Window Blind Cleaning and Social Media

For many of us, social media has become a standard in our lives. With the proliferation of Facebook, Twitter and other networks, I find myself on the internet more than ever discussing all types of topics with people from all over the world. But who would have ever thought that WINDOW BLIND CLEANING would have been one of those topics?

Don't take my word for it. Check out Facebook and Twitter where I found these messages:

I hate cleaning wood blinds!!!, why did I have to get them everywhere in my house.

You could take em off & throw em in a tub…or buy a swiffer…I hate dusting blinds UGH!

Decided that cleaning window blind slats is right up there with silver polish; never gets done either

Took down blind to clean it...took hours!

Cleaning a mini blind? Don't bother. Its too hard.

Recently I came across a Blog which threw out the simple question:
What's The Best and Easiest Way to Clean Blinds?

Throughout the day, 21 people replied. Most people responded with their homemade bath tub type cleaning and dusting techniques and many admitted that their methods were the best you can expect to do with these methods, but not desirable. And all this frustration leads to people absolutely hating the job of cleaning blinds!














Here was my FAVORITE response:

When asked how to clean Yes there is a great way to take care of this problem! Make sure to read all the way through…even though this is easy, it is kind of detailed instructions.

What you do:
Mix a quart of vinegar, a small box of baking soda, in a bathtub about half to three quarters full of hot hot water.

You need a hammer for this part.

Take down all the horizontal mini-blinds in your home and hammer them to one inch pieces and set the pile on fire. Have the marshmellows handy! While your fire is getting the coals built up (because you can’t rush a great campfire) go online and order some vertical blinds, roman shades, or curtains for the windows in your home, all of which are easy to clean.Next, throw a beach towel over your naked bathroom window. Sprinkle some lavender oil or rose petals in the tub with the vinegar and soda water (which is great for the skin by the way) and celebrate your wise decision with a nice hot soak for your tired, stressed out, marshmellowy body.
All this to say, I think mini-blinds are God’s way of mocking humans and I have NO idea how to deal with them.
(WINK WINK HAHAHAHAHAHAHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAA!)

No, I was wrong, here is really my favorite response:

Pay to get them clean, that’s the easiest.

And many, many people do pay to get them clean. There is an absolutely huge market that has proven itself time and time again to be profitable.

The blog went on to discuss ultrasonic cleaning for blinds and stated:

"There are many benefits of ultrasonic cleaning such as they eliminate pollutants, germs, bacteria and move dust. And the best thing of this method is that you can clean your blinds at reasonable price. Another great advantage is that with the help of this method you can not only clean roller blinds but other types of blinds such as vertical blinds, office blinds, wooden blinds, mini blinds and Venetian blinds can be cleaned perfectly." (See http://allshutter.cz.cc/different-ways-of-cleaning-your-roller-blind/).

Just yesterday I was on the phone with one of our clients in Italy. He told me he renamed the Baby Blind Cleaning Machine he puchased from us. Now he calls it "Money" because it has not stopped making him money.

Here are the reasons why:

Blinds have sold steadily over the past 20 years, and only continue to grow in popularity. In most countries, window blinds have overtaken curtains as the preferred window covering. Blinds have become more ornate, and at the same time, a well made blind is now both beautiful and expensive. Accordingly, the owners who spend thousands of dollars on new blinds are looking to protect their investment by maintaining them properly.

The problem with blinds is that they cannot be cleaned effectively with traditional scrubbing methods. Dusting moves dirt from side to side but rarely removes it. Then static electricity is created and more dust is attracted.

Cleaning in the bathtub or hosing down the blind in the backyard creates it's own challenges, among which are scratching, bending and pitting if the blind. Not to mention even if you get the top dirt off you cannot get the cords, ladders and tapes clean.

So if you have not already checked out Ultrasonic Blind Cleaning as a niche market service, that is both easy and profitable, give us a call. We'll be happy to show you how you can make money cleaning blinds...and if you don't believe me...check it out online.

It's been a very busy first quarter, complete with travel to The Cleaning Show in the United Kingdom, RIA tradeshow (Restoration Industry Association) in Palm Springs, California, Servpro of the Carolinas Conference in Charleston, South Carolina and Servpro of Penn Del Conference in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Throughout all of our travels, one thing has been clear...Ultrasonic Cleaning is now recognized, worldwide, as an extremely useful tool.




Just this past weekend I had the privilege of speaking to Servpro franchises from Pennsylvania and Southern New Jersey.


While many of these franchises already own our equipment and have realized the benefits of high profit margins in content cleaning, others were seeing ultrasonics for the first time. I was happy to share with the group information about how the technology is not only applicable to fire restoration, but the diversification possibilities into medical cleaning, industrial parts cleaning, window blind cleaning, golf club cleaning and more. This aspect is very appealing to all types of business owners. Especially with the current recession, it is important to have a way to compensate for a revenue stream slow down by being able to easily pick up another.


One of our Servpro clients who purchased our Super Mighty One (SM-200) model and Drye Rite cabinet this past Summer, shared their story about their very first job with the ultrasonic machines. The job came from a flooded office building that had 54 computers and boxes full of telephones that needed cleaning (see pictures below).











One employee who you see pictured below, completed the entire cleaning job over the weekend!



She cleaned 3 computers at a time in the ultrasonic tank, and then placed them in the dryer until she filled the dryer (it fit 16 computers!). After 4 hours of dry time, she would remove the computers and fill the dryer with more newly cleaned computers.



Because of the quick turnaround, Servpro was able to walk back into the client's office on Monday morning, set up the computers, and get them back to work. Now that's service...and that's ultrasonics.

A New Year

Happy New Year! I said this to a new client by the name of Jim who I spoke to on the phone this week. His reply was, "This is going to be the best year ever!!".

WOW! His response really resonated with me. Here is a guy that recently lost his job with a company he worked with for over 10 years. At a time when he has every right to feel confused, angry and even resentful; amidst the daily news reports of doom and gloom; he remains utterly and fantastically optimistic.

When I asked him how he could be so positive, he told me, "I have been waiting all my life to take control and not work for someone else. I was just too scared to do it before. Getting laid off was the best thing that could have happened to me because now I will set my own hours, be my own boss, and take control of my own destiny."

...And he will. I have personally seen this scenario play out over and over again. People who have diligently worked for another boss for years finally having the opportunity to step out on their own and take charge. For many, it is a truly liberating and thrilling experience. They finally have the chance to live out their dreams and define what success means personally for themselves and their families. Although there is hard work involved with starting your own company, once things take off, our clients are then financially rewarded in ways that could never dream of as someone else's employee.

Good luck Jim...I do believe you are right. This may just be the best year of your professional life.