Clean Up With A Window Washing Business...Andrew Safer

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The following article originally appeared in LIFESTYLE! a one-time sister publication of THE MOTHER EARTH included it here because [1] few of MOTHER's readers saw it the first time around, [2] it so concisely explains the "nuts NEWS® The piece was written by Andrew Safer about his window-washing experiences in Missoula, Montana. We've. and bolts" of the business, and [3] it proves that the enterprise can be operated in the colder parts of the country, too!

It was about the time when I was getting fed up with college, fed up with taking money every month from my father (who really couldn't afford it), and fed up with the whole dependency bag ... that a friend jokingly suggested I set myself up as a professional window washer.

Well, why not? Regular jobs were hard to find and I didn't want to fill out W-2 forms or gear my life to an alarm clock anyway. I decided to investigate the idea.

Mind you, I didn't know anything about washing windows aside from what we all learn as kids ... Windex, paper towels, and smears. So I thumbed through the Yellow Pages of the phone book to "Janitorial Supplies", zeroed in on a local supply house, and went on down to look over the tools of the trade.

I immediately leveled with the guy in the store, told him I didn't know a dang thing about the business, and asked him to clue me in on the equipment I'd need. He did and here's the gear I settled on.

SQUEEGEES . For starters, two (one with a blade six inches wide and another 18 inches across) are enough. It's important to get squeegees with flexible rubber edges that are responsive to the touch. My favorite model is the Master, made by Steccone Products Company of Oakland, California.

POLE. Any old wooden pole to which your squeegees can be securely fastened will do ... but I went pro right from the beginning and bought a fancy aluminum model that extends out to 18 feet in length.

BRUSH. One is probably about as good as another, as long as you can attach it to your pole and use it to slop on the cleaning solution.

BUCKET. If you already have a standard pail of some kind you may well want to use it ... although I bought a watertight canvas bucket that is perfect for traveling. I can collapse the flexible container, stick it in my backpack with the retracted pole and my other equipment ... and carry the entire business wherever I go.

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