Window Cleaning News

Cleaners wiping the window of a building in Kuala Lumpur. Despite an increase in the tax for foreign workers was good for the country, employers are still cautious over Putrajaya’s move to review the tax. 

The Malaysian Employers Federation today reacted cautiously to Putrajaya's move to review the levy on foreign workers as they waited further details to the sketchy announcement. MEF executive director Datuk Shamsuddin Bardan said higher levies on foreign workers would mean an increase in government revenue. "If Putrajaya increases the levy on foreign workers, it would mean more revenue and less money being remitted by foreign workers." But, Shamsuddin said if the levy for foreign workers had to be paid by their employers, then it would lead to higher overheads.

Foreign workers were responsible for paying the levy, not their employers, he added. "Remittances by foreign workers back to their source country is currently about RM50 billion annually," he said.

Bank Negara previously estimated that foreign workers remitted about RM30 billion annually. But, Shamsuddin said foreign workers also had other methods of sending money back home without resorting to banks and financial institutions.

Terry Dugdale, who is concerned over the matter of exploding double-glazed windows in his housing block

Exploding window problem: A Poole pensioner has prompted an investigation after discovering six windows in his warden assisted block shattered spontaneously. Terry Dugdale, 65, of Simmonds Close in Oakdale, was shocked to find the inner pane of glass of his bathroom window smashed – while the outer one was intact. He was advised by Poole Housing Partnership, which manages the block, to claim on his insurance. But baffled as to how it had happened, he investigated further.

The retired sales rep, who has lived in the flats for three years, discovered that five of his neighbours had also had the exact same “exploding window” problem – including one elderly resident who was in the bathroom at the time it happened.

After researching on the internet he discovered that it was a known phenomenon, which can occur in colder weather as a result of changes in pressure – most frequently in late December and January. After presenting his evidence to PHP they have now agreed to pay for repairs – and are looking into the issue. Mr Dugdale told the Echo: “You’ve got six windows here – do they think six people are suddenly going around and smashing their windows? “The thing I can’t understand is why they didn’t investigate what was happening in the first place. “I think they should seriously think about replacing all the double glazing in these units which are over 20 years old.

“One of my neighbours was actually in the bathroom when it happened and it scared her to death. “She could have been caught by the glass.” Matt Wilkin, communications officer at PHP Ltd said: “We were alerted to several cases of cracked windows at Simmonds Close over the Christmas period.

“As these windows were at the end of their life, we’ve arranged for new argon-filled units to be fitted which should last for a further 25 years. “Investigations are now underway to identify the cause of the cracked windows and we are working with residents to minimise the inconvenience while the repairs are ongoing.”

Mark's Cleaning Service Inc. celebrates 30 years in business.

Mark's Cleaning Service Inc. - It's Your Business: Mark & Bonnie Skoda. Number of employees: 110

Years in business: 30

Tell us what your business does: Carpet cleaning, oriental area rug cleaning, ceramic tile and grout cleaning, upholstery, air duct cleaning, window cleaning, maid service and pet urine and feces removal and odor control.

Where did you get the idea for your business? I was working for a local carpet and janitorial company when the owner offered to sell me a van and carpet cleaning machine.

What makes your business unique? Mark's Cleaning is a leader in the cleaning industry. We work hard to keep up with the newest cleaning equipment and solutions. By using the best products and newest equipment, we do the job right the first time. We promise to treat our customers as we would want to be treated.

How do you see current economic conditions affecting your business? Business is great! I believe so much in "a positive state of mind brings positive results." We work hard as a team to take care of our clients and our staff. Everyday brings challenges. Being in business is problem solving -- that's what we do.

What is the biggest obstacle you have had to overcome thus far? Over the last 30 years we've seen many obstacles. I suppose two of the biggest would have to be 9/11 and the 2008 economic crises. For both we kept a positive mindset. Actually one of our best years turned out to be 2008! We have great clients and great staff!

What are your plans for near-future growth (hiring, building expansion, etc.)?  Our plans are to continue growing and expanding in Summit and Cuyahoga counties. We've purchase a 5,000 square foot facility and adjoining property, and are currently putting finishing touches on our in-house oriental rug cleaning plant. We also plan to continue growing in water damage restoration, window cleaning, maid service, carpet cleaning, duct cleaning, janitorial and hard surface floor care.

Window Cleaner who borrowed €1.4m given three months to save home: A Dublin couple have been given three months by a judge to save their family home. Anthony and Miriam Freeman, of Villa Park Gardens, Navan Road, Dublin, are fighting in the Circuit Civil Court to prevent Ulster Bank Ireland repossessing their family home on a disputed arrears debt of €169,000. Last May, the High Court dismissed claims by the couple, who who borrowed some €1.4m to refinance property investments, that their lender did not validly appoint a receiver over their assets when they went into arrears. They are appealing the case to the Supreme Court.

Judge Jacqueline Linnane told the Freemans on Friday that the family home situation will be decided on April 23rd next and she directed that all necessary papers be exchanged between the parties by mid-March. Ms Freeman, who represented herself and her husband in court, said her health had deteriorated and she had been unable to complete an application for legal aid. She said they disputed the claimed debt of €169,000 on the December 2003 mortgage of €460,000 on their home. She claimed the bank had mismanaged the couple’s mortgage account and had overcharged them on interest. Counsel for the bank said she was repeating issues made in a High Court commercial investment case and all of which had been rejected by Mr Justice Brian McGovern last May.

On Friday, Ms Freeman said she accepted there was a debt to be paid to Ulster Bank Ireland but did not accept the amount claimed. There was a lot more detail to be gone into and the Supreme Court appeal against Judge McGovern’s decision was being strenuously pursued in relation to their six investment properties.

Mr Justice McGovern stated in his judgment that the couple between 1996 and 2006 had bought six houses in Dublin at Huntstown Drive, Huntsdown Wood and Willowood, Blanchardstown, and at Ventry Drive and Drumcliffe Drive, Cabra West and Dunsink Green, Finglas. He said this had been financed by First Active Building Society and later re-mortgaged with Bank of Scotland for €1,406,000. When the First Active debt had been paid the couple had been left with a surplus in excess of €546,000 which they had spent on themselves over a period of 16 months.

Mr Justice McGovern said the evidence clearly showed that the plaintiffs went on a spending spree with the surplus, both buying expensive motor vehicles and had gone on at least one holiday to the United States, drawing down just under $60,000 while there. He said Miriam Freeman had been unable to explain why so many substantial cash withdrawals were made and why they were not applied towards the investment property business. The judge said both Freemans had furnished misleading information to Bank of Scotland at the time they applied for the loans, grossly inflating the net profit of Mr Freeman’s window cleaning business which gave them only a modest income.

Mr Justice McGovern, who threw out all of the issues raised by the Freemans in their High Court action against the bank and its receiver, said the couple had sought to invalidate the appointment of the receiver over the sale of their properties. He said that at a time when they owed Bank of Scotland over €1.4 million they had taken no steps to reduce the principal sum due and owing to the bank from the excess of €546,000 but had spent it on themselves.

Popular window cleaner John 'Sneck' Duncan.

Big turnout for funeral of popular window cleaner: There was a big turnout at Kirkcaldy crematorium for the funeral of popular Cupar window clearer John (Sneck) Duncan. Born, raised and educated in Cupar, where he spent his entire 81 years, Sneck worked in a butcher’s shop in the town after leaving Bell Baxter High School.

Before starting out on his own as a window cleaner 35 years ago, he was a steel erector and crane driver with local engineers Houston’s, as well as a labourer with building companies. He was still working until last year, keeping all his clients in the Cupar area up to date with the latest local news and gossip. An all-round handyman, Sneck would readily offer his services to anyone in need.

During his time at Adamson Hospice – where he passed away – he kept fellow patients and staff entertained with his wise-cracking and constant stream of jokes. A keen walker in the glens with his wife, Annie, Sneck is survived by his family, grandchildren and great-grandson.

A 72-year-old man from Brinsley has successfully completed an epic 98-mile walk which took him from Glasgow to Fort William in just six days. Bill Pykett of Kings Drive, Brinsley, has completed many cycling and walking expeditions for charity in his time and embarked on this trek known as The West Highland Way in aid of The Dogs Trst.

The retired carpet and window cleaner was joined by his partner Heather Collinge who drove their motorhome as a support vehicle, and his four-year-old rescue German Shepherd, Abi, who walked with him all the way. Bill explained that he had previously completed Lands End to John O’Groats and Coast to Coast by bike, but as the West Highland Way is the biggest official walk in Scotland, it was another challenge he was keen to do.

He said: “I like walking for start and I had seen something on the TV about the expedition which made me want to do it. “There was some stunning scenery along the way - Rannoch Moor was really special because of how bleak and wild it was. “After Glasgow which was busy with local walkers I hardly saw a sole, which I liked.”

The grandfather-of-three told the Advertiser that the highlight of the whole expedition was the night before Rannoch Moor as the stags were roaring around their motorhome all night. However, it was his dog Abi that got him through the hardest part of the journey - Devils Staircase - as she pulled him up the hill. Bill added: “She loved the whole walk - I think she would happily do it over and over and she never tired.” This year Bill will be taking on The Great Glenway from Fort William to Inverness, and he and Heather are also determined to travel to the Artic Circle in the summer. Donations go to The Dogs Trust.

The middle class that President Obama identified in his State of the Union speech last week as the foundation of the American economy has been shrinking for almost half a century. In the late 1960s, more than half of the households in the United States were squarely in the middle, earning, in today’s dollars, $35,000 to $100,000 a year. Few people noticed or cared as the size of that group began to fall, because the shift was primarily caused by more Americans climbing the economic ladder into upper-income brackets.

But since 2000, the middle-class share of households has continued to narrow, the main reason being that more people have fallen to the bottom. At the same time, fewer of those in this group fit the traditional image of a married couple with children at home, a gap increasingly filled by the elderly.

“In the Great Recession, we lost a lot of middle-income jobs and we gained a lot of low-paying jobs,” said Michael R. Strain, resident scholar at the right-of-center American Enterprise Institute. “That’s a slower-burning thing, but it increased in ferocity during the recession, and people are feeling it.”

For more than two decades, John D’Amanda, 54, earned about $30,000 a year running a window-washing service in Oakland, Calif. He had a car and an apartment. Then, in 2009, the calls stopped coming in. His customers no longer had the luxury of paying for someone to wash their windows.

Mr. D’Amanda got a job at a McDonald’s, where he has worked ever since, now earning 25 cents above the state’s new minimum wage of $9. He pays $350 a month in rent to share a small bedroom with a roommate. “I’m barely able to afford that,” he said.

'Robust' parking enforcement in Barnstaple is a concern for councillors: Speaking at a meeting of North Devon Council’s overview and scrutiny committee last week, Mr Tucker said: “It concerns me the robust way in which Devon County Council is going about its business. “It is very sad when we have operated the system for a number of years and got on with traders and now they are giving tickets because they are unloading for five minutes. “When you see good businesses getting four or five tickets something is wrong somewhere.”

The Journal has also been contacted by a man who claims the situation has been getting worse recently and that he has received four parking fines while stopped in Barnstaple High Street. Will James, of H2O Cleaning Services, said there was a group of around 50 workers who were gearing up to sign a petition on the issue. Will said the 10-minute window given by traffic wardens for commercial vehicles stopping in the High Street was not enough. “I am self-employed and have been working in the High Street for 14 years,” he said. “Only now is it beginning to become a problem. Any time before 10am you can park there. But you have only got 10 minutes.” Will said a common problem was people stopping off in the High Street just to go and get a coffee. “You never see them getting tickets,” he said. “We are here trying to earn an honest living, but the people coming in doing their coffee rounds aren’t penalised at all.”

LOHS grad to appear on 'Shark Tank'

A summer business called “Happy Windows” was the first adventure into entrepreneurship for Morgan Hill native Wesley LaPorte, who employed his cousin as they went door-to-door to solicit their window washing services to local homeowners. “Growing up, I worked for myself washing windows, so I have been entrepreneurial since I was young,” said the 2004 Live Oak High School alumnus who went on to earn a Pre-Med degree in Exercise Science from Brigham Young University. But upon graduation in 2012, LaPorte put his medical school plans on hold because of a business venture he conjured up with that same cousin, Dan Barnes, who used to wash windows back in the day.

The business partners are no longer window-washing though, and the two BYU graduates will appear on the Jan. 30 episode of the ABC show Shark Tank, where they will pitch their PhoneSoap product to the panel of the millionaire investors, including Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and Fubu founder Daymond John. “I decided that this was an opportunity now,” said LaPorte, the 29-year-old Chief Executive Officer and founder of his Provo, Utah-based company that manufactures a cell phone cleaning device. “If I want to go to medical school in the future, I still can. But for now, this is what I’m doing full time.”

The idea for PhoneSoap came in 2012 when the two cousins were bouncing ideas off one another for an annual business plan competition held at BYU. LaPorte said he was doing cancer research at the university and was using large ultraviolet (UV) lights to sanitize surfaces where they would perform experiments. “I knew it was effective in killing bacteria,” said Barnes, who didn’t realize a different and marketable use for the same UV light until Barnes read an article that the average person’s cell phone is dirtier than the handle on a public toilet. The light bulb went off and they immediately began doing more research on the bacteria that builds up on cell phones.

Window Cleaners shut those gates! A Burton family are appealing for help in finding their missing border terrier puppy. The 15-month-old female, called Ginny, went missing at approximately 4.30pm on Friday. Her owner Hannah Denton says that she believes she was taken by somebody after she managed to escape from the garden of the family home. She said: "At about 4.15pm I let Ginny out the back door into our enclosed garden to do her business. "I then went upstairs and came back down 10 minutes later to let her back in but she wasn’t there. The window cleaner had been and left the gate open without us knowing.

"We live on Bridgewater Road and I ran to the park where she goes for her walks to see if she was there but we couldn’t find her anywhere. "One of the people that live near us contacted us through Facebook, he was in his car at 4.30pm and saw Ginny run across the road and turned round in the car to get her but an old red Ford Fiesta had got to her first, at the flats next to Shobnall Street, and somebody put her in the car. "We are desperate to get her home safe and are offering a reward." Ginny has been spayed and has a red grizzle with a dark face. Anyone with information is asked to call Hannah on 07581 624934 or 07916 338521.

An animal rescue worker in south Norfolk caring for a “suffering” cat thrown from a car in Diss earlier this month is calling for help to track down those responsible. The one-year-old cat was reportedly seen being tossed out of a car somewhere in Diss on the morning of Thursday, January 8 and was later found with a broken front leg.

The feline, a fluffy ginger female which has been named Loreli, was taken to Cherry Tree Vets in Roydon Road. An appeal was then launched on social media to ask for help for the ongoing care of the injured cat. Bungay-based centre Blossoms Rescue responded by taking Loreli into its care and meeting the £999 veterinary bill for the operation to repair the cat’s leg with the insertion of metal pins, which was carried out last week at Chapelfield Vets in Long Stratton.

She urged any witnesses of the incident or anybody who could identify the cat to come forward and share whatever information they may have. In particular, she was keen to hear from the woman who initially reported what had happened - only referred to as the wife of a local window cleaner - to obtain a more detailed account of the time and place and a description of the car.

An Arbroath window cleaner who racially abused an unhappy customer has been fined £200. John Connor, 48, of Campbell Crescent, appeared before Sheriff Pino Di Emidio at Forfar. He admitted that on December 20 at Arbroath High Street he acted in a racially aggravated manner towards a man and shouted racist remarks. Depute fiscal Jill Drummond said Connor was a window cleaner and an arrangement was made to take on a contract at a shop in the High Street. An agreement was reached that Connor would be paid £25 every time the windows were cleaned. After they were cleaned for the first time, the owner said he was not happy with the standard of work and only paid £15.

Several discussions took place between both men over the following days. At 10am on the day of the incident, Connor was cleaning windows nearby when the shop owner parked his vehicle on the High Street. Connor said: “No wonder you drive a nice car.” The owner was annoyed at the remark. He told Connor if he had done his job properly he would have been paid in full. Connor told him to go back to his country and uttered a racist remark. The man replied: “You’ll not get away with being racist,” and called police.

Beware of conman window-cleaner warn Plymstock police: Beware of conman window-cleaner warn Plymstock police (Plymouth): PCSO Elaine Wilson of Plymstock police neighbourhood team said the suspect had been knocking on doors, requesting payment for windows cleaned. She said: “People have handed over money, only to be contacted by their real window-cleaners asking for their dues. “He appears to just be chancing houses, so we are requesting residents please be mindful of this and only hand over money to the person they know to be doing work for them.” The man is described as white, unshaven, possibly wearing a quilted jacket and blue knitted hat. He does not appear to have a vehicle. Anyone with information about the man, or anyone who has spotted him in their area, contact police on 101 quoting crime reference number CR/003199/15.

A window cleaner committed benefit fraud because he didn’t want to dip into his savings: Stephen Crabtree committed benefit fraud even though he had than £100,000 savingsStephen Crabtree, of Fairview Avenue in Batley, admitted dishonestly failing to disclose to the Department for Work and Pensions full details of his capital. Prosecutor Andy Wills said that the 50-year-old’s application was fraudulent from the outset. He told Kirklees magistrates: “He made an application to receive income- based Jobseeker’s Allowance and received this for 16 months. “The application said that he was unemployed and had no capital or savings.” The court heard that the department then became aware that Crabtree had savings of over £118,000.

Mr Wills added: “This was well over the limit of savings than can be held by any party when trying to make a claim for benefit. “Had this been known by the department his application would have been refused.” Crabtree, a window cleaner for 29 years before falling off his ladder and breaking his collarbone, said that his savings were meant for his retirement. Mr Wills said: “He said he wanted the benefit to live with so that he didn’t have to dip into his savings.” Crabtree was overpaid almost £5,000 which he said has now been repaid. He said that friends had urged him to sign on and other people do what he did. Magistrates sentenced him to a six-week curfew between 7pm and 7am. Crabtree must also pay £85 costs and £60 victim surcharge.

State time for man who accidentally shot and wounded 8-year-old boy (WEST CHESTER): The North Coventry man who fired a gunshot that wounded an 8-year-old boy who was riding his bicycle in the man’s neighborhood was sentenced to a state prison term Thursday for his behavior, which the judge in the case said amounted to unwarranted recklessness. Wayne Snowden, who fired the shot from the porch of his home on West Main Street, just south of Pottstown, during an angry tirade against another man, was given back-to-back terms of nine to 18 months in prison on charges of recklessly endangering another person and simple assault.

Snowden, 56, the owner of a window washing business who had no history of violent crime, shook his head in disbelief as sheriff deputies put handcuffs on him and led him from the courtroom. Family members who attended the 90-minute sentencing hearing cursed as they left Wheatcraft’s courtroom.

The defendant had apologized for the shooting, telling Wheatcraft he had no thought of ever harming he young boy and that he sympathized with the family over all they had gone through in the wake of the shooting. “I thank God it was not a worse situation,” he said. “I pray one day A.J. will be able to enjoy himself again.”

A window cleaner was almost five times over the drink drive limit when he was stopped by police. Stephen Tordoff, 41, was driving along Dickson Road, Blackpool, at 1.30pm when an officer halted his van. Blackpool Magistrates heard that Tordoff had left home at about 10.30am that day. He had drunk the contents of a bottle of vodka the night before. Tordoff, of Waterhead Crescent, Norbreck, pleaded guilty to drink driving.

Police had been tipped off that he was at the wheel of his van while over the limit and when he was breathalysed he had 160 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath – 35 is the limit. Alison Quanbrough, prosecuting, said: “The police had received intelligence that Tordoff was a drink driver.

“This is a very high reading indeed.” Martin Hillson, defending, said: “There were no aggravating factors involved such as speeding or an accident and my client co-operated fully with the police when stopped. “Mr Tordoff has worked all his life and has set up a window cleaning business with 350 clients.” Magistrates gave Tordoff a 17 week jail sentence, suspended for two years. He was also banned from the road for three years and ordered to undergo two years supervision. He was also ordered to pay £85 costs.

And finally...

“The problem was that they tried to fix it in half an hour and it should have taken them days.”

Tutankhamun's beard glued back on, say Egyptian museum conservators: Beard on burial mask of pharaoh was stuck on with epoxy after it was knocked during cleaning, say staff at Cairo museum: Was he murdered? Was he the product of incest? Ever since his tomb was discovered in 1922, Tutankhamun has always been a man of mystery. But now the pharaoh is the subject of yet another whodunnit – and this time the mystery is a very modern one. Did bungling curators snap off Tut’s beard last year, and if so, was it stuck back on with the wrong kind of glue?

These are the allegations levelled this week at the Egyptian Museum, the gloomy, underfunded palace in central Cairo where Tutankhamun’s bling is housed, along with thousands of other ancient treasures. Employees claim the beard was dislodged in late 2014, during routine maintenance of the showcase in which Tut’s mask is kept. “What happened is that one night they wanted to fix the lighting in the showcase, and when they did that they held the mask in the wrong way and broke the beard,” alleges one museum official, who asked not to be named for fear of being fired. “But they tried to fix it overnight with the wrong material, but it wasn’t fixed in the right way so the next day, very early, they tried to fix it again. “The problem was that they tried to fix it in half an hour and it should have taken them days.”

A man who allegedly made a habit of stealing women’s underwear from washing lines has been on the receiving end of some ironic mob justice.

Underwear thief forced to walk around the block wearing the bras he stole: A man who allegedly made a habit of stealing women’s underwear from washing lines has been on the receiving end of some ironic mob justice. After Chan Chun Chee was caught red handed by the women whose underwear had gone missing, they forced him to wear one of the pilfered bras and made him walk around the block in a classic example of public shaming.

Residents of the block of flats in Singapore first became aware of the kinky thief when items of clothing being left out to dry started going missing, sometimes even from inside their apartments. Local man Teo Goh, 56, said: ‘We realised he was targeting windows where he knew women lived and knew were open, so we decided to teach him a lesson and publicly humiliate him.’

They sprung a trap by getting one of the women in the block to leave some underwear in plain sight near an open window. The group then waited for the thief to make his move, before pouncing on him.

After ‘frog marching’ the culprit around the block in his new outfit and forcing him to promise never to steal from them again, the vigilante group called the police to have him arrested. A police spokesman said: ‘We don’t condone vigilante activity but in this case it seems to have turned out OK.’ Chee now faces three years jail for breaking and entry and theft (plus these embarrassing photos will probably haunt him forever).