More Window Cleaning News

Window Cleaner, Mark and Tammy Vaz.

Heartache of six miscarriages spurs Mark on to 90 marathons in 90 days: Nobody can accuse Mark Vaz of being a man to shirk a challenge.  In July, a Penkridge window cleaner will begin the mammoth challenge of running 90 marathons in 90 consecutive days, a total of 2,340 miles. Or put it another way, more or less what the average motorist will drive in their car over that period. And that's not all. There will be no respite during the hours in between his marathon runs. The 31-year-old, will be carrying on with his window cleaning rounds throughout the gruelling three-month period. Although he will be allowing himself the luxury of travelling to jobs in his van.

Mark, who grew up on Shrewsbury's Telford Estate and attended the town's Belvedere School, has set himself a target of raising £90,000 for the Tommy's pregnancy charity and the Katharine House hospice in Stafford. And he is so committed that he will even carry on his challenge when he goes on holiday to Cornwall at the end of July.

And if that is not enough, he has thrown down the gauntlet to his sponsors, saying that he will also run from his home to London in three days at the end of his challenge in October if he manages to raise at least £30,000 for his chosen charities. The run will well and truly put Mark in the history books. At the moment, the world record for running the most marathons in consecutive days stands at 52, so if he is successfully at pulling off his feat he will annihilate it. But he is hardly lacking in confidence.

Click to enlarge. 90 marathons in 90 consecutive days, a total of 2,340 miles.

"I'm really looking forward to it," says Mark, who is a qualified fitness instructor. "The important thing is to have a good recovery rate. At the moment I have been out running every day. This week I will run 21 miles, 13 miles, eight miles and a 28-mile run, followed by a lot of core training after." As you might expect, there is a powerful driving force motivating Mark's efforts, and it is his wife Tammy who has endured six miscarriages and has found the support from the Tommy's charity a huge help.

She says: "I had my first miscarriage in January, 2007, at Walsall Manor Hospital, I lost a little boy called Harley, that was very traumatic, it was very emotional." Tammy's second miscarriage came in June 2011, just before the couple's wedding the following month. The couple suffered further heartache in 2012, when Tammy miscarried at New Cross Hospital in Wolverhampton, and then again in 2013 and twice in 2014.

"Many of the hospital staff just didn't know what to say," says Tammy, who is an English teacher at South Wolverhampton and Bilston Academy. Happily, Tammy is expecting once more, and is now receiving support from Tommy's which helps expectant mothers through the different stages of pregnancy. To support Mark see the website.

Made to measure! Weston Coyney window cleaner gunning for world record - while dressed as a tool.

Made to measure! Weston Coyney man gunning for world record - while dressed as a tool: A man will attempt to break a world record - while being dressed as a tool. Terry Bradbury, of Weston Coyney, who runs window cleaning firm Purecleanplus, will don a tape measure costume when he takes on the London Marathon on April 26. The father-of-one, aged 49, is looking to raise at least £500 for the Donna Louise Children’s Hospice at the world-renowned race. And Terry must complete the 26-mile run in under four hours to secure the unique Guinness world record.

Customers of mobile phone company Three say they are getting increasingly frustrated by having little or no signal in an area of Bury St Edmunds which has been plagued by ‘network problems’ since last year. Andy Conroy, one of a group of people affected on Bury’s Horringer Court estate, said he switched to Three last autumn because it claimed to have the ‘most reliable network’. As a self-employed window cleaner and charity administrator he relies on his mobile.

But he says he has been getting ‘almost no service’ at home unless he holds his phone close to his rear bedroom window, from which he can see the Three mobile phone mast on top of the water tower in West Road. “Currently, I am stuck at home with a broken leg in a plaster cast, so hopping up the stairs on crutches just to use the phone is a real nuisance and we seem to be getting nowhere,” he said.

3M Dealers Are Uneasy About the Manufacturer’s Latest Move: A deal to become an exclusive window film provider to a fast-growing, Franchise 500 company would normally be a good thing for a manufacturer. But the results of a recent move by 3M are yet to be seen.

3M and Window Genie, the Cincinnati-based professional window washing and tinting franchise, have signed a contract that will make 3M the exclusive window film provider for the franchise’s more than 200 locations. The move has some authorized 3M dealers nationwide worried about how it will affect their particular markets. “I’m really discouraged by what happened,” says Brent Williams, owner of Energy Control Consultants, a 3M-exclusive dealer. “In essence, 3M has set up another dealer. It’s a competing channel.”

Mark Keesling, 3M’s U.S. business manager for window films, denies such a claim. “We’re not setting them up as 3M authorized dealers,” he says. “This is not about adding more dealers and we will not include Window Genies on our dealer locator. They’re just simply able to offer their customers a specific line of film supplied by 3M.”

Keesling explains the move was made so that 3M could better penetrate the residential market, which Window Genie often services. “They have a well-established customer base … The vast majority of their business, from what Window Genie tells us, is residential,” he says, adding on that the market is so untapped, there’s room for both 3M dealers and Window Genie.

As for commercial jobs, Window Genie franchisees will be limited in their tinting capacities. “They get into lighter commercial installations [but] they’re limited to doing only small jobs. They can’t do anything above 500 square feet,” says Keesling, citing the contract between the organizations.

Window Genie has previously offered Eastman brands of window film, including Huper Optik, Suntek and Llumar. In an effort to streamline its product offerings, the franchisor worked with 3M to offer one of its product lines, says Ken Fisk, vice president of franchise development and support at Window Genie.

“We wanted to be able to have one film company to get our film from. We chose 3M because of the brand—they’re a national brand and so are we,” he says, making it clear they are targeting “mostly” the residential market. “We’re not interested in going to war with window film dealers [but instead] hope to work with 3M dealers on large commercial jobs.”

Fisk says he doesn’t see it getting controversial. “We talked to our franchise partners and told them this isn’t a bidding war. Are we ever going to compete with 3M dealers? I’m sure we will, but if it becomes a bad-mouthed trashing session, it’s not going to work well for [our franchisees].”

3M dealer voiced concerns—particularly with how the company made them aware of this initiative.

“The really infuriating thing about this was the whole deal was put together, executed and then the dealers were told, ‘This is going to happen.’ The management simply pulled the trigger,” one major 3M dealer, who asked to remain anonymous, told Window Film magazine. “What I see happening with 3M is they’re trying to disconnect themselves from the end-user.”

The film Window Genie will offer will be part of 3M’s Envision line and will be available in mid- to late-March. Though Window Genie won’t have “exclusive” access to this film line, Keesling says, “We currently have no plans to offer this residential product line to other groups like Window Genie.”

Men In Kilts, a Window Cleaning franchise, just opened on Boston’s North Shore marking the fifth franchise on the East Coast of the US and the eleventh franchise overall. That’s a lot of kilts! Men In Kilts, a franchised window and exterior cleaning company, stormed the North Shore of Boston on April 1, 2015. The franchises young and enthusiastic owner Krystina Creel is excited to begin her adventure as Men In Kilts newest franchisee and is out hitting the streets in her tartan trucks alongside her kilted crew!

Prior to Men In Kilts, Creel was a paralegal for ten years as well as a full-time student pursuing her master’s degree. So how did she end up owning a Men In Kilts franchise? When Creel attended a local event hosted by Boston’s Entrepreneur Organization (EO) she suddenly had a change of heart. Creel said, “I was so motivated and inspired after attending this event that I started looking into different franchises and ended up meeting Judy Briggs, the local president of EO and a Franchise Owner for Men In Kilts. Judy’s business experience and the positive things she had to say about Men In Kilts caught my attention. The thing that struck me the most was the company’s strong core values and memorable brand. I began looking into it and I spoke with several of their existing franchise owners. I instantly fell in love with the culture and the brand and I decided that I absolutely had to be a part of this!”

Our company, Condé Nast, bet crazy-big on this place, renting out twenty-three stories and moving sixteen magazines and a bunch of digital publications to this still-being-built 104-floor skyscraper. GQ's on the twenty-eighth floor, but even at that height, standing before these sweeping views of downtown, the Statue of Liberty, and the Hudson River (wait! There's a river in New York!?!), I feel like a mad industrialist in an Ayn Rand novel. Or like I'm finally on the cusp of living the Mad Men dream (which I'm pretty sure, technically, only lasted two episodes). So I say hell yeah to this building. One hundred and four floors of glass and steel and luxury fashion closets!

Now, it's not finished yet, and sure, there are some...issues. Did you know it holds the record for being the tallest building in the country that has never had its windows cleaned? See, back in November, two window washers had to be rescued when their rig slipped and swayed precariously right outside the sixty-eighth floor, and after that, no window washer would go near the damn place. By the time we moved in, it was kind of like living in my mom's car, the one that never, ever has windshield-wiper fluid in it. It's gotten to the point where we've started longing for the days of New York's squeegee men.

I'm sure they'll figure it out—maybe someone will invent a Windex drone or something. Meantime, it doesn't seem to matter. The building is suffused with light, almost blindingly so. When the winter sun hangs low toward dusk, the light pierces with a surprising violence, and all the editors here shamble over to pull the shades down, like stricken vampires. Fifteen minutes later, it passes, and we rush to get the shades back up, because the sunsets—well, I feel like I never saw a sunset here in New York City until now.

Willis Tower Up For Sale (CHICAGO) — The Willis Tower is perhaps the most recognized Chicago landmark and now the most expensive property ever up for sale here. While there is no “For Sale” sign in the window, management sources have confirmed the Willis Tower is on the market. Eastdil Secured is handling any potential deal. The reported asking price is $1.5 billion. 42 years old and still it is still a Chicago trophy tower, but the Willis, formerly Sears, Tower may change ownership once again.

“Given what’s happened with office building values over the last year or two…it’s a great time to be a seller,” said Crain’s Chicago Business senior reporter Alby Gallun. If it sells for that, it would be almost double the $840 million the current owners paid in 2004. Gallun said it would be by far the most expensive building sale in Chicago. “The record right now is $850 million for a building at 350 North LaSalle that sold about a year, year and a half ago,” Gallun said.

So what would that cool $1.5 get you? Well, the Willis Tower features four and a half million square feet. That’s more than a hundred football fields. There are 145,000 light fixtures. But don’t worry about washing the 16,000 windows, six robotic machines make those sparkle. There are 104 fast moving elevators and 25 miles of piping. Experts say the name of the tower could be renegotiated after a sale.

Mistakes That Could Tarnish Your Store Brand: Your front windows become so dirty no one can see inside the store. Glass facades are an effective way to draw shoppers into a store, but only if the windows are clean. If you operate a jewelry store or similar business that displays merchandise in the front window or relies on foot traffic, dirty windows may actually prevent shoppers from entering your store. Windows require a cleaning schedule similar to hard surfaces inside your building, so have a program and provider in place that can regularly clean and deep clean windows. If windows become dirty between cleanings either from a storm or another issue, the provider should be available to clean windows at a moment's notice so they always look their best.

Pictured from left to right: Window Genie Field Technician Adrian DeRosa, Webster Comfort Care Home Primary Nurse Mary Barnhart, and Window Genie Field Technician Chase Osborn.

Window Genie gives back, performs free window cleaning at Webster Comfort Care Home: Dale Campbell and his team at Window Genie of Rochester opened for business on March 31 and celebrated their grand opening with a free window cleaning The Webster Comfort Care Home, 700 Hold Road in Webster, NY. Window Genie is a national home cleaning service specializing in residential and light commercial window cleaning, window tinting, pressure washing, gutter cleaning and more.

Campbell met the Webster Comfort Care Home’s Executive Director, Janet Jones-Brower, at a Webster Chamber of Commerce Meeting. Campbell expressed an interest in community service as a way to meet fellow business owners and connect his team to members of the community. “Joining the Webster Chamber of Commerce has already provided me with invaluable connections. We’re so thankful to have met Janet and other business owners and community leaders who are responsible for making the greater Rochester communities great,” said Campbell. “The Webster Home depends on volunteers from the community who work hard to conduct the day-to-day operations, so being able to use my business to give back and help spruce up the facilities felt great.”

Window Genie plans to continue using their business for good. Campbell says, “I’d like to establish a routine of giving back at least once a month; we can’t think of a better way to showcase our services and put our training to good use.”

Shropshire pensioner ‘on the mend’ after ladder fall died in hospital: A Shropshire pensioner who fell from his ladder while cleaning windows died in hospital more than a month later – despite appearing to have been making a recovery. William John Hesbrook, known as John, died at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital on December 20 last year from severe heart problems, with multiple injuries sustained in the November 3 fall ruled to be a contributory factor. An inquest at Wellington yesterday heard the 72-year-old father-of-two, from Newport, had seemed to be on the mend. It is believed Mr Hesbrook, who lived alone in Meadow View Road, had been cleaning the outside of his upstairs bedroom window and had fallen from the ladder. But the inquest heard that no one witnessed the accident, so the reason for the fall was not known.

A disabled man today told how he has been left virtually housebound after council staff took away his “damaged” wheelchair. David Garbett had visited Sunderland City Council’s headquarters to discuss an unrelated financial issue with adult services. However, the 47-year-old said that when he arrived for his appointment he was told that he would not be allowed to leave with his electric wheelchair, provided by the local authority, because it had been “damaged” in a bump with a shop door.

Now, the ex-Nissan worker faces a long wait for a replacement model after an apparent supply problem. “I didn’t even go there to discuss the wheelchair,” said David. “It was working fine. I was more than happy with it.” David said he has been left largely confined to his Carley Hill home after struggling to get around in his non-electric wheelchair and crutches.David said he has been left largely confined to his Carley Hill home after struggling to get around in his non-electric wheelchair and crutches.

Left disabled in a 26ft fall while working as a window cleaner eight years ago, he faces regular bouts of pain in his feet, which were crushed in the accident.

Detroit homeless: How many tear-jerker homeless signs have you seen? Some are earnest, “Will work for food.” “Mom willing to work for diapers.” Some are light-hearted. You might remember hearing about a man outside Red Wings and Tigers games with a sign that read, “No lie here. I need a beer.”

Then there’s the sign Abe Hagenston has set up on the north side of the Woodward overpass on the southeast corner of 8 Mile, touting a web site,Hagenston says he’s been homeless on and off for seven years. Some of that time he spent building web sites for other people to make money. The idea occurred to him to make a website to collect donations, and ask people for odd jobs along the lines of yard work, painting, window washing, etc… that he and other homeless can do. “I’ve got about 20 or 30 friends around here all homeless all various skills that would love to get some work … ”

He says spanging is a verb he picked up in another part of the country derived from the act of collecting spare change. Most days is doing that on the north side of the Woodward overpass, southeast corner of 8 Mile, but he hopes the website will help him gain employment and help others.

He encourages people to go to the website and request homeless for odd jobs as well as donate a penny. Hagenston wants to be able to make one homeless person per day, a millionaire.

Top 5 ways children die, get injured at home: Every day six children die from a cause at home and 10,000 go to the emergency room for an injury they got at home. Here are the leading dangers for children at home: Suffocation, Bathtub drowning, Fires/burns, Poisoning & Window and staircase falls. Every year 3,300 children are injured falling out of windows; 70 percent of parents say they don’t use window guards or stops.

Most Canadians toiling in the workforce now expect to work beyond age 65, according to a recent survey by a Canadian financial services firm. The survey, conducted by Sun Life Financial, polled 3,000 employed Canadians aged between 30 and 65. Three out of five respondents said they plan to work beyond Canada's standard age of retirement at 65.

Jerry Song, a financial adviser at Sun Life in Vancouver, told Xinhua on Wednesday the age at which Canadians expect to retire has been climbing because they are living longer, and many in the survey didn't expect their government or personal pensions and savings to cover their living costs in old age.

"The retirement age has increased every year. The youngest age at which Canadians expect to retire is 64. That happened in 2009. In 2014, the Canadians expected their retirement age to be 66," Song said.

Bob Beazer, a window washer, said he hoped his employers' savings plan would be enough to get him through his retired years, which are coming quickly. Canadians typically earn their highest income between 45 and 55 years old - important years for saving - but also a period that includes heavy expenses from mortgages, university-aged children and care for elderly parents.

Jeff Astle: facts about the West Bromwich Albion legend - When he retired he set up a window cleaning business. His slogan was 'Jeff never misses corners!'

He was the first British professional footballer confirmed to have died from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a progressive, degenerative brain disease found in individuals (usually athletes) with a history of head injury, often as a result of multiple concussions.

From sunny Hawick, Ian McLean writes of a local window cleaner who's in the habit of referring to himself as 'A man of the cloth'.

A pair of bills that would mandate how businesses statewide provide sick leave to their workers are being considered in their respective House and Senate committees. But both bills are facing serious opposition from local business owners, who say they'd like the freedom to set their own sick leave policies. Dozens of people spent nearly three hours testifying before a joint committee during a public hearing Monday night.

Both SB-454 and HB-2005 would require employers to implement a sick time policy that would allow part-time and full-time employees to accrue at least 56 hours of paid sick leave each year.

Paid sick time would accrue at the rate of one hour of sick leave for every 30 hours worked for both part-time and full-time workers. The legislation follows President Obama's State of the Union speech in January, in which he called on Congress to "send me a bill that gives every worker in America the opportunity to earn seven days of paid sick leave."

Police Reports: A resident on Bald Eagle Drive called police when he spotted a figure shining a flashlight around a neighbor’s home after dark. Police contacted the headlamp-wearing man as he loaded equipment into a vehicle, and learned he was a professional window washer completing his detailed contract work at the house. The officers checked the residence and confirmed that its occupants would have a crystal clear view of the fairway in the morning.

All Neat in Black Stockings (Warner Archive Collection) - "Ginger" (Victor Henry), a horny as hell 20 year old London window cleaner, is on a mission to nail ever bird he sees...and then pass her off to his mate, Dwyer (Jack Shepherd), who occupies the equally filthy bed-sit next door.

Running along outside window ledges at a local hospital, before pouncing inside to ask a pretty Italian nurse, Babette (Jasmina Hamzavi), for a date, Ginger sees his old pal, "Old Gunge" (Terence de Marney), who may be in the hospital for some time, owing to a liver ailment. Pressing his house key on Ginger, Old Gunge asks Ginger to stop by his house and feed his animals. On his date with Babette, Ginger can't stop looking at all the girls, until he spots Jill (Susan George) and Carol (Vanessa Forsyth). Young, innocent-looking but sexy beyond belief in her black fishnet stockings, Jill immediately initiates an obsession with Ginger. Read more.

Tim Greschke of Rope Access Engineering in a Spiderman costume at Canberra Hospital.

Hospital heroes put a smile on children's faces: Children at the Canberra Hospital's women and children's ward were surprised to see a number of superheroes with sponges hanging outside their windows on Wednesday morning. Abseilers from a local window cleaning business shed their overalls for Spiderman, Batman, Buzz Lightyear and Ninja Turtle costumes to bring laughter and smiles to those fighting illness and injury.

James Howe, general manager of Canberra based Rope Access Engineering, said this was the first time his staff had dressed in costume while cleaning the windows of some of the city's tallest buildings. "We just wanted to cheer the kids up as many of them are having a tough time in hospital," he said. "The idea was just to put a smile on their faces, even if it was just for a day or a short moment."

Mr Howe said he became emotional when receiving feedback from some of the families of children being treated at the hospital. "A few parents came up afterwards and thanked us for deciding to do this. They said it put an unexpected smile on their kid's faces," he said. "It was pretty touching and really nice feeling for all involved."

Mr Howe said abseiling companies across the world had been working in costumes outside hospitals for years and there was no reason it could not happen regularly in Canberra. "We'll be here cleaning the hospital windows until early next week although we'll only be in costumes until tomorrow morning while we're outside the kid's windows," he said. Mr Howe said abseiling from the roof of the hospital was safer than many would think – even while in costume – and the superheroes had extensive training.

Window washers dressed as superheroes visit Arnold Palmer Children's Hospital: Louie Garces has been dangling from the city's tallest buildings for 25 years, but was getting everyone's attention on Monday. "I feel happy you know, I do it for the kids," he said. Garces and his crew put on capes, masks, and dressed up as super heroes as they scaled down the 8 stories of Arnold Palmer Children's Hospital.

It's a spring cleaning job they do every year, but saw their window of opportunity to do something good. Kids in the game room like Joey Acosta were in awe of their new friends on the other side of the glass.  "Hanging off outside, yea that is pretty inspiring," he said. Garces and his crew will wash the windows in costume for the next three days.

Cleaning franchises made a healthy showing among the annual ranking of 100 Top Global Franchises by Franchise Direct. Accounting for 10 percent of the top 100 franchises, cleaning franchises are the second-largest industry represented on the list. Cleaning based franchises are particularly attractive to entrepreneurs, as this industry has, historically, presented a lower barrier of entry. In most cases, franchisees and their employees only need cleaning supplies and transportation. In addition to traditional commercial clients, cleaning franchises are seeing an increase in residential customers. Homeowners are busier than ever and as the economy continues to improve, they are looking for ways to outsource chores to save precious free time.

When I come back home I am already planning for the next year and how we are going to get the funding for it," 41-year-old window cleaner Ian Bright tells me. While many will head for a relaxing beach holiday Ian takes his wife Karen and their two sons Jacob, nine, and Ethan, five, to the town of Korce in South Eastern Albania. There he will spend his time helping coach football to local children while Karen visits street kids, a special needs orphanage and a women's shelter. "I can't speak Albanian but football is universal," Ian, who lives in Yate and is a member of Christ the Rock Church, said. "It's a case of showing them what you want them to do and they pick it up very quickly."

He adds: "Karen finds what she does there very moving and rewarding. I have to admit I went one time and by the time I came back I was crying." The church's work is in support of Ian Loring and his wife Caralee who went there from Bristol in 1991 as part of a mission team working with Open Air Campaigners bringing supplies to impoverished and suffering people.

Flintshire County Council will invest £20m in council houses this year and will build new homes for the first time in decades: Council leader Aaron Shotton said: “We have been on a journey with our tenants. Not only do we have a much improved service but, for the first time in many years, we will again be building new council houses as part of our funding agreement with Welsh Government. “Despite all the doom and gloom of austerity in the public sector this is a welcome good news story for the people of Flintshire.”

Council rents will rise in line with Welsh Government policy in order to bring council and housing associations in line with each other across Wales. The plans also include introducing service charges to new council tenancies for services such as window cleaning, however the council say these will be “fair and affordable”. Cllr Alex Aldridge said that Flintshire’s achievements and commitment to improving housing stock should act as an “examplar for Wales”.

Terry Vassar, owner of Windows R Us in Brownsville, said it’s important for homeowners to check windows for broken seals, that could cause the insulation inside them to escape. Vassar said homeowners can tell if a window has good insulation by simply placing their hand on the inside pane, which should feel room temperature. Windows should also be checked for ice or condensation. “Sixty percent of heat loss is due to windows and doors,” explained Vassar. If a window needs replaced, Vassar said it’s important to look at the quality, manufcturer’s warranty and if it is energy star rated to help cut down on heating costs. While it may be too soon to plant flowers and water the lawn, Design and Architecture Magazine reported it’s not too early to get garden hoses, walkways, and adjacent landscaping areas ready.

Animal rights groups accuse government of betrayal after minister announces ban on animal testing of cleaning products but not on all ingredients: Michelle Thew, chief executive of the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection (BUAV), said the government “promised a ban but today failed to deliver on that promise”.

Thew said: “This ‘ban’ will not include animal testing for [all] ingredients. After many years of campaigning on this issue securing strong public and political backing, we ask the government: what will now change? There are major loopholes in this announcement which will allow industry to continue the cruel use of animals in tests to produce a new brand of washing-up liquid or window cleaner. It is a wasted opportunity to make a real and effective difference for animals.”

The BUAV says the effects of animal testing on household products can be appalling, including vomiting, seizures, internal bleeding and organ damage, meaning that even when the test is not fatal, animals are routinely killed afterwards. Mimi Bekhechi, director of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta), said: “The government’s intention to ban the use of animals for testing finished household products is a baby step in the right direction, but far more needs to be done.

The Beast of Sheppey: The last 15 years have seen a number of reported sightings of big cats on the Isle of Sheppey. It has been said that this could be because a resident of the island one owned a big cat – it was a puma. On December 6 2011 a window cleaner in Leysdown spotted a five foot long black cat from a distance of just 15 feet away. The witness said that he could be certain of the lunchtime sighting as during the previous summer, he had seen a similar, but smaller, cat in Ashford. When enquiries were made at local properties in the area, the witness was shocked to find that a number of people had previous seen the large cat.

Wages rise for local helpers amid shortage: One helper, surnamed Hau, said she is now seeking HK$120 an hour ahead of the holiday. She said she has recently been paid HK$95 to HK$105 an hour, compared with HK$85 on ordinary days. Most of her work involves cleaning kitchens and windows. She expects to make HK$12,000 for the month before the Lunar New Year, compared to her usual take of HK$5,000 to HK$6,000 in an ordinary month. "The demand this month is big," the spokeswoman said. "But if employers pay such a high price, then the requirements will be very high too. It's definitely hard-earned money for helpers."

She said helpers have limited physical strength and may not be able to cope with eight to nine hours of continuous housework, so employing two helpers would be more efficient. A spokeswoman for the Hong Kong Domestic Workers General Union reminded employers and workers to be aware of safety procedures during cleaning and for bosses to purchase insurance for helpers. One-time insurance only costs HK$20.

"Do not stand on chairs to clean windows. If the windows are too high, people can use telescopic window cleaners," she said. There have been cases of people falling to their deaths while cleaning windows, including that of a 50-year-old male resident at Grand View Garden in Wong Tai Sin who died on December 20 last year.

Andy’s broken leg inspires quirky dance video in aid of charity: When a Bury St Edmunds window cleaner broke his leg it inspired him to make a quirky dance video in aid of a children’s home in the Philippines. Andy Conroy, 58, broke his leg after falling off a ladder in January and his predicament - ‘hopping around like a flamingo’ while in hospital - reminded him of Manfred Mann song Pretty Flamingo. He decided to create an innovative dance video to the tune in aid of the House of Joshua Children’s Home in Cagayan De Oro City which is run by his daughter Mary Conroy-Rendon.

In the video, Mr Conroy dons pink, sports a flamingo on his head and performs fun dance moves on one leg while on crutches. He is supported by the Horringer Court Community Church Youth Group as they dance in Horringer Court Middle School. Children from the home can also be seen in the video as well as Jasmine Wood, of Bury, who is volunteering there. Mr Conroy, a trustee of The Conroy Rendon Charitable Trust which supports the home, said: “We premiered it (on Sunday morning) at the church and it went down a storm. There’s quite a lot of people who watched it online and it seems to have been well received.”

Tributes to former window cleaner killed in Wigan Road accident: A pensioner was run over and killed as he crossed a busy road. Tributes have been paid to former window cleaner Joseph Alan Hurst, who was hit in Wigan Road on Wednesday evening. The 78-year-old — known to his friends as Alan — was also a regular at Farnworth and Kearsley Labour Club and had been a member there for the last 30 years.

In his 20s, Mr Hurst was also a keen amateur footballer, playing right back for Fowlers and Salts in Bolton Combination from 1957. PC Peter Cunningham, from GMP’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit, said: “This is a truly devastating time for Joseph’s family and we are supporting them as best we can with the help of specialist officers. “We are carrying out an investigation to establish the full facts and circumstances surrounding this collision last night and are keen to hear from anyone who witnessed the incident."

Mr Hurst was hit by a Skoda Fabia at about 7pm. The driver stopped at the scene. The pensioner was not married and had no children. A spokesman for the Farnworth and Kearsley Labour Club said: “Alan has been a long time member and came to the club twice a day, every day, catching two buses to the club and the same going home. He will be sadly missed.”

Northumberland Tourette's sufferer talks about life with the condition: March 2009 was a life changing month in many ways for former nightclub doorman Paul Stevenson. His best friend who had worked on the doors with him in Lancashire had taken his own life after struggling to cope with Parkinson’s. And it was at the funeral that Paul, 51, now living at Berwick, in Northumberland, began to suffer the symptoms of another disease - Tourette’s syndrome. He began making “little noises” and making involuntary shoulder movements. Before long, Paul had progressed to “full blown” shouting and swearing. Paul went for tests but with Tourette’s normally diagnosed at a young age and him being in his 40s, doctors initially suspected a brain tumour. It was not until he was watching a show on TV about the condition that he finally accepted he had Tourette’s.

Paul recalls his life being turned “upside down” and how he did not want to leave the house for fear of being ridiculed. Paul suffers from motor tics - involuntary movements, and vocal tics - involuntary sounds, as well as the swearing tic. The former has resulted in him dislocating his shoulder, having to get a brace on his leg to stop him ‘kicking out’ and regularly cutting his head. Paul, who has had several operations, needs a knee replacement but has been told this it not possible because of the motor tics. Yet the tics, he says, are the “tip of the iceberg.”

He suffers a number of comorbidities - additional disorders which co-occur with the Tourette’s - ADHD, OCD, oppositional defiant disorder, sensory processing disorder - the latter putting him on the autistic spectrum. Only 10 per cent of the UK’s 300,000 Tourette’s sufferers have the condition - which is genetic - to the extent Paul has. Yet there is no known cure. And no specific medication for Tourette’s, with Paul usually prescribed antipsychotics. He told how he has been assaulted because of his condition and how people have tried to film him and laughed at him. Paul also feels unable to work. He said: “There is not one bit of life that Tourette’s does not effect.”

Looking back, Paul believes his Tourette’s was present from a young age growing up in Lancashire.

What he now knows to be his ADHD resulted in him being deemed “lazy” at school - in the 1960s when such conditions had yet to be identified. Paul subsequently left without qualifications. He was employed as a gardener before working on the doors. Paul married Carol and they moved to Berwick 12 years ago to be near his parents, upon which he took up window cleaning.

After being diagnosed with Tourette’s, Carol, 44 who works in special educational needs at a local school, suggested her husband take up photography as a way of getting him out of the house and building his confidence. “I get a lot of pleasure from taking photographs. I can walk outside with a camera, it cuts the anxiety down.” Paul has hosted several exhibitions of his work in Berwick.

Softwash hard hit by 'lunatic' window shooters (New Zealand): A Hamilton business has been shot at in broad daylight, twice, leaving glass all over the floor and anger in the hearts of the employees. Softwash, an exterior cleaning business on Kahikatea Drive, has had what they believe to be pellets shot at their front windows on two separate occasions in the last three weeks. Softwash spokesperson Mike Marama said, the first time in the early afternoon on March 3, a female member of staff was in the office by herself when she heard a loud bang. "It came in just above my seat where I should have been sitting," he said. "There was glass all over my desk and on the floor."

The projectiles didn't shatter the two windows completely but still made a hole, one Marama describes as the size of a pellet. "I decided to call police, but then we found more bullet holes, just like the first [on Friday]." Marama said he had checked the building after the first incident so the newer holes are recent and the glass had been caught on the business' suspended ceiling. "I'd had a good look around and I believe it happened [on Thursday]. We would have noticed it before."

The incidences have just made Marama angry and concerned for the staff in the building. "We don't know who would want to do it, or why someone would want to do it. The fact that someone would do this with complete disregard for other's safety, I just don't understand. They could potentially cause serious harm." He called the offenders lunatics and said the business was considering installing CCTV cameras to prevent or catch the shooters. "I'm just angry this sort of behaviour actually happened in broad daylight. We'd rather not have that expense [of CCTV cameras] but we can't afford to have lunatics taking shots."

The police couldn't verify the weapon used as no pellets or projectiles had been found but said they were continuing their inquiries into the incidents. Marama would like people to speak up if they have experienced something similar and police said to ring 111 immediately if you are on site at the time of an incident.

Letchworth man threatens neighbour after music argument: A window cleaner from Letchworth has admitted threatening his neighbour after she called the police about his loud music. Kevin Warwick told neighbour Janine O’Brien she would need to ‘get out of Letchworth’ two weeks after she complained he played music so loudly the walls were shaking next door to her Ordelmere home. Ms O’Brien had complained about the noise in December but the 44-year-old made the threat two weeks later when the pair bumped into one another outside a chicken shop. At Stevenage Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, Warwick changed his plea to guilty and admitted saying: “You better get out of Letchworth – you know what happens to grasses.”

Prosecutor Victoria Forbes told the court that Ms O’Brien had heard Warwick threaten to burn her house down, a claim supported by her father and friend who were present. Defending, James Hennessey read out a statement made by Warwick which said he would not have threatened to burn his neighbour’s house down as he lives next door. He said: “I would not threaten to burn my own house down, but I do accept I said you better get out of Letchworth.” Warwick also said they were speaking across the road from each other during the argument, which was going backwards and forwards between the two of them. Magistrate Brian Deal sentenced Warwick to an 18-month community order, up to 30 sessions on a general offender behaviour programme, and 60 hours unpaid work, as well as a fine of £145. He was also handed an 18–month restraining order against Ms O’Brien, with the condition that he does not contact her or her father, and is not allowed to walk past her front door.

A woman has disturbed a burglar in her home: The 40-year-old challenged the stranger after he sneaked into her home in Felling, Gateshead, through an unlocked back door. But after he left she realised her mobile phone was missing. Police are now appealing for help to trace the man, who officers say may have been working as a window cleaner in the area a few years ago. He is described as a white man, around 40 years old, 5ft 2ins tall and of medium build, with a bald head. At the time of a burglary he was wearing silver rimmed glasses, and a green waxed jacket.

A Northumbria Police spokeswoman said: “It is believed the man may have been working in the Felling area a couple of years ago as a window cleaner. Police are appealing for anyone who recognises this man by the description to contact officers. Officers are also reminding residents to make sure they keep their windows and doors locked to prevent sneak-in thefts.”

‘Vehicle of Interest’ Sought in Rocklin Burglary: Rocklin Police are looking for a truck believed to be involved in a late January home burglary. A home at Brookfield Circle near Sierra College Boulevard was broken into on Jan. 28. The blue, older-model truck had a roof rack with several ladders. Two men, described only as Hispanic, were inside. The burglary victim told police she had a very similar vehicle in the neighborhood before and believed it to be suspicious. Police are now circulating an image of the truck online, hoping witnesses can come forward. A man in the neighborhood says the man in the truck advertised himself as a window washer, according to investigators.

Karate Kid should be made to 'clean windows' after shop window rampage: A vandal who smashed three shop windows must pay for the damage but one of his victims who has yet to receive an apology said he should be made to clean windows instead. Kyle Thornelow, aged 20, of Shap Drive, Warndon, Worcester handed himself in after he recognised a photograph of himself pictured in the act on the Worcester News Facebook page. The still from the CCTV shows him kicking in one of the windows. Thornelow, who is unemployed, admitted three counts of criminal damage when he appeared before district judge Nigel Cadbury at Worcester Magistrates Court. He smashed three windows in Lowesmoor, Worcester, but said he could not remember breaking them.