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    • Is Window Cleaning Charged by the Hour or the Job?

    Question: How much is window cleaning?

    “Window cleaning, is it charged by the hour or by the job?”  That is a question we’re often asked, and the answer is…

    Beckon Call charges by the job for almost all jobs we do.  I feel there is a few excellent reasons for this:

    • You as a customer know what the job is going to cost prior to start, and any variations that might arise are explained before.
    • In my experience, charging by the job promotes efficiency and increases quality.
    • No need for you to monitor the pace of the work, you can simply check the finished product.
    • Charging by the job promotes the sense of urgency and encourages positive work behavior.

    At Beckon Call we are constantly looking for ways to improve our effectiveness and efficiency when cleaning windows, pressure washing, cleaning gutters or other miscellaneous jobs we provide to our customers.

    Our goal is to provide the highest level of service with the least amount of disruption to your schedule.

    There are many ways to perform any given task, it is our goal at Beckon Call to find the BEST WAY to do each one we do.  The result is unparallelled quality for our customers and a healthy business that will be around for years to come.

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    Posted by admin on August 13th, 2011 in Commercial, Residential, Retail | No Comments »

    Gardening for Clean Windows

    Clean windows allow for a clear view of your beautiful surroundings. Maybe it’s as dramatic as an engineered landscape complete with breathtaking water features or maybe it’s a flower box.

    Whatever the landscape is, is it causing your windows to get dirty or obstructing access to get them clean?

    Here ate some tips to gardening/landscape maintenance that will help get clean windows:

    • Keep plantings from touching your house. Leave enough space to gain access to window.
    • Lower windows might require a step ladder, leave at least 2 feet of space for the ladder to be set-up.
    • Higher windows that require a ladder need space too, but the space is further away from the house, following the 4:1 rule, for every 4 feet of height the base of the ladder is 1 foot away from the house, for a window that is 20 feet up, the ladder base would be 5 feet away from the house.
    • Walkways, driveways and decks are commonly blown off, ensure when areas are blown they are blown off away from the house.  he stuff being blown can dirty your window faster than a two-year old with an ice cream cone.
    • Window boxes are beautiful, keep in mind when they are not full of plants it will cause rain to hit the soil and splash up mud on the window.  One good rain storm and it will look like you haven’t washed windows… ever.
    • Same as the plantless window boxes, other items can splash up dirty rain water onto your windows and house like Rubbermaid storage containers, barbecues, benches, etc.

    In summary:

    Plantings and items around your house may cause your windows to get dirty quickly.  If you notice windows getting dirty a little too fast, take a look at what might be causing it and if possible make some changes.

    Access to windows is very important.  If you’re hiring cleaning of your windows out, unobstructed access is lighter on the pocketbook, it’s safer and in the long run provides for cleaner windows.

    Thanks for reading, take the time to follow Beckon Call on Facebook, click here and “like” us.

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    Posted by admin on June 25th, 2011 in Commercial, Residential, Retail | No Comments »

    Clean Windows Need Clean Screens

    Would you buy a new mattress set and put dirty sheets on it? Nope.

    Would you clean the kitchen sink before cleaning the dirty dishes that are in it? I doubt it.

    Then why have your windows cleaned and have dirty screens reinstalled? It just doesn’t make sense.

    Yet, so many companies will just brush off the screens or worse, they don’t clean them at all!

    Screens collect a lot of particulate that is not healthy and will cause your clean windows to get dirty a lot faster: pollutants, pollen, dust, birdy tirdy and more. Some pretty yucky stuff that you don’t want inside your house.

    Cleaning screens is an essential part of the complete window cleaning. Beckon Call knows this, which is why it is included with every window cleaning job. Beckon Call’s process for cleaning screens gets them amazingly clean. I strongly believe that the only way to get a screen cleaner than how Beckon Call does it is to buy a new one. That’s a bold statement, but it’s true.

    You can be confident that when Beckon Call cleans your windows, the job is professional, done completely and done right. Call us today for your free estimate.

    Getting an estimate is the first step to getting clean windows! The process is simple, give us a call, get an estimate, get it scheduled and you’ll have clean windows!

    I look forward to hearing from you, call today!

     

    Jim

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    Posted by admin on May 22nd, 2011 in Residential | No Comments »

    Press Release: Local Window Washer Pedals Down Gas Bill

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    Posted by admin on April 9th, 2011 in Retail | No Comments »

    Do window cleaners need a CCB license?

    “Are you licensed with the CCB?”  That’s a question we’re often asked when doing window washing, pressure washing and gutter cleaning estimates, and the answer is: No.

    The reason we do not have a license is that the work Beckon Call performs is not covered under the Construction Contractor’s Board (CCB).  In fact, obtaining a CCB license would provide no benefit to our customers.  You can read more about what type of work is required to have a license and what type of work is not required to have a license here: …whoneedslicense.pdf

    Reducing your exposure to risk:

    If you are hiring work to be performed at your home or place of business and want to make sure that the company or individual is legitimate, here are things you can do to reduce your exposure to risk:

    • Ask to see certificate of insurance and bond.
    • Ask for references.
    • Do they drive a vehicle with permanent signage?
    • Are they neat and professional in appearance?
    • Check to see if the company has an established website.
    • Perform a Google search on the company name, review the results.

    It’s important that you are comfortable with anyone that is working around your home or business.  Ensuring that a company is well established will help protect you from fly-by-night operations and give you some reassurance that if the need to call for follow-up occurs, someone will be responding from the company.

    I’d be glad to try and answer any questions you might have, just leave a comment below or contact me.

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    Posted by admin on April 7th, 2011 in Commercial, Residential, Retail | No Comments »

    Window Washing | How much does it cost?

    I’ve talked to a lot of people about window washing, and quite a few of them do not like washing windows at their home.

    They like having clean windows, they just don’t like the time it takes and the results aren’t what they were hoping for.

    Why not hire a professional window cleaner?  When I asked them, the most common response was “I’m not sure how much that costs.”

     

    Window Washing, window cleaning, beckon call, green cleaning, sustainable cleaningSo how much does window washing cost?

    I clean windows at numerous homes, and one thing I can tell you is that there is a lot of variations from home to home.

    With different window styles, height of windows, and so on, getting a look at the job is the best way to price it.  But here are some figures to give you a general idea of the costs:

    • Smaller home (up to 1,900 sq ft.):  Starts at $90
    • Medium home (2,000 – 3,200 sq ft):  $150 and up
    • Larger home (3,200 sq ft and up):  $225 and up

    Beckon Call gives professional window cleaning estimates.  Estimates are always free.

    Window cleaning estimates perform three important functions:  (1) they give you the cost of cleaning windows, (2) you can get all your window cleaning questions answered and (3) you get to meet who is going to be cleaning your windows. It’s very important to be comfortable with anyone who is working in or around your home.

    Interested, give us a call today to set-up your free estimate.  No strings attached, promise!

    Contact Beckon Call today, and have clean windows in no time!

    You might also check some of our other great posts:

    Why Hire a Professional Window Cleaner?

    Hiring A Professional Window Cleaner Gives Parents More Sanity.

    How often should windows be cleaned?

     

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    Posted by admin on April 3rd, 2011 in Residential | No Comments »

    How many tweets is a picture worth?

    When I’m cleaning windows I do have a lot of time to think.

    It’s a great time to conquer the tough questions of life, and really dig deep into statements like this:

    “A picture is worth 1,000 words.”

    This statement doesn’t translate well into the Social Media mix. It’s antiquated and messy. It’s like trying to add a Polaroid snapshot to a flash drive, it don’t work. Everything now is based on characters, not words.

    I dabble with Social Media. I take a lot of pictures. (Maybe you’ve seen a few of them on the Beckon Call Facebook page.)  So I was thinking: How many tweets are in a picture?

    So I set out to solve this burning question, like any normal person would do. This is what I came up with.

    There are 5.3 characters in the average English word and 14.3 words in the average sentence. I guesstimated that in writing I would use about 1.3 punctuation characters per sentence.

    Add that all up and it’s 5,205 characters.

    So, how many tweets is a picture worth? 38.

    Actually, it is 37.57792 tweets – but impossible to tweet a partial tweet yet. Only a non-twit would think that’s possible.

    Interestingly, a picture in English is worth more than a Korean one. And less than a German one.

    Korean words average 3.05 characters. Their pictures are only worth 23 tweets.

    German words average 6.26 characters. Their pictures are worth a whopping 46 tweets.

    Therefore, a picture is worth less in Korean and more in German than in English.

    So if you’ve ever seen a German picture and thought it was worth a little more, you were probably thinking in how many tweets it was worth. Common mistake.

    I hope this as helped. Now I’m off to clean more windows and ponder more of life’s difficult questions!

    Note:  This thinking was done while cleaning 15.4685 windows.

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    Posted by admin on March 25th, 2011 in Just for Fun | No Comments »

    Cleaning Shower Glass | Glass Cleaning & Protection

    Is your shower continually clouded with hard-water spots and scum? Are the efforts you putting towards cleaning the shower glass resulting in disappointment?

    Beckon Call’s premium Shower Glass Cleaning and Protection service is the solution you’re looking for.

    • Remove hard-water spots from glass.*
    • Stop water from beading up, and get it to sheet off the glass.
    • Glass can stay protected for up to 2-years!

    Having your shower glass cleaned and protected just makes sense.  It saves you time and one less to-do to get-done.

    Call today for your free estimate!  541.740.0056

    *extreme cases may take additional services to remove stubborn spots.

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    Posted by admin on March 24th, 2011 in Residential | No Comments »

    DIY | How to Caulk Windows

    When Beckon Call is cleaning your windows, we are always looking for any maintenance issues. We communicate what we find so you won’t be surprised when the once ‘small’ maintenance issue has grown into a full blown major repair.

    One very common, and easy to fix window maintenance issue is missing, cracked or simply ineffective caulk. Here is a great video in the “for Dummies” series on how to caulk windows.

    Note: I’m a fan of the “for Dummies” series, but I really don’t like referring to anyone else besides myself in that way. But since they chose to name it that, and they produce some fantastic information, I guess at one point or another we’re all Dummies. Right?

    Posted by admin on March 23rd, 2011 in Residential | No Comments »

    Go Green on Your Windows | 2011 Energy Tax Credit

    Look for this logo when considering your new r...

    Image via Wikipedia

    I’ve cleaned a lot of new energy efficient windows, did you miss the 2010 opportunity? Well here’s another opportunity for you!

    I was talking with Elizabeth Groner, Sale Representative at  Riverside Window and Door, one of my monthly retail customers, and she gave me the following information:

    Details of the Tax Credit

    To qualify for the 2011 energy tax credit, replacement ENERGY STAR qualified windows, doors and skylights must be purchased and installed between January 1, 2011 and December 31, 2011.

    The credit is 10% of the cost of the product with a maximum credit of $200 for windows and skylights, and a maximum credit of $500 for exterior doors.

    The credit does not include installation costs or door hardware and it is available for the taxpayer’s primary residence only.

    New construction does not qualify, but new additions attached to an existing structure do.

    Replacing Windows | Energy Star | Tax CreditsHow to Qualify

    1. Replace old windows and doors with qualifying ENERGY STAR products between January 1, 2011 and December 31, 2011.
    2. Save the invoice and all stickers that show the energy performance ratings from the items installed.
    3. Submit IRS Tax Form 5965 when filing taxes.  The 2011 version of Form 5695, as well as more information, is available at energystar.gov/taxcredits.
    4. Improvements made in 2011 will be claimed on the homeowner’s 2011 taxes (filed by April 15, 2012).

    Additional Rebates

     

     

    Posted by admin on March 22nd, 2011 in Uncategorized | No Comments »