A Surreal Window Clean

Dali Museum challenges window washers (One surreal scrubdown): St. Petersberg - High in the sky, some very brave men took to the glass structure that is the Salvador Dali Museum. For the first time since it opened in January, the museum got a window washing. "We have this incredible structure which we call the Glass Enigma, and each of the panes -- of which there's over a thousand -- has to be cleaned individually," explained the museum's deputy director, Kathy White.

Randy Spears, 37, and Nick Samaras, 29, of Bay Area Window Cleaning, wash the windows of the Dali Museum's Glass Enigma. This is the first time the windows have been cleaned since the museum's January opening.

Bay Area Building Services specializes in high-rise window washing. But the Dali Museum creates some unique challenges -- It's not straight up and down; it has curves and bends and slides. "Well, as you see, you're supposed to be going one way and the glass is going the other. It's your job to try and figure out how to stay on that," window washer Randy Spears offered. "You got a little bit of everything on this job," washer Nick Samaras observed.

The guys had to take an elevator all the way to the top, then they threw ropes over the side and rappelled down, washing windows as they went. But the shape of the building isn't the only challenge. "The timing on some parts of the Enigma -- the temperatures will be in excess of 120," explained Brett Hamphill of Bay Area Building Services. "A lot of times we'll have to actually bail out of a drop and hydrate and stuff. Want to be real careful you don't get dizzy up there because of the heat."

For the guests of the museum, it was another spectacle to take in. Many stopped to watch and take pictures of the dangerous work. As for the window washers, while they appreciate the attention, they wear their harnesses and they don't fear falling. "I've come to the conclusion that if it happens, I'm gonna be a bag of ketchup anyway. You gotta rest easy and lay your head at night," Spears added.

The museum says this isn't a project that will necessarily need to be done every six months. But the glass has been up for about a year, and when they built the park around the museum, it kicked up a lot of dust and dirt onto the windows.

The International Window Cleaning Show In Florida

On the 16th February the IWCA hosts its 4 day Annual Convention & Trade show for those working in the window cleaning industry. Over the course of four days, window cleaners from around the world meet to learn technical skills, discover better business practices, to test new products and network with industry peers. TradeWinds Island Resorts is proud to be the host resort for the International Window Cleaning Association 2011 Convention & Trade Show. Why attend?

• Meet face-to-face with more than 400 window cleaners from around the globe.
• Get step-by-step demonstrations of window cleaning tools by the industry’s top manufacturers on the Trade Show floor.
• Help your business grow by attending educational sessions.
• Learn from industry leaders how to survive economic challenges.
• Get hands-on safety training all in one place.

Entrance fees are only $20 for the trade show (17th & 18th) & rising to $250 for the safety training  per day as a non-member. More pricing can be found here. And the schedule is listed here. Session info' can be found here. A full list of resources are as follows:

• A full week of educational sessions to help your business grow.
• Numerous networking opportunities for you and your peers.
• Access to the Trade Show with vendors dedicated to serving the window cleaning industry.
• Convention Binder.
• A full day of safety training sessions.
• Listing of all attendees for follow up after the convention.
• The opportunity to learn from some of the most successful window cleaners in the industry.

Trade Show Hours:

Thursday, Feb. 17, 2011         11:30 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Friday, Feb. 18, 2011                9 a.m. – 1 p.m.

The IWCA Trade Show will showcase valuable tools and resources from both veteran and new IWCA supporters such as Unger, IPC Pulex/Eagle, Ettore, Skako, J. Racenstein, Titan Laboratories, MIO, SIA, Winsol, TOWA, Windows 101, WCR, GlassRenu, Nanophase and many more. The wide variety of exhibitors will introduce attendees to new products and services designed to make work-life easier and your business more profitable and competitive.

On Thursday, there is a Window Cleaning Contest 6 – 9 p.m. Sponsored by Unger, IPC Pulex/Eagle & Ettore. The IWCA Window Cleaning Contests features two different categories: speed and medley. The key to winning both contests is cleaning the windows as fast as possible with the fewest mistakes. The speed contest consists of speed cleaning three windows of the same size and the medley contest consists of cleaning nine windows of varying sizes. It is a race to the finish for the Guinness Book of World Records title of “World’s Fastest Window Cleaner.” The entry fee to participate in these contests is $25 per category.

On Friday, the "Professional Image Contest" takes place 8:30 – 9:45 a.m. If you are proud of the image and marketing work that you’ve done for your company, show off your efforts to your peers for ultimate bragging rights. This is your chance to submit and present your web marketing, sales and promotional materials in the form of a PowerPoint presentation. Presentations were due to IWCA Headquarters by Feb. 1. During the session in Florida the contestants will give a small presentation regarding their efforts. If you have a big idea you have implemented in the past year, this is your time to shine! Rules and the contest submission form are located on the IWCA website.

The "Don Chute Auction and Awards Banquet" takes place 5:30 – 9 p.m. The IWCA Charity Auction is the perfect opportunity for you to give back to the community. Just prior to the start of the awards banquet, attendees will be able to bid on items that were donated by our membership with all proceeds going to the Ronald McDonald House Charities. After the auction, it is time to celebrate another successful year of IWCA at the annual awards banquet. It is sure to be THE event of the year honoring the IWCA Window Cleaner of the Year, as well as an introduction and installation of the new officers of the IWCA.