Professional Window Cleaning Services

Q. Describe the most common types of jobs you do for your clients.

A. We specialize in window cleaning but also offer a bunch of other services. We offer car washes and complete vehicle details and we also fix scratches and chips in vehicle paint jobs.
For your home we clean gutters inside and out.
We also clean vinyl siding, awnings, shutters, sophit, fascia, driveways, walkways, light fixtures, blinds and change hard to reach light bulbs.

Q. What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?

A. Always do the research first. Find out what kind of windows you have. Contact the companies that have the best reputation. In the real world, you get what you pay for.
The lowest rates can sometimes also mean a low quality service.
If a company is offering a service for way less than the average...chances are they are sending subcontractors to do the work for them and do not really care about anything other than getting the job done.
Make sure they are insured and have experience.

Q. If you were a customer, what do you wish you knew about your trade? Any inside secrets to share?

A. The most important parts of cleaning windows perfectly is using the right tools and having experience. I would also recommend only using rags that are 100% cotton as they dry windows the best (in my opinion) and never hand dry windows that are in direct sunlight. The sun will cause the cleaning solution to dry to quickly leaving horrible smears and smudges.
The best tip i could give would be to check your window from every available angle(sides, top and bottom) after the cleaning to make sure there isn't something you missed.

Q. What important information should buyers have thought through before seeking you out?

A. Customers should know ahead of time how many windows the have on each floor and what kind of windows they have. This makes it way easier to give an accurate estimate over the phone.
Also let the company know things about your house that they may not know, like if you have skylights (since some are hard to see from the ground) or bees nests in the shutters.

Q. Why does your work stand out from others who do what you do?

A. We take the time to understand each customers specific needs, making sure you are 100% satisfied. Every window, frame and sill is cleaned to perfection. Over 90% of our total business is refferrals or word of mouth and that says a lot about the quality of our work.

Q. What do you like most about your job?

A. I enjoy seeing a dirty, dingy window cleaned to perfection.
I love my job and take a lot of pride in window cleaning.
The thing i like most about window cleaning is performing a job or task where you actually see a difference instantly. I also enjoy meeting new people and seeing their reactions to a perfectly clear gleaming window.

Q. What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?

A. Q. Can you put us on a regular schedule?
A. Yes we can handle any schedule needed. Once a week, month, season or year.

Q. Do you service my area?
A. We service any home or business within a 30 minute drive of Pittsburgh. We are based out of Tarentum, PA (18 miles north east of the city) and also service any home within 30 minutes of Pittsburgh mills mall for the cities a little more north.

Q. How much do you charge for an average window?
A. Only $2 per side.

Q. How much does the average house cost?
A. Anywhere from $35 - $150

Q. Do you have a favorite story from your work?

A. I started this business in 2004 after working for another window cleaning company for 5 years. During my first year in business i didnt have a lot of jobs to start with but i never lost faith. I cleaned 2 windows at the local coffee shop for free. The owner was so impressed that she recommended me to the development firm that was building the Pittsburgh mills mall.
Within 1 month i found myself contracted to clean all the windows inside and out of one of the biggest malls in America (over 2 million square feet). Averaging over 20 square miles of glass. My wife worked as a hairdresser and took her vacation and started window cleaning. We finished it in only 18 days.

Q. What do you wish customers knew about you or your profession?

A. I am a Christian and based all of my company principles on truthfulness and Integrity. I treat all of my customers the same regardless of the time it takes and the size of each job. I would like customers to know that our main goal is to make sure every single person is 100% satisfied.
We enjoy pleasing our customers and hearing from them what a great job we do.

Q. How did you decide to get in your line of work?

A. I worked at a local car wash (my first experience cleaning windows) for 3 years when a window cleaner came in and complimented me on the great window cleaning job on his vehicle. He said "You should work with us and make some real money". I was happy working at the car wash, but really liked the idea of going to different places everyday and getting $2 more per hour. The only problem is i was deathly afraid of heights but there was no pressure. I was allowed to do all first floor windows until i felt comfortable climbing higher. Then i got used to second floor windows...then 3rd floor, 4th floor ect. I totally erased my fear of heights and spiders in 1 year. I worked for them for 5 years until i decided to go off on my own. The rest was history.

Q. Tell us about a recent job you did that you are particularly proud of.

A. I recently completed a window cleaning on a house that was built in 1930's and had never had the windows cleaned. The customer lived there her entire life and due to years of oxidation never attempted to clean any of them. With nearly 80 years of built up dirt these windows were the worst i have ever seen. After scrubbing the glass with steel wool and a chemical to break down the aluminum deposits these windows looked almost brand new. She was so thrilled with the finished result that she had us put her on a schedule for every 3 months from that day forward.
It made us feel really good knowing that we did such a good job that someone who hasn't cared for window cleaning for this long had just decided its time to start.
She laughed and said she wished she thought of getting them cleaned 50 years ago. It was rewarding for us to erase 80 years of dirt in a single cleaning.

Q. Do you do any sort of continuing education to stay up on the latest developments in your field?

A. There is no schooling for window cleaning.
The best training is experience.
We religiously read every issue of "American window cleaner" and use the internet as a way to stay updated. Surprisingly not much has changed in window cleaning in the last couple decades other than the way you get customers and a couple new tools out on the market.

Q. What are the latest developments in your field? Are there any exciting things coming in the next few years or decade that will change your line of business?

A. 2 huge developments are the internet and water fed poles.
The internet is now one of the top ways to advertise and get new customers.
Water fed poles are telescopic extension poles (reaching 10 - 100 feet) with brushes on the end and a water line that delivers 0% mineral free water (no soap) up the pole and into the brush. This makes cleaning any windows high or low a lot safer, faster and in the long run cheaper too.
Over in Europe (where it originated) normal window cleaning is almost completely obsolete.
Within 10 - 15 years this will be the industry standard in America as well.
Waterfed poles just started making their way into the U.S. market and still carries a hefty price tag with waterfed systems ranging from $2,000 - $20,000 per system.

Q. Describe your most recent project, what it involved, how much it cost, and how long it took.

A. Our most recent large scaled window cleaning projects was a vocational education school with thousands of windows. We completed the entire building including a whole new wing of windows that needed new construction window cleaning in only 3 days.
The school was so satisfied with the window cleaning they offered to and payed us more than we originally bid. That was a first for us.

Q. If you have a complicated pricing system for your service, please give all the details here.

A. Our system is fairly simple. We charge $2 per average window per side (1st and 2nd floor).
French panel windows and large glass doors usually count a 2 windows since they cover the area or take the time of 2 windows.
3rd story windows also count as 2 windows since they are more dangerous and time consuming. The average house cost anywhere from $35 - $150.
Also the more regularly you have the windows cleaned the cheaper it is.

Q. If you were advising someone who wanted to get into your profession, what would you suggest?

A. If you are honest and hardworking, you have potential to do really well.
Charge prices that are reasonable and worth while for both parties (Company and customer).
Never underbid another company just to get a job.
Many window cleaners underbid a job and once you set a price you usually can not raise it.
Once they start the job and realize its too much work for too little money they usually drop it leaving the customer expecting to pay a certain amount for that service. So then every other window cleaner that bids after you will pretty much be expected to match the original price. This ruins it for everybody.
I found that it is better to charge your regular price and get 2 out of 3 jobs that ARE worthwhile than to undercut and get all 3 jobs that you wished were worth more.
Also take into perspective you may be doing these jobs 3 - 52 times a year and if your not happy with the original price its more likely you will end up dropping the job and losing it anyway.
Window cleaners respect each other but can also be extremely territorial. I found this out the hard way getting threatening phone calls and having my equipment stolen and broken.
I would also recommend to pay your taxes and MOST IMPORTANTLY watch out for power lines. The leading cause of window cleaning deaths is electrocution, NOT falling.
Lastly i would say NEVER EVER take a chance doing something risky or dangerous as the $1-$5 you make per window is not worth getting hurt and losing everything.
Window cleaning can be a very rewarding career as long as you do it the right way.