Choose a window cleaning company

Posted on June 20, 2019 in Cleaning

At Protech we believe that the state of your building says a lot about your home or business, but then you don’t need us to tell you that. Keeping the windows cleaned and sparkling is only a small part of building maintenance and upkeep – but an essential one nonetheless.

Choosing the right window cleaning company can be stressful. Who do you trust, how do you know they will do a great job, do they comply with Health & Safety, do they offer value for money, what am I paying for just the glass or are the window frames included? Etc. and so on.

So, we have put together this simple guide on how to choose a professional window cleaning company.

How to Choose a Professional Window Cleaning Company

Here are our top tips to find the right window cleaning company for you:

• Recommendation. Can your colleagues or friends recommend a high quality window cleaning company? As with most things we believe recommendation is best.
• Established. How long has the company been established? In our experience the more established the contractor, means they must be a quality company otherwise they wouldn’t have endured so long.
• Quality of service. Are they recognised with any originations or accreditation such as BiCS or ISO9001 the Quality Management System.
• Health & Safety. Are they fully compliant with health and safety organisations such as SafeContractor, CHAS, Safe4Site etc. The company should have high safety ratings. This ought to be one of the most important factors to consider when hiring a window cleaning company. They should provide you with their safety rating. A lot of companies can provide this information without being asked. If they are not willing to provide, this is a good sign that they had recent incidents they are not willing to provide.
• Price. Professional window cleaning companies offer fully transparent written quotations including price and specifications. It is advisable to do price comparison so that you can find a company that provides the best value for money.
• View the Window Cleaning Company Website. Needless to say, there are a mountain of websites to choose from, especially if you live in a huge city such as London. This also makes it a lot easier for cowboy window cleaners to take advantage of you. The best way to protect yourself is to educate yourself.
• Insurance. Most legitimate window cleaning companies offer £5,000,000 public liability insurance.
• Benefits. Do they offer additional benefits such as before and after photos if required? Or gutter surveys etc.
• Guarantees. Do they offer an unconditional 14-day guarantee on exterior windows.

What Questions to Ask a Window Cleaner

Finally, you should have been left with a few professional and responsible looking companies. Now is the right time to get in touch with a representative and talk about your specific case in order to be sure they can offer you a customised service.

Here are the most important questions to ask.

Q: Are you going to clean only the glass, or the frames and sills as well?

A: Some cleaners clean all of it, some don’t and will charge extra. It is important to know that in advance. Most companies who use water-fed pole systems, like us, include them in the price. So if you see a price which is suspiciously low, ask them if it includes those elements in the cleaning as well.

Q: Will you remove adhesive substances/stubborn marks?

A: Some might not carry the necessary tools, others could charge extra. So if you’ve spotted a bad mark on some window and you’re not sure, ask in advance.

Q: Is this the final price or will VAT be added?

A: Some companies might hold that information back and suddenly your bill is 20% higher. It’s not correct but technically it’s not against the law. Also ask if there might be any extra charges. With our free quotes you always receive the full price, but there are others that might charge extra for long distance of the address or other hidden stuff.

Q: Are you using water-fed poles or ladders?

A: This might actually be the most important question. If they are using water-fed poles, they most probably will clean the frames and sills and will easily reach every window, with no need to come inside.

Due Diligence – you as a property manager or consumer, have the right and the ability to gain access to as much information as you please about a company, before they start working on your property.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions because by doing so, you will gather information necessary to help you make the best decision.

For information on our window cleaning services please call one of our friendly team on 0845 604 1288 or visit Protech Window Cleaning Solutions.