Do you stay in for the window cleaner?
Posted by HighNimpact@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 341 comments
Debate in our household.
My partner has booked a window cleaner to come every month. I can work from home some days but they can’t so it falls to me to make sure I’m at home and available to pay them and keep the dogs inside etc. The window cleaner doesn’t give a time slot, just a day, which means I can’t go out at all (I’d normally pop to the shops or walk the dogs at lunch) and I’m constantly stressed he’ll expect me to pay him during a meeting when I can’t leave my desk.
My view is that a window cleaner is surely capable of doing his job without me being at home. Surely a window cleaner is used to the fact that people have dogs (not aggressive, never bitten anyone, never even growled) and has some mechanism to be paid rather than having the customer wait in all day to give them cash. My partner says that this is how it works and there’s simply no other option - I have to be at home and available all day to make sure the dogs are inside the house when he’s here and physically put cash into his hand.
People complain about having to wait in all day for a washing machine to be delivered once every five years so I can’t imagine no one is complaining about doing this every month. And what on earth did people do before work from home was commonplace?
What‘s normal here?
DementedLlama2808@reddit
Out window cleaner comes every 3 months. He txts me the night before to tell me he's coming. He doesn't expect anyone to be in, it's just a curtesy message. I work from home so I'm usually in, but if not, I give him the code to the back gate so he can get in the garden and wash the windows at the back of the house. I pay him via bank transfer even if I am home. Never had any issues with it.
Longjumping-Trick659@reddit
Interest in comments
RetiredFromIT@reddit
My window cleaner recently retired and "sold his round" to another chap, who he introduced me to.
Within a few months, I had cancelled them.
My old window cleaner had a fixed rota, every 4 weeks, on the same day. Any variance, he would pop round, in person, in the evening, to tell his customers.
The new guy(s) work on the principle that they text you to say that they will be cleaning tomorrow. No way to predict when. "Text 'no' to skip."
The new guy I had been introduced to turned up just once. The following month, I was texted to be told "his cleaners" - which turned out to be two guys I'd never seen before - would call the next day. A month later, it was someone else, also that I hadn't met. It seems the guy I'd met was the boss, and he had teams of people cleaning for him.
I do need to be in, for them to have access to the back of the house (behind a locked gate), and to keep my dog in. I don't mind being in for someone reliable and can keep to a calendar.
seabutcher@reddit
Just ask your guy directly.
Maybe it's just because I'm autistic as balls and never really understand the social norms in any situation, but when I get stuck I find the best approach is to lean into that.
It's very freeing to actually say to someone, "I don't understand the social norms in this kind of situation."
Showing and addressing the awkwardness tends to put people on a sympathetic footing, and from there it's easy to have a conversation where they just tell me what they want from me.
GrumpyOldFart74@reddit
Not only do I not stay in specifically for the window cleaner, if I happen to be in when he comes I hide in a different room and close the curtains
I’m pretty outgoing in most ways, by reddit standards, but it feels utterly weird to be in a room carrying on as normal while somebody is right outside the window like that!
FeistyUnicorn1@reddit
If I am working from home when my window cleaner comes I sit at my desk beside the window pretending that I don’t see him…
purte@reddit
I work from home so I got over that pretty fast. I wave through the window and carry on working. In answer to the OPs original question, her partner’s approach is odd, window cleaners don’t expect you to wait in for them. Mine sends an invoice through an app and I pay him. Simple as that. OP’s partner is annoyed that he’s arranged the service and is not getting enough thanks for doing so. OP - speak to the window cleaner when he comes to arrange to pay online. Or switch to one who does.
Pixiebel81@reddit
Does he not use the brush on a pole contraption?
GrumpyOldFart74@reddit
No..
I live in a house - they do the ground floor on foot and use a ladder for upstairs
HighNimpact@reddit (OP)
Honestly, yeah, I feel super uncomfortable too. I hate it.
jasminenice@reddit
What would be your partner's reaction if you deliberately didn't stay in all day to wait for the window cleaner?
TwoPlyDreams@reddit
Yeah. You need to be dressed otherwise it can feel weird.
Rowanx3@reddit
When i lived with my mum, i was usually home when the window cleaner was here, i don’t feel that weird about lounging around while he cleans the windows, but id hide from him because if he caught you he’d talk to you for hours
He’d give you an update on his life, mental health and family drama and id just be standing there with £12.50 getting all clammy in my hands while i try to leave the conversation because im 10 minutes late to work after 5 failed attempts.
TruckDelicious8747@reddit
This made me laugh, I’m glad I’m not the only one that does exactly the same!9 😆
ice-lollies@reddit
Haha me too but I just hide from room to room lol!
They must see loads of us doing it.
Iforgotmypassword126@reddit
Why does your husband decide that something that doesn’t impact him, won’t be changing.
You’re the one in the house, so just go out. The window cleaner just rolls it over until next week or you can get his bank details and transfer.
Mine literally texts me when he’s done and transfer it (if there’s no answer at the door)
CarrowCanary@reddit
It's interesting how in a post where no gender is mentioned you automatically assume the OP is a woman being wronged by a man.
One_Fly5200@reddit
It is interesting. But it is also interesting that the OP actually confirm the partner was a ”he”.
Iforgotmypassword126@reddit
That’s a really good point. I did assume the genders.
platypuspigs@reddit
Our window cleaner doesn’t collect the money when he cleans the windows. He cleans the windows in the day and then does the rounds on a weekday evening to collect money
WesternEmpire2510@reddit
I remember window cleaning in my teens. Some customers would be in and others not. They were happy for us to let ourselves into the back if they weren't in to do the whole property.
In one instance, there was no response from the front door. I went round the back to finish up, only to see my customers stark bollock naked going for it on a sun lounger. He very quickly scuttled off. She, without a shred of shame, just rolled onto her front and started chatting to me like I hadn't just seen her in flagrante delicto. Being 17, i could barely get a word out without a stutter having just witnessed such an act.
I suppose you could say the husband definitely didnt stay "in" for the window cleaner.
1stviplette@reddit
My windows cleaner texts me when he is coming with a time frame. I pay him via bank transfer and he does not need me to be in to do his work. Lovely man who even apologised when he had to put his prices up. Only issue I have is whenever he cleans the windows it rains the same day.
Duke_Tristan@reddit
I'm a Window cleaner and I don't expect anyone to be home when I call. I send a text the day before I come so people know I'm coming, and can leave any gates open or know to keep their dogs in. Most people pay me using online banking now, so no need for cash, although if I do have customers who want to pay by cash or cheque we have an agreed safe place.
KittyGrewAMoustache@reddit
Out of interest how much do you charge? We moved and our last window cleaner charged £15 for cleaning a whole conservatory and five large windows. Our current one charges £48 for two sets of French doors and 4 windows. When they first quoted me I presumed it was because some windows are hard to reach and they’d be climbing up to clean but no they just use a long pole and don’t even get two of the harder to reach windows. So then I assumed costs have exploded in the last three years?
april_fool85@reddit
Not the poster you’re asking but my window cleaner charges £14 for 2 sets of French doors, a conservatory and 5 windows (3 triple, 2 double).
He was charging £12 until the beginning of the year when he put the price up.
AwkwardTie9427@reddit
£14 is too cheap even now. It doesn't reflect the current cost of living, as well as how much you would need to buy for window cleaning equipment and materials. Everything has gone up. I would say between £20-£25 at a minimum is the best pricing now, for ANY job.
Duke_Tristan@reddit
This
AwkwardTie9427@reddit
Absolutely. And most customers of ANY tradesperson (yes, window cleaning is a "trade", don't rely on Google for advice, you literally set up as a Sole TRADER on HMRC to register as a self-employed window cleaner) should take into consideration that it's more expensive to run as a self-employed business. They're taking the mick if they don't want to pay beyond £10 or £15 for a regular clean. Nothing even costs below £20 for a professional service nowadays. In fact, many companies charge £60+ for callout. Maybe window cleaners should eventually follow suit.
libbystitch@reddit
If window cleaners around here charged £60 for a clean they’d be out of business pretty quickly. As I said above, the “legitimate” window cleaning businesses here (East Midlands) don’t charge above £20. My cash in hand guy is close to retirement age and works with another guy around the same age, he’s told me he’ll be packing it in at some point in the next few years.
AwkwardTie9427@reddit
That makes sense, the area you are from is closer to Northern pricing. All the best.
Duke_Tristan@reddit
Prices seem to vary by region, but £15 for what you describe is insane. That's like a price from 30 years ago. If someone is charing that they can't be giving anywhere near enough time to the job or paying taxes.
£48 does sound possiblt a bit steep, but as I can't obviously see your property I'd be hesitant to confirm if it's too much or not. It might not just be the windows themselves that creates the price (eg if parking is a nightmare in the area that takes extra time that has to be allocated to the job, or perhaps you live inside a ulez or congestion zone and that cost has to be passed on). It also does depend where you live. In you're in London or an expensive area then a price like that is understandable.
kunstlich@reddit
Are you a classic cleaner or someone who slaps a broom head to a water pipe and goes at it that way?
slotbadger@reddit
I pay £7 every 5/6 weeks or so, 4-bed semi in West Yorkshire, back and front, cash only.
Or I did, the window cleaner has just retired and there is no chance of anyone matching that.
TheClnl@reddit
Yeah, ours is £3.50 a side but it's just a lad with a ladder. He doesn't do a great job tbh but he went to school with the Mrs and has had a tough life so she refuses to even consider changing.
Euphoric-Wall-2576@reddit
I pay £12 per clean for a 3 bed semi with a conservatory, although they don't clean the conservatory roof.
Duke_Tristan@reddit
I can't even fathom how that is possible. What you've described would take me about 45 mins to an hour. One loses about 40-50% of the price striaght away on tax and expenses, so they'd only be making about £8. No holiday pay, no sick pay, no pension. Minimum wage would be substantially more. In our area, minimum prices for companies who actively trying to undercut everyone are starting at £75 minimum price just for a conservatory roof.
Euphoric-Wall-2576@reddit
They only take a few minutes to do it - they just give each window pane a quick wash with a telescopic brush. A few seconds per window. I think they're just offering a different service to what you're offering.
Different-Use-5185@reddit
Mines only a tenner a month and he does 1-2 cleans.
libbystitch@reddit
£48 for a window clean?! Ours charges us £12 and only takes cash - which is a bit of a pain, but it sounds like we’re getting a total bargain. That’s for 9 windows and 2 French doors and done the old fashioned way with ladders.
AwkwardTie9427@reddit
Too cheap with the current cost of living. Costs between 4k to 8k currently to purchase and maintain new equipment for window cleaning every year. Not a bargain at all, he's undercutting other honest people in the profession. You'll have a big shock to the system when you're looking for a new cleaner.
PomegranateEither768@reddit
I think that big shock may be dependant on where you live, I also pay £12 and he's the "expensive" one in my area! Everyone else is around £8-10.
libbystitch@reddit
We’re in the East Midlands, we “inherited” this guy when we moved house, but even in our old house we used a legitimate business to clean our windows and it was £18 a month.
PomegranateEither768@reddit
I'm in the East Midlands too. Ours is a newbuild estate so maybe they're all just offering low prices to build a good customer base up. Its been around 18 months and prices haven't changed yet but maybe they will, idk
AwkwardTie9427@reddit
That actually makes me laugh. The North is the worst for that, but if you live in the South I would be in hysterics.
Duke_Tristan@reddit
100%
ColinismyCat@reddit
You’re getting a bargain because he’s not paying tax.
escapingfromelba@reddit
Even if that were true, the tax doesn't account for a 400% price difference.
ColinismyCat@reddit
I’d imagine, if he’s not paying tax, he’s not paying national insurance - or any insurance for that matter. He doesn’t have business insurance for his vehicle and all the other little “inconveniences” for the legitimate business owner. The savings he makes soon add up and he’s probably subsidising his income with universal credit. Instead of villainising the legitimate business owner for overcharging, give your head a wobble.
AwkwardTie9427@reddit
I forgot to mention the current government's extortionate income tax and national insurance on small businesses. Combined, I had nearly £1000 the previous to last tax year, even that was difficult to save up for with the other expenses and bills I had over the previous year. I'm yet to find out how much I'll be paying this year before the deadline. Wish me luck.
escapingfromelba@reddit
Even if this notion were true that is a fraction of total income, and does not account for a 400% price difference.
Honestly, this reddit meme about people dodging tax has posts stating claims that have no relation to actual taxes. I wonder if people even look at their own payslip to understand what percentage the government takes.
Duke_Tristan@reddit
This. I don't even try to compete with prices like this. Impossible when you're running an honest gig and declaring everything.
AwkwardTie9427@reddit
Pricing is different per town, even per window cleaner. The cleaning industry is VERY expensive. Did you know that to start up and maintain a window cleaning business in the UK you literally have to spend at least £4000 a year for materials? It's a very expensive job. £48 is a solid price, in fact I think it's at the low end of prices for certain wealthier areas in the UK.
liseyloop@reddit
I get a WhatsApp the evening before so I can leave side gate unlocked, then he puts his card through the door and I pay by bank transfer, regardless of if I’m in or out! £25 for 4 bed detached with 2 big bay windows and a very large bi-fold door. Nice chap he is too.
Duke_Tristan@reddit
My expenses for the 24/25 tax year were 8k, and due to all the horrendous inflationary price rises I expect that to rise again for the year that's just closed. People have no idea how expensive it is to run an (honest) business.
xmissgolightly@reddit
Ours is £20 every 6 weeks
AwkwardTie9427@reddit
Solid price.
ScientistJo@reddit
Is that £48 every time? I pay £12 for a four bed semi with a conservatory. 11 windows, front door, patio doors and conservatory (not the roof). In Leeds, if that's relevant. The cleaner is usually here around 10 minutes, so that's £70 an hour.
KauriAni@reddit
I’m based up in the North East and for a bay window, six other various sized windows and the glass in the back door I get charged £10. It’s once a month.
AwkwardTie9427@reddit
That's a bargain. Should still be at least £20-£25 minimum, though the North does seem to be behind the South with pricing.
KauriAni@reddit
I’m so grateful and he does an amazing job!
LuciePoki@reddit
Is it a one off clean or a regular thing? When I've done some research for us you could have a nice discount if you booked a regular clean
jt3201@reddit
Price seems to vary wildly! I used to pay £29 per clean, now I've moved to a bigger house and started using the same cleaner as my new neighbour and he only charges £18
ofgraveimportance@reddit
Well according to OP’s partner, you’re wrong and ridiculous!
AwkwardTie9427@reddit
OP's partner isn't living in the real world. 😊
decobelle@reddit
Just agreeing with everyone else that this is not normal with window cleaners, but I'm also pissed off at your partner being apparently happy to inconvenience you all day, knowing you aren't happy with the situation and yet insisting you just have to keep being unhappy rather than finding a solution and changing things. You've told him how you feel and he apparently doesn't care - it's very selfish behaviour. I bet if he was the one being inconvenienced he wouldn't put up with it.
Is he selfish in other ways? Or is he thoughtful and caring usually and he's just not realising how annoying this is for you?
I'd put my foot down and say you either need to find a new window cleaner (one who isn't trying to tax dodge by insisting on cash only), or talk to the cleaner yourself and tell him the safe place you're going to leave the cash. Maybe get a lock box and give him the code.
boojes@reddit
Have you seen the edit? He's stormed off and "the setup won't be changing". He seems like a lovely guy.
Cole-Palmer-phd@reddit
Why do you both say he when the post says they or my partner?
boojes@reddit
A comment from OP confirms partner is a he.
boojes@reddit
I honestly thought I'd read "he" in a comment from OP.
denisraymond@reddit
Jesus, what a prick
Draigdwi@reddit
Looks like a simple question about window cleaning has turned into Dump the moron. That escalated fast. Do what you have to do. Dump the moron. Reddit usual advice for wifes of selfish and dumb men. Selfish because he doesn’t care. Dumb because he can’t figure out another solution how to pay online or leave cash in safe place.
Bloatville@reddit
Not only that, OP doesn't state gender anywhere in their post. We don't even know who is being unreasonable, or if it's a hetero couple.
I-Spot-Dalmatians@reddit
Coming soon to r/relationshipadvice …
denisraymond@reddit
Same here - partner sounds like a "this is how I assume it works with no basic research or thought, so that's the way it is" type.
CraigTheBrewer12@reddit
Our window cleaner sends a text the day before and the money is taken via direct debit, waiting in all day to pay them is crazy.
SpamJavelin00@reddit
Just go out and ask him to send you his bank details and you’ll pay via transfer . I wouldn’t dream of staying in just for that !! I don’t think window cleaners even expect you to - I had a friend who did to years ago and his normal time to go round collecting money was Friday evening after doing it all week. Most people go out to work. This is ridiculous !!
thecrius@reddit
My window cleaner has a way to pay him online. I don't see why I should even be bothered to have cash on me in 2026 ffs.
tumshy@reddit
We direct debit our window cleaner monthly. You don’t have to be in the house, that’s the silliest thing I ever heard! If you don’t pay them digitally then they’ll put a note through your door.
Amazes me that people can have grown up jobs and yet paying a window cleaner baffles them.
shortandfelly@reddit
I have no idea when mine even turns up, sometimes I'm in, more often I'm out and just have a card through the door. If I'm out, it does mean they can't do the French windows into the garden (this sounds very fancy, I have a 2 bed terrace with a shittily build extension 🤣) but it's also only £8.
Sad-Nectarine-7855@reddit
Mine leaves a slip through the letterbox with total due and how to pay
jesussays51@reddit
I have my window cleaner set up on a direct debit. He texts the day before so I remember to shut the windows and that’s it.
Chemical_Profession9@reddit
It has never even crossed my mind to be home. I prefer to be out due to the times I have my headphones on and turn around and suddenly see someone at the window.
radian_@reddit
Yeah, how's he going to get out the back otherwise.
HighNimpact@reddit (OP)
The same way he would with me there…
LeadershipAble773@reddit
Is your window cleaner going to go into your house? I don't get why you need to consider your dogs in this situation? When we had a window cleaner, we put the money in a bag and attached it to the top back window, so he could get it on his ladder but noone else would see it, or be arsed to get it lol. I personally would work my WFH days to be when hes NOT cleaning, its scary when youre at home and someone pops up at your window lol
becpuss@reddit
No, you should never have to stay in for a window cleaner. The windows are accessible from the outside. They don’t need anybody’s help. I guess everyone’s is different but ours knocks on a Friday afternoon/ evening to collect.
kelvinside@reddit
OP is definitely male lol
HighNimpact@reddit (OP)
What makes you say that?
RealLongwayround@reddit
I pay my window cleaner by direct debit.
SnooGrapes2914@reddit
Personally, I'd be there for the first time and ask the guy myself if my spouse had booked him.
I live in a flat, so I've never had one, but I've never heard of window cleaners expecting people to be in.
Jaraxo@reddit
Living in a flat is my only experience of needing to be in for the window cleaner, as he needed an explanation of which windows were ours exactly. It's fairly obvious with a house, but for a flat it's not always entirely obvious.
Dead_Bones001@reddit
Considering you are the one who has to be in all day then why don't you make the effort to speak to the window cleaner and ask if in future you can pay by bank transfer?
HighNimpact@reddit (OP)
I don’t have their contact details and can’t speak to them without waiting in to speak to them
denisraymond@reddit
Ask your partner for their details. In a healthy, equal, respectful relationship that wouldn't be a problem (although to be honest, in a healthy relationship it wouldn't have got as far as having to ask the original question on Reddit in the first place). If they refuse or make another fuss then I'd start seriously thinking about the fact you might be in a relationship with someone exerting control over you. From what you've said so far it very much sounds like it.
Dead_Bones001@reddit
But if you're WFH on the day they come, then stop work when you hear them cleaning the windows and go and talk to them.
Own-Indication7832@reddit
Window cleaner will not need you in. You don’t pay him there and then. He either comes back one evening in the week for his money or, more commonly these days, you pay him directly into his bank account.
tmr89@reddit
A bank transfer so he doesn’t need to pay tax?
adreddit298@reddit
Because HMRC famously doesn't know about bank accounts?
tmr89@reddit
You really think they sit there and track everyone’s bank transfers and check them against the tax they pay?
adreddit298@reddit
Don't be daft, enforcement is always retrospective, for everybody.
tmr89@reddit
And how often would they enforce tax underpayment of a window cleaner? Almost never
Larrypants1@reddit
No but if you have a VAT inspection they will absolutely check bank accounts and it'll be pretty obvious if you're massively under declare income
tmr89@reddit
They won’t VAT inspection a random window cleaner
ununpentium89@reddit
You can't hide bank transfers from the HMRC. Cash however...
RepsUpMoneyDown@reddit
Im not sure that works how you think it does.
bobbypuk@reddit
Our old window cleaner used to turn up regularly early evening on a Friday and would only take cash. Windows only got cleaned when he fancied a night out.
Suspicious_Flower_0@reddit
Yea the window cleaner that came with our house just sticks a note in an envelope through with his details
Barbora1519@reddit
In general people don’t stay home for the window cleaner . We normally pay by bank transfer or give him cash if we happen to be around .
procallum@reddit
Hold on, your partner stormed off because they were proven wrong!?
Next time the windows need cleaning tell your partner they can book a holiday and stay home to pay him then if that’s the arrangement they want.
My mams window cleaner is cash only and if my mam isn’t in they simply come back a different day and ask for the money, or double it the next time they come; no one should be forced to stay in the house for a 20 minute window clean…
HighNimpact@reddit (OP)
No no, he stormed off because I am wrong… and ridiculous… and he doesn’t want to talk about it anymore…
He can’t take the time off because he can’t choose when his holiday is.
procallum@reddit
Yeah I know this post is regarding a window cleaner but the attitude of your partner here isn’t normal or healthy…
Sure he can disagree and say he would like to keep the original arrangement the way it is, but the general consensus is that his arrangement is very old school.
He also shouldn’t be saying “you’re wrong” it’s just a difference of opinion. Especially if he’s expecting YOU to be the one that has to essentially sacrifice or rush about just for the sake of a window cleaner.
peetlejuice_@reddit
Any window cleaner I have ever had does not expect you to be in the house. Our current one, if we miss him he puts a note through the door to say windows cleaned and the price. We then bank transfer him the money.
Altruistic_Cress_700@reddit
100% that's the normal modern process.
Mine doesn't even bother knocking to get paid. Note every time, even if we are in. It takes too much time. The five minutes hanging around at each house (added up over a day) is another one or two jobs.
The OP should stop stressing. Even if they do ring the bell, just ignore it if inconvenient.
MrsMigginsOldPieShop@reddit
Yep. Our window cleaner pops a ticket through the letter box to say the windows have been done. He then has a separate collection round where he knocks-on and collects whatever is owed. If you miss him then you simply square-up when you eventually catch him. Which can be weeks away.
TheClnl@reddit
Yeah, my mate's a window cleaner. In the past when he did do more cash he'd spend an evening or Saturday morning driving his route collecting because he knew people would be at work or whatever during the week.
The idea that someone needs to be in to pay them is wild.
Dogs are a bit different. If he can get into the back garden by going over the garage or a fence so the customer doesn't need to leave a gate open he will but if the customer doesn't want that he'd expect the dogs to be kept in or he'd just not do the back.
escapingfromelba@reddit
We leave the cash under the doormat.
The OP's question is frankly bizarre.
ReadyAwareness7026@reddit
It's not the OP herself but her partner who is requiring her to stay in. Not planning to ever stay in himself and who has now had a strop about this being questioned and corrected. So I actually think this is not so much a question about window cleaners but about their relationship. What if she had to be at work all day?
escapingfromelba@reddit
In theory you might be right, but that wasn't the question and the trope that redditors end up catastrophising or diagnosing based off short posts isn't something I want to see more of.
Eyupmeduck1989@reddit
Genuinely concerned about OP’s relationship too
Suitable-Ad2831@reddit
Same. Had the same window cleaner for over 10 years - they do their thing, leave me a calling card, and I pay by bank transfer.
Hertfordgal@reddit
Same here. No need to actually wait for them 😳
carpediemcarpenocte@reddit
Mine sends me a message on the messenger app when he is done and I pay by bank transfer too
Euphoric-Wall-2576@reddit
This is what mine does too. They don't even tell me what day they're coming.
Precision_2610@reddit
Yes when we first came to the UK this was what my mom was doing then, it's being long and now we are stable
Hulla_Sarsaparilla@reddit
Same, our window cleaner doesn’t even know if we’re in, he just does the job, and pops a note through the door regardless of whether we’re there, we pay by bank transfer so there’s no point knocking.
DevilsAdvocate1662@reddit
Yep, exactly this! All we have to do is remember to leave the side gate unlocked so he can get round the back to do the windows at the back
LastRenshai@reddit
Mine sends me picture then we transfer the money.
The_Mayor_Involved@reddit
I transfer my wife then he sends me pictures.
Bluntish_@reddit
I was just stressing about the same thing. My old window cleaning never gave a time, and didn’t have a set day. I think he just came once a month when he needed the money. He only called when he knew I was in, like right after the school run. I did have to pay him cash when he was done, and on the rare occasion I didn’t have cash to hand and saw his van pulled up opposite, I would tell him, and he wouldn’t clean them!
He always done a good job, but clearly wasn‘t had difficulties with reading and writing, this wasn’t capable of managing his money or using banking services or any tech.
I’m about to book a clean with a new company, and while browsing, it’s clear they all have flexible payment methods and you can book a slot via their website or app.
savagely-average@reddit
I pay mine by monthly direct debit. He turns up and does it. I barely ever see him
plantlady1-618@reddit
Why not discuss this with the window cleaner the next time they visit. If they say you need to be in, get a new cleaner. Also your partner seems pretty controlling or really uptight
Worth_Gap4226@reddit
My dog goes nuts for the window cleaner so I purposely take him (the dog!) out for a walk for an hour or so whilst the cleaner is doing his thing.
Note through the door to confirm done then pay online.
BazzaFox@reddit
No he can get to the windows without me there. He just messages me when he has done them and I do a bank transfer to him.
Far_Butterscotch_646@reddit
Cone on ladies, fess up.
Coconut681@reddit
Mine messages the day before and we pay online.
Seems unreasonable to setup this arrangement and expect you to deal with it. Could you talk to the window cleaner next time they're there and see what they normally do? They're bound to have a way of paying online or over the phone or they'll come another time.
Ok_Cow_3431@reddit
Either your partner is mad or your window cleaner is stuck in the 1990s.
Our window cleaner doesn't even both knocking to see if we're here, just pops a slip through the door to say our windows have been done and giving his bank details. We usually are actually here so we know he's been.
Probably of note though that he only does our front windows not the back, so we don't need to manage access to the garden/keep the dog inside etc
Safe-Professional556@reddit
1st time sure, but unless they're doing the inside too no. They do their job and invoice you (or note through door).
Sxn747Strangers@reddit
We have to be in so he can get in around the back, otherwise he’ll leave a note to say he’s done the front or he’ll come back another day.
Or was that a previous one?
lovesorangesoda636@reddit
I never know when mine is coming so there's no way for me to stay in for them. He just pops a note through the door to say its been done and I transfer over the money.
Needing your customer to be in the house while also not giving a timeslot is... not a good way to run a business imo.
I wouldn't be waiting in for a window cleaner, if your partner wants that to happen, your partner can be the one to stay home all day.
Ok-Middle8656@reddit
I AM the window cleaner. £20 for a long pole from The Range and a bucket of suds.
HighNimpact@reddit (OP)
We have one - the hose attaches and everything. He insisted it was easier to do ourselves and then never did it. Then he eventually bought one and I said he’d never use it and to book a window cleaner. He cleaned two windows, said he hated it and couldn’t be bothered, and a few months later, booked the cleaner.
Drug_Taker917@reddit
My window cleaner doesn't mind, just puts an invoice through the door for bank transfer
AIWHilton@reddit
I'm often home when mine comes and I'll make him a coffee and we'll have a chat about Italian scooters, otherwise he just cracks on and sends a text after.
ForestCl0uds@reddit
I wonder how many of us offer our window cleaners a cuppa!
TyBattleCat@reddit
Our window cleaner prefers bank transfers, texts to say when he’s coming, and I really don’t need to be in. Mind you he usually only does our front windows as we live in a terrace. If you are the one to supervise this chore, I think you should probably have the cleaner’s number and ask them this question.
denisraymond@reddit
Re the update: of course your partner knows more about how I've paid my window cleaner for the last 30 years better than I do.
At this point I'd be asking why they're so adamant that their way is the only way of doing this; is it simply a mistake they're not prepared to accept they've made (red flag), a control issue (red flag), or some other reason they need to know exactly where you are all day while they're out (RED FLAG)?
There's simply no way this behaviour is rational or acceptable, no healthy relationship involves one person knowingly laying down non-negotiable rules that negatively impact the other party, then storming out and refusing to listen when they're presented with clear evidence that they're unnecessarily stressing and inconveniencing the very person they claim to love.
CuteAssociate4887@reddit
If I can't see out of them I clean them,usually in April.
I'm usually home when I do them.
Critical_Place_1014@reddit
Maybe you should talk with the window cleaner and agree on terms.
Different-Use-5185@reddit
My window cleaner is paid by direct debit. I’m never in when he comes. In my old house the window cleaner was paid cash and would come and if you were out would come back for payment on another day.
here-but-not-present@reddit
Why don't you just... ask the window cleaner next time they come?
Mister_Lizard@reddit
No, no, no. Asking random people on reddit is much more sensible than having a 30 second conversation with the window cleaner.
Sweetheart_x_@reddit
Never & pay them online, I just make sure the gates unlocked.
Sweetheart_x_@reddit
Also I assume that you're a grown Adult and have free will.
Avionykx@reddit
A window cleaner I had a few years ago once "fired" us as customers because he wouldn't go into the back garden unescorted even if we left the gate open.
He'd knock on the door (I worked from home) and if I couldn't get down to escort him into the back garden so he could do the rear windows he'd leave them and just do the fronts.
I tried explaining the situation, texting him to let him know he could go through and the gate had been opened and dogs secured in the house. The open gate is fully visible and accessible from the street but he maintained he wouldn't "enter" the property without being escorted through.
After not being available a few times over a year we got a message from him saying he was unable to continue to clean our windows as it wasn't worth his while having a customer that sometimes only had 50% of the job available to be done.
Given none of them go up ladders anymore I got bored of trying to find another, bought a hose attachment cleaning kit off Amazon for about £40 and clean them all myself now.
MyAlt4WomanyStuff@reddit
Our window cleaner has it in their terms that they text the day before and if your back gate is locked/they can't access there's no reduction in charges.
Larrypants1@reddit
This wasn't the case here though he refused to go through an open gate on his own
Banana-Vortex@reddit
Your partner sounds like a child if they stormed off because of that
Realistic_Beyond_903@reddit
No I don't stay in, he texts the night before and I leave the back gate unlocked for him. We bank transfer payment as he prefers that to cash, just easier isn't it. I personally do agree with your husband that if you're home then the dogs should be secured inside whilst he's cleaning, well obviously I'm not certain of your home/garden set up but our window cleaner has the back gate wide open to trail the hose through and the dogs could run loose and/or get in the way.
robjamez72@reddit
Window cleaner here. I’ve got customers I’ve had for 10+ years that I’ve never met. Everything is done by email and the pay me by bank transfer. Even locked gates aren’t a problem but I’ll check it’s ok to climb over with the customer first.
Killybug@reddit
To be fair, cleaning windows via email is pretty impressive.
Larrypants1@reddit
AI really will take over all the jobs...
Lost-in-Limbo@reddit
kind of makes sense as some windows that open on a computer can be incredibly dirty.................
Suspicious_Tax8577@reddit
Ours was a bloody nightmare for climbing the back wall if the gate was locked. Made worse because we'd typically be in, and I swear he knew this, so as soon as we heard window cleaner noises we'd go open the back gate.
leofoxx@reddit
Window cleaner every month?!
Super_Ground9690@reddit
We’ve never had to be at home, I had one who liked being paid in cash so I’d leave an envelope in an agreed safe place. The other one just put a note through to say he’d been and I’d transfer him the money.
Maybe just have a chat with your window cleaner? I’ve seen your edit and it seems your husband isn’t willing to accept an answer from us, so just talk to the person who actually matters - the person you’re paying!
lumpyscud666@reddit
To pay a window cleaner ask for his bank details and send the money. Use your address as the reference so he knows you have paid.
Organic-Apricot-6330@reddit
I'm a window cleaner. I dont need people to be in. Most people pay by bacs, if he will only take cash he is probably on the fiddle. That being said people do pay cash, and leave it in the back garden. Sometimes taped to a window or under a pot.
Stefgrep66@reddit
My window cleaner is an old mate I've known for about 30 years!
Drops me a bill and if he's in when I drop off the cash it'll be a cup of tea and some football talk.
He's Liverpool I'm West ham so banter abound.
His wife Jo is a really nice lass too.
A long way of saying no I don't have to be there😏
MiserablePool1725@reddit
Nope, no need unless he’s cleaning the windows from inside too (doubt it)
His text to tell you he is coming tomorrow is so that you keep side door unlocked for him and keep your dogs inside that day.
SusieC0161@reddit
God no. Unless they’re doing the windows inside, and you let them know the deal with the dogs, there is no reason for you to be home.
herwiththepurplehair@reddit
Your partner is a d1ck. That is all that needs to be said on the matter, and I'm writing this after your update.
Racing_Fox@reddit
No, why would I? They just tell me when they’ll turn up and I send them some money after
ForestCl0uds@reddit
My window cleaner just turns up whenever with no set frequency, so it's basically impossible for me to ensure I'm home.
He always manages to time it so that I'm at home but on important meetings, and he knocks relentlessly super loudly to let me know he's here, get me to make him a cuppa and chat to him and pay him. Explaining that I'm working doesn't make any difference. So to be honest for that reason I do kind of dread him turning up, and I can't exactly pretend I'm not in cos he can see me.
I agree with the other comments though, if your window cleaner could start giving a rough time window that would help but even then you can't be expected to arrange your life around it. If the dogs are a safety concern then you could agree that if you're not home, those windows near the dogs don't get cleaned.
gtr455677ujbvxz4@reddit
Surely the point of being a window cleaner is looking in and seeing what the occupants are doing.
Apprehensive-Risk542@reddit
My window cleaner told me he prefers when his clients are out as otherwise he spends an hour chatting with them (at this point he was on his second cup of tea and we'd already solved the middle east and local school funding issues).
BrowsingOnMaBreak@reddit
Regardless of whether that is how that particular window cleaner insists on working, the way your partner has reacted to this is unacceptable imo. Firstly, being happy to sacrifice your day and not look into any alternatives, and secondly for storming out and making unilateral declarations about how your household works.
wearezombie@reddit
My window cleaner texts me the night before and if it’s on my office day I just reply to him to let him know I’m out but the back gate is unlocked so he can get into the garden for the back windows then he texts me when he’s done and I send him a bank transfer. Everything else is locked up and you can’t see the gate is unlocked so not really any security issues. Winds the dog up a bit but everyone is safe and happy
CurvePuzzleheaded361@reddit
No lol. They just turn up and clean the windows. They can reach over and unlock the side gate to access the back garden so we just make sure to leave it unlocked for them.
Buddy-Matt@reddit
Your partner stormed out of the house because you've suggested you don't want to sit around all day because he arranged something. Not a great look!
If he feels this passionately about it, maybe he should book a day holiday every month. If, in some bizarro world, the window cleaner does expect you to be in, cancel him and get one that doesn't
-TheHumorousOne-@reddit
No, because I wouldn't want to ever have this type of incident...
https://youtu.be/H9VDo1UuFt4?si=umIYOYTaaP0LUYhY
xxkxxaxx@reddit
Our window cleaner comes every 2 weeks and never takes payment when he's actually working he comes back either 1 or 2 days after in the evening and goes round the doors collecting the money
RadiantTown9154@reddit
Our local one comes round on a Saturday morning to collect from the street- does windows on a Thursday I know him so I usually just bank transfer to him
ljdug1@reddit
My mom stays in all day for the window cleaner and it’s absolutely nuts. There’s no need at all.
ljdug1@reddit
If your partner feels so strongly about this window cleaner and this set up they can book a days annual leave every month to supervise and make sure everything goes smoothly. They’re being utterly ridiculous.
presterjohn7171@reddit
I've never spoken a word to mine. His money is left in a box by the back door. I work shifts so occasionally I am actually home and he doesn't even knock. Why don't you speak to your window cleaner and actually ask him how many of his customers wait in for him?
maymaymayyy@reddit
I had a window cleaner that just turned up at semi regular intervals, deffo didn’t need to be in. They’d just post an ‘invoice’ through the letterbox w bank details if we weren’t in to pay with cash.
Have you tried asking them directly next time they come?
dan-72@reddit
Buy the husband a ladder & a bucket. Problem solved!
lovinglifeatmyage@reddit
If we’re not in, our window cleaner leaves his card and I pay him through my banking app.
It’s a simple solution
Background-Zebra5491@reddit
Nah that’s not normal at all. Most window cleaners just crack on and leave a card or do bank transfer...expecting someone to stay in all day every month is a bit much. Feels like your partner’s making this way more rigid than it needs to be.
blondefashionpuppy@reddit
Im in a house converted into apartments and need to be in to let them in to the back garden to do the windows at the back. I let them know the days I will be available about a week before, as well as windows of time so I’m not trapped in the house all day unable to leave! The payment is done separately either through a bank transfer.
Impossible_Drawer740@reddit
Is everyone's window cleaner just cleaning the outside of the windows? What about the inside.... Surely they need access to the inside of the house
OMGItsCheezWTF@reddit
My window cleaner does the outside, my house cleaner does the inside.
ununpentium89@reddit
You do the insides yourself....
Impossible_Drawer740@reddit
Like I said, mine does both
heyitsed2@reddit
I think most people clean the inside of their windows themselves because it doesn't require a ladder or a big thing on a stick... They also don't get as dirty because it doesn't rain inside...
Impossible_Drawer740@reddit
My window cleaner does both
Serious_Escape_5438@reddit
That's not standard in the UK.
heyitsed2@reddit
That's cool.
Business_Cake_2272@reddit
Why do people still have window cleaners? It's like the easiest job ever, takes like 10 minutes, just do it yourself. Genuinely asking.
MiddleAgedDread123@reddit
Cos not everyone has ladders or can climb ladders…..
Business_Cake_2272@reddit
You don't need a ladder, you can buy one of those water fed cleaning poles for cheap
OMGItsCheezWTF@reddit
Or I can just pay someone and not have to think about it. Seems an easy win
MiddleAgedDread123@reddit
Not good on wooden window frames and not always feasible if you live in a flat
HighNimpact@reddit (OP)
My partner had this attitude too. So we didn’t get a window cleaner for years. He bought the kit, did two windows, said it was too much effort, booked a window cleaner instead
ljm3003@reddit
This issue is so much bigger than window cleaning….
SianBeast@reddit
I've arrived after the update...your partner sounds "ridiculous"...
If he won't budge on his stance, and it were me, I'd play along. By which I mean, I'd work from home that day but I'd also go about my day as I wanted - so not waiting in just for the window cleaner.
ServerLost@reddit
Just don't stay in, your partner isn't in charge of your comings and goings.
Aggressive-Waltz1126@reddit
When I was younger I remember the window cleaner doing rounds in the evening to get paid. You know, when you actually expect most people to be home? I have NEVER heard of them expecting to be paid immediately. Maybe pay one in advance, then you're paying for the next time and not the service already rendered?
Also your partners reaction is red flag behaviour.
InquisitorVawn@reddit
I'll be honest, my answer is yes but I don't stay in specifically for the window cleaner because we live in a block of flats and window cleaning is managed by the owners' association, and presumably paid by them.
I only know window cleaning is happening when I get startled by a wet mop slapping against the window that's about seven feet from my fucking head, because we're on the top floor of a building that's not high enough to justify accessing from the roof, so he uses a long-handled pole that has limited control.
Though this thread has made me think that if we ever complete on the house we're trying to buy, we should find a local window cleaner to keep on top of that business.
Mindless_Ad_6045@reddit
How about you speak to the window cleaner and arrange something instead of guessing and asking Reddit?
PinkandTwinkly@reddit
It seems crazy to me to be in. I'd have to take a days leave every month just to get mine cleaned. Its obviously "doable" for you, but I imagine it's not tbe case for most, so ask if you can pay electronically
Mine is automatic payments, much eaiser means I don't even have to remember they're coming.
andrew0256@reddit
Only if I have nothing else to do, either way the wife gets on with it.
ScientistJo@reddit
My window cleaner does the job, puts a note through the door and I pay him by BACS transfer. It makes no difference if I am in or out.
The dogs complicate matters slightly. If they are likely to go berserk when they hear the brush on the windows then you probably need to be home.
frankchester@reddit
My dog goes crazy at the window cleaner. His mortal enemy. Doesn’t matter though really, he calms right down once they’re gone.
PomegranateEither768@reddit
Nope. I usually am in, but doesn't matter if I'm not. I get a text asking me to make sure the gate is unlocked so he can get to the back windows and a few days after, the payment goes out the bank no bother!
anabsentfriend@reddit
Are they doing this inside of the windows as well as outside?
If they're just outside why is there any issue with the dogs. Wouldn't you just not let them out until the window cleaner's been?
I send mine a text the day before to ask him to come. I have to unlock the side gate for him. He leaves an invoice slip and I bay him by bank transfer.
twirling_daemon@reddit
Of course not, that’s ludicrous and your partner’s behaviour over this is somewhat concerning to say the least
Flimsy-Sheepherder98@reddit
Ours just expect us to unlock the side gate so he can get rear access. We pay via Bank transfer
normanriches@reddit
No just transfer them the money if it's a problem.
Mammoth-Passion-413@reddit
No, They just open the back gate. Why would they want you to be in? Unless it's cash in hand in which case I guess you have to be
Ricky_Martins_Vagina@reddit
My window cleaner is a proper chatty bastard - lovely guy and does a great job, but I just don't have the time for it - so even when I'm in, I pretend not to be 😂
Literally stood cowing for over 2hrs once like he didn't have any other jobs to do that day
Jumpy-Jello-@reddit
Your partner having a tantrum and making you stay in all day to pay the window cleaner is a much bigger issue here.
Melodic-Variation916@reddit
Has he apologized? Please don't normalise this behaviour and anger
Terry__Tibbs@reddit
Imagine being a grown adult and having to come to reddit for advice about wioe cleaning. Its a miracle some of you people can breath under your own volition
HighNimpact@reddit (OP)
😂what a stupid take
Terry__Tibbs@reddit
Remember to breathe out afterwards!
ooh-sheet@reddit
Our window cleaner emails us the day before he’s due so we can unlock gates and he’s paid by bank transfer
Beginning-Poet-2991@reddit
To your edit: The set-up will absolutely be changing. Get the contact for the window cleaner and make a new arrangement with them!
Historical_Heron4801@reddit
So what is it that your husband gets up to on window day that he wants to make sure you can't see?
Seriously though. No. My window cleaner does the windows then shoves a note through the door. I pay him online when I get home.
My uncles window cleaner only accepts cash. My uncle puts the cash in a sandwich bag and wedges it in an upstairs window at the back of the house so the cleaner can retrieve it while he's up there.
RestaurantAntique497@reddit
We pay our window cleaner by bank transfer with an actual invoice sent across
My parents pay theirs by cash and always did growing up. They just came back that night and got payment. Like 99% of jobs in the past before 2020 didn't have it normal to be working from home and if that was the case no window cleaner would ever get paid.
Also, is it normal that your dogs can just get outside on their own volition and you need to be home to stop that?
HighNimpact@reddit (OP)
Dogs have a dog flap - big garden, rural area. They can go in and out as they please. I’m expected to be home to stop them every time someone else is in the garden. That was almost never before (just tradies and things like that - and we’d usually have to be in for the tradie anyway) but now it’s regular and a massive inconvenience.
Often I won’t know when I have in-person meetings until the day before or a few days before so I spend the whole time worried something will pop into my calendar meaning I can’t be home. I don’t always get any notice of a meeting or a call so I spend the whole day worried that he’ll turn up at an inconvenient time. I feel like, surely, a window cleaner has met dogs before and could collect payment either with cash left somewhere or by bank transfer.
boojes@reddit
This isn't normal. From someone who's been through it: your partner shouldn't be causing anxiety. This whole scenario shouldn't even be an argument.
Can you just speak to the window cleaner and agree it between yourselves? If he's fine with the dogs being out and you can transfer/ leave him the money, do that.
Serious_Escape_5438@reddit
If they don't feel comfortable coming in with the dogs they can just come back another day, or wait until next month.
HR_Specter@reddit
Why aren't the dogs inside? Do you just leave them outside all day?
Also about 80% of houses window cleaners service are empty, as you know, people are at work or out?
Staying in all day for a window cleaner is probably one of the most ridiculous things I've ever seen on Reddit, and that's saying something!
HighNimpact@reddit (OP)
Dog flap
Visual-Sand3718@reddit
I’m confused, is he coming in and doing the inside of the windows? Why do you have to be in? Any window cleaners we have just post the bill or come back to collect payments a separate day.
ununpentium89@reddit
That's ridiculous. My window cleaner texts me the night before he's due, I say okay cool, he comes to clean the outsides of all windows and that's it. If I'm here he says hello, if I'm not he leaves and goes to the next house. I always pay him by bank transfer. You definitely don't need to be home for the window cleaner.
AmyLuna@reddit
We've never had to stay in for them. Both the window cleaners we've had, they just text the night before to say they are coming in the morning and roughly what time. And when they're done, they just put their card through the door and you pay them via bank transfer. I think when we first got a window cleaner about 20 years ago, they did knock on the door afterwards and we paid in cash. I think they would come back again for payment in the evening/whenever was convenient if you weren't in when they did the windows. But since bank transfers have become very common, we've paid using that for many years now.
Sweaty-Possession-19@reddit
If they have access to the back then no one needs to be in. I've never been in for my window cleaner they send me an invoice.
AnxietyOk7049@reddit
I've never stayed home for a window cleaner and I don't know anyone else who does that. It's outside the house job. Nobody stays in for the rubbish collection! It's the same thing. Say no and follow through. Your partner is being controlling and throwing a tantrum? Ick.
AnxietyOk7049@reddit
Never facilitate or acknowledge or try and fix a ManTrum. They just do it more. Pathetic
nat_urally@reddit
Your partner stormed out of the house and has said the set up won’t be changing… demanded that you remain in situ all day? Honey I have some red flag news for you. See the light.
No you do not have to stay in. I pay by standing order monthly because it’s 2026. I happen to be in 70% of the time he comes round, but if I miss him 🤷♀️ we have zero interaction anyway.
As if a window cleaner would get by if they had to make sure people were home?? Just ask the him next time if there’s a way to transfer to him in case you’re out, and when he does actually have a way (because he will) tell your husband to kick rocks.
SueDemin@reddit
Well, the window cleaner clearly isn't the issue here, is he? Is your partner often like this?
Koda614@reddit
Where I live you either book online and pay in advance if it’s a one off, or if you subscribe to regular cleaning they just turn up once every ~4 weeks on an unspecified date and clean your windows while you’re out, and post a slip of paper to say they cleaned your windows. You scan the QR code on the slip and type your address which gives you an invoice to pay.
You definitely don’t need to be home. You just need to make sure they are able to get access to both front and back of your home and then leave them to it.
This isn’t even a particularly expensive cleaner. I pay £8 and they wash all windows, doors and conservatory.
Ill-Basil2863@reddit
Your partner is insane. Run.
Accurate-Ad9790@reddit
My window cleaner pops an invoice through the letterbox. When I'm home from work, I transfer him the money.
TankFoster@reddit
You absolutely do not have to wait in for the window cleaner, they are more than capable of cracking on without you.
Zoe_Vokes@reddit
Partner is crazy. Most window cleaners have pre printed notes that they leave in the post box on which they write date and money owed. I house sit and have seem many different window cleaners do this.
Also, unless your dogs are aggressive or the window cleaner is scared of dogs then they don’t need to be shut in the house.
If the window cleaner is ever there when you are then you can ask him, but in my experience at multiple houses, the dogs don’t need to be shut inside.
oktimeforplanz@reddit
Your partner has "stormed out of the house" because you have informed them that people don't wait at home for the window cleaner? I think you and your partner have some bigger issues...
MintyMarlfox@reddit
Mine texts me the night before to leave the gate unlocked, turns up and does the job, then texts me after and I transfer him the money.
Absolutely don’t need to be in. And if I am in, I avoid him like the plague as he likes to chat for way too long.
ThunderbunsAreGo@reddit
They send me an email the week of the clean to tell me what day they will be there and an alternative day if they don’t get to us in time.
I just take the padlock off the back gate and they let themselves in to do the windows. They lock up when they leave and I get an invoice for payment by bank transfer.
b3an3r1998@reddit
No, you don't have to be home.
jasminenice@reddit
I mean if your partner is the one booking it then technically it's his problem and not yours?
Omg just read your update, there's something up with your partner if that's his reaction. Petulant child!
candigirl16@reddit
Our window cleaner is paid via a bank transfer. He texts to say the day he will come, we don’t stay in for him, he pops a card through the door to say the windows have been cleaned and then I do a bank transfer. We have a dog that barks as soon as she realises he is there but since she is inside and he is outside it makes no difference.
Your husband is being ridiculous
lookhereisay@reddit
I’d never stay in for a window cleaner. We leave the side gate unlocked and he just gets on with it. He even gives a rough time but I wouldn’t stay in just for him.
We see him on the doorbell and he texts to say he’s been. Then I bank transfer him payment.
The only time we were in for him was when I was about 4 days after giving birth. It was Covid times so he was the first person (outside hospital staff) to see our newborn through our window. He came back with a little present for baby and a big pack of biscuits, our window cleaner is awesome!
Responsible-Hat-679@reddit
Nah, I’m not at home and I leave the money in a secret place in my garden which I’m not at liberty to disclose!😂
This_Rom_Bites@reddit
Yes, because the dogs are terrified of the window-cleaning.
HighNimpact@reddit (OP)
I mean, I have spaniels so they’re generally terrified of anyone making anything cleaner. It’s a personal affront to their hard work in covering every inch of our lives in mud
Milvusmilvus@reddit
My window cleaner just puts a card through the door when they've been and I transfer the money.
fergie_89@reddit
Our old house we had to be in to let them through to the back (we were a semi but had no back access other than through the house).
Now we are fully detached they just come and go and invoice us online.
BillyJoeDubuluw@reddit
No, it’s not attainable… Why are you expected to shadow the window cleaner, as he got a fetish about it or something? Get CCTV…
Ours managed to drag himself out of the eighties about six months ago, actually… He’s finally accepted a direct debit, so there’s not even the chance of catching him while we replenish his payment pot in the back garden…
We still leave hidden cash for our bin cleaner because we will literally only directly catch the lad in action about once every six months…
My other half works remotely but does have site visits to conduct and is “working” when at home in quite a high demand job, so can’t begin to fanny around with the window cleaner in the middle of meetings etc. and is ultimately not forced to be at home in the specific timeframe.
I’m out on the road from about 4.am some mornings…
It’s not doable, we’ve got our own lives…
Buttery_-_Balls@reddit
Wtaf man. So much stress over something so simple. Don't answer the door, you'll get a note it'll likely say how to pay him, bank transfer or he'll come round to collect. Why's your partner so dead set on this is how it has to be? Jesus Christ
atomic_mermaid@reddit
Girl - just schedule your work/day around what needs to be done and be done with it. Literally no way you'd find me planning my life around something like window cleaning.
If the dog barks at the window cleaner or you're not in for immediate payment so what. They'll either come round later or set up a bank transfer.
ellieneagain@reddit
I pay £10/clean for a two bed semi. I prefer to pay in cash but if he turns up when I am out I pay by bank transfer which, tbh, he seems to prefer. Your partner seems to be thinking about how things were decades ago. Maybe his gran did it that way? Best to talk directly to the window cleaner and circumvent the ridiculousness.
AwkwardTie9427@reddit
Lol, keep your gate unlocked and let him spend a few mins on yours and get on with his working day. Your partner is daft. What's the window cleaner going to need, a bottle of water, or extra services? 🤔 😂 He will be just fine!! Leave him to it and get on with your day.
Princes_Slayer@reddit
My parents cleaner pops a little raffle ticket sized bit of paper through the door with the date cleaned. No window cleaner expects people to be in for a daytime midweek service
koyliMeld9003@reddit
Nope, I just leave him to it.
Respond_Sometimes@reddit
Our window cleaner leaves a card and comes a few days later for payment. I just thought that was normal.
BirthdayBoth304@reddit
Get a window cleaner on a regular schedule who you pay via a recurring card payment. Saves all the hassle. Mine text on the day saying they'll be round to clean the windows - and the payment comes out as expected on schedule. They have always turned up when they said to do the job.
Ewendmc@reddit
You have to stay in and gyrate naked in front of the window. This is the accepted way.
No_Antelope_4947@reddit
Window cleaner every month????
Emotional-Section981@reddit
I hide in the bathroom if I’m home when the window cleaner comes!
Purp1eMagpie@reddit
I stay in for the window cleaner because our dog has access to outside and I don't see why it should be on the window cleaner to watch our dog whilst he's working. There's also been an occasion where he's not latched the gate right, so the dog could've got out.
I deliberately plan it for when I'm WFH so it's a complete non issue.
EntrepreneurAway419@reddit
He's stormed out and is making you stay in the house for window cleaner, you got different issues than a bit of dust
denisraymond@reddit
That's absolutely insane. Does your partner really think all working people have to book a day off work each time the window cleaner's due? Have they contacted the window cleaner to ask how to pay them if they come round when nobody's in? They've made a ridiculous assumption based on a startling lack of common sense, something as simple as a window cleaner visit shouldn't be stressing you out.
My window cleaner leaves a little card, and pops round in the evening to collect. I've started paying by bank transfer though, so I just pay as soon as I get home and see the card.
If your partner's too stubborn to do it themselves, I suggest you contact the window cleaner yourself to sort out alternative payment - there's absolutely no chance they need their customers to be home at the time or they'd be out of business in less than a week!
OccidentalTouriste@reddit
If I'm going to be out I put his fiver under a small stone on a rear windowsill.
--BMO--@reddit
Lmao no, you don’t have to stay in for the window cleaner.
Klutzy_Award1786@reddit
Our window cleaner does the same, we just get a day with no time slot, he'll knock & if we are in then he'll say hi & pay him in cash & if we aren't he'll pop a text to say he's been and I transfer him the money. Maybe for your cleaner just check in to see if he's happy to follow the same process..would save a lot of stress & ambiguity
60_Acre_Beet_Farm@reddit
This is hilarious 😂
Gloomy_Custard_3914@reddit
My parents used to have a window cleaner and he would just put a note through the door if he's been and no one was home. He came weekly so they just paid him next time usually or bank transfer.
Virtual-Scratch3633@reddit
I think ive only met my window cleaner twice. He leaves a card when he is done, with the price and bank details so I transfer the money, he prefers it over cash as it means he doesnt have to carry change etc.
He would always text me the day prior to ensure I left the side gate open. I told him once that I was around and my dogs may be in the garden, he said its fine, I will knock on as I arrive and do the front first to give you time to get the dogs in.
Your hubby is wrong OP.
Rude-Music7641@reddit
My window cleaner oceans, leaves a card to say windows done. They come round sane/next day in evening for cash, if not in cycle repeats the following month only they right 2x of the card to say they’ve been.
Further to that - the card they leave includes bank account number & sort code so can pay by bank Tx.
ljr69@reddit
Err… no. We pay him directly into his business account. Have done for years.
DoItForTheTea@reddit
if the window cleaner gave you a day they comez they're already far mor organised than any window cleaner I've encountered. they normally turn up whenever and leave a note to pay. ours takes bank transfer thankfully
Swimming-Lie5369@reddit
Cleaner comes round and washes the windows, pops a card through the door with the cost, we pay by bank transfer when we spot it
KingKhram@reddit
Your partner is bonkers
callmeeeow@reddit
Nah, tbh I don't even bother keeping track of when they're due to come. They just stick a note through when they're done and I pay them when I get home
fothergillfuckup@reddit
I, briefly, worked as a window cleaner. Nobody was expected to be in, and we didn't mind dogs (people with angrier dogs generally kept them in on the day we were due). Also, money collection was usually done Thursday evening (everybody's payday back then). In fact, we preferred it if there was nobody in. It was less awkward. I'm surprised they don't have digital payment available these days? Even the busker at our local train station has a card reader!
Puzzleheaded_Turn887@reddit
Never had a window cleaner who needs anyone to be in? They leave you a slip and you pay after. I actually hide from mine, not because I don’t want to pay, we pay by bank transfer always, but because I feel awkward 😂
ddttm@reddit
Will your dogs be outside in an area where there’s a window to be cleaned while you’re not home? The only thing I’d be worried about is the window cleaner accidentally letting them out while he’s in that area.
HighNimpact@reddit (OP)
The dogs have access to the back garden via a dog flap. They don’t like being shut inside and will literally rip the dog flap open if we shut it - not to actually go outside, just because they don’t like not having the option.
Justan0therthrow4way@reddit
You can’t be expected to stay in all day for anyone. Deliveries maybe as drivers often don’t have a way to tell customers they’re on the way. Window cleaner or any other trades person has a way.
First message hi just confirming Wednesday
Second message on Wednesday: just finished my last job, should be 20 minutes
Third message: all done
ACC name Wallace the windows £x
Sort code 123-456
ACC number 098282
In between the 2nd and 3rd message you can reply saying no worries or at the office gate is closed but go for it. Please make sure it’s shut so doggo doesn’t get out.
msmoth@reddit
No! Ours sends a text so we can leave the gate open for him to do the back if necessary and then pops a note through the door and we pay by bank transfer.
KittyGrewAMoustache@reddit
No I’ve never heard of this. At our old house he’d pop an invoice through the door to pay by bank transfer if I wasn’t in. At our current house they email an invoice.
No one would get windows cleaned or hardly anyone or not often if you had to just wait in all day. I guess I’d keep dogs inside or alert the windowcleaner about them.
But if everyone was expected to wait all day you’d get cleaners who would compete by giving an exact time or allowing payment by bank transfer and it seems like most do the latter.
SnowflakeBaube22@reddit
My window cleaner doesn’t even have a scheduled day. They just turn up and I’m either here to pay them or I’m not.
dazed1984@reddit
No of course we don’t stay in. They use their ladders to get over the side gate they then drop a card through the letterbox so we know they’ve been and can pay them via bank transfer! Your partner is very wrong about this, as you point out no one would agree to having to stay in waiting all day! Contact the window cleaner and confirm it with them.
Zee_has_cookies@reddit
We have a direct debit with ours and they just rock up whenever. If I do happen to be home it makes me jump half the time!
MyAlt4WomanyStuff@reddit
Our window cleaners can set up a direct debit to charge you after they've been. They text the day before to remind you to leave your gate unlocked.
I work from home most days so I'm usually in but my workspace is upstairs and I try to avoid being seen 😅
MsDragonPogo@reddit
Mine sends me a text the day before you ask that any gates etc are unlocked then another one once he's been to remind about paying. I rarely see him
Top-Entrepreneur7272@reddit
Leave it somewhere for him or pay in advance for a few cleans
Eastern-Move549@reddit
My windows are all on the outside of my house so i dont have to be home.
We just pay him via bank transfer because we also do not live in the 80's
tiggergirluk76@reddit
My window cleaner texts the night before, and I unlock the garden gate so they can get through to do the back windows.
They put a card through the door, I confirm it's done, then I pay them via bank transfer.
teacup901@reddit
I don't especially stay in but if I'm in, I'm in.
BiasTap@reddit
I try to be out if I can - my 2 dogs think we are under attack when the window cleaners come 😂. They just put a card through the door.
ddttm@reddit
Clever dogs, do they write on it as well??
ZBD1949@reddit
Our window cleaner reminds me he's coming the day before so I can leave a gate open and we pay by bank transfer. No need for anyone to be around.
Hypno_psych@reddit
Here’s me in shock at people getting their windows cleaned monthly - here in London the average quote for my windows is £80, which means I’m definitely not able to afford to have them cleaned monthly!
therealijc@reddit
Sure your misses isn’t meeting the window cleaner before he gets to your house? /s Because this is not how it needs to be done. I’ve never met my window cleaner. He texts me and leaves a bill. I send him payment via bacs too
Fitzwilf@reddit
I get a text to say he's done and I transfer him the money.
MMLFC16@reddit
Your window cleaner should take card payments or bank transfers. Current system sound massively inconvenient for you, and surely he doesn’t expect people to be in all day to pay him there and then. I’d bin him off and get another window cleaner. We had one that took bank transfer happily
PootMcGroot@reddit
I suspect most window cleaners only take cash... but most of them will do the job, post a card, and come back another day for payment if no-one is in (that's how every one I've ever had has worked).
Left-Ad-3412@reddit
Bank transfers. If he isn't able to do that then get a different window cleaner. If I had to stay in all day to wait for the window cleaner I would do it myself. That's the whole point of having someone else do it, to save me time and effort lol
AnUdderDay@reddit
Mine texts me the night before, because I have to unlock the side gate for him to get to the rear windows. So someone's gotta be home. The latch on the gate is broken so someone has to physically undo the bolt.
One_Complex6429@reddit
What you going to do, stripteases
Difficult_Essay4337@reddit
No way. Our window cleaner comes when he comes and pops a note in to say he's been. Then comes round another day to collect the money. You are being stuck by a very odd window cleaner!!
Czubeczek@reddit
When i grt my home firdt thing is turn and tilt windows are going in. Why would i pay someone when i can open the window and clean them myself 💁
FinnemoreFan@reddit
My husband works from home so is in every day by default but yes, to be honest, he does make a kind of similar fuss about making sure there is cash to physically hand to the window cleaner. That’s what can get to be a real pain here, because who has cash these days? There isn’t a cash machine anywhere nearby so I have to remember to get some out, then remember to leave it with him.
Youtalkingtomyboobs@reddit
My window cleaner messages me the night before to say he’s coming. Sometimes I’m wfh home, but mostly not when he visits. I unlock the gate so they can get access to the back of the house - even if I am home because I’m guaranteed to be in an online meeting.
I appreciate the dog issue, but mine was always inside anyway (dog walker came in when I was at the office, before anyone starts about me leaving a dog inside and alone for too long). He’s done, he puts a little card through the door, and I pay by bank transfer. It’s really simple, and he gets on with his job, and I with mine.
Adventurous-Dog-3786@reddit
No, he puts a note through the letterbox saying that he’s done them. And comes back to collect the money at a later date .
Spottyjamie@reddit
No, as long as i leave the back gate open
Gary_BBGames@reddit
I have lived at my house for 10 years and only ever spoke to them once when they asked if I wanted them to clean my windows every month.
I also work from home and hate them visiting. I crawl around the house drawing all the curtains so they can’t see me then hole up in my study until my doorbell shows they’ve gone.
I then go and take their invoice out of my letter box and pay it.
Curly_Edi@reddit
No, you're not expected to be in. You just accrue debt if you're out and pay double the following month.
hampshirebrony@reddit
We do tend to be home when our window cleaner comes. Work from home makes that a non issue.
Due to how the various doors and locks and stuff are set up, we need to be in to give him access to the back of the house.
We also tend to have a chat and give him a cuppa.
MattOG81@reddit
My previous window cleaner came round in the evening at the weekend to collect the dues if we didn't catch him on the day.
The current one will only accept cash when we see him.
Neither of them care if they miss me a week or two, they'll just write it down and I pay them next time I see them.
MrJones-@reddit
Window cleaner usually leaves a note saying he down the window and comes back later in the evening or another day to get paid.
Sometimes if I’m leaving the house and I see him going to do mine I pay him before he’s done it and it’s done.
Or if I’m away a couple of days and he’s cleaned the window I’ll just put the money in an envelope and sellotape to the front glass door for him.
dumbellsngoose@reddit
I think most window cleaners would prefer cash. You don't have to wait around for them. I usually pay my cleaner a month in advance. If I don't see him for longer than that I just pay what I owe then pay another month in advance. I usually catch him doing someone else's house and square it up with him. Wating around all day to get your windows cleaned is madness.
sunita93@reddit
When we've had window cleaners generally the very first clean they've knocked on the door for payment, but after the first one they just put a slip through the letterbox so no need to be in. If you can it might be worth being there for the first clean to clarify with the cleaner?
beccs13@reddit
Definitely not - I leave the back gate unlocked and window cleaner can come and go as they please and then I do a bank transfer to pay
BG3restart@reddit
Mine texts the night before, so I just unlock the gate and let him get on with it. If I'm there, I pay him. If not, I pay next time. He leaves a slip of paper through the door which reminds me he's been and I put the money in a drawer so that it's there for next time and I don't have to remember how many times I've missed him. Sometimes he comes when I'm away on holiday and I go on holiday a lot, so it can mount up. If I'm away and the gate is locked, he just does the front and charges for half. He seems perfectly happy with this arrangement. I've had the same window cleaner for eight years. I definitely wouldn't stay in for him and he clearly doesn't expect me to.
Open-Trip@reddit
I see you Robin Askwith!
Alarmed_Ice_272@reddit
Ex window cleaner, 80% of houses I cleaned there was nobody in, all customers paid by bank transfer by time I stopped however when they paid cash only 10% paid in person on the day, I’d say a few would leave an envelope on an upstairs window sill which might work in your case.
LaurenNotABot@reddit
Nope. My dog wouldn’t be outside when I’m not in anyway and we pay him via bank transfer .
Seal-island-girl@reddit
I pay my window cleaner by bank transfer. If anything, if I am in, I go upstairs to hide . Hate being sat in the lounge or kitchen while someone is outside washing the windows!
wondered-bongo@reddit
What? No. What?! Its totally unreasonable to expect you to stay in all day. We pay ours either monthly or quarterly (like 45 a quarter) via bank transfer and he comes whenever he wants within the couple of days hes due.
ladybyron1982@reddit
My window cleaner texts me the day before to say he's coming so if I'm out I leave an upstairs window open. If it's closed when I get home, I send payment via bank transfer.
Thats-right999@reddit
Nope. Just bank transfer the ££
ownedbyacat@reddit
My parents have a window cleaner. He just pops a bill through the door and they pay by BACS when it’s convenient
thelittlepotcompany@reddit
We don't stay in for ours, he puts a card through when he comes and we pay by bank transfer. Maybe ask the window cleaner, your partner might just be wrong .
OrganicPoet1823@reddit
Our window cleaner keeps his own schedule 😂 we just pay him later
Rare-Quantity5503@reddit
If your partner is correct, this window cleaner needs to be cancelled.
There is no way your partner is correct.
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