Chris Rabin, owner of Fingers and Toes Nail Salon on Bainbridge Island has expanded her horizons — literally — and established Inside Out. The residential and commercial maintenance service business specializes in window and gutter cleaning as well as pressure washing, roof moss control and small repairs.

Coming in contact with many island residents on a regular basis with her first business, Rabin, 37, recognized a niche for a service firm with experienced professionals that can be counted on.

She readily admits that Jeff Fravel and Rick Roebke are the muscle behind the glass, ladders, water and moss control while the single mom with two sons handles marketing and administrative duties. She also visualizes expansion possibilities that include housekeeping and lawn care.

Rabin, who has lived on the island for the past seven and half years, says the most important thing for potential clients to realize is that anyone can show up with a bucket and some tools, but not many actually can boast a loyal cadre of truly satisfied customers. Her goal is to be known as the professional that responds to calls, is prompt and accountable, and does an outstanding job at a fair, competitive price.

“A satisfied customer recently said my windows were so clean that three birds within 15 minutes flew into them,” she laughed. “However, we are not attempting to reduce the winged population on the island.”

She said that another customer was surprised to learn that they had come and gone, cleaned the gutters and left no mess on the ground behind. “These are things that anyone paying for this kind of work should expect, not be surprised by.”

Rabin added that work is bid by the job — not the window or hour, scheduled Monday through Saturday and that regular maintenance agreements are available — and advisable.

She noted that in the Northwest climate, moss is a serious problem. Roofs — especially cedar shake roofs as well as composition shingles — can easily be permanently damaged when moss if left untreated or treated improperly. Rabin advises that roofs should not be pressure washed, contrary to popular belief, because moss can loosen and damage roofing resulting in nullified warranties. She recommends roof treatments and gutter cleaning be done bi-annually unless the home is surrounded by trees, then treatments may be needed more frequently.

Inside Out is licensed, bonded and insured and may be reached at
(206) 399-3534.