Window Washers

by dontplaceliterature 131 Replies latest jw experiences

  • leavingwt
    leavingwt

    There were multiple window washers in my first congregation. One of them was an elder. In a neighboring congregation, more than 30% of the publishers did janitorial work.

  • pirata
    pirata

    I personally know a half-dozen JW window washers. They all went into the business because the money is decent, time is flexible, and you can be your own boss. Great for pioneering.

    When I was in the halls that had very few or no "bread-winner" poineers (ie. pioneers were all housewives), then there were few or no window washers.

  • dontplaceliterature
    dontplaceliterature

    The Elders and Servants in my Congregation are as follows:

    Elder (1) - Sales

    Elder (2) - Sales Management

    Elder (3) - Retired (Was in Sales)

    Elder (4) - Retired (Was in the Automotive Industry)

    Elder (5) - IT for a local Hospital

    Elder (6) - Retired (Worked for Local Govt - non-military obviously)

    Elder (7) - Architect/CAD Designer

    Elder (8) - Retired (Worked in the Automotive Industry Also)

    Elder (9) - Retired (Worked in Technology Development)

    Elder (10) - Owns a personal Home Improvement Company

    Elder (11) - Retired (Worked in Automotive Industry)

    Servant (1) - Retired (Worked for Local Government)

    Servant (2) - Owns a construction related company

    Servant (3) - Sales

    Servant (4) - Sales

    Servant (5) - Unemployed (Perviously worked in a retail store, to my knowledge)

  • pirata
    pirata

    dontplaceliterature, which ones among those elders and servants pioneer?

  • GrandmaJones
    GrandmaJones

    Lots of retired guys...do you have enough young elders to carry the load?

  • Coffee House Girl
    Coffee House Girl

    haha- yea I am an exJdub in sales- desperately trying to get out of this crap work by going to university

    I know of dozens of JW's (even my ex hub at one time) who were in the professional window washer trade in my area

    There are also many who own their own tiling or cabinet making business who only employ JWs

    CHG

  • mrsjones5
    mrsjones5

    My parents (both jws) had a residental and commerical cleaning business. I think my father did the windows.

  • Farkel
    Farkel

    blondie,

    :Anyone who has never cleaned a window, has no idea the skill it takes to do it well and quickly.

    I had a window washing business when I was a pioneer. I made $100 per day and that was in 1969. That was fortune and I only work 5 or so hours a day doing it. I also had a janitorial business and made $40,000 in 1972 and worked 10 hours a week. That is like $300,000 a year today. Then I had a carpet cleaning business and nearly starved to death with that one. I did this all while I was still a dub.

    Tell you what about window washing. In less than ten minutes, I can teach you everything you need to know to do the job quickly and properly. I was so good at it, often one of the trucks of the big companies who had lots of trucks in the business would stop and watch me wash windows. Honestly, I was that good. I could put a brush in one hand and a squeegee in the other hand and wet, wash and dry the windows using both hands working at the same time. The only time some real skill was involved was when you had to work with a telescopic pole to reach 2nd story windows from the ground.

    I can teach you all the tricks in just ten minutes. Hell, I teach them to you right now! Use Joy soap or any other high quality SUDSING dish soap. The key is putting suds on the window and not just pure liquid, because suds don't run down and dry the window as fast as pure liquid does.

    If you are pulling from top-to-bottom with a squeegee for the first time on a soaped window, it doesn't matter what angle the squeegee is at. It could be parallel to the top of the window. It doesn't matter. But one that is done, there is a "clean" part of the window from top-to-bottom and a wet part of the window. Since you now have to work with the wet part which is next to the clean part and are pulling down from the top, turn your squeegee which is closest to the clean part DOWN about 15 or 20 degrees when you pull. The water will be forced uphill towards the already-wet part and none of the water/liquid will run down on the clean part. Keep doing this until the window is done. No streaks. No liquid.

    If you are pulling from side-to-side, the same principal applies: point the top of the squeegee at a greater angle towards the cleaned/dry part above the squeegee. This forces the water to run down the squeegee and not up to the part that is already cleaned.

    That's it. No charge!

    Farkel

    '

  • dontplaceliterature
    dontplaceliterature

    @pirata

    2 of the Elders are Regular Pioneers (neither are retired)

    1 of the Ministerial Servants is a Regular Pioneer (he is retired)

    All of the Elders Auxillary at least once per year (generally around The Memorial)

  • jaguarbass
    jaguarbass

    At my kingdumb hall back in Cleveland the richest brother in the hall was a window washer. He washed all the windows

    in the city of Cleveland including the sky scrapers. He owned Cleveland Window Cleaning.

    He has since left the tower and become a born again Christian.

    I moved to Florida in 81. THe fellow who owned the gym I went to was a janitor. He had a very busy gym.

    Hulk Hogan, Randy Savitch, Brutus the BArber, and the Bushwachers were in his gym all the time.

    He told me he makes much more money as a janitor then he does running a gym. He wasnt a witness just a janitor.

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