Bumper Window Cleaning News Edition

The Day's Best: Tim McGraw, of PJ's Window Cleaning Company, cleans the windows of the PNC bank Building in Wilkes-Barre, Pa.

Unger appoints new Europe head: Cleaning systems provider Unger - which has its headquarters in the USA - has appointed Torsten Deutzmann as managing director of its European division. Based in Germany, Deutzmann - who joined the company in 1995 as a marketing assistant - has performed a variety of roles, most recently general manager. Commenting on his appointment Mark Unger, president of Unger Enterprises said: "Torsten's outstanding track record at Unger speaks for itself. We have no doubt that he will be a great success in his new role, continuing to add value to the brand and taking the lead in developing new opportunities for the company." Deutzmann added: "Having spent a fantastic 17 years with Unger I feel I know every product and customer inside out. I will use this knowledge to provide even better value products and services to our distributor and end user clients."

‘Gentleman Paddy’ is laid to rest: Large crowds attended the funeral of local window cleaner and Derry City Steward Paddy McDermott who was buried on Sunday. Tributes have flooded in for the 45-year-old who died in hospital after falling from a ladder at a house in the Oakbridge area of the city on Monday while cleaning gutterings. Mr. McDermott, from Hazelbank, was well known locally because of his involvement with Derry City Football Club where he had been a steward for 15 years. He also owned a window cleaning company which operated in a number of areas across the city. The tragic death of the popular father of two sent shockwaves across the city on Friday. Local politicians and Derry City representatives have paid tribute to Mr, McDermott describing him as a “gentleman who was well respected and liked by everyone.” Derry Window Cleaner Dies After Ladder Fall.

The Age of No Response: Communication is faster than ever. So, why does no one reply to messages any more? You hear the same outraged complaint everywhere these days — on television, radio, in newspaper articles and endlessly among friends: ‘They never got back to me!’ It’s a chorus of despair that stretches across the country. Telephone calls, emails, letters and texts are endlessly ignored, causing nationwide frustration. It seems we live in an age of No Response, which blights hope and causes all but the most determined to give up. You ring a plumber, a window cleaner or an odd job man, saying you need him urgently and could he call you back. But he doesn’t. You ring many times. You despair. If they finally do get in touch, they’re apologetic, but they put it down to — yes, you’ve guessed — being too busy. I simply cannot believe that anyone is too bogged down to make a brief telephone call.

City Workers Take Pride in Waging War Against Dirt: Martin Luther King Jr. once said: “If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say: Here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.” Meet Robert Elston, street sweeper, toilet cleaner, window washer, patron greeter, Carousel Mall maintenance man extraordinaire. Watching him through a prism of predawn light, his movements are precise and almost poetic and his head turns continually as though engaged in a rhythmic dance. “I pay attention to every detail,” he says.

Something of an understatement considering Elston has been paying attention to detail at this once thriving downtown retail center since 1975. Long past the mall’s heyday, he still shows up before daylight with a singular determination: to keep the lights burning, clean and sanitize urinals, toilets, sinks, replace tissue, hand soap, fix light fixtures, unclog drains, polish, sweep, mop, wax and strip floors, clean windows, countertops and desks, empty waste baskets, wash walls and mirrors and while he’s at it greet passers-by. “And that’s just for starters,” he says with a big grin.” We’ve got the parking lot cleanup and grounds keeping to do.”

Cars and homes covered in spray paint by vandals in Cleethorpes: Vandals went on the rampage spraying offensive slogans on residents' homes and cars and businesses in Cleethorpes. Staff at Valerie's Italian, on Kingsway, spent hours clearing the swear words from the windows of the restaurant. Sergeant Stephen Foster, of Humberside Police, said dozens of cars and homes had been vandalised by youths in the early hours of yesterday. He said: "They were random, offensive messages sprayed in a number of colours. The evidence would indicate a number of people were responsible. "We have carried out house-to-house enquiries and have started looking at CCTV footage of the area." He added a can of spray paint had been recovered by scenes of crime officers and had been sent for forensic analysis to find out who was responsible for the offensive slogans, which were in green, silver and blue.

The vandals struck sometime between 3am and 7am. Owner of Valerie's Italian, Valerie Armstrong said: "We had to clean every window after the cleaner called me at 7am. "We just got on with it and used nail polish remover. It was better than using white spirit. I don't want them to get me down otherwise they have won." Residents in Haigh Street were supporting one another in the clean-up. Dave Peck said: "It is a real pain, but everyone is helping one another out." Neighbour Joy Moate said: "It is such an inconvenience. We have spent hours trying to clean up. One elderly resident in the street whose house is up for sale had "Sold" daubed on his window.

6 Earthquake Movies That Will Make You Fear The Ground You’re On: “Earthquake”. The star power alone is worth a watch, but the effects and models are incredible in “Earthquake”. Ground shaking and buildings crumbling, this movie gives true power to the effects of a giant earthquake. Window washers fall to their deaths just outside Lorne Green’s office in a simple scene that doesn’t need to show the end result to make you twist inside as you contemplate the terror of that kind of quake.

Top 7 Things You Can Do to Improve the Value of Your Home: The third thing that you can do it doesn’t cost a lot of money is to clean your house. Having a clean house, gives people the impression that the house is well cared for. Make sure to do deep cleaning. One of the most important things that a lot of people don’t do is to clean their windows. By cleaning your windows, you will allow a lot more light into the home, and you will make the home worth a lot more.

Treat yourself to a clearer view (Australia): “We can’t promise you an ocean view, but we guarantee a clear view.” That’s the motto Dave Parsons from Ocean View Window Cleaning in Torquay goes by, as he cleans, brightens and makes sparkly windows in Geelong, the Surf Coast and Bellarine. No job is too small, or too big for Ocean View Window Cleaning. Catering to residential and commercial clients, they pride themselves on first class work, with A1 equipment and reliable, polite staff. Ocean View Window Cleaning specialise in window cleaning, are fully licensed to use elevated platforms, and take care of pressure cleaning, builder’s cleans, gutter clearing and spider removal. Having bought the 25-year-old business six years ago, Mr Parsons said he revels in the variety, and loves making people’s homes and businesses look better. “December was crazy, but good. We have another staff member in the pipeline, and we are looking to expand into offering our customers all home maintenance services. “Whatever they need we will source for them.”

Thorokleen is cleaning up: A long established city business cleaned up in 2011 by having its best-ever year of trading since it started out 24 years ago. For Thorokleen, based in Papyrus Road, Werrington Business Park, 2011 saw growth of about 10 per cent and included the company securing major contracts, including Ideal Shopping Direct Limited. It was also the year which saw founder and managing director Roger Cresswell achieve a long-held ambition – turnover of his family firm hitting the £1 million mark. “We have been doing it at our own pace,” said Roger. “It has taken 24 years, but we have been growing at a controllable rate.” So much has the business grown, that it now employs 10 full-time, long-serving, office-based staff and 120 part-time cleaning staff. But the overriding philosophy of Thorokleen has been service not size – its catchline is Complete Customer Satisfaction.

Prior to setting up Thorokleen in 1988, Roger had spent 20 years working for Peterborough company Industrial Supplies, whose commercial ethos was service, service, service. The company expanded and became very successful. In his position as general manager at Industrial Supplies, Roger came into contact with numerous local cleaning contractors and concluded there was an opportunity to start a business using the Industrial Supplies ethos. The seed of the idea of Thorokleen was born. Thorokleen not only had its most successful year yet balance sheet wise in 2011, but it is also looking to the future by promoting within the company. The year 2012 could see the company expand further, dependent, in part, on winning tenders in the pipeline. “There are three opportunities to take on large local companies – success would mean considerable growth,” said Roger.

Was anyone surprised to learn from last week's Essex University study on integrity that over the last decade we've become a nation of liars and cheats? Seemingly 80% of us wouldn't hand back money we found in the street, 60% would lie in a job application, 30% would happily consider buying stolen goods, and we don't even seem to trust each other that much any more. But then again, why should we? Whatever became of integrity? Role model-wise, as recently as 2003 our subsequently self-beatified Prime Minister stood at the dispatch box in the Commons and lied about weapons of mass destruction in order to take us to war. Last week Dave Harnett, permanent secretary for tax at HM Revenue & Customs, lambasted everyone who's ever paid a window cleaner, chippy, or other hard-working lifesaver cash in hand for their labours, for "diddling" the nation. This from a man who stands accused by MPs - many of them not averse to a bit of the old cash-in-hand themselves - of doing "sweetheart deals" with the likes of Vodafone and Goldman Sachs and allegedly letting them off multi-millions in tax liabilities. Geese and ganders?

Warmer Winter Weather Heats up Retail Environment: For Lindenhurst retailers mild Winter conditions into February so far spell challenges for some, opportunity for others. Life, as they say, is unpredictable. "There's a big rush before a snowstorm, which is good because it cleans out inventory and it feels like we're making a lot of money," she said. "But afterward things let up. So it basically balances out." One area the weather has little effect on, it seems, is contracted services to local retailers - like window cleaners. Caught between panes of glass, window washer Anthony offered his assessment on a recently sunny Winter afternoon. "We come out to our customers in any weather," he said. "It doesn't make any difference. Of course, it's nicer to wash windows when the sun is shining like this!"

Totally DIY exhibitors celebrate product awards: Four Totally DIY exhibitors celebrated on Sunday evening this week after being named gold winners of this year's product awards. One of the four gold winners in the awards, organised and sponsored by DIY Week, are: Karcher's Window Vac, a combination of technologies. It brings together the idea of a window squeegee with a cordless vacuum cleaner to do something no other product does: vacuum a window clean and dry. Kärcher Extreme Window Cleaning.

Mick McCarthy - Top Flight Soccer Football Manager: McCarthy admits he relishes the challenges as a manager despite the rollercoaster nature of the job. "I've got so many of my pals who wonder why I do it and ask if I could get a sensible job as a window cleaner or an insurance salesman," he said. "As a manager you go through the range of emotions. I've been doing it for almost 20 years now. If you don't want to want to go through it, then get out."

£1m fund opens to SMEs in Liverpool region: The money forms part of the Government’s £2.4bn Regional Growth Fund (RGF), which aims to kick-start job creation despite the tough economic climate. Small and medium-sized enterprises across the Liverpool city region are able to apply for contributions from the fund, which the Echo has developed in partnership with regeneration agency Liverpool Vision. Monies awarded will need to be matched by the business itself. A business looking for a £10,000 investment could, for example, apply for £5000 and contribute £5000 from its own cash reserves.

Initial applications are now being accepted; those with the best ideas will then be invited by the Echo to submit detailed business plans. “Lord Heseltine was keen that money from the RGF was used to help small businesses at a grassroots level,” said Mr Machray. “To quote him, he said he wanted to reach out to ‘the window cleaner from Kirkby’. He said he felt the best way of doing that was through the Echo so the maximum number of businesses got the message loud and clear. “There is no doubt we are in tough economic times but Merseyside has always had a great entrepreneurial tradition. “We know there are countless small businesses out there that are itching to grow and to create new jobs – and we are keen to give them a helping hand to do just that.”

Hundreds of Harrah's & Harveys Housekeepers Outsourced: Today is hundreds of Harrah's and Harveys employees in northern Nevada last day work for parent company Caesars Entertainment. They will be let go and immediately re-hired to do the same job at the same hotels, but they will work for someone new: The Service Companies (TSC), a one-stop shop for cleaning at hotels. Experts say it is a significant shift in Caesar’s employee relations and corporate strategy. Some employees are grumbling, and in some cases protesting where they suddenly find themselves working longer hours and paid vacations gone. While outsourcing allows Caesars to focus on marketing and cut costs, it also frees up another department. “These brands get stretched for human resources,” Rosenow says, adding that he has a massive human resources operation. “It takes a tremendous amount of resources to recruit the talent to work in the ‘back of house’ positions. They are difficult to recruit for because they are physically demanding positions. Our housekeepers, public area attendants, exterior high-rise window cleaning are very, very hard. It takes a special person to be up there in the air cleaning these windows.” To find these special people TSC partners with unemployment and job centers, recruiting through Hire Vets First and Catholic Charities. “They are the primary contact for people who have come from a war-torn country,” Rosenow says adding that in Florida, they also work with a Cuban refugee program. For employees who will be making the switch Caesars to TSC, this focus on cleaning and human resources may have a silver lining.

East Harlem IHOP Puts Bulletproof Glass in 24-Hour Takeout Window: A few hours after its grand opening, the new International House of Pancakes in East Harlem was stuffed full of customers drowning their flapjacks with syrup — but community advocate Derrick Taitt wasn't one of them. Taitt, the treasurer of the Community Association of the East Harlem Triangle, said he's disappointed by the decision to install a 24-hour takeout window covered with bulletproof glass at the IHOP at 126th St. and Lexington Ave. "There is no respect in the takeout," said Taitt. "If the restaurant is going to be open, then it should be open, not just a window." The 24-hour takeout window, which serves customers through a Lazy Susan, is the first of its kind in any IHOP restaurant in the country, according to IHOP franchise business consultant Wayne Brown. The small takeout window is open during the day, for customers who don't want a sit-down meal, and when the restaurant stops seating customers at 11:30 p.m., pancake-craving patrons can order from the window until the restaurant opens again for breakfast. IHOP owners said the restaurant might consider removing the bulletproof glass one day, but for now, it's paramount to keep employees safe.

A burglar who started his criminal career aged just 12 has been locked up after he joined a gang raid on a couple’s home in Harrington. Jack Nicholson, now 19, was sent to a Young Offenders Institute for 18 months for his part in the attack on Hannah Lancaster and Martin Edgar in Church Street in Harrington, Workington. Carlisle Crown Court heard how Nicholson, along with Shaun Murdoch, also 19, and two others aged 15 and 17, forced their way into the house last July. Murdoch, of Walls Road, Salterbeck, attacked Mr Edgar with a dog lead when he said he had nothing to give them. He too was sent to a Young Offenders Institute for 18 months. He said Murdoch, who has convictions for a public order offence, criminal damage, resisting a police officer and assault, now had a partner and young son. “He spent his teenage years somewhat off the rails,” Mr Carney said. “He has recently started work as a window cleaner and a job gives structure to a young person’s life.”

A teenager was told by a judge that he hoped his appearance in the dock at Truro Crown Court was a lesson he would remember for the rest of his life. Eden McCann, 19, of Gyllingvase Hill, Falmouth, admitted common assault and was given a conditional discharge for 12 months and ordered to pay £85 prosecution costs. Iain Leadbetter, for the prosecution, said on February 4 last year McCann was with friends when there was an altercation with Ivan Ellis whose girlfriend was behaving badly. Mr Ellis went to the ground and McCann, who was drunk, stupidly went over and kicked him in the chest. When arrested he alleged: "He started it." Barrie van den Berg, for the defence, said that McCann, who is of previous good character, had been made redundant from his work as a window cleaner but was planning to set up in business with a friend.

The West University Place Police Department released a notification this afternoon warning residents of solicitors. The warning came as a response from a resident within the West University Place area who contacted the police department in regards to a growing concern regarding the manner in which people are soliciting. In one instance, a young man went to a resident’s home displaying a permit with photo identification claiming to be a neighbor who was part of the Diablo Minor League baseball team. The young man advised he was trying to raise funds for the team to go to a tournament in Hawaii. He also advertised his window cleaning services in order to receive additional donations. This is a common method that many door-to-door solicitors use in order to gain a resident’s trust and adhere to people’s compassion to help. In actuality, many of these solicitors are bused in from out of state, work for companies with F ratings from the Better Business Bureau, and often times have extensive criminal histories.

Bogus window cleaner robs woman, 80: Cops have issued a fresh appeal to catch a bogus window cleaner who stole cash from under the nose of an elderly woman. The culprit stole money from the 80-year-old grandmother when he conned his way into her home. Now police are warning local residents to be on their guard against similar threats. The incident happened in Netherhill Crescent at around 11.30am on Friday, January 13. The frightened pensioner caught the male suspect walking through her unlocked front door. When she confronted him, he explained himself by asking if she was looking for a window cleaner. Confused, the OAP said she was. He then asked her to fetch a pen and paper so she could take his number. While the gran was distracted, the callous conman raided her home and nicked her purse. He made off with around £65 before she returned. Cops released a description of the suspect this week, and have asked witnesses to get in touch. He is described as between 20 and 28, around 5ft 2ins to 5ft 5ins in height and of a slim build with dark brown hair. He was wearing a dark jacket, jeans and trainers. A police spokesman said: “This lady had left her front door unlocked, and this particular suspect had chanced his arm to see if he could get in. “We would urge all residents to secure their homes at all times.”

Wandsworth has become the first council in London to publish league tables that show how the services it provides compare to those of councils across the capital. The council has pledged to become Britain’s most transparent council and to allow residents "warts and all" transparency on how it performs. In October last year, for instance, the council spent £325,000 on heating the Patmore estate, and £17,000 on window cleaning.

£120k cost of Lord Mayor of York: The overall bill for the St Helen’s Square building was £139,334.02, including £17,802 in business rates, £1,460.16 in window-cleaning costs and £3,187.50 for advertising and publicity.

An 84-year-old widow has died after a fire at her Blackburn home. Pensioner Freda Read, was found in the living room of her terrace house in Accrington Road. Police and firefighters were called after window cleaners spotted damage at the home yesterday. “I know that she helped the window cleaners out by letting them keep their ladders in her yard. They would call round for them and she would make them a brew.

Two paedophile cousins who murdered a woman and dumped her body at sea have been given permission to appeal their life sentences. Charles O’Neill and William Lauchlan were jailed for life with a minimum of 56 years for killing Allison McGarrigle in 1997. The pair, described as "evil, determined and manipulative paedophiles of the worst sort" by trial judge Lord Pentland, were convicted of several counts of child abuse that took place after they killed Mrs McGarrigle. They strangled mother-of-three Mrs McGarrigle at Waterside Street in Largs, Ayrshire, on June 21, 1997, before hiding her body in a wheelie bin, which they then dumped at sea from a boat. They believed that she was going to inform the police of their abuse of a young boy. Lauchlan was refused a no case to answer plea at the trial in 2010, as he argued the evidence against him was "circumstantial". This includes attempting to sexually abuse a 15-year-old boy in Alfaz del Pi, in Benidorm, Spain, after the pair, who were also lovers, had moved there and set up a window cleaning business.

A Trimsaran man has admitted assaulting his girlfriend after she tried to stop him telephoning a drug dealer. Craig Robert Gee, 35, of Argoed Crescent, pleaded guilty to assault by beating of Hayley Power before Llanelli magistrates, after an incident on January 25. Mitigating, Aled Owen said: "The issue of this incident seems to be the impact of the drug heroin, which once had an impact on his life. "Over the past seven years he has been living a much more conservative lifestyle and has done that off his own back, going cold turkey after he sought help." Gee had recently started up a window-cleaning round, the court was told.

Hundreds of thousands of criminals to get clean slate in law change: The periods after which convicted criminals no longer have to declare their past offending are to be significantly cut in plans outlined by Kenneth Clarke, the Justice Secretary yesterday. It will mean some rapists and killers who would normally have had a permanent record will now have it cleared after seven years at the most and possibly as low as two years. Thousands of burglars and muggers will have their records cleared after as little as a year. The changes centre on the 1974 Rehabilitation of Offenders Act which dictates when a conviction is “spent” and has a sliding timescale depending on the seriousness of the crime.

A “spent” conviction is when the offender no longer has to declare it on occasions such as a job application, insurance forms or visa requests.Anti-crime groups last night warned the move puts the public at risk. Jim Maddan, chairman of the Neighbourhood & Home Watch Network and a retired police inspector, said there is a concern for householders who trust people around their home such as gardeners or window cleaners. “We do not want to put too many restrictions on those who want to go straight but at the same time we need to make sure the community is safe,” he said. “If there is an opportunity for people not to declare convictions when they are going for employment then it can make the situation more difficult.”

A familiar face known to generations of families in Tunbridge Wells has set his sights on a 65th year on Dunorlan Park lake. Great-grandfather Norman Matchett celebrated his 90th birthday on Thursday and is not ready to call it a day just yet. However, former window cleaner Mr Matchett, who has been married to Margaret for 62 years, uncovered a revelation about his birthday when his sister died – he had celebrated it on the wrong day for 80 years. "She used to keep my birth certificate and it turns out I was actually born at 11.50pm on January 25, not 26. "I've been celebrating it on the 26th for so long, why would I change now?" 

SECALT S.A. v. WUXI SHENXI CONSTRUCTION: Tractel manufactures and sells the Tirak traction hoist, which is used typically for commercial building projects and external maintenance, like window washing. These devices are commonly affixed to suspended platforms to power the platforms up and down stationary wire ropes. Upon discovering that Jiangsu, a Chinese competitor, exhibited similar looking hoists at a trade show in Las Vegas, Tractel brought suit claiming that Jiangsu's hoists infringed the trade dress of the Tractel traction hoist. The complaint included three counts against Jiangsu: trade dress infringement under the Lanham Act; federal unfair competition; and related state law trade dress and unfair competition claims.

Via Christi tornado-proofs windows in its corridors: PITTSBURG: Via Christi Hospital is taking steps to make itself safer in the event extreme severe weather. This week, crews from Dallas-based company Hanita Coatings have been installing protective film on windows in corridors where patients would be relocated due to weather events such as tornados — standard hospital procedure. The film is a thousandth of an inch thick yet strong enough to prevent projectiles from shattering and penetrating the glass in the event of tornado-strength winds, project manager Glenn Wocca said. “The glass might break, but the window will still hold,” Wocca, who has been installing Hanita products for 20 years. “It’s like a car window.”

The window film attaches to the glass with pressure adhesive, which Wocca described as a “giant piece of fly tape.” Wocca first cleans each window and sprays the glass with liquid. He then peels off the protective plastic and wedges the film into the window frame before squeegeeing out the liquid — a process that allows the film to stick without forming air bubbles. He then screws on a multi-layered frame, which will anchor the window if it is hit by flying debris. The film also is used for protection against hurricane winds and blast mitigation in the event of bomb attacks. “It’s like hanging a piece of sheet metal on the glass,” Wocca said. The hospital is installing the coating on 88 corridor windows as well as the five labor and delivery rooms on the hospital’s new third floor women’s center.

Vanadium dioxide (VO2) is a leading candidate material for the fabrication of thermochromic films and coatings that will find special applications in a new generation of 'smart' glass that can change infrared transmittance by responding to environmental temperature, while maintaining visible transparency. This kind of smart windows may be especially useful for locations with hot summers and/or cold winters. In addition to its temperature-responsive thermochromism these films also exhibit UV-shielding properties.