The Comfort Inn in Pickering is a recent addition to our family. Unfortunately, the windows were badly neglected. My pictures do not do it justice. They were very dirty, and obviously had not been cleaned in years.
I found this strange, because when I toured the hotel, I found it incredibly clean. The carpet looks like it is brand new, everything smells fresh and clean, and, the staff are busy working at everything from the rooms and common areas to sweeping the parking lot.
The entrance is spotless, with little details like Lemon Ice Water for your refreshment to local guides and maps of Durham.
I was puzzled. How could such a well managed hotel like the Pickering Comfort Inn, be so meticulously maintained and yet have neglected windows?
I asked Jim at Real Estate Homeward a similar question, and I think he has the answer. Here is the conversation we had while I was cleaning the windows at a listing that he was getting ready to put on the market:
Jim: “Thanks Dan, I have been looking for a window cleaner for 15 years! I am so glad I finally found your company. I have wanted someone to clean the windows of my listings before getting ready to sell.”
Dan: “Glad to help you out Jim. Can I ask you a question?
Jim: “Sure!”
Dan: “I am running into the same situation with many other new clients. Why wait 15 years without window cleaning, when you could just google search for a window cleaner? While you discovered us by a referral, wouldn’t a google search be faster?”
His response, enlightened me.
Jim: “First, I contracted a window cleaner that I met on the street near my house. I described the house, and he gave me a quote. The day before he was supposed to clean the windows, he called me and said that he had a ‘tooth ache’ and would not be able to make it.”
Jim: “Then, I called a big window cleaning company in Toronto, and requested a quote. They made an appointment, and when the time came, no one showed up. I called them and they denied that an appointment had been made.”
Jim: “I made yet another appointment for a quote, and a guy arrived and gave me a price. I booked the window cleaning and no one showed up. At this point I gave up, until I heard of you from my colleague.”
This conversation made me realize that people that want window cleaning, are actually having a hard time finding a suitable window cleaning company!
Let’s return to the Comfort Inn in Pickering, and explore some of the challenges that they faced in finding window cleaning in Pickering:
#1 – Comfort Inn does not employ contractors that do not have private insurance and WSIB clearance.
This in itself eliminates many window cleaners. Let’s be honest, window cleaning is not a licensed industry, and many companies operate without insurance or WSIB.
#2 – Comfort Inn provides great rates for clean rooms. This means that the Managers need to be budget conscience. Unfortunately, big window cleaning companies think that they are too small to bother with, and the local window guy doesn’t qualify.
#3 – GTA Based Window Cleaning Companies charge astronomical rates for Durham. Since they are based in Toronto, they charge premium rates to anyone who wants their windows cleaned in Durham.
The above picture shows why we can save businesses in Pickering so much money. Using a telescoping pole allows us to clean 2nd, 3rd and even 4th story windows without a ladder. Eliminating ladders, saves us a lot of money with WSIB and insurance, and it also reduces the liability exposure of our window cleaning clients.
You might want to zoom in on this picture if you can. Unfortunately, my pictures do not show how dirty the windows really are, but in this shot you can see the difference between the uncleaned and washed areas of this window. Now, all the windows at the Comfort Inn Pickering are shiny and clean!
It’s not all about the 2nd story glass! The ground floor of the Comfort Inn in Pickering is nice and clean as well now. And, It was around 11am that they fired up the bbq in the courtyard. It smelled amazing. The Pickering Nuclear temp staff know how to bbq on a holiday!
Here is a picture of a tree that I thought was quite beautiful in the Pickering Comfort Inn courtyard.
Trees are a pain to deal with when trying to clean windows, but this one was pretty. Still a pain, but pretty,