Camelot

LMAO...too funny...

"Comet McNaught"...sounds like an Irish superhero...LOL

I have the same experience...it drives me NUTS...

If it sounds too good to be true, it often is...

FYI...I've heard nightmares about their customer service...Evidently, they're horrible to deal with...

I get my poles at Home Depot...I buy my gutter brushes at auto stores. I can't remember who first suggested it, but someone on this board recommended auto stores because the brushes are big and fluffy, yet gentle on painted surfaces and hold tons of liquid. I bought a brush with a 24" pole attached for about $15-$20. I removed the short shaft and attached the brush to my long pole and it worked GREAT! - John

My 8 year old son sees me perusing this board every day and knows what a fan I am of The Grime Scene. He, like his dad, also happens to be a HUGE hockey fan...so he asked me to post the following: "Is anyone on The Grime Scene a NY Rangers fan like us?" Thanks everyone. - John

By the way Ken...please tell me you cheer for the Pens and not the Flyers...the Flyers are soooo bad...LOL

Scott - Great memories...I actually HAVE one of those Fotiu pucks! I, too, was one of the kids in the cheap seats...heck, I still sit in the cheap seats...LOL. Ken, Mike...sorry for you, really...j/k...You all made his day by responding, thank you.

I use a blackberry and LOVE it...there's a program for "writing" notes, etc...works well for me. - John

Need to change my diet and lower my cholesterol! January 1st, I'm changing my bad-eatin' ways! - John

I wanted to take a minute to share this story for those of us that haven't been in the business quite as long as some of the veterans on this board...it goes to show that fear of the unknown may be preventing you from making money! I recently got the contract to clean a couple of newly constructed, million dollar homes that had sand faced brick on them. Having never cleaned it before, I innocently contacted Eacochem to ask about bucket ratios, application process, etc. I've cleaned several regular brick homes with NMD80, but never sand faced brick. Eacochem was naturally trying to protect themselves by telling me to use very weak ratios of NMD80 and to ONLY rinse with a garden hose, etc...as if I was cleaning butterflies...LOL. The rep then began telling me horror stories of others that have cleaned sand-faced brick and how contractors won't even touch it, etc. At this point, I am FREAKING out...I was petrified of ruining these homes and was envisioning lawsuits and damages and all sorts of ugly stuff. Well, I called Roger at Carolina ProWash and asked him for some advice. He gave me TONS of confidence by simply explaining what his experience has been with sand-faced brick and how easy it really is if you clean it correctly. The trick is LOW pressure, NMD80, and LOTS of scraping. Both houses came out beautiful and not only am I proud of myself, but I am now the "sand-faced brick guy" because everyone else is so scared of it. I charged for my time (because it is a bit time consuming with all the scraping) and it's a win-win situation for everyone! I just thought I'd share because overcoming my fear put me in a great spot to earn money and I learned something to boot! - John

Sorry Beth...didn't get any...I was rushing and forgot my camera!! - John

Hey! You're not supposed to be posting *wink*...glad to see your cheatin' a bit...Merry Christmas... - John

You HAVE to check this out...if you have digital pictures on your computer, this is one of the funniest things I've seen in a while. My wife and kids and I were hysterical... have fun! www.elfyourself.com - John

We have put pictures of everyone we know in this thing...too funny...

Ditto what John W. said...we use Rowlett's Wet Wax with the Rinse Aid and works great as long as you rinse the windows as you go! - John

Jeff - I think follow up is KEY to landing jobs. I have the same philosophy with residential customers or anyone I give a bid to. As long as you're not being a PITA, it shows great professionalism to follow up. I've often jogged the memory of customers that have put me on the back burner for one reason or another, and wind up getting the job. Fortunately for those of us that try to project a professional image (probably anyone that takes the time to be on TGS), it is easy to look like a rock star in this business. There are so many "fly by night", unprofessional people in our line that things like following up, or free estimates, or thank you letters go a LONG way. - John

Rando - Citracleen comes from Steve Rowlett...see above...great stuff. - John

Rando - You need to contact Steve Rowlett 1800-357-6295. Lots of us use his products for vinyl and they are AWESOME. He is also very cool to work with. - John

I agree with Michael...sometimes a mechanic's lien scares the hell out of people... - John

I stared at the darn thing behind my fingers waiting for some nasty screaming thing to jump out...thought it was one of those joke sites that scare the crap outta ya'...now that I'm past my fear, it's pretty cool...LOL

Are we still talking about surface cleaners? LOL...sorry, couldn't resist...

1.) Started it...changed my life 2.) Discovered TGS...changed the way I do business in almost every way 3.) Bought a surface cleaner...made me 10x faster 4.) Marketed, Marketed, Marketed...started to pay off after the first year 5.) Bought a hot water machine...increased my ability to complete services quickly (gum, oil, etc.)

Chris - I have a 4gpm 4000psi machine and I just spoke to a Big Guy dealer yesterday. Of course his opinion is skewed, but he insisted that my machine would handle the big guy fine, albeit slow. He offered to let me rent one for the weekend ($50) to try it out. I haven't taken him up on his offer yet, but if I do I will let you know how it works out. - John