The zen of window cleaning

By Mimi Vanderhaven

In 1993, when Rick Winrod was a computer operations specialist living in a high-rise condo overlooking Lake Erie, he got the word: The company he worked for was merging. Layoffs were inevitable.

He was out of a job.

Unsure what to do next, a neighbor mentioned that there were many people living in the Lakewood high-rise whose beautiful views of the lake were obscured by dirty windows and there was no one to clean them.

“I didn’t even know window cleaning was a thing,” Rick recalls. “I didn’t know people did it. Still, the next day I bought the supplies and cleaned my first window.”

Rick assumed he would wash a few windows “for pocket money,” yet soon discovered not only a new career, but a calling.

“You look at a dirty window in the moments before you clean it and you imagine what it’s going to look like clean,” he says.

“I also imagine how the client is going to feel when they see it. When you clean windows on a house that haven’t been cleaned in months or years, it can be an emotional experience. It clarifies everything.”

But this Zen nature of Rick’s work goes well beyond just the awe-inspiring results; he also enjoys the work itself.

“I really do see it as my calling,” he says.

“I get to meet great people. I enjoy making them happy and that gives me great satisfaction. Plus, it is labor intensive and helps keep me in good shape. I’m 55 now and plan on doing it for another 15-20 years, if I can. I enjoy working outside in both hot and cold weather. You get used to it. I love to listen to the birds sing.”

“Everybody’s good at something,” he adds. “I just happen to be good at this.”

Rolling Thunder: More Than Windows
Today, 25 years later, Rick has leveraged his love of cleaning and his natural business acumen to expand into other home cleaning services, including power washing and gutter cleaning.

“Like window cleaning, power washing is both an art and a science. I take pride in my work and so do the people who work for me. They do it the way I want it done. Properly cleaning anything—a window, siding, a roof or a concrete driveway—comes from years of experience. You have to be good, but you also have to be fast and efficient. And you have to invest in the right high-tech tools.”

Rick and his team also do commercial work.

“When it comes to cleaning in a business environment, we have to be non-intrusive, but still do a good job,” he says.

“I learned how to treat people respectfully in the corporate world and I know how you should and shouldn’t talk to people. We always treat the receptionist with the same level of respect as the company president. It’s about kindness.”

Cleaning Gutters, Too
Window cleaning, Rick admits, is a bit of a luxury, but gutter cleaning is an absolute necessity.

“Overflowing gutters can cause very expensive problems,” he says.

“We get in the nooks and crannies. We even clean the downspouts. I’ve been doing it for 20 years and I know there is a true science behind gutter cleaning. If we clean your gutters, they’re going to be free flowing when we leave. Water will be diverted where it’s supposed to be, not in your basement, and you won’t have mulch washing onto your driveway.”

Rolling Thunder is a small company and Rick himself is on most jobs, especially window cleaning.

“My team is fully trained and my company is fully insured,” he says.

“Because this can be difficult and physically challenging work, liability insurance and workers comp insurance are critical for the homeowner’s protection. Anytime you have someone working on your property, especially while using ladders, you need to make sure the contractor is fully insured. Otherwise the property owner is assuming the risk,” he adds. “I’m not going to send anybody on a job who’s not going to do it as properly and as safely as I would do it myself.”

The Rolling Thunder Window Cleaning offices are located at 33480 Liberty Parkway in North Ridgeville, but the company services homes throughout Northeast Ohio. For more information or to receive a free estimate, call 440-897-6317. The website is RollingThunderWC.com.