Window Cleaning News

The future of work is green:Politicians claim we can beat the recession and save the planet in one fell swoop by creating 'green-collar' jobs. But what exactly are they, asks Leo Hickman. Steven Proudfoot, whose company Asset Skills advises the government on the training requirements of sectors such as construction, says that one of the boom areas is facilities management. "It is one of the fastest-growing and most recession-resistant sectors in the country," he says. "Buildings need maintaining, servicing and managing - catering, window-cleaning, grass cutting, boiler maintenance. Ever-tightening regulations mean that we now have tough energy and waste targets, and staff have to be trained and employed to help companies meet them."

Spend and Thrift: My next big investment? A professional window cleaner. We tried to clean the windows once, and the water went through the louvres and soaked my entire sofa with dirty water. I still haven’t gotten over it. My point (and I do have one) is that now, more than ever, instead of just not spending money, I am spending money more consciously. It’s been a pattern that has evolved over the past year, and at this point, it goes something like this:
Support local businesses for your everyday needs. Hand out your business card whenever possible, post it on bulletin boards, and give a few to friends and clients to hand out as well. Give people the opportunity to support a local business. Hire local professionals to get a job done right, and have the satisfaction of both a finished project, and the free time to enjoy it. Don’t punish yourself in the name of saving money. Life is too short. (..More customers like this please!)

'Torrent of abuse' for pensioner from van driver: A BARNSTAPLE pensioner says she will have to stop shopping in the town unless North Devon Council apply greater scrutiny when policing disabled parking bays in Bear Street. The 74-year-old woman, who wished to remain nameless, had a bad experience while trying to park there last week and is tired of having to walk further than necessary to get to local stores. The woman suffers with heart problems and frequent pain in the left hand side of her body. She said: "I try to park in the disabled bays on Bear Street whenever I can as they are the most convenient for town. "On Wednesday last week I went into town to do some shopping but all the disabled parking spots had been taken up by trade vehicles. "One of the vans, which was owned by a local window cleaner, need only have moved a few yards to allow me to get in so I decided to have a word with the driver." After asking the driver of the van to move, she claimed she received a torrent of verbal abuse from the owner who said: "I don't care whether you're disabled, I'm parked here now." She said: "He was so rude about it, swearing and everything – I'm 74 years old, I don't deserve to be spoken to like that. "After finding somewhere else to park I called the police to complain but was told that they couldn't do anything as tradesmen were allowed to use those bays for unloading.

Window cleaner: People spend a fortune on window cleaning materials (or window cleaning men) that almost ubiquitously leave the window dirtier, or streakier, than before. All you need to use to clean windows is two tablespoons of washing soda and half a cup of vinegar to a bucket full of water. The non foaming liquid will clean away the grease and the vinegar will stop the streaks. The best piece of equipment you can get is a squeegee for washing away the excess water. (....Yep, OK - some people will never learn!)

Lake County forest district selling rain barrels: bucks or help the environment? You can do both by ordering a rain barrel from the Lake County Forest Preserve District. The 55-gallon barrels collect rainwater that can be used for household chores, such as lawn watering, car washing and window cleaning - but not for drinking. Collecting rainwater for such tasks reduces water bills and conserves water. And because the collected water is untreated, it's free of chemicals such as calcium and lime, which get into the water supply from the limestone in the ground, and chlorine, which is added to our water during the treatment process. "It's soft water," said Lynn Hepler, the forest district's outreach and youth stewardship manager. "Why pay for treated water when you don't need it?" The sale started this month. As in years past, the forest district is teaming with the Lake County Soil and Water Conservation District and the Lake County Stormwater Management Commission on the project. The barrels cost $79 each are available in two colors: terra cotta and gray. You can order a barrel online or by calling (847) 968-3321. Order forms found at the Web site also can be faxed or mailed to the forest district. They are only available by prepaid order. The deadline is April 29.

Back to the sponge. A Glasgow woman was entertaining her lover, Tam, in her top flat apartment in a high-rise block. Thinking, mistakenly, that he heard the footsteps of Senga's husband outside, Tam decided to exit the scene via a window. In his haste, he slipped and fell 50 feet to the pavement below. Senga's neighbour rushed into her friend's apartment to see what she could do to help. "Grab a sponge," instructed Senga, "and stick it in Tam's hand." Thus was a Glasgow marriage saved, as a living lover morphed into a window cleaner in free fall. Do not underestimate the role of the humble sponge in history. It has miraculous powers.

FORT LAUDERDALE - A Fort Lauderdale office building is back to normal today after firefighters removed chemical fumes. One or more window-washing workers failed to properly store ammonia-based cleaning chemicals, whose fumes then circulated on the fifth floor of the seven-story building at 1000 Corporate Drive. Workers arrived this morning, smelled the odor and complained, prompting Fort Lauderdale firefighters to arrive at 8:15 a.m., Fire Battalion Chief Jermaine Frazier said. Firefighters initially didn't know what kind of fumes were in the building, so they evacuated everyone for precaution. It turned out to be "less significant than what we thought," Frazier said.

Brian Johnson set up his business to help others start their own. Johnson opened his first shop, My Office Business Center, in Surprise in December, and a second in January. He's already got three other stores in the works all because of the quick interest in his idea. "We've seen an influx of people who used to work in corporate America or have lost their jobs and want to be entrepenuers," Johnson said. Johnson's stores help people start their own small businesses. Out of his shops, he can help people with everything they need to begin. "We can do their incorporations, their LLC," he said. "We try to give them the most value as opposed to just packing a package."So far, Johnson said he's seen a variety of business ideas come through his doors. "We've seen pet trainers, another gentleman started an auto dealing company, and one guy even started his own window cleaning business," Johnson said. Johnson's said he's enjoyed getting people going. In some cases, he's already been able to save people thousands of dollars.

Rubicon Technology, Inc. is an advanced electronic materials provider that is engaged in developing, manufacturing and selling monocrystalline sapphire and other crystalline products for light-emitting diodes (LEDs), radio frequency integrated circuits (RFICs), blue laser diodes, optoelectronics and other optical applications. The Company applies its proprietary crystal growth technology to produce very high-quality sapphire in a form that allows for volume production of various sizes and orientations of substrates and windows. Rubicon is a vertically-integrated manufacturer with capabilities in crystal growth, high precision core drilling, wafer slicing, surface lapping, large-diameter polishing and wafer cleaning processes, which the Company employs to convert the bulk crystal into products with the quality and precision specified by its customers. The Company is actively developing larger diameter products to support next-generation LED, RFIC and optical window applications.

Pilkington Activ™ Is Academic!: A highly unusual window replacement scheme has taken place at Leicester University. Pilkington Activ™ Blue glass has helped transform the Attenborough Tower, a 19-storey tower block built in the early 1970s on the main campus. Named after the father of Richard and David Attenborough, the tower is the tallest building in Leicester and is home to the University’s Faculty of Arts and Humanities. Distinctive in its stature, the University wanted to retain the overall appearance of the tower block and replicate the idiosyncratic windows using the most technologically advanced glazing systems. Reaching a height of 52 metres, the tower is constructed with a concrete frame, cast in-situ, and clad with pre-cast concrete panels. The building makes use of slanted aluminium-framed windows that protrude outwards at the bottom to aid draught-free ventilation throughout the tower all year round. The University’s hilltop location makes the top floor of the tower one of the best vantage points in the city, creating the perfect, stimulating environment for learning - an environment that will certainly reap the benefits of having self-cleaning glass installed. In high winds, the top of the tower can be felt to sway significantly which always caused problems when it came to cleaning and maintaining the building.
According to Tony Beall of Queniborough Aluminium Services, who manufactured and installed the new windows, the shape of the units made for a challenging task. “These are very unusual windows with a large front vision panel which slopes back onto the building leaving two triangle opening light returns either side,” he explains. “We supplied and installed over 400 of these as well as full height curtain walling to the landing, stairs and toilets. For all of these, we used argon filled insulated glass units manufactured with Pilkington Activ™ Blue glass for the external pane. One of the primary requirements in the specification was the ability of the glass to clean itself. Pilkington Activ™, the world’s first self-cleaning glass proved to be the obvious solution for the project."
The secret of Pilkington Activ™ is its special coating, which works in two stages. Firstly, the coating reacts with ultra-violet (UV) rays from natural daylight to break down organic dirt. The second part of the process commences when water hits the glass. Rainwater runs down the glass to wash loosened dirt (both organic and inorganic) away. Compared with conventional glass, the water dries very quickly reducing unsightly streaks or marks. In order to help keep the building cooler, Pilkington Activ™ Blue was specified. An attractive blue tinted glass that combines self-cleaning properties with solar control helping to maintain a comfortable environment all year round. The refurbishment of the campus building is now completed and the installation of the glass will ensure that the structure has a brand new, contemporary look and a fresh aesthetic appeal, as well as contributing to temperature control and a significant reduction in maintenance costs accrued through costly cleaning programmes!

High level window cleaner achieves ISO 9001:2000 certification: Leading high level window cleaning company J V Price has been awarded ISO 9001:2000 Certification, as provided by ISOQAR with the help of Linden Management Services. ISO 9001:2000 is an International Standard Certification in Quality Management which is applicable to all sectors of the business world. Companies that are certified under ISO 9001:2000 have improved access to local and international markets, and benefit from the following augmentations.
· International recognition through the ISO 9001:2000 syste
· The 'feelgood service factor' that customers experience when they know they are getting quality service
· The ability to submit applications for work whenever certification is a customer requirement
· The chance to implement a management system that leads to more effective processes, and assists in improving the objectives of the company.
· Recognition from the certification body that the company meets the requirements of the standard and is regularly assessed.
· The confidence that comes with knowing all processes are reviewed and improved through comprehensive audits.
"J V Price has been an exceptional young company to work for," says Geoff Burn, Director of Linden Management. "The company is an extraordinary example of what makes a company stand out from all the others." Charlie Price, Director of J V Price is pleased that the company has achieved certification, saying: "We are delighted to have achieved this accreditation as it shows customers our commitment to quality," said