Living Smart: Should I Get Professional Window Cleaning?

Mike Giustino, owner of Affordable Window Cleaning in Round Lake, Ill. Giustino says he can finish a project that would take a homeowner five hours in less than half the time.

Living Smart: Should I get a professional window cleaning? (By Shannon Antinori) - Clean windows can make your home brighter and improve its overall appearance. A professional window cleaning can also provide an early warning of potentially dangerous problems, according to owner Bill Volkart of Dazzle Services in Cincinnati, Ohio. Here are some reasons you should consider hiring a professional window cleaning service to keep your windows sparkling and functional.

1. Saving time Cleaning your windows can be a time-consuming project, according to Mike Giustino, owner of Affordable Window Cleaning in Round Lake, Ill. Giustino says he can finish a project that would take a homeowner five hours in less than half the time.

2. Spotting general problems A professional window washer can identify problems such as sashes that are painted shut, ill-fitting window screens, wood rot on windowsills or damaged or non-functional windows. Spotting the problems early can often save you a big expense later, Volkart says - and it could even save your life. "Little things like painted sashes and clogged channels might spell the difference between getting out in case of fire or being forced to take another way out of danger in a very stressful situation," Volkart says.

3. Removing insect infestations Bees and hornets sometimes build nests behind window shutters, and wasps can build paper nests between three-piece storm windows, according to Volkart. Ladybugs also can build nests in channels, making the windows hard to operate.

4. Extending the life of a window "Old aluminum screens left in place for years gradually etch a pattern of deposits on the glass, much like lime deposits in the shower," Volkart says. The etched glass is not only unattractive, but it is also more prone to cracks and chips. A professional window washer can restore the glass and extend your window's life with a treatment of muriatic acid or, in less severe cases, Bar Keepers Friend and grade 0000 steel wool, he says.

5. Providing the right window cleaning supplies and tools Professional window cleaners can ensure that the right products are used to clean glass without damaging it. If you have leaded glass or stained glass, you may be unintentionally damaging it by using an ammonia-based window cleaner, Volkart says. With repeated use, an ammonia-based cleaner can cloud leaded and stained-glass windows, and the damage can't be repaired, he cautions. Professional window washers also have the right equipment, such as ladders and telescoping window-washing tools, to safely clean hard-to-reach windows, according to Giustino.

6. Finding the cause of spots on your windows Puzzled about what's causing the spots on your glass? Your mulch may be to blame, Volkart says. "Cheap mulches often are infested with a fungus aptly named shotgun fungus," he explains. "When mature, the fungus shoots out black spores that glue themselves to glass and vinyl siding and are very hard to remove completely." A professional window-cleaning service can pinpoint the cause of the problem, and replacing your mulch with a higher-quality product can help your windows and siding stay cleaner and last longer, according to Volkart.

Before you hire a window cleaner How much window cleaning costs varies, but Volkart says you usually get what you pay for. Anyone with a bucket, squeegee and window mop can call himself or herself a window cleaner. "Ask questions before you hire just anyone," he advises. "A true professional will make sure your windows are not only clean, but functional and will advise you on ways to protect the biggest investment most people ever make - their home."

Giustino, who recommends getting your windows cleaned at least once per year, says it's important to ask for references and read reviews before hiring a window washer. "Ask them how long they've been in the business," he says. Giustino also recommends asking companies whether they clean windows with a hose or a power washer, and what types of products they use to wash windows.

The Duck Man of Dazzle Window Cleaning

Bill Volkart, the Duck Man of Clermont County, had a stroke and died in 2005. “I was dead for two minutes,” Volkart, 58, said earlier this week. “I don’t know exactly how they brought me back. I got resuscitated, but I wasn’t in the emergency room. I was in heaven.” After getting home from the hospital, paralyzed on his left side for months, he had an epiphany. “I became convinced I was sent back for a purpose,” Volkart said. “My whole life changed.”

He had no insurance to pay for physical therapy, but Volkart regained his health by caring for seven wild ducks that had taken up residence near the half-acre pond in his yard five months earlier. His rehabilitation included “coming out here at dawn and late evenings to feed them, carrying 50-pound bags of duck food,” Volkart said. Now, he and his wife, Gigi, 71, operate the Mount Holly Duck Sanctuary from their stone house and surrounding five acres at 2278 Berry Road, near the intersection with Ohio 222. It is the only duck sanctuary in Southern Ohio that Bill Volkart knows of, and possibly one of only three in the state.



About 50 ducks and a goose named Howard depend on the Volkarts for food and shelter, which includes a heated duck coop that Bill built. Breeds include pekin, Muscovy, mallard, rouen and blue Swede. It’s possible that some of the ducks could live in the wild without the sanctuary, but would Bill Volkart survive without them? “I fell in love with all these animals,” he said. “I believe they are the reason I’m alive. They motivated me to be more than I was.”
He operates the Dazzle Service window-cleaning company, but “everybody in the area calls him the Duck Man,” Gigi Volkart said. Some ducks are popular as Easter presents for children but grow to be too much trouble to keep, Bill Volkart said. “Taking care of ducks is a totally different experience than taking care of most anything else,” he said. “They have special food requirements and (need) particular medical care.”



One room of the couple’s modest house has been dubbed the animal hospital. Classical music plays on a radio to soothe ruffled feathers. Dewey, who has deformed feet because of an improper temperature setting on a school incubator project gone awry, lives there in a box. Another box holds a duck recuperating from an attack by a raccoon. “We go through hundreds of cans of air freshener,” Gigi Volkart said as she sprayed the room. “It’s a lot of work.” The sanctuary has all the water fowl it can handle.
“We need donations more than ducks,” Bill Volkart said. “The flock eats upwards of 100 pounds of duck food a week, which costs about $30.” During a township-wide yard sale in daylight hours this weekend, “we are hoping to raise much-needed funds to be able to continue to feed the many ducks brought to and born at the sanctuary,” Gigi Volkart said. The sanctuary will participate in the sale from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday through Sunday. Those interested should call ahead, 513-734-7791.



The couple will try to sell everything from old tools and fishing gear to a stamp collection and copies of the 32-page children’s book written by Bill Volkart, “Meep Finds His Way.” Autographed copies will be sold for $10, which is $5 less than it costs on the Web site . Illustrated by Maureen Heidtmann, a children’s librarian in Connecticut, the book is about a blind duckling who is adopted by a loving woman. People can adopt a duck from the sanctuary, but Bill Volkart must be sure the bird is going to a good home, rather than a restaurant. “I don’t let just anybody who shows up here take one,” Bill Volkart said. “No, you’re not going to make soup out of my ducks.”

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