Genius Winter Add-On Service for Window Cleaners

The Cut N Slide is a genius way to drum up some business in the winter months! This innovative roof snow removal tool was released two years ago and is now more popular than ever. Created by Mark Strange at Beautiful View.  

It's great for removing large amounts of snow off your roof which can cause damage.  The Cut N Slide attaches to Ettore and Unger extension poles and smoothly rolls up the roof without damaging shingles.  Unlike roof rakes, where the user has to drop it high on the room and pull down, the Cut N Slide is pushed up the roof, getting under the snow to dislodge it and send it sliding down to the ground. 

See it in action:

Video overview:

Spring Gutter & Roof Cleaning

 Jeffrey Hausmann, pressure supervisor at Custom Window Cleaning and Property Maintenance, scrapes the moss off of a roof in Eugene. For many window cleaners in the US, winter/spring is the perfect time to offer roof/gutter cleaning.

Time to tidy up the roof - Dos, don’ts from Lane County experts for removing moss and keeping gutters flowing free: Trees can be hard enough on roofs, what with their falling needles, leaves and limbs. But even worse, usually, is a silent plague bred by dark and moist Willamette Valley days.

“The last two winters have been ridiculous,” declares roof-maintenance specialist Doug Holston. “Moss has grown on everything. If you have wet, warm, mild winters, you’re going to have more moss growing.” The only way for homeowners to know how their roofs have fared against moss, debris and wind over the winter is to have a look.

Workers use harnesses and safety ropes when cleaning a steep roof.

Leave inspections of steep roofs to the pros, implores Holston, owner of Custom Window Cleaning and Property Maintenance in Eugene. His crews harness themselves to anchored ropes for their own safety on slippery pitches.

Homeowners with milder roof pitches — 5/12 or less — can venture a look-see themselves if confident of their balance on both roof and ladder. “Be sure it’s not too steep and slippery, and that you have your tennis shoes on,” advises John Davey, co-owner of long-time River Roofing in Springfield.

Autumn and spring are the best times to go up top and inspect. “At least get up there once a year,” Davey advises. “This is a great time right now, with spring arriving. You can check on any damage from winter weather and clear off debris that’s accumulated up there.”

Moss actually eats away at the roof, causing it to deteriorate faster.

Kill and remove moss

The bane of rooftops in Oregon is moss. When dampness accumulates on a shaded area, moss breeds, potentially causing long-term damage to roof shingles and support structure. Before moss digs in and spreads, kill the growth.

Most moss-control products contain zinc sulfate. “Green” treatments, such as sprays of diluted white vinegar and baking soda, can be effective, too. However, alternative moss control solutions can void the warranty on some brands of asphalt shingles, so be sure to read the fine print before application.

“Whether you use those natural products or a chemical moss killer from the store, in about six weeks the moss will die and then you can go up there and scrape it off,” Davey says. What you absolutely must not do with a composition shingle roof is use a pressure washer to remove debris. Pressure washing can damage asphalt shingles and cause the roof to leak. Davey recommends a stiff broom and a small, light steel brush. “Work (the moss) loose, but don’t get too aggressive with it,” he says.

Pressure washing is OK on roofs of cement, steel, concrete or metal, but even then Davey recommends an initial cleaning followed by a light wash.

While pressure washers should never be used to clean an asphalt-shingle roof, it is OK to remove debris with an air blower.

Clean gutters crucial

Clogged gutters can cause rainwater to seep under a roof’s fascia and rot the wood. Gutters and downspouts should be cleaned at least once a year. Examine both the gutters and the downspouts for leaks and gaps in the seams.

“Gutters used to be installed with silicone, but now we use an aluminum-based sealant that stays pliable during temperature changes,” says Kelly Carter, who, with her husband, owns and runs Hedge Carter’s Continuous Gutter Service based in Dorena. “You won’t get the leaks you did in the past.”

Larger gutter spouts also are now available, “and that makes it much easier to clean and maintain,” she adds. Wire-mesh screens and some other gutter coverings can help keep needles, leaves and limbs from clogging drainage. But any covering requires periodic cleaning.

“There is no maintenance-free gutters, screens or anything else, no matter what anyone tells you,” Holston says. “Nothing is maintenance free.” Always make sure that gutters and downspouts lead water away from the home and its foundation, and that brackets hold downspouts tightly against the house.

Maintenance on steep roofs should be left to pros with proper safety equipment. Upkeep on roofs with milder pitches, at 5/12 are less, is within the realm of homeowners confident of their balance on roof and ladder. 

Check for wear and tear, too

With spring, also check your roof for missing or damaged shingles. Quick replacement helps to prevent water damage that might result when rainwater pools around curled or missing shingles. Also, be sure metal flashing remains intact around vents, exhaust pipes and chimneys. Check to see that the flashing isn’t bent, and existing sealant isn’t dried up or loose.

Seal cracked mortar or caulking around joints and chimneys if there are signs of deterioration. New sealants are extremely flexible in hot and cold weather, and are much more durable than their predecessors, Davey says.

He suggests using polyurethane sealants rather than the more traditional roof mastic. “These newer polyurethane options have a tendency to stick better to brick, glass, wood and shingles,” Davey explains, “and they have a longer life.”

Trim trees so their limbs do not overhang the roof and shower it with needles or leaves. And keep an eye out for animal damage, too. Various birds and insects love your roof and its underpinnings.

Blizzard Means Business

Cut N Slide - window cleaning business add-on for when windows are just too frozen to clean.

Roof snow removal solution thanks to the Cut N Slide developed by Mark Strange at Beautiful View. A handy roof snow removal device that works with Unger and Ettore extension poles. The Snow Cut N Slide is a tool for removing large amounts of snow off your roof to prevent structural damage from heavy snow buildup and ice dams. This tool easily fits on the end of Unger and Ettore extension poles. (see video) Other brand name poles may work provided that the poles top section has a diameter less than 7/8" wide. Perfect for those window cleaners who can't work due to frozen environments. Get yours here now.

Blizzard means business: It has closed businesses, stranded commuters and shut or significantly slowed down transportation networks for commerce. But a few businesses are seeing a silver lining to the snow clouds. “From a business point of view, it’s a good thing,” said Michael Barbuzzi, of Barbuzzi Landscaping in Swampscott and Snow Removal Unlimited in Lynn. “It’s just that I would have rather had that 25-inch storm spread out over three storms, not all at once.” Two snowstorms in a week have dumped a record breaking 40.2-inches of snow on Boston between Jan. 27 and Feb. 2, the most snowfall to fall in a similar time period in the 100 years of records kept by the National Weather Service. The storms have also delivered more snow within a week than falls in Boston in a typical winter.

A 2014 study by research firm IHS Global Insight put a $265-million price tag on a one-day snowstorm in Massachusetts, calculating factors such as lost wages for workers, lost retail sales and lost taxes. Then there are snow-removal costs borne by local governments, residents and businesses.

These costs are highly variable. But Barbuzzi said they have provided another source of income for local landscapers. “When I was a young guy, most of us just enjoyed the winters off,” Barbuzzi said. “But most people make money on a weekly basis and to hire good people, you need to keep them employed. For landscapers, snow plowing and snow removal is how you do it in the winter.”

He said his company has about 30 4-wheel drive plow trucks, six shoveling crews of 2-3 people, and big equipment such as front-end loaders and hauling trucks to remove snow from primarily commercial businesses in Lynn and Swampscott. For the recent storm, the crews worked in three 8-10-hour shifts, Barbuzzi said. “It makes for a lot of long hours,” Barbuzzi said. And lots of expense.

Barbuzzi said his employees earn between $20 to $30 per hour for shoveling. Snow plow and equipment drivers earn between $20 and $35 an hour. “It’s expensive to get guys to come in these crazy hours,” Barbuzzi said. “In the snow business you usually have a 6- to 8-hour window to get things done; with these monster storms maybe 24 hours.” He said the snow currently on the ground, plus snow forecast for Thursday, will require the company work “round-the-clock” this week with 8-10 hour shifts.

Snow helps some businesses - Tim Tenney and his snow shovel display at True Value Hardware in Wyoma Square in Lynn.

But there are many residents who want to — or must — remove the snow themselves. “It’s a great January, last January was terrible,” said Wyoma Square True Value owner Tim Tenney. “Last January was so cold, so freezing and no snow. This one is warmer and there’s a lot of snow.”

Tenney said snow shovels, ice melters, roof rakes and parts for snow blowers (he sold out of snow blowers weeks ago as many callers to the store have been disappointed to learn) have been in high demand at his store. “I’ve been selling a lot of sleds, too,” Tenney said. “They’re all sledding up at Gannon. So I guess the kids are enjoying their time off.”

John Ciccone, owner of Beden Hardware on Munroe Street, said snow shovels, ice choppers and ice melt were recent top-sellers. But unlike in Wyoma Square, sales of these items did not make up for business lost for other projects, many of which required travel to-and-from the downtown location. “It kind of just turns business over to something else,” Ciccone said of the snowstorm. “It takes everybody’s eyes off of other things — other business you would be doing besides winter products.”

Leslie Gould, president and chief executive officer of the Lynn Area Chamber of Commerce, said that snow storms can be difficult for businesses that depend on foot traffic from other local businesses, such as retailers in a downtown or shopping plaza, restaurants and coffee shops and businesses dependent on weather-related tasks, such as construction. As for employees, part-time, hourly and those workers who cannot work remotely are also negatively impacted by snowstorms, Gould said.

But Gould said other businesses adjust to the winter — a cleaning company offers a special for carpet cleaning due to all the sand and salt tracked into a home, for instance; or a towing company is suddenly in high demand to remove cars from snowbanks. But whether busy because of 90-hour weeks or hoping for roads to be cleared to resume commerce, several business people echoed Ciccone as he recalled the storms. “We were closed with the first storm — that was last week, right?” Ciccone said. “It just seems like it hasn’t ended.”

Q & A With Mark Poole Of Portland Window Cleaning

Mark Poole of Portland Window Cleaning gives us his story:

We started Waterworks NW based in Hillsboro and Portland, Oregon 12 years ago. With a heavy background in pressure washing after managing a pressure washing company for 6 years I left the company after I found out the owner was cheating customers. With 3 weeks to make our mortgage payment I sold my motorcycle, bought a truck and some equipment and started handing out fliers. Our services included window cleaning, gutter cleaning, pressure washing & roof cleaning. In 2009 we restructured after a slowing economy and with the power of the internet & started Portland Window Cleaning, Portland Pressure Washing, Portland Roof Cleaning and recently purchased Portland Gutter Cleaning. This project took the better part of a year to complete, but the plans are just starting for these companies, whose owners are not old enough to to even watch PG movies yet. We feel very fortunate to have these companies and have big plans as we develop these high quality customer service orientated companies and groom their new owners for the future.



Questions & Answers with Mark Poole:

How long have you been window cleaning – what got you started?
We have been window cleaning for 12 years. What got me started was a desire to have my wife stay home with our children. I had a pressure washing background and helped a friend clean a couple windows part time. He moved and I asked if he would mind me adding his old customers to Portland Window cleaning.

What do you hate/love most about window cleaning?
I love going into a home with dirty windows and seeing the customers face when we are done cleaning them. I hate the feeling of not being able to let go of the work. I am addicted to perfection and need to tell myself to take breaks.

What are your favorite tools in the trade?
Well, I think we are one of the only companies around using water fed poles on residential homes every day. We carry our water on board and have Gardiner carbon fiber poles. So setup and take down is very quick, we simply flip a switch and we are cleaning.

What percentage of wfping to traditional window cleaning do you do?
In the 2 1/2 years since using water fed poles we have cleaned exterior windows on 3 homes using traditional methods only because of old wood frames. 99 percent of our residential and commercial clients enjoy risk free window cleaning and peace of mind knowing we are not on ladders.

In your neck of the woods, it rains a lot – how do you cope with this?
We do not clean windows in the rain, unless it is a regular commercial account. Our residential customers appreciate our flexibility in dealing with the weather. We clean lots of gutters as well as pressure washing. If we can do the work safely, we will work. We can also compress our work weeks if needed to work around the weather. There are many other aspect of the company that employees can work on if it is unsafe to work on homes because of the weather. Money isn't everything, but our safety is very important.

What do you think the best marketing medium has been for your company?
Word of mouth, although the internet is a great marketing tool, quality workmanship and great customer service goes a long way.

What other services do you provide?
We own multiple companies which do a variety of services such as Window Cleaning, Gutter Cleaning, Pressure Washing & Roof Maintenance.

Who do you look up to in the industry & why?
I don't know many in the industry. There are many that have built large companies and have done a lot for the industry such as Chris and Alex from WCR. I do not really look up to anyone as each of us have our own goals. But certainly I would have to give credit to Kevin Dubrosky who has helped many companies earn more money while working less hours.

What’s gonna be your next biggest purchase for the company?
Well, we just purchased a large commercial pressure washer from Landa Northwest. We need more sprinter vans for our fleet. We will be purchasing more carbon fiber water fed poles for Portland Window Cleaning.

The most treasured piece of window cleaning equipment you have?
The Gardiner water fed pole.

Any family? Are they involved in the business?
I am the father of 3 children, and have been married for 12 years. My wife takes care of the family and our home. Maybe when the kids are older she might want to work for Portland Window Cleaning.

Do you favor one supplier or do you shop around?
We have had our same vendors for quite some time. Landa Northwest being at the top of the list.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years time?
Retired.

What do you do to relax?
Golf.

If you could live anywhere & window clean – where would it be?
Hawaii.

Mark Poole & his team have a blog that showcases his work. Mark can be reached on Portland Window Cleaning (503)844-6700.