When something is purposely out of sight, it’s really easy to put it out of mind. But one thing you definitely don’t want to forget is to clean your gutters.

What part of a gutter needs cleaning exactly?

It’s the part you can’t see that matters. Gutters get clogged with debris like leaves and twigs.  Sometimes birds even find ways to build nests in your gutters.

Why are clogged gutters a problem?

Clogged gutters can create ice blocks during the winter months, which can leak water into your home.  If they are clogged enough, they can even get heavy enough during a rain or snow storm to come loose, causing damage to your trim and siding and possibly even cause water damage or flooding inside your home, especially if you have a basement.  Debris that has decayed in your gutters also attracts unwanted houseguests like carpenter ants and mosquitoes.

How often do I need to have my gutters cleaned?

Most homeowners should have their gutters cleaned at least twice a year, and if you have a lot of trees, then seasonal cleaning is the best way to go.

What are the benefits of hiring someone to clean my gutters?

Cleaning out gutters is difficult work that requires special equipment.  You’ll need a ladder tall enough to reach the top of your house, and you’ll have to be comfortable with walking on your roof.  While you can use anything from your hands to a small trowel to clean out your gutters, it’s a tedious, time-consuming, and dirty process.  If you try to speed up the process by using a hose or a leaf blower to clean your gutters, remember you’ll be very high up and in awkward positions.

At Pro Window Cleaning, our professionals have all the tools and experience necessary to clean out your gutters in a safe and efficient manner.  You won’t have to worry about denting your gutters with your ladder or spilling water down into your siding.  You’ll be able to rest easy knowing we’re going to take care of your home like it’s our own. Let us free up your time and energy to do things you enjoy, and leave the gutter-cleaning to us.  To schedule an appointment or get more information, visit our website or give us a call at 913-208-0696.

Just thought I’d post a quick hello to any redditors who happen to drop by!

So – hello reddit!

As the weather turns

As the trees turn colors and the days grow shorter, it’s a perfect time to make sure your windows are clean. It allows maximum light through your windows and enhances the beautiful fall colors the cooler water brings. We highly recommend you take the worry and hassle out of it by hiring professionals (ahem – us!), but if you decide to go it alone, please be careful!

Our condolences

Sincere condolonces to the family of James Thomas Penny, who passed away unexpectedly Monday in Middleton, NY. He was not only a retired window washer, but also a Marine who served in WWII in the Pacific Theater. Thank you for your service sir!

The cons continue

It looks like Europe has an ongoing problem with con men posing as window washers and bilking the unsuspecting out of money. As such, we’ll continue our ongoing reminders to make sure you know who you’re paying for the services you receive. To paraphrase Smokey the Bear: Only YOU can prevent window-washing scammers from stealing YOUR money. Don’t let it become an epidemic here like it’s becoming across the pond. On that note, we’re off to see about finding a talking squeegee for a mascot.

Windoro the window-cleaning robot

was unveiled by those wacky South Koreans at Ilshim Global Co. And while we love technology and gadgets here at Pro Window Cleaning, we don’t see this as much of a threat to our industry. But here’s a look at it for the curious.

IFA 2010: Windoro Robot to Clean your Windows via Vimeo.

The Independent has this summary:

Manufactured by Ilshim Global Co. the robot can clean a square meter of windows in ten minutes. Windoro is equipped with bumpers in order to negotiate window frames and is programmed to return to its original location once its task is complete.

What they don’t mention is how loud and annoying it is.

More scams in the news

A man has been sentenced to 5 1/2 years for conning people out of money by posing as a window washer. We can not stress enough the importance of not paying the wrong person for services rendered!

Empire State Building going green

As part of the refurbishment of the Empire State Building, every window is being taken out, upgraded and reinstalled. While not directly related to window washing, it’s an interesting process and great for the environment. Here’s a short video about it.

Final Swipe

Here’s to hoping everyone had a great Labor Day!

Welcome to Seeing Clearly

This is our new company blog (on our freshly renovated website, we might add), where we’ll have regular updates with our views on industry news, promotions, and maybe some just plain randomness. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter and easily share with your friends and favorite networking sites at the bottom of the posts.

This week in  news – safety first!

Two construction workers died this week in Bangladesh after the window washing platform they were on failed. While it may be a world away from you geographically, let it serve as a reminder to everyone to inspect your equipment for safety, especially you high-rise guys and gals.

Pro Window Cleaning crew removing TransAmerica signage from the top of Town Pavilion in downtown Kansas City

Reasons to hire a window washer

Earlier this month, Angie Hicks wrote a piece for the homeowner about hiring window washers. It highlights reasons and offers some good advice. Arguably the most important is the mention of insurance . Whether you’re hiring someone new or just want peace of mind about your current service, a professional window washer/crew will always be able to provide proof of insurance for your inspection. Hiring someone without insurance puts you at substantial risk if something happens to you, your property or the worker. In Angie’s words “Don’t be a fall guy”.

What are you Seeing Clearly?

We’re planning an ongoing series for the more visual among you. We’ll post a shot or two we took while we were on location recently, but what we’d really like is photos submitted by you depicting how you see your windows. It can be artistically abstract, a very basic snapshot, or a simple before and/or after photo of your windows (or, as importantly, through your windows) after a cleaning. We want pictures of windows though, not just through them. A beautiful view from a high rise office or out of your kitchen window is perfect, but we want to see how it’s framed through the window. A really dusty or spotted window is just as good – show us how much attention it needs or how much you think it adds to how you see the window.  Send photos to SeeingClearly.

Scott takes a self-portrait overlooking downtown from the side of 1201 Walnut.

Final swipe

Looks like we can hold off bidding on all that glass that Polsinelli was wanting to add to the Plaza.