Want to make more on your home sale?

Realtors and home owners. Check out this blog post from last September. Talk about return on investment!

http://hardwickwindowcleaning.blogspot.com/2009/09/want-to-make-more-on-your-home-sale.html

"Wow. I wasn't expecting that!"

I love the excitement my clients show when their windows are newly cleaned.

"I was coming back from the mailbox and my windows were so shiny." This was uttered by a local doctor, and her inside windows had yet to be cleaned.

Truth be told, there is something special about newly cleaned windows. For example, you can see the difference between the windows at Trappeze Pub on Washington St. in Athens, GA and other restaurants on the same street. Check it out any time.

We clean Trappeze every week. Some of the other restaurants downtown are cleaned less often or simply 'not regularly'. ("Not regularly" is my attempt to be kind. My Mom said "If you can't say something nice . . . ")

Another time the owners of Appointments at Five in Athens said they were surprised when they turned into the driveway and looked at their newly cleaned windows for the first time. One of the owners told me later that as they pulled into the driveway she exclaimed "Wow! They look great."

(I took the pic of Trappeze (above). The Appointments at Five pic came from their Facebook page.)

Hardwick Window Cleaning's clients are the best. Comments like these are not unusual. We'll keep wowing you. Thanks for the smiles.

The Two Bucket Method (Pollen Post 2)

Normally windows are cleaned using a single bucket of water. "So", you ask, "What is the two bucket method and why should I care". It is a window cleaning technique used when the windows are very dirty - like a few weeks ago when the pollen was thick, or on a home or business with windows that haven't been cleaned in over a year.

The tools involved are the two buckets and a wetter. A wetter is a long scrubber used to wipe the window to remove dirt and debris.

1. The first bucket is the rinse. The wetter goes to the window then back into this bucket where it is wrung out a few times by hand. Then the wetter is placed in the second bucket.
2. Bucket number two is the "clean" bucket. It is this water that is washed onto the windows and squeegeed off. So the whole process looks like this:
• Wipe off the windows
• Rinse the wetter
• Put the wetter in clean water
• Wash the window again.

We don't need to use the two bucket method very often. Regularly cleaned windows shouldn't get dirty enough to require it. A couple of weeks ago the pollen was so heavy that we not only used the two bucket method, but we used a three step process where bucket #1 (the rinse) was used to give an initial scrubbing to wash the bulk of the pollen off the first, #2 was the rinse to get the rest of the gunk off, #3 was the clean bucket after which window was squeegeed. Sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do.

Pollen, Pollen, Everywhere (Pollen Post 1)

I was talking with a new business owner last week. He told me about the restaurant he is opening soon in Athens. It seems that while getting their space ready to house the restaurant they were painting the exterior of the building. It just happened that the painting was done a few weeks ago . . . . during the worst of the pollen this year. The business owner said that they are now the ultimate green business; how much more natural can you get than mixing pollen with your paint?

"Rainy Night In Georgia"

It is raining again in Georgia and I am reminded of all the great songs that mention the state of Georgia.

• Rainy Night in Georgia (Ray Charles) 
• Georgia On My Mind (Ray Charles solo or Ray Charles with Willie Nelson)
• Midnight Train To Georgia (Gladys Knight and the Pips)
• Devil Went Down To Georgia (Charlie Daniels Band)
• Sweet Georgia Brown (A jazz standard with no lyrics. Used by the Harlem Globetrotters.)
• Why Georgia (John Mayer)
• Georgia Bound (Blind Blake)
• Georgia On A Fast Train (Billy Joe Shaver)

Got any other ideas?

Lynn Edwards in Southern Distinction Magazine

I just read a great article about Lynn Edwards in Southern Distinction Magazine. Ok, I was a little late reading the March, 2010 publication. Lynn owns Southern Comforts, an upscale consignment shop in Five Points in Athens, GA.

I could not get the article to show up online at Southern Distinction.com, but find the March edition (pink dogwood flower on front) and look at page 90 and following.

Her shop is a great decorating and collecting resource for antiques and difficult to find items. Lynn is a lot of fun and loves her job. Her windows look pretty good too.

A Down and Dirty Definition Of Leadership

The answer to whether or not one is a leader is not a statement, the answer is a rhetorical question.

Are you a leader if no one follows?

This question is not original to me, but a friend asks me this on occasion. Sometimes, as I examine my own life, I don't like the answer I have to give. Other times I can see how I am being a leader in my industry and community. Think about it . . . Are you a leader if no one follows? What do you think? Leave your comments here.

Not funny, but I laughed anyway.

I couldn't make up a better recommendation than this. The employees at Tires Plus and at The Dawg House told me what happened. (Kinda wish I had seen it happen, but it is probably best that I didn't).

Apparently a man walked straight into the window on the left thinking it was an open doorway.

A large dog at this dog grooming salon was placed in the open space on the left and proceeded to try to walk "outside" only to bump his nose on the glass.

Disclaimer: No people or animals were injured in these incidents, but the man probably uttered some things you would not want your kids to hear, and the dog probably did the same.

Considering tinting your windows? Here are 4 things to keep in mind

Many business in sunny areas of the country have a tinted film on the inside of their windows to help block the sun. However, once the tint gets scratched it simply starts to look bad.

This picture shows scratched and peeled tint on a door in Athens

Here are four suggestions for the care of the tinted film on your windows:

1. Do not put tape on the tint. The tape adhesive sticks so well to the tinted material that it may be difficult to remove both the tape and its adhesive without leaving permanent marks behind.
2. Never use a sharp object to scrape things off of the tinted film. The tinted material is basically a thin adhesive piece of plastic not too unlike a transparent piece of tape. A razor blade will quickly cut through it. To clean, gently rub the place with a wet towel. Rubbing too hard may leave scratches. (On occasion you may have to leave a spot or two on the window rather than risk damaging the tint.)
3. Be careful not to let things touch your windows, especially sharp things. It won't take much to scratch or even remove a portion of the tinted film. 
4. Lastly, consider not using tinted material on the door. Even if you have a tint applied to the rest of your windows leaving it off the door may keep the door looking better. Rings, fingernails, deliveries, strollers, merchandise, I could go on and on, all pose a scratching threat to the tint. A constant rubbing from a bell or wreath on the door may leave marks as well.

So, why all the talk about this window tinting thing? Am I trying to convince you to shy away from it? No, I believe an informed decision is the best decision. Window tinting is often a good thing. It can be an effective method to block the sun and reduce cooling bills. Just recognize its drawbacks as well. Weigh both the pros and the cons when you make your decision.

Do you have a "My Former Window Cleaner" story?

I had a conversation with an Athens entrepreneur last week and here is how he described a former window cleaner, "He wasn't predictable. He didn't come back every two weeks like I kept asking him to."

I hear the "my former window cleaner" refrain frequently. Sadly, many of my residential and commercial clients have an unfavorable impression of the job done, or the professionalism witnessed in other window cleaning companies.

Now, in all fairness, we are fortunate here in Athens, GA to have a few good window cleaning companies from which to choose. And the entrepreneur mentioned above admitted that he had just hired a guy who cleaned windows for cash. I call these guys 'off the grid' workers.

We hope that your story will become a positive "my current window cleaner" story and that you will tell people about Hardwick Window Cleaning. We are not perfect, but we have a long list of clients who love our work and our professionalism.

(Sidebar)
After writing this post I had a not-so-great situation come up. Yesterday I went to clean a local restaurant that we clean every other week. I received a funny look from the assistant manager when I came in and he commented that they had not seen me in a while. This disturbed me so I cleaned the windows then hustled to my truck and checked my books. In fact, he was correct. I had missed a cleaning. It came down to a scheduling issue with my software that had been corrected that morning.

I had two choices. Clean the windows, smile, and pretend that nothing happened, or fess up. I chose the latter and apologized verbally and in a written apology note.

Listen, mistakes happen, but is there anything more frustrating than being treated poorly by a company and the company refusing to admit that a mistake was made? I never want to personally or professionally be accused of glossing over a glaring mistake.
(End Sidebar)

Got a "My Former Window Cleaner" story you want to share? Post your comments here.