With the advent of the water fed pole system, it’s now common for window cleaners to offer more than just window cleaning services. Being able to offer additional services like conservatory roof and solar panel cleaning allows you to diversify your business and expand your earning potential. The water fed pole system can’t do everything though, and there are some additional machines available to invest in that take this principle to the next level.
1) Pressure Washer
Pressure washers allow you to clean all manner of hard surfaces. Residentially, they are most commonly used to clean driveways, patios, decking and rendering, but they can also be used to complete various commercial cleaning tasks. They are adept at removing ingrained dirt, lichen and mould growth, restoring surfaces back to their former glory. Pressure washing jobs will be less regular and sometimes one-off, but you can charge substantially more than you would for window cleaning services. There are a range of pressure washers available to suit your budget and requirements, from small mains-powered units to portable, petrol-powered washers.
2) Carpet Cleaner
Although more often associated with interior cleaning, carpet cleaning is a service that some window cleaners choose to offer. The beauty of carpet cleaning is that it’s a service you can carry out in all weathers, making it an ideal ‘back-up’ service to window cleaning which can maintain your earnings throughout periods of poor weather. Whilst not required as regularly as window cleaning, it is a semi-regular service that can be scheduled in, allowing you to develop a bank of repeat business that generates revenue you can rely on and plan for. Decent carpet cleaning machines are surprisingly effective and easy to use, and you can price your service fairly lucratively, particularly in the commercial market.
3) Gutter Vacuum
There has long been a relationship between window and gutter cleaning, now more so than ever as the water fed pole system allows you to easily clean fascias, soffits and the outside surfaces of guttering. Cleaning out the actual gutters is another story that for many users of the pure water system has meant dusting off the ladders and risking life and limb to carry out. A gutter vacuum follows the same vein as the water fed pole system and allows you to effectively clean out gutters from the safety of the ground. It’s faster and safer than traditional methods and allows you to do a better job. The equipment is also easy to transport, meaning you can easily schedule in yearly gutter cleans and carry them out alongside your standard window cleaning work, or even complete the service on-demand.
4) Soft Washer
A relatively new technology that is gaining momentum, soft washing is an ideal alternative to high-pressure cleaning, which is often not suitable for some tasks. The system uses detergents and chemicals that are applied to surfaces at low pressure and effectively remove stains, dirt, moss and mould. As a result, the system is ideal for cleaning and de-mossing roofs, as well as many other exterior surfaces. Many soft washing systems use telescopic poles or long-distance jets that allow you to soft wash surfaces several stories up from the safety of the ground. In addition, many components of a normal water fed pole system can be used as part of a soft washing set-up, meaning it could be a simple case of a few add on’s to your existing window cleaning system. Soft washing is still considered a fairly specialist service, and the results can be impressive, meaning you’re able to price jobs accordingly.
As a window cleaner you are in a unique position where you have access to a bank of customers that are prime prospects for many of the above services. After investing in one or more of the above products, you can proactively target existing customers (as well as new business) with your new services and see a return fairly quickly.
Header image courtesy of Concept
