window cleaner clears horizontally on the outside and vertically on the inside, it’s super easy to inform by the orientation of a streak which part of the window it is on.

Toxic substances are a risk for a window cleaner. Many studies declare that lung cancer in housewives can be as much as 3 times what it ought to be for their usage of toxic cleaning products. In order to avoid damaging your wellbeing as a cleaner, consider using primarily all-natural resources in place of solvents and chemicals. Vinegar-based window solution works pretty well, particularly if you polish the window afterward. A window cleaner, like every other professional, should start fairly small. Don’t take on jobs for multiple-story buildings until the insurance can be afforded by you to cover any accidents concerning the rigging. You might also desire to apprentice with a cleaner who uses that kind of rigging when you purchase it. You can make far more money as a window cleaner who numerous experiences, but before you start incorporating it into your business plan you should do it correctly.

Free health check can work wonders: A window cleaner from Didcot is encouraging people to take up the offer of a free health check with the NHS. The 30-minute checks have been organised by Oxfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group to help prevent heart disease, strokes, diabetes and kidney disease. Invitations are being sent to patients from their GP practice if they are aged between 40 and 74 and do not have a pre-existing heart-related condition. Paul Barham, 50, from Didcot, was glad he took up the offer. Mr Barham – pictured with practice nurse Irene Clark at Didcot Health Centre – said: “I got an invitation for the health check but I didn’t take it up at first. But then my dad Alfred died two months later after a history of heart problems, so I decided to get a check up six months ago. “My blood pressure was really high and I was invited back a week later so they could monitor my heart. “Going when I did was a good thing – I have now been watching my diet and exercising more and it has changed my life for the better.”

Inside Oscars 2013 goodie bags: Condoms, maple syrup and window cleaner - The contents of this year’s ‘Everyone Wins at the Oscars Nominee Gift Bag’ have been revealed, and while they’re worth an estimated $45,000 (£30,000), some of the presents are surprisingly low-end. Because celebrities really don’t get enough free swag and are particularly hard-up during the award season, PR company Distinctive Assets puts together an opulent selection of gifts for Oscar nominees each year as a thank you for their making the long and arduous trek down the red carpet. Gifts range from the outrageously generous (a trip to Australia) to the appropriately Hollywood (a $5,000 face-lift gift certificate), but curiously also include the sort of thing you might pick up at a 24-hour Tesco. A bottle of Windex window cleaner (RRP $3.99) caps off this year’s gift bag, while a six-pack of condoms are thrown in for good measure, ensuring the stars stay protected while spring-cleaning their apartments.

Choose the right window cleaner: Some window cleaners perform better than others. The Good Housekeeping Research Institute recently tested 17 cleaners and reported that the JAWS Glass & Hard Surface Cleaner (Jawscleans.com) was the only one to leave the surface completely streak-free. “In fact, unlike other higher-priced window cleaners, you can use this non-toxic, non-ammonia cleaner in direct sunlight and still avoid streaks,” said JAWS International CEO Bruce Yacko.

While not many homeowners are willing to make major improvements to their home prior to listing it for sale, there are a few small things that can make a big difference. Another small ticket improvement would be washing your windows. Cleaning your home is a no-brainer but many sellers forget that buyers cherish natural light and one of the first things they'll be looking at are your windows. Make sure that each and every window leaves a sparkling impression.

Schools scandal: We expose the £37m budget cuts - Greg Dempster, general secretary of the Headteachers’ Association of Scotland, said: “Teachers tell me that the money they actually have to spend has been reducing year on year for a long period. “The Education Secretary should already know this is an issue. “We would like to see a situation where schools are properly funded and where fundraising for essential supplies is not necessary.” One head teacher at an Ayrshire school who was willing to speak on condition they remained anonymous, said: “We will do all sorts of things to try to free up a little bit of cash to get it back into the classroom, for example turning the heating down or not bothering with window washing for a year. “The situation is becoming a crisis, there is no doubt about that.”

Is the Micro-merchant a new Threat? (Safeguarding from micro-merchants’ fraud) - Making a payment to a plumber, window-cleaner or nanny – otherwise known as “micro-merchants” – couldn’t be easier or more convenient, thanks to innovative companies such as Square, Spindle and iZettle which have pioneered the dongle-based payment for mobile Retail Payments. Their card readers attach to smartphones and enable on the spot payments when traditional card terminals are not available. In Finextra alone, the news about such latest deployments across the US, Europe and so on, come in daily.

Unfortunately, with any payment method come new fraud vectors. Cards in the wrong hands pose a real danger, so there are processes in place to mitigate the risk. What processes have we got in place for micro-merchants? Will existing merchant authentication offerings work with the mobile world? The biggest problem I foresee is weak enrolment and activation. For micro-merchants, enrolment and activation are two critical elements in detecting repeat fraudsters. What if the micro merchant is not even that, but just a collector of stolen cards. No need to process through a merchant any more, he/she is the merchant! Take the money and run is now swipe the cards and disappear.

Fraud prevention has become a matter of survivability for many merchants. However, with the emergence of the micro-merchant, where a smart-phone and card-reader dongle are all that’s required to set up shop and process card payments, protection from merchant fraud, driven by the relative ease of being able to process cards, is becoming an imperative in the protection of acquirers. While prevention of breaches is important, the industry is concerned about the friction factor, so it is imperative that institutions employ a layered approach of strong authentication combining visible and invisible security checks, to protect against rogue merchants in the growing area of micro-merchants. This ensures that a complex security model can be implemented, with low/no friction resulting in high ease-of-use for the genuine merchant, and engendering confidence and trust.

Hiring pros for spring cleaning tasks? What to look for and what it should cost: Cleaning your home’s windows can have a dramatic impact on both the interior and exterior of the house, but it is a major project. If your home is large, you have a lot of windows and little time, hiring a professional may be the best way to get your windows cleaned. Look for companies with an established reputation. A typical window cleaning should include the inside and outside of all windows in the home, removal and cleaning of screens, and cleaning of all sills and tracks (which means they must open every window to fully clean it). Most companies charge per pane and your total cost will vary based on many factors, including the number of windows in your home, how many are on upper floors and even your region of the country. Typically, however, you should expect to pay between $2 to $7 per pane, according to CostHelper.

Claremont - Three candidates answered citizen questions Saturday to convince a crowd of about 25 that they deserved one of two available seats on the City Council. Incumbents Corey Calaycay and Larry Schroeder mostly defended and explained what they've done on the council, while professional window cleaner Michael Keenan said the city needed to focus on environmental issues. All three emphasized that they wanted citizen-driven policies, though. Keenan said movement toward more sustainable policies such as pushing solar energy were necessary to prevent harmful climate change and that those policies would also help the city. "Solar makes money," Keenan said. "We should've been doing solar two years ago when I recommended it." Keenan has made three previous attempts to run for the council. Schroeder was first elected four years ago. Calaycay was elected in 2005. The forum was hosted by Active Claremont and the League of Women Voters of the Claremont area at the Alexander Hughes Community Center. The election for the two council seats is March 5.

North Beach restaurant owner concerned about impacts of Central Subway work: In a city known for its top-notch cuisine, outdoor restaurant seating can be precious real estate. Piazza Pellegrini on Columbus Avenue has the rare luxury of a spacious outdoor patio — a perk that is all the more coveted in the ultra-dense North Beach neighborhood — but owner Dario Hadjian isn’t exactly counting his blessings right now. That’s because for the next two years, Piazza Pellegrini will abut a major public transit project on Columbus Avenue, an endeavor Hadjian fears will drive away the lunchtime customers who flock to his restaurant.

“There’s going to be dust, there’s going to be loud noises, there’s going to be construction equipment parked outside my restaurant,” said Hadjian, who has 60 outdoor seats at the site. “This will drive my restaurant out of business.” Hadjian said he estimates that losing the lunch crowd — construction is scheduled for mostly daytime hours — will cost his business $500,000 a year. He said The City should offer him compensation. “The profit margins of a restaurant are very small,” Hadjian said. “If I lost just 5 to 10 percent of my business, I could lose the restaurant.”

Board of Supervisors President David Chiu, whose district includes North Beach, said he also plans to find ways to help Hadjian. “We completely understand Dario’s concerns, but we believe that we can work with Muni to minimize disruptions to his business,” True said. Muni spokesman Paul Rose echoed that sentiment, saying the transit agency will help connect Piazza Pellegrini with city services that could help soften construction impacts — such as “marketing services and window and sidewalk cleaning.” “While we understand their concerns ... San Francisco does not pay businesses for construction work adjacent to the site,” Rose said.

Coming clean about housework - Some feminists take a strong line about housework, creating the Wages for Housework movement and arguing that men shouldn't be let off chores, and there are those who think hiring another woman to do your cleaning is a betrayal. Some of us, though, don't see why it's OK to outsource the jobs that can be done by men: cars go to the garage, plumbers arrive, window cleaners put up ladders to the upstairs windows with no one saying we're oppressing the lad who climbs them. Yet we're supposed to be doing down another woman if we make her do the washing. (Actually my mother-in-law used to clean her own windows – or the insides of them; she said God did the outside, although He wasn't very reliable.) You aren't considered to be oppressing anyone if you take stuff to the cleaners.

Cumbrian man caught with £30,000 of cocaine in his trousers: Mark Skelton, 32, from Workington was arrested after a police officer stopped the Ford Mondeo car in which he was travelling on the A66 at Penrith on October 11 last year. In 2008 Skelton was jailed for just over three years for supplying drugs which caused the death of a soldier friend. Kingsman Terry Thompson, 20, of Workington, died from a drug-induced heart attack after taking the ecstasy while home on leave from Iraq to attend his grandmother’s funeral. Skelton was jailed again yesterday after a judge at Carlisle Crown Court was told a police officer asked Mondeo driver Martin McClure where they had been. He said they had been to an auction but when asked the same question Skelton said he was a self-employed cleaner out on an emergency call. The two different answers were enough to make the officer suspicious.

The pair were taken to Penrith police station, where they were searched. Nothing was found on Mr McClure, prosecutor Dick Binstead said, but a knotted plastic bag containing a white powder, later found to be cocaine, was discovered on Skelton. Skelton, of Yeowartville, Workington, pleaded guilty to possessing cocaine, a class A drug, with intent to supply it. Mr Binstead told the court the 27 grams of the drug found on Skelton would have been worth more than £29,000 when sold at street level. But the cocaine was of such an unusually high purity a dealer would have been able to “dilute” it by cutting it down with an agent, making it go at least four times as far. Skelton, who ran his own window cleaning and contract cleaning business, was jailed for three years and two months and ordered to pay a £120 victim surcharge.