The story of Green window cleaning

The first time I saw a professional window cleaner was in the late 90’s when I was a teenager. Before then it had never occurred to me that there even was such a thing. The man had a dog who kept him company as he gracefully swooped his squeegee across the windows of businesses on Main St. in downtown Durango, Colorado. He’d finish his work, chat with the folks inside, collect his payment and move on to the next. Shortly after that first encounter, I met a rock climbing partner who worked as a window cleaner. His lifestyle and apparent fulfillment with his work life balance inspired me. I knew then that I wanted the same for myself.

The first time I used a squeegee was in 2002. It was here in Sedona. In 2005 I arranged to purchase the business from Frank Guistino. It was basically a phone number transferred to me and a list of customers he had built up over a few years. At the time it was called Guistino and Son’s Window Cleaning. I kept that name because I was young and lacking confidence. Three years later I decided to drop that name and forge ahead with my vision of a “Green” window cleaning business.

There was and still is no roadmap to operating a window cleaning service in the way I was imagining so I set out to make my own. This led me to meeting a local waste food oil recycler and learning how to make biodiesel from the used fryer oil from local restaurants. I used this locally made fuel from waste to power my vehicle for as long as that car lasted. I tried it again with a newer vehicle but the fuel was incompatible and as it turns out, that vehicle was caught up in a scandal involving VW covering up how dirty their diesels were. That’s when I learned that I need to rethink how I can reduce the impact of driving to jobs. The answer was simple. Drive less! I went from driving 20,000+ miles a year in a really efficient vehicle to driving 5,000 miles. Turns out that is best way to reduce burning fuel, wear and tear on the vehicle, and wasted time commuting. Recently I acquired a used e-bike and can do most of my jobs via bike!

Besides the vehicle, I’ve always had a broader, more wholistic dream of how a service business like mine can generate capital while working toward regenerating the resources it uses. This thinking has led me to build a system at my home that generates it’s own electricity from sunlight and reuses grey water to irrigate fruit, nut and native trees on the property. I craft my own squeegee and scrubber handles from our own mesquite tree branches and every time I handle the tools during my work day I am reminded of a connection to the land. I have a tool that re-sharpens my used squeegee rubber up to 4 times, greatly reducing the need for buying new rubber. The towels I use are all used surgical rags and thrift store sourced. Recently I completed a rainwater harvesting system that will be a source of my pure water used to clean solar panels and windows. It will also collect and reuse the water after washing our own solar panels! There is still a lot more that can be done! More localization of work will also help with my goal of being 100% bike based for window cleaning. The truck will still be needed for solar panel cleaning until I work out a way to do that from the bike too.

What really makes all of this work is that I care about how I do things and that I am a good at what I do. From those early years with Frank, I learned that doing a good job is the most important thing. Now I have the benefit of 20 years experience perfecting the craft. After all those years I am thrilled at learning new techniques and ideas from other window cleaners around the world. I won’t go into boring details about how I brush and vacuum tracks, clean screens, and remove stubborn debris and stains from glass without causing damage. I deliver consistently perfect results that are remarkably efficient for a one person operation.

Thanks for reading my little story and I look forward to changing how you see the world and deepening the connection between your home and the spectacular natural wonder that surrounds us here in Sedona.

Jesse Martin

Master Transparency Enhancement Technician