What
to Expect From Our Residential Service
UPON ARRIVAL
When our crew arrives, they will introduce themselves before they begin work. Since every house is different, they may walk around the building to determine their approach.
You are free to let our workers know where you prefer they start working. If you do not have a preference, they will typically start with the inside of the top floor.
HOW MUCH TIME WILL IT TAKE?
In most cases, we assign as many workers to a job as are needed
to complete it in one day or less. On rare occasions, one day is
not enough, and we will make the necessary arrangements at the time
of scheduling. Should we miscalculate the time needed to finish,
and are required to return another day, our office will contact
you to set up a completion date.
CLEANLINESS
Our system uses soapy water and squeegees, and we make every effort to avoid tracking dirt or dripping water in your home. Our workers will gladly remove their shoes or cover them with booties while working inside your home if you request it.
MOVING HOUSEHOLD ITEMS
We understand that your household items are valuable to you and
would not want to be responsible for their damage. Therefore, we
ask that you remove any items that are either attached to the windows
or located on the sills to minimize the risk of breakage or water
damage. Should you forget to move an item, we will carefully place
it out of the way.
Any movable furniture that needs to be set aside in order to access
a window will be moved by our workers, and then returned to its
place once they are finished. Though it is easier to clean a window
with no curtains, it is not necessary for window treatments to be
removed in most cases. However, if a window is trimmed with a full
panel, it may have to be removed. Many customers find this to be
a convenient time to clean their curtains and remove them prior
to our arrival for that purpose.
OUTSIDE USE OF LADDERS
When using ladders outside, our workers are trained to be safety
conscious. We are also careful to position ladders where they will
not damage your landscaping. For example, sometimes in setting up
ladders, bark mulch is disturbed, but we make sure to smooth it
out when we are done.
To protect the surfaces of your house from scuffs or dents, we
use soft rubber pads called "bumpers" at the tops of our
ladders.
INSIDE USE OF LADDERS
In some homes, we may have to use a step ladder or even an extension ladder inside the house in order to access higher windows. Before taking a ladder inside, we clean the feet if necessary to avoid tracking in dirt or staining flooring and carpets. In the case of extension ladders, we place a rubber-backed mat under the feet, which also prevents the ladder from slipping. We place bumpers at the tops of extension ladders to prevent marking or staining walls.
In some situations, our workers will place drop cloths in order to avoid dripping on furniture or carpets.
CLEANING SCREENS
As a standard practice, we wipe screens down with a damp sponge as we clean each window. This helps to extend the cleanliness of your windows. Taking screens outside to hose them down, if requested, incurs an extra fee of $1 per screen.
BROKEN SEALS
Many homes have "thermo-pane" windows. This type of window has two panes of glass sealed together with a gas-filled space in between to act as an insulator. The factory seals in these windows sometimes break during shipping or with the settling of a house, which, over time, allows moisture to enter and become trapped between the panes of glass and creates a gray or white residue which cannot be removed. We can still clean the outer surfaces, but it would be necessary to contact a retail window outlet if you choose to replace the glass.
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Additional
Services
The following window cleaning services require additional labor beyond normal window cleaning and involve an extra fee. When we call you to schedule your window cleaning, please let us know if you choose any of these services so that we can allow enough time to complete the work. Our representative will give you the price for the additional services when he submits a proposal.
EXTRA SCRAPING
Any small adhesions that do not wash off, such as paint spots or
tape glue, are scraped off when we wash a window. However, if several
windows need excessive scraping to make them look clean, we charge
an additional amount to cover the extra labor involved.
"SCREEN BURN"
Some windows have "screen burn" which can appear as anything from small water spots to a heavy gray haze on the outside of the glass. This occurs as a result of rain water passing through the screen and depositing oxidized metal onto the glass. These deposits do not wash or scrape off, and a special treatment must be used to restore the glass to its original shine. If our representative notices this condition on any of your windows, he will discuss it with you the first time we look at your house.
AIR CONDITIONERS
Many homes have air conditioners installed in one or more windows. If a unit is permanently installed, we simply clean the inside and outside of the window surfaces that are exposed.
Some A/C units are removable, in which case we offer three options:
a) We can leave the unit in and clean exposed surfaces only, as
described above, at no additional charge.
b) We can remove the unit from the window, place it
on a mat or old towel that you provide, and leave it out.
c) After cleaning the window, we can replace the unit into its original
position.
There is an extra fee for handling an air conditioner. The fee is based on the size of the unit and complexity of installation. We reserve the right not to remove a unit if we feel it is larger or more involved than we can handle safely.
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Beyond Window Cleaning
Bell Window Cleaning also does light duty pressure washing and gutter, chandelier and ceiling fan cleaning. In addition, in the Concord area only, we offer snow plowing and sanding for driveways and small commercial parking lots.
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Once We Finish
BILLING AND PAYMENT
When we have finished cleaning your windows, and
once you have inspected our work and are fully satisfied, our workers
will submit an invoice. Payment with cash, check or credit card
is due upon completion of work unless prior arrangements have been
made.
PLEASE HELP US IMPROVE
We welcome positive and helpful comments from all of our clients. Any calls or notes to our office with concerns you have about your experience with Bell Window Cleaning are appreciated. If we don’t know what our customers are thinking, we can’t make any necessary adjustments to improve our service.
We also love compliments and referrals.
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If you have any questions or require additional information, please
contact us. We look forward to hearing
from you soon.
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