Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does window cleaning cost?

The cost of window cleaning is calculated based on how long it will take to clean your windows which depends on the style of window, the size of the window, the location of the window, what the window is made out of, whether you would like internal only window cleaning or internal and external. We have a minimum price which is necessary as we have two men arriving with a van and the world’s best equipment and without a minimum window cleaning and pressure cleaning price we can just not cover our business costs. Our pricing is very competitive especially as we have a guarantee and offer an exceptional service. We won’t just disappear on you after a few months and we’ll turn up on time and we’ll communicate with you every step of the way. If you’d like to know exactly how much, please don’t hesitate to give us a call now on 1300 090 914.

How do you quote?

Your quotes will be calculated by Aimee, Jess or Renee. After gathering some basic contact details, we will use your address to have a look and see whether we can get enough information online to send you through a quote right away. We use a variety of sources and most often we have a very good understanding of the property. Sometimes this is not the case, especially if it’s a new or renovated property. In this case you can help by sending some photos through to 0490 889 222 or info@shimmerglass.com.au. Of course, if it’s a larger job, you have special requirements, or you would just prefer us to we are happy to come out to quote too.

Where are your offices?

Shimmer Glass and Pressure Cleaning head office is located in Collaroy on the Northern Beaches of Sydney. We also have local offices in Five Dock in the Inner West, Surry Hills in Sydney CBD, X in Southern Sydney, Parramatta in Western Sydney and Roseville on the North Shore. This means that one of our teams is always local to you. We operate Sydney Metropolitan Area wide as far as Wollongong, the Blue Mountains, Hornsby and Palm Beach and farther for commercial jobs.

Are your team Police checked?

Absolutely. This is a mandatory requirement when joining our company. All of our employees are responsible, respectable and honest professionals. They are extremely trustworthy.

Does all of your team have a white card?

Absolutely. Again this is a mandatory requirement when joining our company. This is an occupation health and safety training certificate. We take health and safety very seriously at Shimmer Glass and Pressure Cleaning. And ultimately that means we’re minimising any risk of injury on the job.

Are the technicians your employees or subcontractors?

All our technicians are our employees and are fully employed to work for us and only us. From time to time we might reach out to a subcontractor to perform a specialist part of a job however we pride ourselves on all our window and pressure cleaning being selected, employed and further trained by Shimmer which ultimately means a better quality and more consistent job standard.

Do you have the right equipment to reach my high windows?

Do we have the right equipment!?! Yes we do! We pride ourselves on having the worlds best equipment. Shimmer Glass and Pressure Cleaning has heavily invested in the top of the line window cleaning equipment to get the job done right the first time! We can reach seven story high windows from the ground with our carbon fibre pure water waterfed poles. We have special attachments that allow us to get to windows that many other window cleaners just can’t. Yes there’s the odd window that was very poorly architetually planned that no one could get to but we find that’s very unusual and more often than not we can reach most tricky windows.

How does pure water window cleaning work?

You really have to see this window cleaning technology to believe it. It does seem like magic and it is. Basically we have a filtration system that plugs into the tap and then the water goes through the hose through the four stage deionizing process filtration system and then up a little tube up and out of a brush head that has special fibres in it designed to clean glass. The technician uses the long carbon fibre pole to agitate the glass removing all dirt and dust and then flushing it with the purified water afterwards and then leaves the window to dry spot free and streak free. The frames get scrubbed first and then the window second and it is remarkable to see the results of the clean glass.

What happens if it rains?

Don’t be afraid of the rain. You are not locked into any contract with Shimmer Glass and Pressure Cleaning and we try to not pay too much attention to the forecast as the Australian Weather forecast is continuously changing. Too often rain is forecast and we wake up to a sunny day. Most often in Australia it rains a little in the morning and then is fine for the rest of the day or its fine all day and then rains in the afternoon. If its in the morning we can start on the insides and move outside once the rain has stopped. Book with confidence knowing that if its raining on the day of your clean and its an external job we will ring and reschedule you.

Will the rain dirty my windows again?

It’s a common misconception that rain will ruin your newly clean windows. Not true! When your windows are dirty the rain dirties the windows as it moves the dirt around the window. If you’re windows and frames are clean then the pure rain water drips down the window and the window stays clean.

How often should I get my windows cleaned?

Glass is our barrier to the outside world, to the garden, to the ocean, to sunlight. Essentially looking through clean and clear glass is very energizing and revitalising. Commercially clean glass is a reflection of your company’s image and the products you sell and directly impacts how your employees and customers feel when in your corporate space. Immaculate glass oozes a high end corporate image that has direct results on the bottom line. That being said how often depends also on personal preference and personal standards. We recommend that strata blocks clean their windows at least annually and preferably biannually. Some houses and buildings by the beach will need to be cleaned quarterly. Most shops will clean their glass weekly or fortnightly. Most high end commercial businesses like car show rooms will clean monthly. Of course we would love to book you in for an ongoing contract and can provide a discounted rate for an ongoing service. Whatever you do don’t leave it any longer than a year as then you risk long term damage to your windows and frames which will be very costly to repair. We’re also happy to make a personal recommendation on how often you should get it done if you ask.

Do you clean e-glass, viridian glass and comfort glass?

We do! We know all about these special types of glass that have very specific cleaning instructions. If you contract a window cleaning company that doesn’t have this experience they can damage the glass by cleaning the glass with traditional Glass cleaning methods. Suddenly you could end up with swirls of scratches all over the glass. We’ve seen it before! In our quote we make it very clear that you must notify us if you have this type of glass or any glass that has special cleaning instructions. This type of glass has a film over the glass to reduce heat however during the manufacturing process the glass is put through a hot roller and sometimes pickup or tiny pieces of glass are left on the surface. When the window cleaner uses a squeegee to clean the glass he will accidentally drag the shards of glass all over the surface causing scratching. Replacing the glass can cost thousands.

Shimmer Glass and Pressure Cleaning follows the manufacturers instructions very carefully which are to clean the glass with a microfibre cloth and colourless windex by hand and if there is any staining on the glass you can only use hydrochloric acid, methylated spirits and acetone. Do not use razor blades, steel wool, scouring bristles or other metallic or abrasive objects on the coated surface. If metallic objects contact the coated surface, a thin layer of metal removed from the object may be deposited onto the surface which results in a discoloured stain which is difficult to remove using routine cleaning procedures.

Do you do builders cleans?

We’re very selective about the builders window cleans that we take on. We always conduct a site visit to assess whether it’s something that we are able to do however our main forcus is maintenance window cleaning and pressure cleaning and we leave the builders cleans to the companies whose sole focus is that.

How do you become a window cleaner?

Many people think anyone can become a window cleaner easily. As with any profession window cleaning is a skill that takes a lot of time to develop and hone. It’s not the same cleaning a dozen windows in a weekend to being able to clean 200 windows in a day with speed and accuracy including detailing the tracks, frames and screens. At Shimmer Glass Cleaning and Pressure Cleaning we look for managers with 4+ years experience and for team members with 2+ years of experience. To become a window cleaner I would suggest looking up you tube to learn exactly how to clean a window professionally and then practice over and over on your own windows to build up your speed and accuracy. We do take on trainees with the right attitude when a job becomes available.

What is rope access window cleaning?

Rope access is another method we use to clean windows across Sydney. This involves tying ropes onto anchor points and abseiling down the side of the building.

When is rope access window cleaning preferable?

Rope access is more time consuming and therefore more expensive than cleaning from the ground via waterfed poles however some buildings design prevents us from accessing the glass properly to get a good result. This might be if the window ledge is very deep or if the window is set into the building or if there is a Juliet balcony or bars in front of the window preventing access. Sometimes too if the windows are in very poor condition or if there is something on the glass like sap or bird poo it might be necessary to use rope access to get up close and personal with the glass.

Do you use chemicals?

Our standard clean uses a light detergent and/or pure water. We also have all natural detergents on request if you ask for them. We can clean your windows and pressure clean your floors with no chemicals at all.

The chemicals we use come into play if you have hard water staining, sticky residue from sticky tape that can’t be removed easily with detergent, paint, silicone or staining of your floors or building that can’t be removed by water pressure only. We will consult with you for your preference and wherever possible we will use environmentally friendly and natural chemicals. Of course we have heavier chemicals on hand should the job require it.

What is hard water staining?

Water runs down the building and across painted surfaces, concrete, brick and the like and over time the minerals in the water as well as the particles embed on the glass which is porous staining the glass damaging the glass. It can look like drips on the window, streaks or sometimes a milky white stain. Sometimes its not clear that there is hard water staining until we clean it and then we see that it doesn’t come off. That is why we urge our customers to clean their glass at least once every year to prevent this unsightly staining ruining your glass forever.

Can you remove it?

We can remove it though its not easy to do so and requires a lot of time to polish the glass. This is a completely different level of service as essentially the glass is damaged and requires a glass restoration process. If you have hard water staining we would be very happy to assess it and give you a quote to remove it returning your glass to its former glory.

How do you accept payment?

The best and easiest way to make payment for your window cleaning service is via credit card. You can click on the link that is embedded in your quote and invoice or the team can swipe your card at the end of the job via their device. We also accept cash and cheque. If you prefer to pay by bank transfer payment must be made and remittance sent prior to the completion of the job. We require payment to be finalised prior to our team leaving your site unless you have a prearranged credit agreement with Shimmer Glass and Pressure Cleaning.

How far in advance do I need to book?

We love you to give us as much notice as possible however due to having a large number of window cleaning technicians working locally across Sydney we can normally find you a window cleaning booking with very little notice. This isn’t the case in the month leading up to Christmas as window cleaning is in high demand in this period but the rest of the year we will try our best to service you to your exact timing requirements.

Do you clean the tracks, frames and screens?

We absolutely do and we pride ourselves on including this as a complimentary service with every clean. Our complimentary service includes a wipe down of the frames and tracks and a brush down of the screens. If you feel like your tracks, frames and screens are particularly dirty please ask us about our intensive service where we can allow a little more time to vacuuming out the tracks, scrubbing the frames and hosing down the screens.

Do you guarantee your work?

We have a spot-free streak-free guarantee which means we will do our absolute best to get it right the first time but if for any reason that we don’t we will gladly come back right away to make sure its absolutely perfect for you. As the director of Shimmer Glass and Pressure Cleaning it’s very important that every customer is happy with our work.

Why do strata buildings need to remove their flyscreens prior to our arrival?

Fly screens on strata buildings are designed to be removed from inside the apartment. The clips are on the inside. Therefore it’s the owner or residents responsibility to remove the screens prior to the day of cleaning. Of course we know that some elderly residents may find that too difficult and we’re more than happy for you to come and ask one of our team to pop up and take your screen off on the day if you need a hand. If the flyscreens are left on we will do our best to clean the glass that doesn’t have a screen on it and wash the frames and the clean the side that has the screen left on as best as we can though we can’t guarantee a spot-free and streak-free finish.

I think there might be leaks around my windows, can you still pressure clean?

Should you have any gaps around the window sill or leaks of any kind at the property please advise Shimmer so that we may avoid any damage to property. Should water enter into the property due to gaps or leaks Shimmer Glass and Pressure Cleaning cannot be held responsible.

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