Frequently Asked Questions About Window Cleaning
Over the years, we’ve noticed that our customers tend to ask the same questions. Here at Clear Vision, we spend all day cleaning windows and completing external property cleaning services. Sometimes we take for granted that not everybody knows the business as we do. So, we’ve compiled a list of our most frequently asked questions, and hopefully, the answers are as clear as your windows will be.
Do You Offer Commercial Window Cleaning as well as Residential?
We do indeed. We clean all types of windows on styles of property and vessels. Some commercial jobs may require more frequent visits or specialist cleaning techniques and equipment. We are fully insured and compliant in all areas of Health and Safety with IPAF certification.
How Often Should I Have My Windows Cleaned?
Frequency comes down to your personal choice, although we are more than happy to advise you. At Clear Vision we offer regular window cleaning services at different frequencies in order to cater for everyone. Most of our residential customers opt for either a 4, 6 or 8 weekly service and some decide that every 12 weeks is sufficient for their needs. Others choose to increase our visits throughout spring & summer, pushing it back slightly in the winter months and a few just want an adhoc clean for end of tenancy or to put their property on the market. A one off clean does come with a premium price attached as this invariably takes more time, water and a deeper clean to get your windows, frames and sills sparkling. By opting for our regular service, you may find the very first clean comes with a small surcharge (usually no more than £10.00), as this covers the additional operating costs to ensure we have removed all the dirt and stubborn grime tucked away in your seals and vents. Subsequent scheduled cleans will then fall under our “maintenance clean”, this means we are able to pass on a saving to the price per clean as the intense clean has been completed and effectively we are now maintaining the cleanliness for you.
Can You Clean Internal Windows?
Yes, absolutely we can… Our range of internal glass cleaning isn’t limited to windows, glass lanterns, orangery glass, conservatory roof glass, balustrades, large bi-fold doors and floor to ceiling glass features fall into our available internal service offerings. As we will require access inside your home or place of work, you will require a firm appointment booked in advance. These services are priced individually and take into consideration the size and work involved. Prior to our arrival, we will ask you to ensure your windowsills are clear so that we have full access to clean and wipe all surfaces without risk to your items.
Do I have to be Present When You Clean My Windows?
Not at all. As lovely as it is to see our customers face-to-face, we don’t need you to be at home on the day of your scheduled clean. All we ask is that we have your up-to-date contact information so we can keep you updated by sending out a friendly reminder text or email, (usually 1 or 2 days before we are due). Most of our customers are happy to leave their gate unlocked so we can clean the windows at the back of their house. Once we have finished your clean, we close up, locking up if it’s possible, but making sure your home is secure. We pop a calling card through your door to let you know we have been. This card will have the approximate date of your next visit, the name of your window cleaner, our bank details for online payment and the amount due. If you are uncomfortable leaving us with access, with prior permission, we can use our ladders to get over a locked gate. This only happens as a last resort and only with permission from the homeowner.
How Will I Know When to Expect you?
Before every scheduled visit (and providing we have your current contact information) we will send out reminder texts / emails, usually the morning of the day before. In some circumstances we can give more than a days notice, although currently this will need to arranged with us on an individual basis. Whether you chose to receive a text or email format, both reminder services have a two way response facility but this is limited to text and not pictures.
Do You Clean Windows In Bad Weather?
Rain makes absolutely no difference to the efficiency of our purified-water-fed-pole system, so we will carry on rain or shine. Strong winds can be problematic to our work as we use long carbon fibre poles, which can be affected if we’re working at heights. If we have to rearrange your scheduled visit due to adverse weather conditions, we will make contact with you to let you know and will do our best to rebook your clean within 7 working days.
The Team
Do you offer traditional window cleaning?
Yes we do, in fact we adopt this method of window cleaning when cleaning the insides of your windows. If we didn’t we would drown the inside of your home with our water fed poles. Quite simply the water fed pole system is a much more effective and efficient way of cleaning modern day style windows. It means we are able to operate at height without the use of a ladder, thus making it safer and also enabling us to clean your whole window, frame and sills. The equipment we use is all tested and compliant with industry standards and is gentle enough on your glass, frames and sills, while still allowing us to deep clean your property.
That said, we can be flexible in our approach as we do get asked to clean the windows on listed buildings and also windows fitted pre 1935 that might need a little more TLC around the wooden frames, sills and potentially any flaky paintwork. Each traditional job is assessed on the type and style of windows and there is a chance that a traditional service will come with a small surcharge to cover the additional time it will take to complete the clean.
I Have Regularly Scheduled Appointments but Need to Miss One, is this okay?
We understand that life is unpredictable; sometimes, appointments must be postponed or cancelled. If you have to inform us of any problems with the visit, we ask that you contact us by 7pm on the day of the reminder. This means we can offer the available slot to another customer. Cancellations after 7pm or on the day of your clean may incur the full charge of your scheduled clean. We aim to give you 48 hours notice of our intention to attend and complete your scheduled clean.
I Have a Dog. Is that a Problem?
We love dogs of all shapes and sizes but realise some may get anxious, over-protective and agitated when unfamiliar visitors arrive to work on their property. If that’s likely to be the case, we politely request that you ensure they are indoors and don’t have the freedom of running around the garden. The last thing we want is them bolting out of the property or taking chunks out of our team.
How Long Does it Take to Clean my Windows?
Generally speaking the time it will take to clean all the windows on a property is down to the size, the access, the angles and obviously how many & what style of windows you have. An initial or adhoc clean will invariably take us longer to complete. This is due to the fact that firstly we will need to clean, scrub and rinse thoroughly your window frames, seals and vents to loosen the hidden and stubborn dirt. Once we are satisfied we have removed everything from these areas, we will then proceed to clean the window pane, before rinsing thoroughly. This process is more in-depth and time consuming as it sets the standards for the maintenance cleans going forward. A maintenance clean is involves a thorough clean and rinse of all parts of your window, however it shouldn’t take as long. Most of our team have extensive experience, and with years of practice comes speed. As long as you are thrilled with your clean once the natural drying process has completed, the time it takes doesn’t really matter.
How do you clean windows & why do you leave them wet?
In order to provide and maintain a highly professional & efficient service, we use the Reach & Wash water fed pole cleaning system. This allows us to reach all those tricky and awkward windows, up to 75 feet high (or 7 storeys), with both feet firmly on the ground. This systems also allows us to clean your whole window including the frames and sills, and this applies to your external doors and door frames as well.
Unlike traditional methods, which rely on a soapy cleaning agent, a squeegee and cloth to remove the soap suds, the Reach & Wash system will be left wet to dry naturally. Part of the beauty of using this method is that we purify our own water at Clear Vision HQ, this means we can ensure the water has been through the correct filtration process and is of the finest quality when it is transferred into our vehicles each day. Without the electrostatic charge, it is extremely efficient at dissolving dirt and rinsing it away. All of our vehicles are equipped with systems to heat the water, prior to your clean, which will give you the perfect results. We liken it to doing the washing up… you wouldn’t wash your dishes in cold water and expect fabulous results, so why would cleaning your windows in cold water be any different?
Why are there Spots on my Window?
Ordinarily the purified water cleaning method will give a bright, shiny and totally spot free finish every clean. However sometimes, particularly on first cleans, you may experience an unusual build up of soap residues from previous traditional cleaning methods. You might experience the rubber sealing gaskets on your windows have perished with age, trapping the dirt in the cracks which could potentially drip onto the glass after we have left. Old paint and UPVC can also become degraded by sunlight, which can subsequently leak onto your glass or dirt could drip from your vents. This doesn’t happen often, however if you find yourself in this category, it may be that it will take us 1 or 2 cleans using our hot pure water to achieve perfect results. This is where our customer promise comes in its own. We will simply come back and re-clean any windows that don’t dry naturally streak and spot free, with no additional charge, providing you let us know within 48 hours of the clean. Please don’t be offended if we ask you to check the marks are definitely on the external side of your window and not on the inside of the glass. It may surprise you to learn that the majority of our call backs are little wet nose, paw prints or little finger marks on the inside!
How do I make Payment?
Many of our customers settle their accounts with a simple online bank transfer, using the 1st line of their address as the payment reference. This ensures we are able to reconcile all online payments to the correct customer account. We accept all major credit and debit card payments over the phone, call the office on 0800 567 7169 and we will take you through a simple transaction. We still accept cash payments on the day of your clean alternatively we also offer a GoCardless solution with instant pay or a Direct Debit option. For more information please email emma@clearvisionservices.co.uk
What Other Services do you Offer?
We offer a whole compliment of external property cleaning services besides internal & external window cleaning. Our team are fully trained and experienced in everything from cleaning solar panels, cleaning soffits and fascia boards, clearing, emptying your guttering and checking downpipes for blockages, to jet washing patio areas, soft washing or steam cleaning brickwork and block paving or driveways, roof scraping and external property cleaning services. We also offer a few internal cleaning solutions including carpet and commercial office cleaning. For more information please check out our “Residential or Commercial Services”, alternatively call us on 02380 477 912 to chat through the options.
Are you Eco-Friendly?
We are very aware just how much of an impact an SME can have on the environment and what we can do to minimise our own carbon footprint. Our office has been given a “green” makeover, our lighting is is all LED fixtures and fittings. Our office team make a conscious effort to recycle and reuse our office supplies. We practice green procurement with all of our suppliers, this includes choosing local businesses to reduce the shipping costs and transit costs. We use eco-friendly, refillable cleaning products on our commercial cleaning client sites. Our field based window cleaning team have their routes planned meticulously in order to reduce our fuel consumption and emissions. We filter and purify our own water at HQ, this means we don’t waste any water to the sewer but instead to a storm drain, which sends it back into the water system. This system, used in conjunction with our Water Fed Pole method of cleaning, ensures we are providing the most cost effective and environmentally efficient window & external property cleaning services.
Can I Cancel My Service at Any Time?
Absolutely yes you can… If you decide to come on board on a regular service we ask you to have a minimum of 4 scheduled cleans on your chosen frequency. That gives us ample time to ensure your windows, frames and sills are beautifully clean and all stubborn dirt and hidden grime has been cleaned away. Please don’t be offended if we ask you why you have chosen not to continue with your service, we are keen to understand and improve what we offer and to tweak if necessary. If you feel any of clean hasn’t lived up to your expectations (when allowed to dry naturally), we have a customer satisfaction promise that we stand by… All you need to do is let us know within 48 hours of your clean that things aren’t quite the way they should be and we will come back and rectify any issues – at no additional charge to you. If you don’t tell us, we will be none the wiser and won’t know we need to come back!
What Areas Do You Cover?
Clear Vision Window Cleaning operates in Southampton and surrounding areas and has done since 2005.
Our Southampton Team cover Winchester, Stockbridge, Romsey, Sutton Scotney, Chandlersford, Eastleigh, Bishops Waltham, Hedge End, West End, Central Southampton, Locks Heath, Warsash, Park Gate, Fareham, Stubbington, Lee on Solent, Titchfield, Titchfield Common, Segensworth, Whiteley, Burridge, Curdridge, Botley, Portchester, Shedfield, Soberton, Waltham Chase, Wickham, Swanmore, Fair Oak, Mansbridge, Salisbury Green, Hamble-le-Rice, Bursledon, Bitterne, Netley, Weston, North Stoneham, Chilworth, North Baddesley, Rownhams, Nursling, Shirley, Swanwick, Ampfield, Crampmoor, Abbotswood, Braishfield, Timsbury, Michelmersh, Mottisfont, Whiteparish, Wellow, West Yellow, Sherfield English, Ower, Cadnam, Totton, Hythe, Marchwood, Minstead, Lymington, Brockenhurst, Lyndhurst, Ashurst, Beaulieu, Holborn, Blackfield, Dibden Purlieu, Dibden, Hursley, Twyford, Colden Common, Common, Otterbourne, Lockerley
Are you a Member of any Professional Bodies or Trade Organisations?
We are proud members of Checkatrade, the FWC (The Federation of Window Cleaning), IPAF and CHAS. If you wish to give feedback, please visit our Checkatrade page or leave a review on Google. Alternatively, you can check out our Facebook page or our LinkedIn page.
So, if you’re interested in sparkling clean windows, get in touch with us today. We look forward to working with you soon.
