Window Cleaners - Anything to be careful of?

KayTM

One might hope that it would be a simple thing, but there are so many scams these days I thought it might not hurt to check. After all, guys with ladders at your home and all that...

I requested quotes from some companies I found on the Internet. Double checked to make sure their names didn't come up with reference to any scams or bad service. Happy so far. The quotes seem reasonable.

They don't need access to the house as we only want external windows to be cleaned. They could come and do it whenever it's easiest for them to fit it into their schedule. But. I'm sometimes afraid to take things at face value. It's probably going to be OK. Yes?

But is there something I should be aware of before I just give them the go ahead?

PasturesNew

Make sure they do a proper job: ladder and bucket.

A lot of these "pole users" do a cr4p job.... no ladder/bucket, they just stand in the garden and randomly poke a pole/brush at the windows. No attention to detail.

A proper window cleaner will go up a ladder, with a bucket of water, wash the windows and every few visits also give the frames a quick wipe around.

kazwookie

Ask them for references
Check their public insurances.
Talk to others who use them.
Ask your neighbours who they use and would they recommend them.

I 'sacked' mine some years ago, as they went 'ladderless' and used a long pole with a scrape thing on it, and it damaged my outside window ledges.

EssexExile

Ladderless is fine, windows & frames cleaned perfectly, no "scrape thing", just a big brush with water squirting out of it.

We had a chap do ours for a while, he was ok but then passed us on to two young chaps. They parked their Ford Sierra at the top of the drive so they could push start it when they'd finished. Then one turned up late one evening asking for the money, which he'd already had. When they went inside for the drug habit they were trying to fund, they passed us on to another bloke who only came once. Then a man in a uniform with a signwritten van knocked at the door & asked if we needed a window cleaner, he gave us a leaflet with his name & address on it. We said yes & he's been doing it for several years now with his brush on a stick.

Southend1

I had endless problems finding a window cleaner. The problem with finding them online is that they will come once but then they don't have enough jobs in the area for it to be worth their while coming back regularly. Eventually I spotted a guy with his ladders cleaning one of the neighbours windows and when I talked with him he told me he does quite a few houses in my street - he's been doing mine ever since. So I would recommend you ask a neighbour who does their windows and use someone who has a regular round in the area.

borkid

PasturesNew wrote: »

Make sure they do a proper job: ladder and bucket.

A lot of these "pole users" do a cr4p job.... no ladder/bucket, they just stand in the garden and randomly poke a pole/brush at the windows. No attention to detail.

A proper window cleaner will go up a ladder, with a bucket of water, wash the windows and every few visits also give the frames a quick wipe around.

We have one who uses a brush on a pole and they do a very good job much better than in the past with bucket and ladder window cleaners. I wouldn't be able to get a bucket and ladder window cleaner now as the house is 3 stories so the top windows are too high up.

Furts

A typical house can have an upstairs window above a flat roof, or above a tiled porch or above a garage. Window cleaners tend to jump on these roofs and cause damage in the process. There are countless broken roof tiles on the houses around me caused by the friendly, local window cleaner. Add to this, many of my houses have lead flashings beneath the window cills, and the window cleaner cannot be bothered to use a ladder stand off. All the leadwork has been damaged by the ladders, and some has been dislodged. I will not use his services because of this, but there remains numerous neighbours who accept this situation.

Any consumer wanting a proper, careful, window cleaning job should default to their own cleaning whenever possible.

pendragon_arther

Don't use one who plays a ukulele.

vacationgirl

We cancelled our window cleaner because he was so irregular and left the gate open letting the dog out into the road.

Paully232000

pendragon_arther wrote: »

Don't use one who plays a ukulele.

If you could see what they could see......


altogether now:)

we have had a window cleaner for 2 years now who uses a pole and not a ladder. Does a very good job, and sometime I am at home when he does it and can see how good it is.

We just asked around our street for window cleaner recommendations.

Mojisola

PasturesNew wrote: »

Make sure they do a proper job: ladder and bucket.

A lot of these "pole users" do a cr4p job.... no ladder/bucket, they just stand in the garden and randomly poke a pole/brush at the windows. No attention to detail.

A proper window cleaner will go up a ladder, with a bucket of water, wash the windows and every few visits also give the frames a quick wipe around.

When the new safety regulations came in, all the local ladder and bucket window cleaners changed to the pole system. Ours still does a very good job with the new equipment.