The house today (this is about a 40 year old 2000 sq ft house - not a mansion) I always clean just the outside of the windows. No one is home and I am at the master french doors in the back of the house. The curtains are open and I am looking at the 2 french panes I just squeegeed to see if I missed anything. All of a sudden I see her husband inside the house at the right corner of my eye. I look up and wave “hello” to him. He waves his index finger to the left and right at me as if to say…“No looking inside the house.” Then he immediately shuts the curtains. It was an awkward situation. I was just looking at the glass not through it. I never saw him after that. I just left once I finished like I usually do.
The only conversation him and I have ever had is “good morning” maybe 3 times in the 5 years I have cleaned their windows. I have always talked with his wife. She is really nice. I thought about calling his wife and mentioning about what happened today. My biggest worry is she brings it up to him and he freaks out and tells her “I never want him at our house again!” My wife told me not to call her and forget about it. She said if his wife brings it up next time I call to schedule, just say I thought he was waving at me.
Anyone ever had a similar situation? I never had this happen before. Very awkward.
Lol. There is nothing special about this house. Just a regular house. You would never think they would pay to have the windows cleaned. That is why it was so awkward. There is nothing I would be looking at inside.
Yeah, don’t worry about it and forget it happened. I have reclusive clients that want outside only cleans and have never had me inside. They hand me payment through a door barely open enough for their hand.
Some people are weird. The check cashes and the money is green. My worry is over.
Just curious, did you knock on the door before starting? We will always knock on the door just to tell somebody we’re there even if we believe somebody’s not home.
Now that I sit in front of a computer a lot; I can share some of my awkward stories. On one occasion a guy who worked at one of the dealerships that we cleaned had made an appointment for cleaning (he never checked with his wife). I arrived at the home; the entry door is wide open (open floor plan where you can see all the way to the back) but the all glass security door is shut. I go up to knock on the door. As I’m doing so, the guys 60+ year old wife runs out of the bathroom in the back with just a towel covering her front side to scream at the 3 year old grandson that was about to knock off the flat screen tv. A site burnt into my retinas. She didn’t know I was there, so I went to my truck to unload and knocked on the door after a round of dry heaving.
Another occasion I went to clean a house. The wife had to run errands. I was inside cleaning when the husband came home sick. He was unaware that the windows were being cleaned. He comes in through the garage to see me standing there. For a moment you can see in his eyes that he thought he was going to have to fight for his life. I quickly calmed him down. Thankfully I was attending BNI that day and still had my lanyard with my business card that had my picture on it. I held that up and a squeegee at the same time announcing who I was; you could see the fear instantly leaving his face.
I also have more awkward stories about seeing old ladies on toilets than I care to share or relive.
I knew they would be home when I arrived, but I never knock when I arrive on any residential. My customers understand that I just get started when I arrive. I never knock or ring the doorbell and wake them up. I start cleaning the outsides as early as I can see. Right now I start at 7am. I start at the windows farthest away from the kitchen and master. They left the house shortly after I started in separate vehicles. Sometimes one of them will come back before I finish. He just happened to come home before I finished.
