Windows! Windows!

It's game 2 of the World Series.  Rangers are down 1-0.  San Fran's best hitter is up to bat and Manager Ron Washington calls the bullpen and asks for...you?  Now, you might be a pretty good pitcher.  You might have even played some ball in school.  But are you, yes, you, sitting on the couch watching the game, are you the best choice for a professional baseball team?  Probably not.

This Little Caesars Pizza in River Oaks was a pretty easy job.  Anybody could clean the windows of this place.  The problem is somebody prior to my cleaning them had evidently tried to clean them with a degreaser or some other caustic chemical and a large section of one of the windows was permanently stained and cloudy.  I got the dirt, adhesive and excess paint off the windows but even I couldn't fix the stain.  So, next time, leave the window cleaning - and the baseball - to the pros!

Beautiful house, beautiful day!

This beautiful house was surrounded by woods and open pasture and was owned by a very nice couple.  Combined with a beautiful day, it was a joy to work on.  I didn't want to leave.  Plus I had Diva there to help me!

Another satisfied customer!

As I was washing the windows at my parents' house my mother said, "Oh, Todd, when you get through I'm just gonna say halleluiah!"  So here's the finished product.

Outtakes!

How clean, Todd?

People who have never had their windows cleaned professionally invariably fail to understand why they should pay money for something they can do themselves.  Conversely, it is very clear (get it, clear?) to people who have paid a professional to clean their windows why they should do so every six to twelve months.  I hear people say all the time that they just use Windex and a rag and it works great.  Why should they hire somebody to do that?  Let me explain.

Under a microscope, you can see that glass is not smooth at all.  It has millions of tiny bumps, undulations and crevices not unlike the moon's surface.  Each of those bumps reflects light differently.  Using a rag, one cannot remove all the water from the surface of the glass in each of those crevices and that water reflects differently and at all angles causing a slight "filmy" look to appear.  It is also very difficult to remove all the streaks that even Windex leaves behind without using a squeegee.

Add to that the fact that professionals such as myself use special steel wool on the outside especially and also clean the screen and window tracks and sills on a typical cleaning.  Using special techniques and the right equipment make all the difference when you want more than "pretty clean".

How much, Todd?

People ask me all the time how much I charge to clean windows.  It's a perfectly reasonable question that is sometimes difficult to answer and here are some reasons why.  First, I need to know if you want me to clean inside and outside or just the outside.  The outside is usually much more time-consuming since on houses there is usually a screen and the outside is dirtier and sometimes harder to get to.  Also, do you have storm windows or double panes because those are double pains to get clean.  Is there alot of furniture to move inside?  Do you have kids or dogs that are going to bite me?  Two story house or only one story?  Are you a jerk?  All of those things can factor in so it is hard to give an estimate without looking at the house.

All of that being said you can estimate (very roughly) about five to seven dollars per window for inside and out of a house.  Consider though that estimates are free and I would be glad to come to your house to look at it with no obligation whatsoever.  I clean the windows, screens, and sills until all parts of the window are making you happy.  Give me a call.  I promise you it is money well-spent!

I can't pronounce it but their windows are clean.

I gave this gentleman an excellent deal on cleaning his windows and I have to say I did an excellent job.  I scrubbed all the windows and on the outside I went back over it with real fine steel wool and then made sure there were no streaks from top to bottom.  I got the adhesive residue off the door and above the door as well and cleaned up from where the last guy tried to clean them.  It was a job I was proud of and so I tried to tell the owner but as so often happens there was a language barrier.  He didn't understand "adhesive", in fact, he might not have understood "door" but that's okay.  If my name is on the work it will be done right and at least my blog friends will know that even if the owner doesn't fully appreciate it.  The food smelled good, though, so he's doing what he is supposed to do.

Why windows?

Several people have asked me why I started a window cleaning business.  Of all the different things, why windows?  There are several reasons and the most obvious and simple reason is, of course, to make money but there are several other more involved reasons.  First, this is not as much a window business as it is a people business and I like people.  I am not a sit-behind-a-desk kinda guy.  I would rather meet new people and make new friends.  It's also a good feeling to know that I helped somebody.  At the end of the day I can look at something I did and be proud of the effort.  If I make a living at it then at the end of my life I'll know it was for something good.  It's not a bad life!

And here are some pictures of some of the beautiful houses I worked on this week. 

The website is up and running!

Still under construction but the website is now functional!  Check it out at http://www.sonlightwindows.com/

As usual, thank you, Lisa!

I hope to post some pictures of today's work this weekend.