Window cleaner wanted

Agreed Hetty. Does it occur to anyone that their window cleaner is not only failing to declare their income to HMRC but perhaps also for the purposes of means-tested benefits? The good old black economy is alive and well.

Cleaning windows is a far cry from cleaning facias and sills. Our window cleaner cleans the glass and then WIPES the sills - he doesn't apply any cleaning products to the UPVC frames or windows sills, that's a different matter altogether.

UPVC frames, conservatories and sills etc do get grimy over time which needs special attention so that would explain the higher cost quoted surely.

We live in a Dorma bungalow and the soffits and facias are accessible to my OH, for now. Once he gets to the point of struggling as his mobility deteriorates the job will be done by the professionals.

We paid £250 for the gutters to be cleaned out, fascia boards and soffits to be cleaned.

It's an entirely different firm; the window cleaner comes monthly with his water and brush system.

Germanshepherdsmum

Agreed Hetty. Does it occur to anyone that their window cleaner is not only failing to declare their income to HMRC but perhaps also for the purposes of means-tested benefits? The good old black economy is alive and well.

No idea. We bacs our payments, but he may have a secret bank account for all I know.

I'm sad to see so many think window cleaners are often not declaring income.

Surely no more likely than many other jobs.
Many aren't even self employed these days.

My suspicion falls on anyone paid in cash. Window cleaners are just one such, though not always of course as we have seen here. If someone is charging such a low price as £6 for cleaning windows, how much would they actually be taking home if they declared it?

Probably all of it if declared!

What I would really like is a house like the one we had in The Netherlands. All the casement windows - upstairs and downstairs, opened inwards. Never a problem cleaning them ourselves. Never seen that anywhere else since.

French houses have inward opening windows and I can clean our windows, inside and out, from safety indoors.

The first house we had in England had either swivelling windows, where the window wne tround almost 360 degrees so it was easy to clean the external glass from the inside. Ther were also some casement windows and these had hinges that opened up when you opened the window, so that you could easily get your arm through the gap between window and hinge to clean the outside of the house. Why these did not take off and become the norm, I do not know. Cleaning the external side of the windows in that house was just so easy.

Greyduster

What I would really like is a house like the one we had in The Netherlands. All the casement windows - upstairs and downstairs, opened inwards. Never a problem cleaning them ourselves. Never seen that anywhere else since.

I'm probably confused. Perhaps the cost discrepancy?

Nobody I know pays to have windows done inside, I certainly don't - I do it myself. We just pay a cleaner for the exterior of the windows.

I pay to have the outside of the windows cleaned every month and the insides as necessary. We have a huge amount of glass - three complete walls of windows floor to ceiling, a wall of bifold doors, eight glass external doors, glass balustrades on the stairs and around the balcony and two ten foot high cathedral style windows, plus a few others. I touch up as necessary inside between cleanings (mainly doggy nose art!) but otherwise am very glad to have them professionally done!

Norah

Greyduster

What I would really like is a house like the one we had in The Netherlands. All the casement windows - upstairs and downstairs, opened inwards. Never a problem cleaning them ourselves. Never seen that anywhere else since.

I'm probably confused. Perhaps the cost discrepancy?

Nobody I know pays to have windows done inside, I certainly don't - I do it myself. We just pay a cleaner for the exterior of the windows.

I’m not sure I understand the point. I’ve always cleaned the insides of my windows - having them open inwards made it very simple and safe to clean the outsides too. I never saw a window cleaner on our road, the whole time we lived there.

My top windows open inwards and can therefore be cleaned from inside.

What I would like however is the Pilkingtons glass that doesn't really get dirty.. it has a coating that breaks down the dirt which is then rinsed off by rainwater.

It was very expensive years ago when we were looking at building. Maybe it still is.

I would definitely want it for a conservatory as it also has light/heat management properties.

MOnica
We had those widows fitted in a property in 2002. Not cheap but such a clever idea.

Ther were also some casement windows and these had hinges that opened up when you opened the window, so that you could easily get your arm through the gap between window and hinge to clean the outside of the house.

We have these windows. They were installed about 10 years ago. I thought they would be so brilliant for cleaning the windows outside but in reality they don't work well. It is enormously difficult to open the window enough to get your arm through because they are so stiff - we did it a few times then gave up. Sometimes it felt like we would never get the window closed again. Possibly there are better installations where it works.

MiL had windows that flipped so the outside could be cleaned. The trouble was it didn't lock in that position - she was tiny and FiL had to stop her doing it because he was always scared she would fall out when she leaned on the window to reach the top. Especially the upstairs windows.

Arewethereyet We had absolutely no problem with ours, you just opened the window and the gap was there. Ours were in a house built in 1968.

Update. We went ahead this morning with the company who quoted us what I thought was a rather large sum. Well it took 2 men 2.5 hours to do and the end result is breathtaking. It’s like a new house. I feel I was being somewhat naïve now. We are delighted with it. Just waiting for another workman to install new 6’ high gates as the old ones are falling apart.

Good news that your pleased with the job and that your home is sparkling.

If the ongoing £60 seems too high you can always keep on looking.

MerylStreep

I couldn’t get past windows cleaned since before the pandemic 😱
Ours carried on all the way through it. He couldn’t afford not to.

Yes, ours did too. There was no reason to stop was there, all outdoor work continued didn’t it?

I’m only on page 1, but this thread is surprisingly interesting and an eye opener.

Ours is £12 a month, tiny semi detached, Derby

Thank you , I love an update, especially when it’s a positive one.

Thirteen large windows, three doors on a split level 1970s bungalow, my window cleaner charges £17 every 6 weeks. They only recently put their prices up. I paid £15 for about 10 years.

Am I the only one? I do my own windows, I have all the ungers kit including squeeges, pole, fluffy washing heads, the professional liquid which leaves my windows sparkling.

My windows seem to be self-cleaning as they never look dirty but I clean outside downstairs with the ungers. The windows and french doors, 12 sets in all and then I do all the cills, only half are pvc, the remainder are lias stone. Only one small double opening landing window ever looks a bit grubby and I can reach both outsides if I stand on low steps

Inside, I use ungers again and a karcher vac. I only ever do my windows when it is sunless and they can dry, streak-free. A very satisfying easy job to do my windows and it is not about saving on the cost which btw costs both my male neighbours £40+ a time ( and then it rains the next day)

low steps on the landing for that one small window