Blog Finished?

Chris Lambrinides taking over the window cleaning blog for a while... what have I done!!

Blog Finished? Nah... just taking some time off for moving house for a little while. Being in Spain has it's difficulties, one of them being arranging internet connection & since I'm moving slightly off grid, it's going to take me a while to organise a company capable of getting connected to the big wide web! I expect to resume blogging sometime around the middle of September, after Mark Munro's show.

Meanwhile, I'll leave you in the capable hands of Chris Lambrinides (pictured) & his team from Window Cleaning Resource. Chris is currently preparing for the biggest window cleaning show in North America - the "Huge Convention", so I'm sure he will keep you posted on what's coming up & fill you in with all of the window cleaning based news. Some UK users will recognise that some of the information is USA based, but don't worry, I'm sure the information will be very useful. Thanks window cleaning blog readers... take it easy!

WFP Aqua-Dapter - New Website & Discounts

Aqua-dapter has a new buy online website. Click here or the picture above to take you there.

Aqua-dapter is an innovative water fed pole tap, developed by window cleaners, for window cleaners. Using Aqua-dapter you can switch the flow of water on or off just by pulling on the hose at the bottom of your pole. It comes with 10m of specially sourced hose that stays consistent in hot and cold weather, and won't stretch when you pull it!

It is easier and faster to use than many other types of flow controllers, and eliminates many of the problems associated with triggers, holsters, remote controls, hose tail connector taps or manually kinking/folding the hose and leaving the water running while you extend or collapse your water fed pole. Aqua-dapter works with any type of window (whether flush with the brickwork or not).

Using Aqua-dapter will both help you make more money (if your water lasts longer and you can work quicker, you'll fit in more jobs during the day) and save you money by reducing water use per job (metering costs and resin purchase etc.) not to mention improve your "green" credentials with customers.

Aqua-dapter is strong, yet light, and manufactured to the highest standards using high-quality materials. It can be fitted to your pole in a few minutes, and swapped between poles easily, although we recommend you purchase one for each pole you use, to enable you to work most efficiently.

It fits poles with an outside diameter of 20-23.5mm.

• Here are some of the poles which Aqua-dapter fits:
• X-tel range 22mm.
• N-tech range 22mm.
• Universal range 23mm.
• Unger-hyflo advanced range 22mm.
• Brodex (Predator poles) 23mm.
• Ionics (Glyder poles) 23mm.

If you are unsure about fitting to your specific pole please Contact Us, specifiying the make & model of pole you use, and we will do our best to help.

For more information see Why use Aqua-dapter? | FAQs | and Technical Info.

You can also read what others have said about Aqua-dapter on the News & Reviews page.

To celebrate the launch of the website, Aqua-dapter are offering 20% discount off any item purchased between now and September 15th 2010! You don't need to do anything to claim your discount, it will be automatically applied when you place items in your cart. If you're an existing customer, your usual discount will be applied to the adjusted total, after any other promotional discounts have been taken off.

Please note: these discounts are offered at the company's discretion and may be changed or withdrawn at any time, without notice. Please check this page for any current promotions.

Previous Information on Aqua-dapter here, here & all here.

The blog can be found by clicking the picture header below.

Window Cleaners On FaceBook

Another year passes, well for me at least. Thanks to all those that posted on my facebook account to wish me the best - those that didn't - apparently birthdays are in the top left corner under events! Never have window cleaners had a greater chance to spread the word of their services & get the word out to their customers than now. I'm still wondering if those in my local circle really should know every day or week whether they should be bombarded with the fact that I am a window cleaner everyday, like some other services. I've never been one to sound my own trumpet, yet I get bombarded on a daily basis by 'facebook friends' telling me what they offer via private messages. Sooner or later the delete key becomes 'hide this service' & without even knowing it they've done more harm than good.

With the news today of facebook setting up a new application called 'places,' everyone could know where you are at any time. Is that a good thing? Big brother has really arrived, now more than ever, where every detail of your working life could be detailed & tracked by clients, colleagues, competitors & also unscrupulous systems & all this information is given freely. Google streetview are currently under study in Spain, for perhaps picking up more information of their surroundings than they should have. We are becoming a generation where soon accounting for your actions or where you've been will soon be a documented event. Even so, I'll leave it up to you to decide if this is a good thing or not. Personally I like to err on the side of caution & perhaps kill my authenticity. Privacy has become a debate in itself.

On the other hand, facebook has become a great interactive way of keeping in touch with not only friends but personal interests. I've never had so many window cleaning colleagues in my life & it's great to text-chat online. At any one time I can know if my friends are rained off or are sweltering in the heat or some even resort to snapping a photo of the most exotic insects in their work day. Some even post problem photos of the most awkward windows to clean & get answers on the go. Now that's technology!

If you wish to get updates from this blog in your own facebook account - you can follow it here. Or if you wish to interact on a personal level click my picture below. I'll leave you with this guide so that just once, you may have a look at your own facebook account & not suffer identity theft. It's entitled "7 things to stop doing now on Facebook."



Using a weak password:
Avoid simple names or words you can find in a dictionary, even with numbers tacked on the end. Instead, mix upper- and lower-case letters, numbers, and symbols. A password should have at least eight characters. One good technique is to insert numbers or symbols in the middle of a word, such as this variant on the word "houses": hO27usEs!

Leaving your full birth date in your profile:
It's an ideal target for identity thieves, who could use it to obtain more information about you and potentially gain access to your bank or credit card account. If you've already entered a birth date, go to your profile page and click on the Info tab, then on Edit Information. Under the Basic Information section, choose to show only the month and day or no birthday at all.

Overlooking useful privacy controls:
For almost everything in your Facebook profile, you can limit access to only your friends, friends of friends, or yourself. Restrict access to photos, birth date, religious views, and family information, among other things. You can give only certain people or groups access to items such as photos, or block particular people from seeing them. Consider leaving out contact info, such as phone number and address, since you probably don't want anyone to have access to that information anyway.

Posting your child's name in a caption:
Don't use a child's name in photo tags or captions. If someone else does, delete it by clicking on Remove Tag. If your child isn't on Facebook and someone includes his or her name in a caption, ask that person to remove the name.

Mentioning that you'll be away from home:
That's like putting a "no one's home" sign on your door. Wait until you get home to tell everyone how awesome your vacation was and be vague about the date of any trip.

Letting search engines find you:
To help prevent strangers from accessing your page, go to the Search section of Facebook's privacy controls and select Only Friends for Facebook search results. Be sure the box for public search results isn't checked.

Permitting youngsters to use Facebook unsupervised:
Facebook limits its members to ages 13 and over, but children younger than that do use it. If you have a young child or teenager on Facebook, the best way to provide oversight is to become one of their online friends. Use your e-mail address as the contact for their account so that you receive their notifications and monitor their activities. "What they think is nothing can actually be pretty serious," says Charles Pavelites, a supervisory special agent at the Internet Crime Complaint Center. For example, a child who posts the comment "Mom will be home soon, I need to do the dishes" every day at the same time is revealing too much about the parents' regular comings and goings.

My window cleaner owes me £13.50

I woke up Saturday morning and it was 10.30. There are three reasons for this. 1. Husband away, so he wasn't there to turn over, make a noise like an elephant with sinusitis, then go back to sleep again. This usually wakes me up, and I'm sure every wife of every elephant who's ever had sinusitis will sympathise. 2. The previous evening's 'embarrassing visit to Poetry Slam' experience, detailed in last blog, took, I think, a greater toll on me than I had realised. To be precise about this, I had stayed up until 1am Googling the names of the people who won. As I couldn't actually remember their names, this took longer than it might have done. 3. Husband away, so I had not had to put up with the Arctic conditions he prefers for the bedroom, usually necessitating, for me, an extra quilt, fur-lined pyjamas and some leg and arm exercises to warm the bed up. Instead, I had brought upstairs a portable fire and turned it on. Why didn't you just turn up the central heating? I hear you say. Don't be silly. That's technology, and that's also the reason why I did no washing while he was away, nor did I put the dishwasher on.
You are wondering what all this has to do with the window cleaner.
Last time the window cleaner came for his Saturday morning visit, he started at 7.30am, on our bedroom window. Husband was downstairs already (woken himself up with the elephant sinusitis thing, probably). I was still in bed, and once I'd realised that the terrible metal banging noise was a window cleaner moving his ladder about under my window and not an invasion of robot burglars, I had to just lie very still. The blinds in our bedroom are not very good - put it this way, it would be more accurate to call them partially-sighteds - and I knew there were lots of gaps. He would easily have been able to see me, so the best thing to do was to play dead. Then, of course, although he soon finished with my window, he moved on to all the others (the bathroom (no blinds, not even partially sighteds), the toilet - ditto) which left me no option but to stay there until I heard him knock at the door, be paid by Husband, and then drive off.
So, back to this Saturday morning. I was lying in bed at 10.30, thinking, 'oh well, I must have needed the sleep' when I remembered that it was this Saturday that the window cleaner was due to return. Oh, joy.
There was no option but to get up. Without husband there, there was only me to pay him, so when he did come, I'd have to be up anyway. But this meant a) risking the toilet, still blind-free; b) risking having a shower in the blind-free bathroom; c) risking getting dressed in my bedroom with its partially-sighteds. There was no time to go and make my normal cup of tea in a leisurely fashion, then pootle back up for a lazy shower. Whoosh - in the toilet. Phew, no WC. (Window Cleaner. I realise there was room for ambiguity there.) Whoosh - into the shower. Couldn't have the radio on in case I missed the sound of the ladders. Whoosh - out of the shower, deodorant applied faster than a cowboy builder's gloss, and then into the bedroom (shafts of light playing on the bed) to get dressed. Again, no radio, just in case Crossing Continents meant I didn't hear his cloth Criss-Crossing the Window. I HATE NOT HAVING THE RADIO ON IN THE MORNINGS.
Downstairs, hair wet, deodorant having missed bits, and mouth as dry as a stale biscuit, there was a knock at the door. Guess who.
He was there for an hour. In that time, rather than having a languid breakfast, I made him a cup of tea, had to answer the door to another window cleaner who was advertising his services, then had to chat to our WC again who knocked at the back door to give me lots of reasons why we should keep him on and not take the new chap. Then, I had to search the house for coins to pay him with because he said he preferred cash. I paid him £13.50, and to my reckoning, he owes me most of that for what I'd suffered. Yes, the windows are clean. But if Husband doesn't sort out the blinds in the bedroom and put the others up in the bathroom and toilet, this is going to be a monthly event. And you're going to have to read about it EVERY FOUR WEEKS.
Someone has to suffer with me ....

By Fran Hill

UK Window Cleaners: Sex, Jail-time, Politics & Religion

Performance in the bedroom: Women now have another reason to kick their partners out of the house and into the garden. Scientists have shown that regular bouts of gentle weeding, digging and mowing can revitalise a man's flagging sex drive. Just 30 minutes of gardening, five days a week, is enough to reduce the risk of impotence by around 38 per cent, they found. The same study showed other forms of moderate exercise, such as dancing, cycling or jogging, can also act as 'natural Viagra'. The findings suggest men could also get a benefit to their love lives from regular vigorous housework, window cleaning and shampooing the car.

Men who exercise even more than this can more than halve their risk of being a flop in the bedroom, researchers at the Medical University of Vienna found in their study. One man in 10 will suffer from impotence, also known as erectile dysfunction, at some stage in their life. Around a third of cases are thought to be linked to psychological problems - such as depression, stress or pressure at work. However, the remaining 70 per cent are victims of some underlying physical cause such as high blood pressure or diabetes. Some doctors believe it is an early sign of heart disease as reduced blood flow to the genitals is a sign of clogged arteries. Coffee drinkers..read this!

Window cleaner jailed over tax: A WINDOW cleaner from Melksham has been jailed for 30 days for failing to pay his council tax. Alan Leighfield, 57, from Union Street was sent to HMP Bristol (Horfield) on Tuesday after he had failed to pay his outstanding debts despite receiving a suspended prison sentence from Chippenham Magistrates' Court in June. Mr Leighfield had been sentenced for failing to pay £3,161.89 in council tax but the sentence was suspended providing he pay his arrears off at a rate of £25 per week. He however failed to meet these repayment arrangement as directed by the court. Cllr Roy While, the district council’s finance portfolio holder, said: “Help is available for anyone who has genuine difficulties in paying their council tax. "However, we will take action when people wilfully do not pay their council tax, and the courts have shown that they view such behaviour very seriously. “West Wiltshire District Council continues to actively pursue unpaid council tax and takes steps to trace charge payers who move away from properties without ensuring that any unpaid council tax is settled.”

Small Business at the Heart of Britain: Labour Member of Parliament for Hastings and RyeSmall businesses are the lifeblood of the British Economy. From the window cleaning firm in Edinburgh to the café in St Leonards small businesses form the economic bedrock upon which our society is built. That is as true in our town as anywhere else. Over the past ten years they have thrived and now employ 13million people (59% of the private sector workforce) and account for just over half of the UK's economic output. They are the outstanding success of the past decade. However, those were the boom years and now tougher times are upon us. Due to tough credit conditions, through no fault of their own, some are finding securing adequate finance difficult. The Government faced a choice: 'do nothing' and let the market rule or intervene to offer support. Well, having lived through the Thatcher years and watched so many sound companies wither and die because of forces beyond their control I was delighted to see the Government unveil a £20billion support package yesterday. This is real, tangible help in tough times. The money will be used to guarantee bank loans to small and medium sized businesses. Finance is the oil which keeps the wheels of the economy turning and this scheme will help ensure it keeps flowing. There will also be a £75million Capital for Enterprise Fund to invest in small businesses which need equity. You can find more extensive detail on the scheme on the BERR website.

Let there be light . . .TAVISTOCK Parish Church has greeted the New Year with a project to clean the inside of its windows. It is believed that the last time the windows were cleaned was 40 to 50 years ago. Church architect Sue Spackman has advised parishioners that whereas rainwater removes some dirt from the outside of the windows, there is nothing to prevent condensation attracting dust particles to the inside. Cleaning the windows, she said, will improve the light in St Eustachius’ church by up to 50 per cent. The windows will be cleaned professionally, and parishioners are contributing to the costs of cleaning a window of their choice. Already, support has been pledged for half the windows of the church. ‘This is a great way to begin the New Year,’ said priest-in-charge the Rev Michael Brierley. ‘There’s great symbolism in what we’re doing — our aim as a church is to let others see more clearly what goes on inside, and to let the wonderful things that go on in the church radiate outwards.’ The project is being co-ordinated by church member Alan Johnson. ‘We’re enormously grateful to the groups and individuals who are contributing to this exciting spring-clean,’ he said. People who are interested in the project should contact Mr Johnson on 01822 612527.

Window Cleaning Benefits, Tips & An Important Notice

How To Pound Home The Benefits of Your Window Cleaning Services: -

Cutting Edge WFP Technology.
Insured.
Bonded.
10 years Experience.
Clean and neat staff.
Signed company vehicles.
Uniformed crews.

YAWN....

These are NOT benefits, but features of your services!
When you assemble and design your window cleaning marketing pieces, are they chock full of meaningful, motivating benefits, or are they simply full of lifeless features? Read more..

Have you taken the window cleaning marketing poll? Click on the picture below to cast your vote.

Mr Squeegee (a.k.a. Tony) is at it again - more neat tips from the cold weather guru...

Important Notice

Americans sold toys that contained asbestos (shortened version): Based in Redondo Beach, California, the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO) is an all volunteer, private donation funded organization that promotes public awareness about the dangers of exposure to asbestos in the home, the workplace, and anywhere else the extremely hazardous, cancer causing material may exist. In addition to its campaign to heighten consumer awareness of the dangers of asbestos in children's toys and other American marketed products, the ADAO regularly sponsors independent laboratory inspections of merchandise that is suspected of being contaminated with asbestos in one form or another.

Asbestos contamination was discovered by the ADAO in: Scotch High Performance and All Weather Duct Tape; Gardner Leak Stopper; DAP Crack Shot Spackling Paste, and DAP 33 Window Glazing. Additionally, asbestos contamination has been detected in small appliances such as hot plates, certain cleaning powders, and hair rollers-all of these items sold by major retailers across the country. The ADAO, Public Justice, and other organizations strongly suggest that consumers guard themselves vigilantly against any exposure to asbestos, and if exposure is suspected, individuals should seek prompt medical attention while investigating all avenues of possible litigation to help recover damages in whatever form possible.

What does this mean to the window cleaner? If Dap 33 window glazing has been used on a window frame you have been cleaning, especially if it has gone dry, old or flaky - one hair is enough to cause asbestososis or Mesothelioma.

Sunshine Cleaning & Marmite

Stuart Webster of Sunshine Cleaning in Derbyshire, UK says "Customer satisfaction is our number one priority, and our current clientele has come to expect nothing less from our experienced cleaning technicians." He even offers a "no-frills package" & takes his lead from Kevin, the window cleaning business coach, to put together his new offer, after reading the book & putting in to practise what he's learnt (just click the image to the right for the enlarged version).

Here's Stuart addressing the members of window cleaning resource - an American forum with information & videos (and even a store) from the world of window cleaning.

VaZing Window Cleaning Softwear

Another Window Cleaning Softwear Package from Boston, Massachusetts.....

"It's never been easier to run your business than with VaZing's online Window Cleaners software! Gone are the days of paper all over your desk, post-it-notes stuck around the office and messy whiteboards. VaZing keeps all of your customer information and schedules organized so you can view them on a calendar and make quick changes at any time. VaZing even has drag-and-drop functionality…now you can quickly move jobs from one employee or team to another. VaZing is easy to learn and use. But don't take our word for it; see for yourself with a 15 day FREE Trial Window Cleaners software. Don't waste another minute managing your business with complicated programs or clumsy pen and paper and start to VaZing!"
State of the Art Features:
!Got scheduling headaches? VaZing is your solution. Easily schedule one-time and recurring jobs…. never miss another commitment! Stop struggling to stay organized and tame the paperwork demons you wrestle with. VaZing puts your entire schedule at your fingertips, allowing you to:

· Easily schedule emergency, one-time, multi-visit and recurring jobs.

· Handle scheduling changes while you're on the phone with your customers - No more call backs!

· See where you have openings in the online calendar. No more messy whiteboards to deal with.

But don't take our word for it. Register for your FREE TRIAL and see firsthand why VaZing's web-based Window Cleaning Service Software stands head and shoulders above the rest. Difficulties with dispatching? VaZing has the dispatching capabilities you need. The dispatch calendar will let you see your entire work schedule - so you can get your head around all your jobs. When someone calls in sick...easily move jobs from one team or employee to another.

· Quickly dispatch teams for emergencies or rush jobs.

· Don't wait to call your customers back, get 1-Click access to important job information so you can answer questions while you're on the phone.

Visit our WHY VAZING page to learn more about why Window Cleaning Service Professionals are choosing to VaZing every day.

Other softwear from Insight Direct...

Sweet Impressions & Business Cards

Business cards are a valuable promotion tool. No business person could live without the convenience of having a business card to hand to prospective clients or customers. Handing out a business card is so much easier than writing out all your contact information for a person you've just met. But most business cards only do half the marketing job. Think about what you do with the business cards people give you. They go into a pile in a drawer. If you're more organized, maybe they go into a card file. In either case, the business cards just sit there, out of view, and probably out of mind. What a waste!Why not turn your business card into a marketing vehicle by making your business card visible? Instead of the traditional business card, get your contact information printed on something that people might leave in plain sight; something that will remind them of you and your services or products whenever they look at it.

Sweet Impressions are the home of the only 100% Automated Chocolate Coin Printing Machine in the U.S. ! Sweet Impressions offers a unique product whether you are considering a marketing promotion, staff appreciation, business gifts, or even a business card that gets your company noticed! But wouldn't the client eat them & loose your details forever?

70 New amazing business cards can be found here. And also from the same blog: The best 65 business cards of the year. The first video gives you a flip through some exciting & different business cards to get you thinking. The second video is of a talking business card!

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The Medium Makes the Message Fun: Here's a really cool promo that basically uses a stretchy rubber to make a business card that is really only readable when you stretch it out. Sure, using the intrinsic properties of the web or a magazine to make an advertisement stand out is cool, but using the intrinsic properties of an actual physical item is even cooler. Right? That's one of the big advantages to advertising with promotional products, but it's something that is often overlooked.

You may also want to check out Jack Nelsons collection of window cleaning business cards. Most all the members of Master Window Cleaners of America send in their business cards.

And just so you know - I added these two videos for fun...enjoy!

Cloth & Sponge Shiner Mourned

Hard-working Leamington window cleaner always had a smile on his face: With nothing more than a bucket, mop, cloth and sponge, Reginald Stanley Jones made many a window in Leamington sparkle and gleam. The 83-year-old was well-known around the town for his friendly manner and honest, hard-working ways. He died on December 23 after suffering from a short illness and will be sadly missed by his wife Betty, son Chris, daughter-in-law Louise and grandsons Max and Dan. Son Chris said: "He was described by his customers as a true gentleman. He had old fashioned values and people always said he had time to stop and talk to them and say hello." Having scrubbed panes around the town since 1953, Mr Jones received a plaque for 50 years' service on his retirement five years ago. The Leamington resident took up the trade at his father's then 60-year-old business in the same year he got married, worked with his brother Bert until Bert's death in 1993, then carried on solo for another ten years. Mr Jones hardly missed a day's work throughout his 50 years except for a short spell in 1965 when he slipped off his ladder and had a bad fall. He ended up in a coma with a badly injured foot and fractures to his head. But on waking, he was so keen to return to his job, he immediately asked nurses for his clothes.
Born in Regent Street in 1925, Mr Jones was one of eight children. He attended Milverton School before becoming a van delivery boy for retailer Burgis and Colbourne. When he was 17 he started work as one of the first Bevin Boys at Binley Colliery in Coventry, where he stayed for four years and later received a medal for his services. Later on, while working at Milverton sawmill, he met Betty, and the couple got married at St Paul's church in Friar Street, Warwick, in 1952. Mrs Jones said: "One customer said Reg was so honest they could leave him alone in the shop. "He always used an old-fashioned mop, cloth, sponge and bucket and refused to take up more modern methods of window-cleaning.
"He did not have any hobbies - he just liked working all the time. He would start early in the morning and come home at tea time. He was a very strong man." The funeral service is at Oakley Wood Crematorium today (Friday) at 3pm. Floral tributes are welcome but donations, if preferred, can be made by cheque payable to Warwickshire Association for the Blind and sent to The Co-operative Funeral Services, 52 Warwick Street, Leamington. Call 428665. Sundari Sankar

Pulex Rubber

FOR A QUALITY SQUEEGEE THE KEY IS THE RUBBER (Pulex): The rubber blade is the main component of every squeegee because it is the element that comes into direct contact with the glass and dirt. It is so important that the material with which the squeegee is made - steel, brass or plastic - and the mechanics play a minor role. This is because the vast majority of squeegees on the market - economical ones sold in the household item department and often imported from the Far East - do not work as they should. Without mentioning molded plastic blades, which are definitely inferior, standard rubber cleaning blades are made of ordinary extruded rubber, which is obtained continuously from rolls dozens of meters in length and cut into sections ready to be fitted into the tool. This type of rubber does not have the features of a real mix of vulcanized rubber as it is extruded ready for use and not cut to size, the result being a blade with a rough, rounded edge. This means it becomes deformed when it comes into contact with dirt which is abrasive and washing solutions which are aggressive, or is exposed to atmospheric agents, or subjected to friction on glass and rubbing against window frames or under the eaves. As these blades are made using a very quick and easy process without any finishing touches or inspections, they are relatively inexpensive and obviously they wear out very quickly. Also, they virtually always leave unsightly marks all over the glass. And the wider the squeegee, the more evident the marks.The basic condition for a top quality squeegee is a perfect combination of three specific features of the blade - a) the type and nature of the rubber, b) the quality of the mix, c) the edge of the blade. As regards the first feature, Pulex rubber is real vulcanized natural rubber (NR), which is compression molded, item by item, from a meter-long (approx. 36”) strip. As natural rubber is of vegetable origin it is important that its organic chemical features are as constant and homogeneous as possible, so it must always be obtained from the same country, in this case Malaysia, and also from the same sites in that country. Despite this, there is always the risk of the mix containing particles and foreign bodies, some minute, due to the fact that it comes from a tree in a plantation and is collected, handled and packed using traditional manual methods that are still very rudimentary. As regards the second feature, it is important for the raw material to provide a mix that can be processed carefully and is free from impurities as far as possible, having all the necessary properties concerning molecular dispersion, cross-linking, elasticity, snap, resilience, hardness, resistance to chemical and atmospheric agents, coloring and surface smoothness. Thanks to the addition of various special additives formulated in over two decades of research and development, the grade of the mix of Pulex rubber is specifically calibrated for cleaning glass. The third aspect is also very important. There is no point in using expensive first-rate ingredients and developing a perfect mix for a specific use if the rubber is not cut precisely to get a perfectly linear cleaning edge to the blade. So in this final stage the rubber strip is molded using a high-power press, and cut in half by sophisticated machinery using a special process. This gives a blade that is about a meter long (36”) and has a very sharp edge. After careful inspection, the blade is cut into different sizes. And it is precisely on the perfection of the edge that the Pulex quality control system focuses. In order to detect defects, Pulex has been researching special equipment for years, the only manufacturer to devote considerable resources to this particular problem. And now Pulex has come up with a machine for optical, electronic and computerized control with respect to the edge of the blade. Exploratory laser rays “read” the degree of perfection of the cut and the two sharp edges and assess whether there are any defects in the less critical surrounding areas. This is why Pulex rubber blades, which are the result of a lengthy multi-stage process, are no comparison with the blades used in ordinary squeegees. They are universally known as TQR, Total Quality Rubber, i.e. the only rubber blades to be used in a total quality squeegee. In addition, as Pulex rubber blades come in two different degrees of shore hardness - standard and soft - they meet the needs of all window cleaners, worldwide and irrespective of their skills.

Another installment from Mark Strange of "Beautiful View" from Toronto, Canada gives us a few more unbiased reviews of products in the window cleaners workplace. This time his opinion on Pulex rubber, in this weeks edition of "Tool Talk."

Free Window Cleaning "How To" Websites

There's enough of them around. "How to Window Cleaning" & other sources of dubious content, where some want money, some don't. Here are a couple of window cleaners who dispense their version of window cleaning & internet advise for free....

Jonathan Bull started out window cleaning in 1996 while living in England for 6 months. Now he is running his own small business based in the North Shore of Sydney, Australia with the help of a few other guys. Over the years, he has tried abseiling and high-rise BMU work, but now prefers window cleaning a little closer to the ground. In this video he shows use of the wagtail swivel squeegee and other equipment. This video below was originally made for an Australian web based skills program offering advise in different trades.

Ray Croskrey has been cleaning windows professionally for over a decade. He says "Believe me, cleaning windows isn’t rocket science – it is just a matter of acquiring the right tools, the right information, and the right technique."

At this point I would like to adds Rays disclaimer: "This information is provided by a professional window cleaner with years of experience. If you choose to use any information, techniques or tips, you assume all risks. If you are not confident performing any associated tasks, we suggest hiring professional window cleaners that can do the job safely."

And here is my favourite:
"Hi, my name is Dave and I run my own successful window cleaning business called ShineTime. My round covers the Bromsgrove/Rubery area of north Worcestershire in ye olde England. The reason I've created this website is because I found that there was a lack of free information on setting up your own window cleaning business when I first started. Instead I found there are a lot of opportunist window cleaners on the internet who are selling their knowledge (you can't blame them really can you). I realise when you're setting up your own business funds are tight, so I've decided to give my expertise away for free."

Window Cleaning News, Antifreeze & the Superbrush

City sword killer jailed for life: A man who murdered a father-of-one with a sword after a row at a party in Glasgow has been jailed for life. Scott Nesbitt, 23, almost sliced Morgan Proctor's head in two during the attack at a flat in Townhead in May. The 38-year-old window cleaner had only gone to the party because his young niece felt threatened. At the High Court in Glasgow, judge John Morris QC ordered Nesbitt to serve at least 13-and-a-half years in jail before he can apply for parole. The judge said he was reducing the term from 15 years to take into account Nesbitt's guilty plea. During the trial, the court heard that Nesbitt attacked Mr Proctor in the street with a 2ft-long blade after an earlier row involving a number of men and youths at a party in a flat in Taylor Place. The blow caused "almost complete detachment" of the jaw from his upper face. Mr Proctor suffered a 27cm (11in) wound and died almost instantly. Nesbitt later turned up at a friend's house having changed his clothes and said he had "chopped" a man in the street with a sword. James Nesbitt, 24, George McKay, 23, and Christopher Milligan, 23, also faced a murder charge but their not guilty pleas were accepted. Simone Nesbitt, 20, was accused of assaulting Mr Proctor. Her not guilty plea was also accepted.


Pane equals gain for former Woolies pair: It is a case of Woolworths to windows for these two former store managers. Lee James, 38 (pictured right), and Stuart Ford, 35, are among the 27,000 people being made redundant after the collapse of the high street chain. But now the fathers-of-three from Scarning, near Dereham, are busy developing their own business, Stulee Window Cleaners. They started the enterprise to earn some extra pocket money about 18 months ago and now have more than 600 domestic and commercial customers. Since Mr James was general manager of the King's Lynn Woolies and Mr Ford was general manager of the Norwich store, they decided to employ four staff to do most of the cleaning and concentrated on the marketing and management side of their business in their spare time. Now they are going to put all their energies into expanding Stulee and getting involved in more of the cleaning themselves. Mr James said: “We are now looking forward to the next chapter in our lives. It is just sad that it has happened in this way with Woolworths closing.” Mr Ford said: “Everything we learned at Woolworths we can use in our business. It is just on a smaller scale. Woolworths has taught us how to look after our customers and staff and to lead by example.”

A Flintshire man who was badly hurt when a massive gas explosion ripped through his house says he and his family may not be able to return home this year.David Roberts and his parents, Derek and Margaret, are still not allowed to set foot inside their home on Stanley Street, Mold, Flintshire, and spent Christmas and New Year with relatives. David suffered serious burns to his hands and face in the blast, which happened early on December 1 when he lit a cigarette. The force of the explosion blew out the windows, roof and doors, and reduced the house to a shell. David, 41, and his parents have been told it could take up to 18 months to repair their home, and in the meantime they are looking to rent a property elsewhere in Mold. David said: "It's not ideal but I can't complain too much because we're lucky to be alive." More than 30 residents were evacuated following the explosion, and the road was closed. In an exclusive interview last month David, a window cleaner, said he was lucky to be alive and added that he owed his life to God. He said: "The fire inspector said afterwards that I was lucky to be here. "If it was a new house we would have been dead, and if I had stepped backwards instead of forwards just as it happened the blast could have ripped me in two."

Some more great window cleaning hints & tips from Tony (Mr. Squeegee) & Mark...