Window Cleaning News

He's only little, but by clicking the picture you can make Mike a giant!

Who is the new face at Facelift? You’ll recognise him as Mike Howard formerly export manager at Brodex Machine Services, now heading up Facelift Cleaning Systems. Mike who has been given free rein to develop the brand, commented on his new role, ’Facelift has an excellent worldwide reputation, I can’t wait to push the new Facelift concept for window cleaners, it’s an absolute dream come true!!’ The new Facelift Cleaning Systems concept and products will have the backing and support network of Window Cleaning Warehouse, well known throughout the industry. Steve Fox, MD at Facelift Cleaning Systems said, ‘After buying Facelift last year we have spent months on product development and needed the right guy on board to launch the exciting new range, Mike MASSIVELY fitted the bill’. More -->

info@faceliftcleaning.com North American inquiries go here.

Coast to Coast 2012: This years challange is for window cleaner, Stuart Webster (pictured right), Joseph and Stanley to walk the Coast to Coast. He sets off on July 23rd and aims for a 12 day trip. The group have boots, tent and backpack. Hopefully no blisters!!! Along with this, Stuart will be running the Monsal Trail in Late Spring, all 18 miles! He will be accompanied by Ellie on her bike (just for the pace setting!) You can follow Stuart's training here. He is collecting for Everyman. He has several friends affected by male cancer and therefore wants to support this charity this year. Donate here.

Shooting Victoria: Paul Thomas Murphy's entertaining but infuriating "Shooting Victoria." A book about intrique surrounding Queen Victoria where one might be positively shocked to learn that no fewer than seven of Queen Victoria's subjects made attempts on her life. The real pity is that Mr. Murphy is a fine researcher and vivid stylist when he drops his thesis, crafting delightful passages about the intrigues of the royal family and such arcana as the organization of the queen's household. One department was responsible for cleaning the outside of the windows at Buckingham Palace, another for the insides. They refused to coordinate, and consequently the queen's windows were always half-dirty. Hmm, "Cleaning Victoria's Windows": I can see the miniseries now.

Milagrow Robot to be named after Saina Nehwal: Milagrow HumanTech, a leading provider of TabTop PC’s and Domestic Robots today announced that it will launch a Domestic Robot in the name of Olympic winner Saina Nehwal who won the Bronze for badminton. Milagrow has also decided to honor the athlete by giving five per cent of the sales proceeds from special edition product to the medal winner.

Milagrow is the no 1 domestic robots company in India with Floor Cleaning and Window Cleaning Robots by winning new admirers every day. It’s patented World's only TabTop PCs are the most innovative in the Indian market and are considered as the most serious competitors to the Laptops. In June 2012 it also launched the World's first Window Cleaning Robots in India.

Majority of car owners struggling to cope with rising costs: According to research by a motoring website, nine out of 10 drivers cited escalating petrol prices as their main complaint. Danny Connolly from east London, recently switched his golf club membership from Kent to one nearer his home to save on petrol. "At the end of the day, I couldn't afford it," he said. "It was costing me more for petrol than the golf membership." The window cleaner, who makes three trips to the golf club a week, was spending £120 a month on petrol. His golf membership cost £100 a month.

Cira Center Stands Tall in Philadelphia Skyline: One of the toughest challenges for Brandywine Realty Trust (NYSE: BDN) in owning the Cira Centre office building in Philadelphia isn’t attracting tenants or making cost-cutting decisions. It’s washing the windows of the uniquely designed skyscraper. The task has become a major production, given the geometrically complex design of the building. First, the building’s roof opens. Then, a boom crane is positioned over top of the building. The crane drops a bucket down that attaches to strips attached to the outer covering of the building, and the bucket moves up and down the building. “It’s very complicated and has actually been featured on a couple of news programs,” says Jerry Sweeney, president and CEO of Brandywine Realty Trust. Situated on the bank of the Schuylkill River, the building is the first and only office tower in Philadelphia’s University City corridor. “The building really has become a bit of a landmark on the Philadelphia skyline,” Sweeney says.

Ken Bennett of Northborough picks the fruits of his hobby - raising flowers on the Howard Street land that his family has owned since the Civil War. Sunflowers, zinnias, gladiolus, snapdragons and asters pepper the land that was a dairy farm up until 1963. He started raising flowers when he was a student at Algonquin High School. He sells them by the roadside in front of his circa 1735 farmhouse at number 660 Howard St. A window washer by trade, he operates his own business, Ken's Bright Way Window Service.

Local people who have contributed to the community of Thame, have been officially recognised by the town council. At a recent awards ceremony at The Thame Barns Centre, Thame’s Mayor, Councillor Nigel Champken-Woods, presented trophies to deserving people who had been nominated and voted for by Thame people, including a posthumous award to the late Ben Guest, a local window cleaner and tireless fund-raiser for Help For Heroes and local charities too.

Tributes paid as Barrow dad dies aged 40: A family has paid tribute to their son and father-of-two after he died suddenly this week. David Wookey died in intensive care in Furness General Hospital on Monday afternoon after being admitted to FGH three days earlier. He was well-known in the town in his former jobs as a cab driver with A1 Taxis and as a window cleaner. Mrs Wookey described her son as a loveable “Jack the lad” and a bit of a “Del Boy” character. She said: “He was outgoing, a real character. People have all been saying they’re going to miss him. Everybody knew him; everybody took to him.” Mr Wookey Snr said his son could often be found placing bets and the family would miss his company, colourful tales and his car-owning exploits. He said: “He is going to be missed coming here with his betting stories. He used to go through a car a week, practically. That’s an exaggeration, but that’s how it felt sometimes.” Mrs Wookey said: “He bought a tall boy for £49 and sold it to me for £300. “I knew the price, but I didn’t mind because he was the one who had to stand out in the rain and cold for hours.”

Teignmouth man found dead on beach was upset at break-up: A father-of-one upset over the break-up of his marriage who was found dead on a Cornish beach just days before Christmas was "highly likely" to have jumped from cliffs, an inquest heard. Andrew Richard Lea, 62, from Teignmouth, Devon, was discovered at Polzeath Beach, near Wadebridge, North Cornwall. The inquest at Truro heard yesterday that he drove from his father and stepmother's house near Totnes where he was staying in his camper van on December 21, 2011. At around 7.45am the following day, a dog walker found the body – a post-mortem examination later determined he had died from multiple injuries. Mr Lea's wife Vivienne, who he had remarried and had a son with, attended the hearing. In a statement read out to the court she said some years earlier they had bought a second home in Portugal but she couldn't settle. She said while she returned to the UK her husband, who was a window cleaner, divided his time between home and Portugal while trying to sell the overseas house but the separation put the marriage under strain. While they were apart at the time of his death, Mrs Lea said they planned to meet up after Christmas.

Lincoln prisoner community service programs shrinking due to local 'crime explosion': Friday was a mild July day — not too hot, but not quite comfortable — and Jamie Todd was busy pushing a mower through the grass in front of the old Lincoln County Courthouse. All around Todd were the products of his work, like trimmed hedges and pressure-washed sidewalks. "I've always took pride in my yard at home … keeping it looking nice," he said. "It just feels good to get outside and do the same thing here and take pride in my town's yard." Todd isn't a courthouse employee — he doesn't even get paid for the work he does keeping the courthouse looking its best. Todd is an inmate at the Lincoln County Regional Jail, where he has been imprisoned since May 23. He is a father of a 4-year-old and a 10-month-old, has a pressure-washing and window-cleaning business and goes up for shock probation this coming Friday. He is also one of a shrinking number of community service inmates who get the opportunity to do work while they're in the Lincoln jail. Lincoln County Jailer David Gooch said his jail's community service program is on the decline because Lincoln County is seeing a local "crime explosion." As more and more of the jail's capacity is used to house local arrestees, there are fewer and fewer beds available for the kinds of inmates — final sentence felons and misdemeanants — who are eligible for community service.

Fire drama on 13th floor of Sundeland tower block: A tower block resident is lucky to be alive today after a blaze erupted in his 13th-floor flat. Neighbours and passers-by were left shaken as windows in the top floor of Eglinton Tower, Monkwearmouth, blew out due to the intense heat. Firefighters and paramedics rushed to help the elderly occupant of the building as the drama unfolded yesterday afternoon. Witnesses told the Echo how they heard a loud bang before seeing smoke billowing out of the windows. Several people, including those inside the building and those passing in the street, made 999 calls fearing someone could be trapped inside. 

Five fire engines, including one equipped with a Skylift, arrived in minutes. Police and an ambulance were also on the scene. While the fire was quickly extinguished, residents who had been evacuated from the tower block waited anxiously outside as paramedics made their way up to the flat to attend to the man. At around 2.10pm the pensioner from the damaged flat was brought out in a wheelchair and wearing an oxygen mask before being taken to Sunderland Royal Hospital. It is believed the man lived alone and nobody else was in the flat at the time. One neighbour, who called 999, was alerted to the fire by her window cleaner. She said: “He was ringing the bell and shouting that there was a fire and telling me to ring 999.

Construction equipment flips over in Tenderloin District: A toppled cherry-picker shut down a busy intersection in San Francisco's Tenderloin District Friday morning. The picker flipped over at Ellis and Leavenworth Streets at around 8 a.m. It hit a lamp post and brought down some window-washing equipment at a nearby building at the intersection. Police say the cherry-picker was hauling construction material for a nearby work site. No one was hurt and the cause of the accident is under investigation.

The Italian Job - TA soldiers training: Territorial Army soldiers from Northallerton are among the first to deploy to Italy on a new training exercise with Italian forces. The training will help prepare them for the changing nature of future conflicts as the Army looks to draw down its forces in Afghanistan. The training exercise with the Italian Army, known as Exercise Roman Star, follows this month’s Government announcement on troop reductions and a greater reliance on Reserve soldiers to integrate with the regular Army. Reservists from 4th Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment (4YORKS) are the first to undertake the exercise.

Northallerton TA soldier Lance Corporal Tim Peacock, aged 22, runs his own window cleaning business and joined the Reserves four years ago. “This has been a fantastic exercise and experience, while the climate and training area is perfect for current affairs. “I’d always wanted to follow a military career but by the time I was 18 I had met my now fiancee Melanie and didn’t want to make that full time commitment. The TA is the perfect mix of my civilian life, where I have the freedom to do what I like, and the military side of things going away and doing the training.”

Transguard, Diversey wins HHPC certification: Transguard Group, an Emirates Group unit, along with partner Diversey has announced that it has become the first company in the Middle East to be certified under Healthy High Performance Cleaning (HHPC) audit process. Using its stringent children’s and schools certification criteria to measure the effect of cleaning on indoor air quality, internationally-recognised Greenguard Environmental Institute (GEI) approved the patented Diversey cleaning programme after the audit process in the Dubai Marina Mall. About 300 million people worldwide have asthma, approximately 50 per cent of whom live in developing countries, according to the State of the World Allergy Report of the World Allergy Organisation. The high prevalence of asthma among children in the UAE is particularly alarming, with one in five children in the UAE having asthma.

Besides the health issues, cleaning products and procedures can also impact the financial bottom line. The US Environmental Protection Agency has already established a clear relationship between poor indoor air quality and improper cleaning and estimates that it costs the US economy $60 billion annually through reduced employee productivity. Charlotte Butt, FM services account manager at Transguard Group, said: “Although Transguard is already one of the UAE’s leading FM companies, its contract cleaning division has recently passed some very impressive milestones,” Butt said. “It is a fact that every Transguard cleaner on average cleans 624,000 sq m each year.” “Transguard Airside cleaning division cleans over 4,000 aircraft every year. Our kitchen stewards wash a staggering 65,000 dishes each every day and finally Transguard high level window cleaners wash, leather and shine over 350 storeys every month,” she concluded.

When searching for window protection, the International Hurricane Protection Association says to look for shutters and windows that are classified as “hurricane protection products.” These are the various types of window protections:

■ Accordion shutters — These folding, permanent shutters slide into installed tracks to protect windows and doors. They work well to protect sliding glass doors and condominiums because no storage is required.

■ Roll-down shutters — These electric or hand-cranked shutters slide vertically to cover windows and doors. They are quick and easy when securing your home before a storm. Roll-downs work well on windows with no outside access.

■ Storm panels — These vertical shutters are stored in a stack and are installed at the time of the storm.

■ Plywood — Plywood doesn’t provide the best protection for your home, and most plywood shutters don’t meet the new building code or insurance industry standards. They should be used as a last resort. No insurance discounts will be offered if you use plywood shutters. If not secured well, they can become flying objects and aren’t effective in protecting sliding-glass doors and big windows. Installation can be time-consuming and difficult; don’t work alone.

■ Window film — Window film isn’t a substitute for shutters. While it helps reduce the amount of broken glass that flies around after the storm, there is also potential for the window film to collapse if hit. Window film also doesn’t qualify under the current building code as approved hurricane protection for single-family dwelling units.

Window-Washing as Critique: Is a high window-washing bill a reason to hate a building? Matt Chaban airs an irregular gripe with Frank Gehry, FAIA, in The New York Observer: Gehry’s residential skyrise has too many windows, and it takes window washers too long to clean them. “[T]he lengths to which the humble window washer must go to clean New York by Frank Gehry, the 76-story downtown apartment tower,” Chaban writes, “are as extreme as the ripples in the building’s facade, according to [The New York Times].” Except that’s not exactly what The New York Times says. In a story about new residential high-rises springing up across Manhattan, Times reporter Elizabeth A. Harris notes that window washers are enjoying their excellent fortunes. They’re in high demand now, she reports, and can make tens of thousands of dollars in the time that it takes to clean a skyrise.

It apparently takes window washers a while to clean New York by Gehry: six to nine months, according to the story. By comparison, it takes two crews three months to clean Times Warner Center at Columbus Circle. But this is an incomplete comparison. Maybe it’s just one crew assigned to New York by Gehry. (That could make sense: the Times Warner Center comprises two towers—both of which are shorter than New York by Gehry.) Perhaps the window washers at Columbus Circle are more efficient than the ones at Spruce Street. Or maybe it is much harder to clean the windows along a rippling building than it is to clean windows along a rigid skyscraper. “No wonder nobody wants to pay for overwrought designs,” Chaban writes. “From leaky ceilings to lugubrious window washing, why bother?” That’s a large comparison to draw. Even if it turns out that it takes the same window-washing crews months longer to clean New York by Gehry than it does to clean another similarly sized skyscraper—in other words, all else being equal—readers should be asking themselves: so what? This is a price easily determined and acknowledged up front and built into the price of the rental. Leaky ceilings are a disaster; some variance in the cost of window-washing for more or more-complex windows is just the cost of doing business.

Watch out for thieves posing as window cleaners: Crooks posing as window cleaners have been targeting homes in Bennetts End, Hemel Hempstead. Police are warning people to stay vigilant and report any suspicious behaviour following several incidents. Suspects have visited homes asking about window cleaning and if there is nobody home they force their way into the property or take advantage of an insecurity, such as UPVC doors that have not been double locked. Det Sgt Kerry Bull said: “On the majority of occasions these people don’t even have any equipment to clean windows.” Anyone with information about suspicious behaviour in the area should contact Det Sgt Bull by dialling 101, alternatively call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

During tough economic times, many Americans find themselves without jobs. Some have lost their jobs because of lay-offs, and cannot seem to get back on the horse. Those who are lucky enough to have jobs can be unhappy because it’s not what they really want to be doing, and settled due to the limited opportunity out there. Feeling helpless and trapped can be miserable, but some have found a solution to this problem. Opening a business means taking control of your own destiny. The owner of a small business manages his own schedule, employees and method of operation. This ultimately means the business owner is in control of his income and success. Kris Johnson of Houston, Texas pursued the independent business option and opened his own Window Geniefranchise in March of 2012 after realizing what he really wanted out of life.

Johnson's previous jobs had him traveling and living all over Texas for the past 30 years. Johnson decided that Houston was where his heart was and wanted to find a way to move him and his family back. It was not an option to return to Houston with his current job, so Johnson took a job in industrial staffing so he could return home. After 7 years, Johnson realized he was not completely happy and decided to look into buying a franchise that he could own and operate in his hometown. Celebrating his 5 month mark as a business owner, Johnson says he is glad he chose to make a change for he and his family's future. Johnson chose Window Genie to pursue based on its compatibility with his strengths, interests and goals. After connecting with existing Window Genie franchise owners and the corporate team, Johnson felt as though it was the best choice for him to be successful and happy. Back in March, when asked what his goals are for the next year, Johnson said, “I want to learn about being an owner as much as I can and build a good reputation in my area. I need to walk before I can run, but I know I can make it happen. I have a strong background in customer service and the Window Genie plan is proven and successful.”

Her family says Gladys Henri is a remarkable woman. "I came here one day," said Glen, 46. "I was supposed to come and wash her windows. I come in the house, she's not here. 'Gram,' I call. I go down to the basement, she's not there. Go upstairs, she's not there. She's at the side of the house at the top of the ladder - where it says do not step - washing the windows. 'You think I'm going to wait for you all day?' she says to me." "She is a woman on a mission," says her 66-year-old son William Henri.

Clean, orderly homes wrap-up ( Zimbabwe) - WINDOWS - If your house is a single storey building, you will be able to incorporate window cleaning in to your cleaning diary quite easily. The problem arises in multi-storied buildings, houses and flats. Do not attempt any window cleaning on your own. This is definitely a job for the experts and should be undertaken once or twice a year.

Graffiti cleaning window company gets the call: When a Phoenix area McDonald’s was hit by vandals who tagged windows, the company turned to a window service company to remove the offensive material. Veterans Window Services was on the scene the next day. Company owner Billy Templeton and crew set to work immediately. Within an hour and a half, the window was like new. “Some people just have no respect for others. Veterans Window has considering experience, unfortunately, in cleaning this garbage from windows,” Mr. Templeton said. “The McDonald’s graffiti glass repair work took us a bit longer than usual because the glass was in the sun. We had to let the window cool down so we could continue.” Mr. Templeton said this kind of graffiti glass repair in Phoenix typically takes 30 minutes to an hour. During the McDonald’s task, the company’s service wasn’t interrupted. “We understand they had a business to do and needed to be able to do that business. So, we got in there as fast as we could and got the job completed as fast as we could,” he said. Time, he said, is of the essence. Graffiti glass repair needs to be done immediately because the longer it is left up, the more vandals it will attract. “It’s a lot like animals marking their territory. They try to out-mark each other. But when the graffiti is removed immediately, it sends a signal to the vandals that they can’t ‘claim’ a location,” Mr. Templeton said. “We specialize in rapid graffiti glass repair in Phoenix.”

Window cleaner's countdown to Ironman World Championships: An athlete has described the challenge of juggling his training, work and family life as he prepares to take part in the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii. Simon Bowler, of Cannon Court Road in Furze Platt, qualified for the competition two weeks ago at the European Championships in Frankfurt. Now, the 46-year-old is beginning his final preparations for the grueling event, which involves a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride and a marathon-length run. The fitness enthusiast will put in up to 20 hours of training a week, but must also balance his day between running his sports massage service, spending time with his wife and two children and walking the dog.

Simon, who is also a self-employed window cleaner, said: "I don't have time to sit down very much. "I have to accept that my family do sacrifice quite a lot and I try and make as much time for them as possible. The family will be jetting off to Hawaii for two weeks in October when Simon competes in the event, which he is mostly funding through his own money. He said: "I've been racking up the credit card bills but it will all be worth it in the end."

Telford window cleaner, 21, owns up to burglary: A window cleaner from Telford has been given a suspended jail sentence for burgling the home of one of his customers. Peter James Winstanley, 21, from Overdale, Ketley, had denied the offence, which happened near Wrexham. The cleaner had been due to stand trial at crown court – but he then went to see the victims at their home and made a tearful face-to-face confession. Winstanley, who recently moved to Telford from Malpas, admitted stealing a camera, a laptop computer and jewellery. Mold Crown Court heard yesterday that he gave the property ‘a proper ransacking’, and went rooting through the victims’ clothes in the wardrobe. Judge Niclas Parry said that Winstanley aggravated the matter by a ‘further despicable act’ of ripping up a personal photograph. The court was told that a photograph of the couple, Paul and Heather Staniland, had been ripped down the middle to separate them.

Judge Parry said that the offence crossed the custody threshold but Winstanley had admitted burglary, was only 21, had not been in trouble before, had led a hard working life and had taken on responsibilities far beyond his years. The judge said that Winstanley deserved a second chance and he was given a 24-week jail sentence suspended for a year. He was also ordered to do 200 hours unpaid work, pay £500 compensation and £500 costs. Judge Parry imposed a restraining order not to contact the victims or enter Church Road, in Worthenbury, where their home is. The court heard how Winstanley had originally denied the offence, which occurred in September 2010, and had entered a not guilty plea. Winstanley changed his plea yesterday. Mr Owen Edwards, for Winstanley, said that the window cleaner ‘felt so much relief’ after owning up to what he had done. He added that Winstanley had moved to a new area, had a job and he and his wife were trying for a baby.

It’s MPs who take us to the cleaners: I fear I am a woman of loose morals. Not in that sense, but I do have a confession to make. This week, I paid the window cleaner in cash and didn’t even ask to see his annual accounts. I’m going to get a reputation. What will the neighbours think? Or worse, what will David Gauke think? He is, of course, the loose-lipped Treasury Minister who declared people who pay tradesmen cash-in-hand morally bankrupt. He said paying workers such as cleaners or gardeners in cash could be taking money out of the UK economy and that it’s “morally wrong”. I can’t sleep at nights now. My conscience is killing me. What should I do? Maybe I should coast round to the window cleaner’s house and ask for a refund. Then write him a cheque. He can then wait days for it to clear and pay the bank for allowing him to deposit money he has earned into his own account. Perhaps I should request that next time he knocks on the door he brings a Switch machine and then hope for his sake that he doesn’t bank with RBS — because he might not get his hands on that money for a while if their system goes down again.

Should I just withhold the next payment until his accountant confirms that he has declared it legally and has paid all the relevant taxes? It seems a lot of hoo-ha for a tenner. Mr Gauke did specify it was those who deliberately paid in cash to allow the tradesman to avoid paying tax that he was condemning. How were we supposed to know that? David Cameron, Nick Clegg and Boris Johnston have all admitted to paying tradesmen in cash. Although their spokespeople were quick to point out that they didn’t do it in order to avoid paying tax. So, in other words, it’s just us commoners who would do such a thing. We’re the dishonest ones. We don’t just pay in cash for convenience. We’re secretly trying to ruin the economy. There’s no law against paying someone in cash or asking for it to happen, but it does mean traders can avoid declaring all their income or dodge VAT.

So, as paying customers, Mr Gauke expects us to act in an honourable way and declare everything. Just as we expect the Right Honourable Members of Parliament to act in an honest and honourable way. Remember the Right Honourable Sir Peter Viggers? The Tory MP claimed £32,000 in gardening expenses and tried to shunt the cost of a floating duck island on to the taxpayer. That claim was rejected by the Commons authorities, but he still deemed it morally acceptable to submit it in the first place. Quackers! Or what about Derek Conway? Criticised for paying his sons to work for him out of public funds. Jobs for the boys right enough. Or Jacqui Smith, who claimed for a saucy film. Or those “flipping” their residencies to claim for mortgages on homes that they didn’t even live in. Gauke can’t seriously be trying to take the moral high ground when those misdemeanours hang over MPs’ heads. It's not me that should have trouble sleeping at night. It’s Mr Gauke and his merry men — moralising over small businesses trying to stay afloat in tough times and penalised by increased VAT rates. They’ve turned the Robin Hood tale on its head and are robbing the poor to give to the rich!

Entrepreneur OnTheGo from the very beginning: Mick Spencer has wanted to run his own business since he was at school. He’d watched his father Greg build his construction business Cercol in Canberra and by age 11 had started his own shop window cleaning business, employing other children, and earned enough to buy himself an electric guitar. “I’d grown up in a family that was all for going out on your own and having a go,” he says. “I just love that hustling way of life, going out there and trying to earn your own money off your own bat.” At 22, Spencer is the founder, sole director and 100 per cent owner of OnTheGo, a web start-up that sells custom-branded sports gear to teams, companies and organisations around the country.

Stephen Moffat, shoe designer: Two years ago, at the age of 38, Steven Moffat had retired. His 11 online businesses were humming along – selling pet food, high chairs and window cleaning supplies – without him. He was bored. Scribbling and doodling ideas for his new venture, one subject returned time and again. Shoes. Ladies’ shoes, and not the kind they wear to do the school run. Never one to lack ambition, Moffat took this as a sign that he should create his own globe-dominating brand of footwear. He would become the Dumfries-born Christian Louboutin, but with higher manufacturing standards. “I would make the best shoes in the world. Then I realised I would need to get them into the best shoe shops in the world. And before I could switch the factory on I would have to have a client base, a marketing strategy, all in place.” The concept for Shhh was beginning to take shape. In retail speak, he wanted to “build a brand with a very high tactile touch point”. In English: a salon rather than a shop. A cross between a boutique hotel and a showroom, where clients come by appointment at evenings and weekends as well as during conventional shopping hours.

A Montgomery County Council member accused lawmakers who back a bill supporting contract workers of pandering to a labor union rather than making good policy decisions. "If we pass this bill we're doing it for one local," Councilman George Leventhal, D-at large, said before the County Council Health and Human Services Committee, which he heads. The branch of the Service Employees International Union that represents building service workers -- security officers, doormen, porters, maintenance workers, bus drivers, window cleaners and food service workers -- requested the bill, which has five co-sponsors. The measure would require property owners who hire those types of contractors to keep the employees for 90 days after a contract ends. If a new contractor is replacing the old one, the new contractor must hire the employees for a 90-day "transition period." But businesses have mobilized quickly to oppose the bill, arguing that it takes employment decisions out of business owners' hands. But supporters argue that a similar law already exists in the District, where it apparently has not hurt the business climate. "The only thing the bill does is give the current workers already employed there a chance to prove themselves," said Jaime Contreras, Capital Area director for SEIU-32BJ. "It prevents people from losing their jobs."

Tips for showing your house during the hot days of summer: Pay attention to doors and windows. Front doors can be filled with summer pollen, so make sure your sellers clean at least once a week, Knapp suggests to realtors. He also suggests regularly cleaning the windows -- both the inside and out -- to make sure they sparkle. That's good advice any time of the year. No matter how dirty the windows are of the buyers' current apartment or home, they'll have their white gloves on when they visit yours. Remember that clean is one of the three Cs of home staging: Clean, Clutter-free, and Color acceptable.

Seniors– we have the hearing aids; now let’s turn them on, OK? One afternoon we were sitting out back of her brand new eight-storey apartment building having a beer when Margaret, gazing across at the identical apartment complex next door said:  “See Bill, that’s what I wanted, an apartment just like that one with the balcony.” I looked over at the apartment with the so-called balcony, looked at her and then said nothing whatsoever. What my mother mistook for a balcony was a scaffolding unit being used by two window cleaners.  The correct term I believe is a “gondola.” And I know, oh yeah I know from really bad experience, that as soon as I tell my mother that the balcony is actually a gondola with two men in it … her reaction would go like this. First, she’d roll her eyes.  Then she’d give me that look like ‘I can’t believe you ever got through university.’ And then, after staring at me for a long time and then focusing on her beloved balcony she would say:  “Really Bill, what the hell would a boat with two Italian guys be doing on the side of that building?!?” So I said:  “The minute that apartment comes up for rent, it’s yours.  Now how about another beer?”

Laziness costs us an average £17,000 during a lifetime because we can’t be bothered to shop around or do simple tasks for ourselves, a study claimed yesterday. We throw money away by being too idle to get refunds on unwanted goods or take advantage of cheap deals such as fare discounts. We even fail to cancel direct debit payments. We ramp up our electricity bills by tumble-drying clothes instead of hanging them on the washing line, and by leaving appliances on standby. Although using a bucket and sponge is about £68 a year cheaper than going to the carwash, most of us can’t make the effort to clean our own vehicles. For the same reason, we pay out an average of £72 annually to window cleaners. The study of 2,000 adults found one in 10 goes for the first deal they come across – even when buying major items like a car or taking out a mortgage – because they can’t be bothered to shop around.

Hercules Window Cleaning acquired Hawkins Building Services in a deal that will add an estimated $300,000 to Hercules’ annual revenue, which was $1 million in 2011, officials said in a statement. Terms of the deal, announced and closed Aug. 1, were not disclosed. Hawkins Building Services has been in operation since 1999, serving high-rise office buildings, government buildings and public event facilities including Busch Stadium, Metropolitan Square, Peabody Plaza and The Thomas Eagleton Federal Building. Hawkins Building Services' owner, Steve Hawkins, will become the sales manager at Hercules, and Hawkins’ window washers were offered jobs at Hercules, which is led by President Andy Spann. Hercules is a fourth-generation, family owned and operated business that serves more than 450 St. Louis-area buildings.

A Question of Gravity: Many years ago, when I was a fledgling editor at Random House, I was doing my usual morning walk to work on the West Side from my apartment. Deep in thought about the day or work or whatever, I failed to notice the little yellow caution signs the window-washers had placed on Park Avenue outside one of the huge buildings there. I suddenly felt water hitting my head. I looked up and saw the window-washer high above me. I raised my fist at him and said, “Hey!” He looked down and said, “Where do you want it to go, UP?” We both laughed and went on my way.

That's My Boy by Ilan Preskovsky: 100% laugh-free comedy, detestable sexual politics and an unbearably long running time make this the Adam Sandler comedy to beat! With a baseball bat. Do I have to go on? It's just unspeakably horrible. And hey, Vanilla Ice is in it! No, I don't know why either, but maybe his presence here will convince Adam Sandler to take on a new career path. And by "new career path", I do of course mean window cleaner, burger flipper or investment banker - or anything really. Just please, keep him away from our cinemas. Please and thank you.