Archive for April, 2009

Get Clearer Windows With These Window Cleaning Tips

Initially, window washing seems pretty easy.You can ask any young kid to clean your windows, for pay, and watch them jump at the chance. The problem however, is that they will only do this once before they come to tell you that they don’t ever want to do that again. Now the challenge when cleaning the windows is not the actual work involved, it’s how and when you do it, and what tools you are going to use.  Take it from my years as a San Diego Window cleaning company, if you want someone to enjoy cleaning your windows, or if you want to do it yourself, keep some of these tips below in mind.

If your washing your windows in direct sunlight, you will start to realize that this will cause unsightly streaks that never seem to go away no matter how much you clean them! It’s frustrating, but knowing a simple tip like washing them when the sun passes away from the windows, or is not so hot, can save you from failure and frustration as well.

Some San Diego window washing tips that take the frustration and hassle out of window cleaning are:

How you hold the squeegee counts!

Make sure when you hold the squeegee, you have it angled in the direction the water is flowing. If the water is flowing down towards your feet, pull the squeegee either sideways allowing the water being squeegeed to flow down to the part you haven’t hit yet. If you find yourself on a rooftop for example and you find the down angle above your head, make sure to squeegee forward so you cause the water to flow to the part untouched. Now going against the flow, water can build up and that will cause the water to come out the sides of the squeegee and this causes streaks.

Wiping the squeegee blade is very important!

Some people try to squeegee the whole window one stroke at a time without wiping the blade until the end. This won’t work very well and can make ugly streaks just from the water left on the blade. Every time you go to get that (which is twice in the same spot essentially) you cause another streak.Wiping after each stroke the blade will avoid this problem completelyand have the windows washed much faster without wasted steps that you have to go back on.

Make the streaks overlap

At the end of each stroke, the next stroke should be overlapped of the last stroke (about an inch into the dry area) then make your next stroke. If you are pointing the squeegee to make the water fall downward to the part of the window that is wet and you are drying the blade after every stroke, you won’t make
an additional window streak that will need to be done over. Never squeegee right where the line is, this can make a splash into the dry area and is definitely counter productive.

Use a lot of water

If you don’t use plenty of water, you will cause yourself a hard time by making the strokes more dificult rather than smooth strokes with the squeegee. don’t be afraid to use a lot of water and when possible be sure to use sideway strokes where the water is flowing down towards the part of the glass that is wet.

So that’s it.  Some easy to apply San Diego window cleaning tips for all you do it your selfers.Follow the steps outlined here and you will be very pleased with how your windows look.

Get Clearer Windows With These Window Cleaning Tips

At first glance, window cleaning seems easy enough of a job to do.Ask any teen to do your window cleaning, for pay, and they will gladly jump at the chance to make some money. The problem however, is that they will only do this once before they come to tell you that they don’t ever want to do that again. The problem with window cleaning however is not in the actual work involved, it’s in how you do it, when you do it, and what tools you use.  Take it from my years as a San Diego Window cleaning company, if you want someone to enjoy cleaning your windows, or if you want to do it yourself, keep some of these tips below in mind.

If you wash your windows when the sun is directly on them, you will soon realize that this makes ugly streaks that don’t seem to go away no matter how many times you clean them! It is frustrating, but knowing something as simple as when to wash them like when the sun passes by and is not shining on the window, or when it is so hot, can you save you a lot of time and frustration.

Some San Diego window washing tips that take the frustration and hassle out of window cleaning are:

How you hold the squeegee counts!

When holding the squeegee, make sure you’re angling it in the direction of the water flow. If the water is running down to your feet, move the squeegee sideways causing the water being squeegeed to go down to the part you haven’t cleaned yet. If you’re on a rooftop for example and the down angle is above your head, squeegee forward again so the water flows to the part not yet touched. If you find yourself working against the flow of water, this will cause the water to build up and it will flow out of the sides and that will make streaks.

Wiping the squeegee blade is very important!

Some people try to squeegee the whole window one stroke at a time without wiping the blade until the end. This won’t work very well and can make ugly streaks just from the water left on the blade. Every time you try to get that streak (which in essence is two times in the same spot) you will make another streak.You can avoid this problem by just wiping the blade after each strokeand have the windows washed much faster without wasted steps that you have to go back on.

Make the streaks overlap

After each stroke you should overlap the top of the next stroke (about an inch into the dry area) and make your next stroke. If you are pointing the squeegee to make the water fall downward to the part of the window that is wet and you are drying the blade after every stroke, you won’t make
an additional window streak that will need to be done over. Don’t be tempted to just squeegee right on the line, this will make splashes right into the dry area and will be very unproductive.

Use a lot of water

If you are afraid to use a lot of water, you will not have an easy time trying to make smooth strokes with the squeegee. be generous with your water use and always if you can, use sideway strokes on the water that is dripping down towards the wet part of the glass.

So there you go.  Some easy to apply San Diego window cleaning tips for all you do it your selfers.Follow these simple pieces of advice and you will be happy with how your windows turn out.

8 Simple Tips For Reducing Your Home Insurance Costs

Nobody enjoys having to pay for homeowners insurance but unfortunately for most of us it is a necessary evil. However, this does not mean you need to pay through the nose for it though and so here are 8 very easy tips to reduce the cost of your homeowners insurance.

1. Shop around. By comparing prices from a number of insurance companies  you will most likely be able to reduce your premium payments by a substantial amount. This might seem to be obvious, but research reveals that a surprisingly large number of people either simply renew their existing plan or ask for only one or two quotes. Many online insurance sites will automatically compare dozens of plans for you thus making this one of the easiest ways to reduce your home insurance bill.

2. Buy your policy online. If you arrange your plan online you will frequently get a discount of up to 20% on regular prices as there are less administration costs involved in purchasing online and the savings can be passed on to you.

3. Combine both your buildings and contents plans. Many insurers will allow you a discount when you arrange both forms of household insurance with them and this often proves to be less expensive than purchasing the two plans from different companies.

4. Pay your premiums upfront. While the majority of insurance companies let you pay your premiums each month many will charge interest for this. So, if you can afford to pay the cost of a full year’s premium in advance, this will prove cheaper in the longer term.

5. Do not put in claims for small amounts of money. Putting in many small claims can increase your insurance costs as your insurance company may see you as a higher risk and increase your premiums. You could also lose any no claims discount that your plan has. Of course, you’re entitled to claim for anything which your plan covers but you should ask yourself whether submitting a small claim is really worth the trouble and any consequent future rise in costs.

6. Think about arranging for a high voluntary excess on your plan. Policies feature something known as an ‘excess’ and this means that the policy won’t pay out on claims under a certain value. On some policies when you opt to raise your excess your premiums will be reduced.

7. Strengthen security for your property. Beefing up your home security with better door locks, window locks, outdoor lighting, and alarm systems will frequently result in lower premiums.

8. Think about lowering your cover. A lot of plans carry benefits that you may not need like cover for personal possessions when you are traveling or ‘free’ legal advice. Examine your plan and see which sections of it you really need.

Lower the premiums on your homeowner insurance by requesting a free, no-obligation home insurance quote now.

8 Simple Tips For Reducing The Cost Of Homeowners Insurance

None of us likes having to pay for home insurance but unfortunately it is a necessary evil for most of us. That does not mean that you need to pay through the nose for it though and so here are 8 very easy tips to reduce the cost of your homeowners insurance.

1. Shop around. By comparing prices from several insurance companies  you will almost certainly be able to reduce your premiums by a considerable amount. This may seem to be obvious, but research shows that a surprisingly large number of people either simply renew their existing plan or get only one or two quotes. Many online insurance sites automatically compare dozens of plans for you therefore making this one of the easiest ways to reduce your homeowners insurance bill.

2. Buy your policy online. If you get your plan online you will frequently get a discount of anything up to 20% on normal prices because there are less administration costs involved and the savings can be passed on to you.

3. Combine both your contents and buildings policies. Most insurance companies will give you a discount when you arrange both forms of household insurance with them and this commonly works out cheaper than getting the two plans from different insurance companies.

4. Pay upfront. While the majority of insurance companies allow you to pay your premiums monthly many of them will charge interest for this. Therefore, if you are able to afford to pay the cost of a full year’s premium in advance, then this will work out cheaper in the long run.

5. Don’t submit claims for small amounts. Submitting many small claims can raise your insurance costs as your insurer may consider you to be a higher risk and raise your premiums. You will also lose any no claims discount your policy has. Naturally, you’re entitled to claim for anything your policy covers but ask yourself if making a small claim is really worth the trouble and any possible future increase in costs.

6. Think about arranging for a substantial voluntary excess. Policies feature something which is known as an ‘excess’ and this basically means that the plan will not pay out on claims under a specified value. On some policies if you elect to raise your excess your premiums will be lower.

7. Strengthen security for your property. Raising the security of your property with better door locks, window locks, lighting, and burglar alarm systems will generally result in lower premiums.

8. Consider lowering your cover. A lot of plans include benefits which you might not need such as cover for personal possessions when you are traveling or ‘free’ legal advice. Study your policy and see which sections of it you really need.

Lower the premiums on your homeowner insurance by getting a free and no-obligation home insurance quote without delay.