{"id":7,"date":"2018-03-19T11:12:27","date_gmt":"2018-03-19T17:12:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.peakwindowcleaning.com\/blog\/?p=7"},"modified":"2024-08-26T20:23:10","modified_gmt":"2024-08-27T02:23:10","slug":"how-to-hire-a-great-window-cleaner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.peakwindowcleaning.com\/blog\/2018\/03\/how-to-hire-a-great-window-cleaner\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Hire a Great Window Cleaner"},"content":{"rendered":"

Window cleaning season is gearing up but who do you choose for the all important task of cleaning your windows?<\/p>\n

Maybe the first thing that comes to mind is \u201cwhat do you mean all important, it\u2019s just window cleaning\u201d. Well yes and no. The windows in your house are one of the most expensive items to replace, often adding up to tens of thousands of dollars depending on how many you have. It\u2019s definitely an investment that you want to protect and as such, hiring a professional window cleaner to protect that investment is of utmost importance. To protect that investment, the company and people you hire to do the job must have knowledge and experience. Not only must they know how to be an excellent window cleaner and make your glass sparkle and shine like they are new, but they must know how to treat different types of glass, how to safely climb different types of ladders and how not to damage your things inside or outside. That\u2019s a lot to know! And that comes with knowledge and experience!<\/p>\n

Every few years in our community, we get a new batch of window cleaners. Somebody who decides, \u201cthat looks easy, I think I\u2019ll try that\u201d. And then every few years, those same window cleaners mysteriously disappear just as suddenly as they appeared. What happened? Was it that they did so much damage that they are bankrupt? Or was it that they didn\u2019t know their job well enough and fell off of a ladder and got injured? Or just got sick of the cold? Who knows? But it\u2019s your responsibility to hire the company and people who care about you and your house and are professional. Just think of the liability if someone falls off of a ladder at your house and didn\u2019t have adequate insurance.<\/p>\n

Our clients are important to us and your window cleaner choice should be important to you as well. If you hire an inexperienced window cleaner, it can truly cost you thousands of dollars. Did you know that if a window cleaner scratches the glass in your house, insurance does not cover it? It\u2019s the very definition of a professional. If you are a professional, you know how to treat the glass because it\u2019s part of your profession. Insurance covers \u201caccidents\u201d and scratching glass is not an accident! It means that you don\u2019t have enough professional knowledge. And yes that has happened in our community!<\/p>\n

So let\u2019s keep that from happening. Here are some tips on hiring a professional window cleaner:<\/p>\n

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  1. Insurance.<\/strong>\u00a0Any professional window cleaner will have insurance. There are several different types of insurance but the one that is non-negotiable is Liability Insurance. Make sure they have liability insurance and ask to see a copy of it to check dates and minimums. Again, liability insurance does not cover professionalism such as scratched windows, damage and marks from not using ladder bumpers, putting ladders on something soft that is not stable, etc. It only covers accidents! We include a copy of our insurance with every estimate so you know in advance and don\u2019t even have to ask.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
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    1. Years of Experience<\/strong>. Would you rather have someone at your house cleaning your windows that has 1, 5, 10, or 20 years of experience? Does it matter? Yes! If they have one year of experience and are trying to run their own business, do you think they are knowledgeable about different types of glass and window styles? Blinds? How to safely set up a ladder? Types of water? Types of cleaning products? Customer service? How to handle problems that may come up? Or do you think they may try to hide any damage or just not mention it? How professional are they?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
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      1. Years in Business<\/strong>. How many years has the company been in business? Do they care about their reputation and putting customers first? Or are they a new company just getting their feet wet and just trying it out to maybe be gone in a year or two when things don\u2019t work out? It is important to find a residential window cleaner well established in your local area.\u00a0 Look for a window cleaner that has been in business for at least 5 years and limits his service area within a 25 miles radius from where you live.\u00a0 You want a window cleaner that has been and plans to be in business for a long time.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
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        1. Pricing<\/strong>. Fixed pricing sounds good to a lot of people but it also encourages the window cleaner to cut corners and not do a quality job to make up for lost time. It would be very unprofessional to charge the same amount for 20 panes of glass as for 100 panes of glass. It also begs the question, why? Why would someone charge the same amount for everything? Do they not see their work as a quality service and their time as valuable? Maybe they are just trying to undercut the competition and will raise their price astronomically next time. Or maybe they just don\u2019t do a quality job to begin with. Maybe they are using a pole on every window and not wiping the edges. Definitely something to ask about. The same goes for the window cleaner who is undercharging per pane compared to the industry standard. Why is their pricing so low? Do they not have insurance? Are they cutting corners?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

          We make every effort to look at every job and give you a fair price before starting. Looking at the job ensures that there are no pricing \u201csurprises\u201d. Oftentimes we give a price range on circumstances such as extremely dirty windows that haven\u2019t been cleaned in years that will need extra work to get them clean or technical ladder work. If you\u2019re having your windows cleaned for the first time, there are sometimes unforeseen circumstances such as a gooey substances that doesn\u2019t come off with standard methods, or interior ladder work on a curved staircase that may take more time and precision to be safe. Window cleaners that don\u2019t recognize the unforeseen circumstances are often tempted to cut corners just to get the job done quickly because the price was already set and they know they won\u2019t make enough money to make the job worth the effort. At Peak Window Cleaning, we will always notify you of any difficulties we encounter and of any extra costs it may incur. That way we ensure that you receive a high quality window cleaning at a fair price without cutting any corners! You should know that the going rate in most areas is about $3-5\/per pane of glass per side on average but of course that also depends upon ease of access, average size of each panel and how dirty they are. If you get a quote that is not in that range, ask lots of questions. You\u2019ll be happier in the long run!\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

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          1. What\u2019s Included in the Service?<\/strong> Are you just getting the glass scrubbed and squeegeed or do they take care to make sure that fingerprints, dog kisses, bug marks and other debris is actually removed from the glass before squeegeeing? Are they using a pole and not even looking at the glass at a close distance? Are they cleaning both inside and outside to ensure that you get them as crystal clear as possible? Do they wipe the edges? If not, you can expect drips coming from the edges. Do they wipe the sills? Do they clean the screens? How are they cleaned? Are they just wiped off or do they scrub them or use a professional screen cleaner? It doesn\u2019t make any sense to put a dusty dirty screen back on a clean window. The window will only have that dust and dirt back on it in no time. You want to be clear on what you are paying for and what you will receive as part of the service. The difference between full service and just rinsing off the glass.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
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            1. Specializing in Residential Window Cleaning<\/strong>. A window cleaner that specializes in residential window cleaning is best.\u00a0 Commercial window cleaning is quite a bit different in quality and those businesses generally have a high turnover of employees and may not be experienced in dealing with home furnishings and with being careful with their ladders and buckets of water inside your home.\u00a0 Even outside the home a window cleaner must take extra care to not damage plants or let your pets out of the yard.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
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              1. Professional Presence<\/strong>. Have you heard of the company before? Have you seen them around town? Are they local or are they driving 40-50 miles to come to you? Why? What do your neighbors and friends say? A lot can be gleaned from their website. Is it professionally done? Do they look professional when they arrive at your house? Is their main source of advertising social media? Anyone can post anything on social media, it doesn\u2019t mean they are a professional. Are they associated with any professional organizations? What is their rating with the BBB? Have they had any complaints?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
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                1. Guarantees<\/strong>. Do they guarantee their work? A guarantee demonstrates that this contractor takes pride in their work, is confident with their ability to provide excellent customer service and will stand by their work. If you call back with a question or an issue, how will they respond? A guarantee means that you will be attended to and not forgotten after the job is complete.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                  Asking some or all of these questions will ensure that you receive the service and quality you are looking for. Whether you\u2019re planning to stay in your home for a while or you\u2019re selling your present home and want your home to look its best, hopefully this guide has been helpful to you.<\/p>\n

                  The most important thing to remember is that there are a lot of really good window cleaners out there who are professional, fair and know what they\u2019re doing, but there are also a few who may not be so good. It\u2019s not hard to tell the difference if you know what to look for. Being an informed homeowner and asking these questions will help you make the right decision and save you from a lot of hassles and expenses in the long run.<\/p>\n

                  Good luck and happy window cleaning!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                  Window cleaning season is gearing up but who do you choose for the all important task of cleaning your windows? Maybe the first thing that comes to mind is \u201cwhat do you mean all important, it\u2019s just window cleaning\u201d. Well yes and no. The windows in your house are one of the most expensive items […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[72,3],"tags":[7,11,12,10,13,5,9,14,16,4,8,6,15],"class_list":["post-7","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-hire-a-professional","category-tips-and-resources","tag-cleaning","tag-co","tag-colorado","tag-evergreen","tag-foothills","tag-how-to-hire","tag-how-to-hire-a-window-cleaner","tag-mountains","tag-residential-window-cleaning","tag-window-cleaner","tag-window-cleaning","tag-windows","tag-years-of-experience"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.peakwindowcleaning.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.peakwindowcleaning.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.peakwindowcleaning.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.peakwindowcleaning.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.peakwindowcleaning.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.peakwindowcleaning.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.peakwindowcleaning.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7\/revisions\/8"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.peakwindowcleaning.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.peakwindowcleaning.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.peakwindowcleaning.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}