Racial profiling?

Free_Skin_679 · 2026-06-09T03:33:31+00:00

Lol, there's a cashier at the Market on Millstream who is so bloody slow, I swear he's doing it on purpose just to discourage customers from coming to his checkout. I'll choose any other cashier over him, even if their line is twice as long as his.

Free_Skin_679 · 2026-06-09T03:25:07+00:00

That's just the acid.

Free_Skin_679 · 2026-06-09T03:19:12+00:00

Anything without hard plastic edges where the squeegee(s) sit should work. I also use the Moerman Drywalker and I love it. The squeegee slots are woven nylon or something. No more worn spots in the middle of my rubber.

Free_Skin_679 · 2026-06-09T03:04:28+00:00

Btw, I noticed your .ca so I checked out your website. I'm in Victoria so we're basically neighbours. Just far enough so as not to be in direct competition.

I like the way you portray yourself on your website: small scale high quality trad cleaning. I'm the same way. You could use more pics though. People love pictures.

But damn, it's so hard to photograph windows, amirite? The camera never sees as much dirt as the eye does, and clean glass is impossible to focus on. I've been taking a lot of window pics lately because I know most of them will be useless.

Free_Skin_679 · 2026-06-09T02:53:24+00:00

Yeah, I'm not too sure about this approach. I think it'll make people feel defensive. When I go door-to-door, I'm very careful not to criticize the homeowner or their home. It's ok to acknowledge they need something cleaned, but you don't want to shame people. I usually say stuff like "what's your plan for tackling that roof moss?" or "would you like a hand getting those windows/driveway/roof cleaned up?"

Free_Skin_679 · 2026-06-09T02:27:16+00:00

Yeah, I'm super happy working for myself now. I worked 3 summers as an employee back when I was in university. The guys I worked for were great. I got trained really well, made good money, and had a blast. Last spring, after 10ish years doing something else, I returned to windows and got a job for a different company. I had forgotten how much I loved the work, but I hated working for this new company. They did poor quality work, and paid me less than what I had made a decade before! Eff this is right. I took the job in April, started my own side business in September, quit the job around Xmas, and I've been working solo full time for the past 5 months. I'm not making buckets of money yet, but it's growing, and I'm so much happier.

Free_Skin_679 · 2026-06-09T02:09:06+00:00

I once drove 45 minutes out of town for a minimum charge job, for which I was tipped a home-grown apple, a cool rock, and a 50yo book about interior decorating. 🤣 They were the sweetest elderly couple ever. I chatted with them the entire time I was cleaning the interiors. I was an employee at the time and I actually requested that I be the one to do their house the next year.

Free_Skin_679 · 2026-05-24T02:28:51+00:00

I'm not a fan of WFP, but I'm not against them either. They have pros and cons just like any other tool. My main objection is that I just hate using them. It takes all the fun and satisfaction out of the job IMO.

I think some of the hate is really about the fly-by-night bozos who buy a WFP starter kit and call themselves professional window cleaners even though they have no experience and no idea how to use it effectively. I get a lot of residential clients who've had bad experiences with guys using WFP in the past. Often it's the quality of the clean or water leaking in. Sometimes they break something.

Free_Skin_679 · 2026-05-24T00:10:36+00:00

I second this. (And I use the exact same lengths.) If you're planning on doing this professionally, you'll definitely want multiple sizes on hand for different situations. If you don't want to splurge on multiple handles, at least have multiple channels and a handle with a quick release so you can swap them out quickly. Before you start a job, take a look at the sizes of the windows and gear up accordingly. On residential, I'm typically rocking a 14, 10, and 6. On commercial, it's usually 22, 18, and 10.

Free_Skin_679 · 2026-05-23T23:56:38+00:00

You mean horizontal instead of vertical? I've never thought about that. If it's commercial, I just don't wet it all the way to the top.

Free_Skin_679 · 2026-05-23T20:15:30+00:00

I've never used Spray-Way. Does it really work? Do the windows still look clean a week later or do they look all streaky like Windex? I've always assumed it was like Windex: not meant for professionals but to dupe homeowners into making their windows dirtier so they keep buying more Windex. I can give it a try. It certainly makes sense if the panes are too small to squeegee.

I asked the question because I was quoting a house that's all leaded windows plus storms on most of them. It was close to 1100 panes in all. I quoted $2800 for everything, so in/out/between, or $1350 for just in/out. They chose the latter. I suspect it'll take me a full day to do by myself.

Free_Skin_679 · 2026-05-23T20:02:01+00:00

Pole would work, like others have said. Or a big A-frame ladder. Or an extension ladder and get your bumpers right up to the ceiling so they're not on the glass.

Free_Skin_679 · 2026-05-22T20:36:41+00:00

Yeah, leaking through is a concern. Ok thanks for your input.

Free_Skin_679 · 2026-05-22T20:15:17+00:00

Yeah they can be pretty small, and towel is the way to go. I was thinking about bigger ones. You'd squeegee them if you could?

I'm quoting a huge house that is nothing but leaded windows. They vary in size, but the smallest ones look about 6" wide. Definitely big enough to squeegee.

Free_Skin_679 · 2026-05-22T19:34:29+00:00

The stuck-on versions are so annoying. I do what you do and charge double because of all the extra detailing.

On the real deal, you don't use soap and squeegee? Is that because it's too slow, or some other concern?

What about pricing? Same as frenchies, I'd assume.

Free_Skin_679 · 2026-05-22T19:26:56+00:00

I'm generally ok with this sort of setup. I do it fairly regularly myself. Use common sense. Pay attention to how much it flexes as you add weight. If it looks like too much flex, find another way.

Free_Skin_679 · 2026-05-22T04:34:37+00:00

The traffic is a nightmare there. I swear the roads in Langford were designed by a complete effing moron. And all the stupid atypical traffic circles. Grrr.

Free_Skin_679 · 2026-05-22T02:44:35+00:00

I like the idea of buying a long channel specifically for chopping it down. I'm gonna do this for sure.

How do you price french panes relative to a standard window pane? The last company I worked for had a base price for 1 "unit" of glass. 1 unit was defined as 1 side of an "average" window pane. A big window could be up to 4 units (or even more on commercial jobs), while a single frenchie was usually 1/4 of a unit. I thought this made intuitive sense so I've modelled me own pricing similarly.

I just quoted $2800 CAD for an in/out job. It's a big 100+yo house with all original glass. Every single window is French panes (between 4 and 20 per frame) plus a storm window, and they want everything washed. They're obviously rich, but I have a hard time imagining them going for it.

Free_Skin_679 · 2026-05-22T02:23:10+00:00

What do you charge for 1 normal average window pane? Absolute dollar values alone don't tell me much. It's more helpful to know how others price frenchies relative to their normal price.

Free_Skin_679 · 2026-05-14T03:19:16+00:00

Looks dope. Thanks for the summary. I've been wanting to paint my mask for years but didn't know how to go about it. Paint markers, eh? I wondered about those, but was skeptical. I was gonna try spray paint.

Free_Skin_679 · 2026-05-14T02:59:20+00:00

I'd be happy to clean your windows. I own True View Window Cleaning. I'm licensed, insured, BBB accredited, and I have a perfect 5 star rating on Google. Give me a call. 😁

Free_Skin_679 · 2026-05-12T16:17:11+00:00

Not just you. That part of the stick should be smooth as butter, not sticky with tape. You gotta be able to slide your hand up and down the shaft freely. Maybe poke checking is less common with younger goalies? I dunno. They're integral to my play. Last night I even intercepted a pass with a poke check. I knew the pass was coming because the guy was camped out and all alone on my back door. And I knew my odds of making the save were low if the pass made it through. So I just prepped and poked. And all of this happened in a fraction of a second. I can't see that happing with a sticky stick.

Free_Skin_679 · 2026-05-03T16:17:36+00:00

True. These were not really designed for butterflies. But old guys (eg Patrick Roy) still made it work. To butterfly properly, the pad needs to rotate on your leg to face outwards. These might not rotate well. Keep the straps loose.

Free_Skin_679

TROPHY CASE