By Window Washing by Chris Wilson (805) 208-9254
Not many words rhyme with squeegee, and I did a shirt design to prove it. Here’s the Saturday Night Fever version of the Squeegeelution design. If you’d like to have me print you one, just click that Paypal button below and select your size. If you have any special requests, let me know and we’ll work it out.
You can tell by the way I use my mop, I'm a window man, never miss a spot.
It's that calm confidence that makes a good residential window cleaner. Elijah Wilson has it.
By Window Washing by Chris Wilson (805) 208-9254
Elijah Wilson, my eldest son, has seen the light through the clean glass and realized a simple zen life with mop and squeegee can be quite delightful. He’s on his way to Santa Barbara soon. He is Window Washing by Elijah Wilson.
It was great that he called recently, asked to visit and learn the West Coast window cleaning trade.
I indulged him, showed him a few examples of mop and squeegee and detail technique, and he took right away to the simple hand tools we use to clean glass.
We had a strong week, working two 12 hour days in some pretty intense Ojai sun. If you’re thinking of moving here to this snake infested hellish dessert, don’t. You wouldn’t like it. It’s far too hot. Stay where you are in your convenience zones, Ojai is probably a little too brutal for you.
Really scrubbing a window is the only way to get it truly clean. Elijah Wilson can do that. Dang that window got clean.
We hit the road for Yosemite; our pockets bulging with clean window dollars. After a few miles walk to a good view of Half Dome and back, we pressed on to the Carson Valley to see Todd and visit Lake Tahoe. Washed the windows in Todd’s house in Minden and then swum again in Tahoe’s Emerald Bay, cruised up and over Lassen, across the state and into Arcata, California where we did one final West Coast California window washing job for my favorite boss ever Janet. Her home is a sweet ultra modern in an ancient redwood grove. Amazing and what a delight it was to spend time with her again after a dozen years.
Elijah spent the next five days with me in the car mostly popping from draw jopping scenic site to camera clickable site in the green and gray Pacific Northwest. He flew out of Portland and I drove home a week or so ago.
Now, back in Minnesota, he texts me today, “Booked my first window washing job. My neighbor for $200 tomorrow.”
It’s on. He’s doing it. And he’s talking about becoming a personal trainer too. I admire that he’s serious and actually working at it.
And he’s booked a flight to Santa Barbara for 11th of September, 2013.
I’m certain with a bit of get-it-on and stick-to-itvness he’s going to book more work and find that people enjoy afordable window washing and cleaning services in Santa Barbara.
I’m happy to help him with getting started. But I don’t think he needs much. This is a hobby/craft that pays for itself pretty handsomely. Its hard work, but I’ve seen him do it and I know he will build a select clientele where ever he sets his mind to it.
Congratulations to Window Washing by Elijah Wilson in Santa Barbara, Montecito, Carpinteria.
Wearing the Squeegee Liberty design, Elijah Wilson realized that true freedom can be found in providing clarity.
I vouch for his quality and care in thoroughly and professionally cleaning the windows in your home. Call him today.
To get a free window cleaning estimate, call Window Washing by Elijah Wilson 415-404-8906 or email elijah@windowashing.com
There's a certain proud freedom that comes when you hold your tool in the air.
Here’s an urgent 24 hour sale to be the life of the Independence Day parade in your town with the super exclusive offering of the SqueegeeLiberty T-shirt from your fellow window washer and t-shirt artist Chris T. Wilson .
In order to get these shirts out to you before the 4th, I need you to order and pay before 1 p.m. Thursday, June 27 PST. Available to the United States only. Well, I will ship just about anywhere if you contact me for rates.
I will print the shirts with a bright red water based SqueegeeLiberty print on a super soft, light weight 4.2 oz ringspun cotton white Canvas brand t-shirt and mail it USPS first class or priority mail depending on how close you are to So Cal.
XS-XL $20 plus $6 shipping
2XL-4XL %30 plus $6 shipping
I love washing windows. Look at that blue sky and that smile.
Best pic ever of me washing windows. Lila Glascoe Francese took it. She runs Ojai Home a real estate staging company. I love my life as a window washer in Ojai. The clientele here are amazing. The homes are mostly beautiful and well appointed. And when Lila hooks them up PROPER they look amazing.
Here’s another design based on the Squeegeelution Squeegee Revolution Power Fist. I call it SqueegeeMania. Enjoy.
Are you ready to mumble?
When it comes to washing windows I’m pretty good. But when it comes to t-shirt designs, sometimes I’m just plain BAD. Here’s the Squeegeelution Design and the late Jacko bustin’ out the fresh Squeegeeheehee moves.
SQUEEGEE HEE HEE
Currently there’s a contest going for Squeegee Power design, Take the Squeegeelution design from the post below and integrate it into your own design. Have fun, take chances, be crazy. Check the contest details here.
Collab shirt with WCR
A new super limited Squeegee Power shirt came out this week on Window Cleaning Resource.
And then Robinson Solutions out of Palma De Mallorca whipped up a salad of delicious windowashing post quotes on his massive world wide window washing blog this morning.
Love Glen Muse
Then I went to Glen Muse to wash windows and there were girls dancing and a guy guitaring in a giant crystal merkaba in under frondy fairlyland leaves. and they spoke of ceremony and hit drums that the chanted Ojai while I was on a ladder washing a leaded glass oval over the front door. I was smiling, later I met one of the Merkaba whoopers, named Pray or perhaps Prey, I din’t inquire as to the spelling of his “name.” But man he sure did warm up the strings on the baby grand inside and sang hard and passionate in a epic Broadway sort of way. And the girls danced in that flaily free form arm waving way they do there and I smiled while I worked.
later in the Asia house, I’d seen a young woman through the foggy crankety-arm 80s Andersen windows in the breakfast nook. Her hair is chestnut and ironed long like a Baez ballad and she is gone when I enter. I can hear her vocalizing in the back somewhere and I wash the front room and then off through the kitchen, over the sink and then the bay of the nook where she’d been set. Once I’m done with the nook, I head back to the bedroom and say hi to her in the bathroom. She quotes Emmerson to me I think, something about moving with the flow of the time of nature. I apologized for intruding on her toilet, but she was dressed and fussing with eyebrows or something and I don’t suffer nomads with strict manners. They’ve lived on the road, through the forests of Bolivia and the beaches of Santa Cruz, to the intentional communities that apparently exist here and there, they can handle a smiling window washer asking permission to pass and wash the glass. And she granted. And we visited briefly and I moved on.
It’s a vortex. Always dynamic, loose and wildly creative souls floating around there. Guess that’s why Mario called it the Hippy Playboy Mansion. When you buy or rent, please let them know you were referred by Chris T. Wilson.
I spend a fair amount of time thinking while I’m washing windows and I often listen to audio books and podcasts while I’m slinging squeegees. And as window cleaning technology and business moves toward advances in efficiency like the water fed pole, the more I feel strongly connected to the old-fashioned craft of using simple hand tools to clean a window and clean it well. I feel somehow compelled to turn the window cleaning process into an act of Will, an alchemical undertaking and a mystical devotion.
In part I do this to keep the process as completely removed from the idea of “work” or “routine” as divinely possible. From a metaphysical standpoint, I’m sure a lot of guru wisdom shits could be devised around the benefits of saying a prayer for/to/with each window you wash. Seeing a customer’s reaction to her clean windows certainly suggests to me that some blessing has taken place. So I’m going to continue working on my window cleaning mantras and see how they affect the lives and realities of my fortunate clients. Basically, that’s a distraction to keep me awake at the wheel of my fancy janitor life.
Which brings to mind Barn the Spoon in his work shop window in Hackney hand carving spoons all day. He said in the below linked interview, “When I’ve made a good spoon I feel good within myself.” So I’m co-opting that for my work as a window cleaner. Hence the title.
At the end of the day, if I wanted my window washing “business” to really make more money and grow, I should buy a wfp. Just like Barn could buy an electric lathe and other expensive industrial tools and crank out spoons at a much more consistent and rapid rate. But in the process he’d compromise the very process he’s going through; a deep sense of tactile connection to the action and outcome. Maybe they call that making art.
Is it pompous to say window cleaning is art? Or that not buying a wfp makes me some sort of purist snob? I certainly hope so.
Squeegee Power!
via http://spitalfieldslife.com/2012/11/13/barn-the-spoon-spoon-carver/
I was supposed to be working on another project, so I decided to make a new t-shirt incorporating the Squeegeelution design into the traditional “I <3 Place” concept. I love living in Ojai, I love screen printing and I love window washing. I’m a squeegee freak I guess.
Get it custom made for your town.
Since I screen print, I would like to offer this design customized to your territory so you can show off your regional pride and your sweet squeegee power skills. Do you washing windows in New York? I can make “I Squeegeelution NY.” Or where ever you may be. I’m thinking it would be like a 5 shirt minimum for $100. Or 2 tees, 1 long sleeve, and 1 Hoody for $120, plus shipping. I use Gildans and Jerzees at this price point.
If that sounds appealing or interesting email me: chris@windowashing.com and we will work out the details.
Every day I'm dreaming of how I can make the world a little brighter.
I’m imagining how cool, groovy, sweet and powerful it would be to turn every window cleaner, washer or other squeegee enthusiast onto the powerful revolutionary image: Squeegeelution.
Today I mocked up a Squeegee Fist coffee mug and pretended to drink from it while I mugged for my self portrait.
If you would like to see this happen, let me know: chris@windowashing.com
I’m also willing to print any custom color t-shirt with the Squeegeelution design.
Let’s put squeegee power everywhere.
