Through The Looking Glass As long as your tactics aren’t spotty, window cleaning can be a profitable revenue stream. F By: Aaron Baunee, managing editor For those unfortunate souls stuck in cubicles all day long, trivial daily occurrences make or break the workday. For instance, when workers arrive or depart from a building and gaze at the glass façade glistening in the sunlight, they do not want to see water spots, streaks or excremental gifts from birds. And, when they are on the inside looking out, star-ing into the endless distance of five o’clock freedom, they do not want their ganders obstructed by dirt particles, fingerprints or whatever other substances miraculously mar otherwise clean windows. Understanding that customers want clean win-dows — and knowing that your business is to pro-vide cleaning and maintenance services desired by said customers — it seems foolish not to offer window cleaning in your repertoire. With the latest available tools, equipment and training, it has never been easier, safer or more financially viable to break into the arena of win-dow cleaning. Getting Started Compared to other add-on services or standalone businesses, window cleaning requires some of the fewest resources to get off the ground. The necessary tools and equipment will vary depending on the types of accounts you wish to service. For example, cleaning the windows of a one-story office building or retail store might only require a stepladder, a squeegee with a scrubbing mechanism, a bucket of water and cleaning solu-tion and some rags to wipe the residual moisture from the window frames. Naturally, a larger job will require more upfront capital for equipment such as telescoping poles — with or without filtered water feeding capa-bilities — larger ladders and lifts, scaffolding and platforms, ropes and harness systems, auto-mated window cleaning machines, etc. for more info Visit www.cmmonline.com and type in search keyword: Window Cleaning . For more information on related products, visit www.cmmonline.com , select SUPPLIER SEARCH from the main navigation bar, and enter keyword: Safety . Just as the needed equipment varies, so, too, do the potential earnings: The higher up you clean, the higher the payout. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the average pay rate for someone cleaning low-lying windows is $11 an hour, whereas some-one cleaning high-rise windows averages closer to $25 an hour. Many window cleaners only work part time or seasonally, and pay scales vary greatly with differ-ent employers, regions of the country and levels of training. Some window cleaners have reported earning upwards of $100 an hour for their efforts. Possessing the necessary accessories is, of course, a must. But, knowing how to perform the tasks and informing potential customers that you offer such services is vital, too. According to Patrick Marsh, president and chief executive officer (CEO) of IPC Eagle Corporation, the person cleaning windows doesn’t have to be a “professional” window cleaner, as anyone can be quickly taught how to clean windows using a simple scrub and wash technique. If you are considering window cleaning as an ave-nue for income, it would be wise to check out one of the many forums catering to such professionals. There are few better ways to explore an option than to speak with individuals who have already surmounted the common marketing pitfalls and found success in their endeavors. Window cleaning franchises are also available that allow you to tap into their large customer base and use their polished marketing lingo and adver-tising campaigns to piggyback on their success for a royalty fee. Additional resources include the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the non-profit International Window Cleaning Association (IWCA), which offer impor-20 CM/Cleaning & Maintenance Management ® • April 2011
CMM – Archives Apr 2011: 20
