Documentation

Help & Support

Everything you need to master whatcleaner - guides, tutorials, and answers

15+ Guides
50+ FAQs
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Getting Started

Welcome to whatcleaner! Get up and running in just 5 minutes.

Whether you're starting a new window cleaning business or switching from paper rounds, spreadsheets, or another app like Squeegee or George, whatcleaner makes managing your customers and bookings simple. Our window cleaning software is designed specifically for UK cleaners who want to spend less time on admin and more time earning money.

Unlike complicated business software, whatcleaner focuses on what window cleaners actually need: a customer list, booking schedule, payment tracking, and route planning. There's no steep learning curve - if you can use a smartphone, you can use whatcleaner.

New here? Most window cleaners are up and running within 10 minutes. Follow these 4 steps to start managing your rounds today.
1

Add Your Customers

Go to Customers → Add New Customer. Enter their name and phone number (required), then add their address for route planning. Include notes like "back gate code: 1234" or "beware of dog" - these appear on every booking.

Learn more about customers
2

Create Bookings

Go to Bookings → Add Booking. Pick a customer, set your price (e.g., £15), and choose the frequency. Most cleaners use 4-weekly or fortnightly. The system auto-generates future appointments.

Learn more about bookings
3

Complete Jobs

After each clean, tap "Complete" on the booking. This creates a payment record showing the customer owes you money. For recurring bookings, completing one automatically schedules the next.

Learn more about payments
4

Track Payments

When customers pay (cash, bank transfer, or card), go to Payments and click "Mark as Paid". This moves the record to your transaction history - perfect for tracking who owes you money and for tax records.

Learn more about transactions

Switching from Squeegee, George, or Excel?

We offer free bulk import - transfer all your customers, bookings, and payment history in 24-48 hours. No manual data entry needed!

Pro Tips from Experienced Cleaners

Customer Notes Save Time

"Side gate code: 4521, park on left, payment in letterbox" - add once, see it every visit. No more forgotten access codes!

End-of-Day Routine

Spend 2 minutes marking today's jobs complete before you go home. Your tomorrow schedule will be ready and waiting.

Monthly Route Check

Run the Smart Round Planner on the 1st of each month. Cleaners report saving 20-30% on fuel by grouping customers by area.

Van-Friendly PDFs

Download tomorrow's schedule as a PDF. Works offline, fits on your dashboard, and includes all customer notes.

Chase Payments Weekly

Check your Payments page every Friday. Politely text anyone 7+ days overdue - most pay immediately once reminded.

Backup Your Data

Export your customer list to Excel monthly. Takes 10 seconds and gives you peace of mind.

Video Tutorials

Watch step-by-step guides to master every feature.

5 min

Getting Started with whatcleaner

Learn the basics: adding customers, creating bookings, and tracking payments.

Coming soon

8 min

Smart Round Planner Tutorial

Optimize your routes, save fuel, and fit more jobs into each day.

Coming soon

4 min

Setting Up Recurring Bookings

Automate your schedule with weekly, fortnightly, and monthly recurring cleans.

Coming soon

6 min

Payment Tracking & Exports

Track outstanding payments, record transactions, and export for your accountant.

Coming soon

Dashboard Overview

Your business at a glance - key metrics and recent activity.

Your dashboard is the first thing you see when you log into whatcleaner. It gives you an instant overview of your window cleaning business - how many customers you have, upcoming jobs, completed work, and most importantly, how much money is owed to you. Think of it as your business control centre.

The dashboard updates in real-time as you complete bookings and record payments. At a quick glance, you can see if you have any overdue payments that need chasing, how your month is shaping up, and what's scheduled for the coming days. Many window cleaners check their dashboard first thing in the morning to plan their day.

Dashboard Screenshot

Screenshot coming soon

Key Metrics Explained

Total Customers

Total number of customers in your database

Active Customers

Non-archived customers currently on your rounds

Upcoming Bookings

Scheduled jobs for the current month

Completed This Month

Jobs marked as completed this month

Unpaid Bookings

Completed jobs awaiting payment

Monthly Revenue

Total payments received this month

The dashboard also shows your recent bookings and highlights any overdue payments that need attention.

Customer Management

Add, edit, search, and organize all your customers in one place.

Your customer database is the heart of your window cleaning business. With whatcleaner, you can store all your customer information in one secure place - no more scribbled notes, lost phone numbers, or forgotten addresses. Every customer record includes their contact details, full address with postcode for route planning, and a notes section for important information.

The notes field is particularly useful for window cleaners. You can record gate codes, parking instructions, which doors to knock on, whether there's a dog, preferred payment methods, and any special cleaning requirements. These notes appear automatically on every booking, so you never forget important details - even for customers you only visit every few months.

As your round grows, you can easily search and filter customers by name, phone number, postcode, or any text in their notes. This makes it simple to find customers quickly, whether you have 50 customers or 500.

Customer List

Add Customer

What You Can Do

Add Customers

Name, phone, email, address, and custom notes

Search & Filter

Find by name, phone, email, or postcode

View Details

Full booking history and payment records

Archive Customers

Hide inactive customers (restore anytime)

Customer Fields

Required Fields *

  • Customer Name
  • Phone Number (UK format)

Optional Fields

  • Email Address
  • Business Name
  • Full Address
  • Notes (access codes, pets, etc.)
Pro Tip: Add property notes like gate codes, dog warnings, or parking instructions. They'll appear on every booking for that customer.

Bookings & Scheduling

Create, manage, and track all your window cleaning appointments.

Managing your window cleaning schedule shouldn't be complicated. With whatcleaner's booking system, you can create one-off appointments or set up recurring bookings that automatically generate future appointments. Most window cleaners work on regular cycles - weekly, fortnightly, 4-weekly, or even 8-weekly for some customers - and our system handles all of this automatically.

Each booking is linked to a customer, so you always have access to their address, contact details, and notes. When you're out on your round, you can see exactly who you're visiting, how much they owe, and any special instructions. The mobile-friendly design means you can update bookings from your phone while you're in the van.

The booking system also integrates with payment tracking. When you mark a job as completed, it automatically creates a payment record showing the customer owes you money. This makes it easy to chase outstanding payments and know exactly how much you're owed at any time.

Creating a Booking

  1. Select a Customer

    Search and select from your customer list

  2. Enter Service Details

    Description (e.g., "Window cleaning - front and back")

  3. Set Date & Time

    When the job is scheduled

  4. Enter Price

    Amount in pounds (£)

  5. Choose Type

    One-off or recurring booking

  6. Add Notes (Optional)

    Any special instructions for this job

Booking Status

Scheduled

Job is booked for a future date

Late

Scheduled date has passed but not completed

Completed

Job is finished, awaiting payment

Canceled

Job was canceled

Recurring Bookings

Set up automatic repeating bookings for regular customers:

Weekly

Every week

Fortnightly

Every 2 weeks

Monthly

Every 4 weeks

Six Weekly

Every 6 weeks

Two Monthly

Every 8 weeks

Quarterly

Every 12 weeks

Tip: Recurring bookings automatically generate future appointments. When you complete one, the next booking is already scheduled!

Route Optimiser

Maximise efficiency with intelligent route planning for your rounds.

One of the biggest challenges for window cleaners is planning efficient routes. Driving back and forth across town wastes time and fuel, cutting into your profits. The whatcleaner Route Optimiser solves this by intelligently grouping customers by location and suggesting the most efficient order for your working day.

The system uses UK postcodes to understand where each customer is located. It then groups customers in the same postcode area together and suggests which days to visit each area. This means you might do all your LU1 customers on Monday, your LU2 customers on Tuesday, and so on. Window cleaners using our route optimiser typically report saving 20-30% on fuel costs.

Unlike some complicated route planning software, our Smart Round Planner is designed specifically for window cleaners' recurring schedules. It understands that you visit the same customers regularly and keeps their bookings grouped together month after month.

Smart Round Planner

Revolutionary monthly schedule optimisation that creates efficient geographic rounds:

Analyse Your Schedule

Reviews all bookings and identifies inefficiencies

Geographic Grouping

Groups customers by postcode sector (LU1, SW1, etc.)

Capacity-Based Packing

Fills working days to maximum capacity

Recurring Sync

Keeps future months optimised automatically

Settings You Can Configure

Working Hours

Default start and end times for each day

Start Location

Your home/office postcode for route calculations

Working Days

Enable/disable specific days

Breaks

Automatic break durations

Save Money: Optimised routes typically reduce fuel costs by 20-30% and allow you to fit more jobs into each day.

Payment Tracking

Track outstanding payments and record when customers pay.

Keeping track of who has paid and who hasn't is one of the most important parts of running a window cleaning business. With whatcleaner's payment tracking, you always know exactly how much money is owed to you. When you complete a job, it automatically appears in your Payments section as "unpaid" until you record the payment.

The system shows you how long each payment has been outstanding, making it easy to identify customers who need a gentle reminder. Many window cleaners check their payments page weekly and send a quick text to anyone who's more than 7 days overdue. You'd be surprised how often customers simply forget - a friendly reminder usually results in payment the same day.

Whether your customers pay by cash, bank transfer, card, or cheque, you can record all payments in whatcleaner. There's also an "other" option for any payment method not listed. This gives you a complete picture of your business finances and makes it easy to export records for your accountant at tax time.

What You Can See

Unpaid Bookings

Completed jobs still awaiting payment

Customer Details

Name, contact info, and booking details

Amount Owed

Total outstanding for each booking

Overdue Status

How long the payment has been outstanding

When a customer pays, click "Mark as Paid" to record the payment details and move it to your transaction history.

Transaction History

Complete record of all payments received.

Every payment you record in whatcleaner is stored in your transaction history. This creates a permanent record of all the money you've received from customers, which is invaluable for tracking your business income and preparing for tax returns. You can view transactions by month, see running totals, and export everything to PDF or Excel.

For self-employed window cleaners, having accurate financial records is essential. The transaction history shows you exactly how much you earned each month, making it easy to complete your self-assessment tax return. You can export monthly or yearly statements and share them directly with your accountant.

The transaction history also helps you spot patterns in your business. You can see which months are busiest, track your income growth over time, and identify any missing payments that might have slipped through the cracks.

View by Month

Filter transactions by any month

Full Details

Customer, booking, payment date, amount

Export PDF

Download statements for your records

Monthly Totals

See your total revenue per month

For Your Accountant: Export transaction statements as PDF documents to share with your accountant for tax purposes.

Data Exports

Export your data for record-keeping, analysis, and reporting.

Your data belongs to you, and whatcleaner makes it easy to export everything. Whether you need a customer list for your van, a schedule to print out, or financial records for your accountant, you can download your data as professional PDF documents with just a few clicks.

Many window cleaners export their weekly schedule as a PDF to keep in the van. This gives you offline access to customer addresses, phone numbers, and notes - even if you're in an area with no mobile signal. It's also handy to have a printed backup just in case.

For tax purposes, the PDF export feature is invaluable. You can export your complete transaction history and print or email it directly to your accountant. No more shuffling through receipts or trying to remember what you earned last month - it's all there in one professional document.

Customer List (PDF)
  • Customer names and business names
  • Contact information (phone, email)
  • Full addresses with postcodes
  • Professional table format

Use for: Van reference, printing, offline access

Booking Schedule (PDF)
  • Today's, this week's, or this month's bookings
  • Customer details and addresses
  • Prices and booking notes
  • Organised by day

Use for: Daily planning, van dashboard

Transaction Statement (PDF)
  • Monthly payment records
  • Customer name and payment date
  • Amount and payment method
  • Monthly totals

Use for: Tax records, accountants

Print-Friendly Views
  • Optimized for printing
  • Clear, readable formatting
  • Daily work schedules
  • Customer directories

Use for: Printed schedules for the van

Profile Settings

Update your account and business information.

What You Can Update
  • First and last name
  • Business name
  • Phone number (UK format)
  • Business address
  • Change password
  • Request email change

Subscription & Billing

Manage your subscription and payment details.

whatcleaner offers simple, transparent pricing with no hidden fees or complicated tiers. You get access to all features - customer management, booking scheduling, payment tracking, route optimisation, and data exports - for one annual price. There are no limits on the number of customers or bookings you can create.

We offer a 14-day free trial so you can try whatcleaner before committing. No credit card is required to start your trial - just create an account and start adding your customers. If you decide whatcleaner isn't right for you, simply don't subscribe and your data will be automatically deleted after 30 days.

For established window cleaners, £89 per year works out to just £7.42 per month - less than the cost of a single window clean. Most users find that the time saved on admin and the fuel saved through route optimisation pays for the subscription many times over.

whatcleaner Annual Plan

£89/year

Includes all features, unlimited customers, unlimited bookings, and email support.

14-Day Free Trial

No credit card required

Managing Your Subscription

  • View subscription status: See your current plan and renewal date
  • Update payment method: Change your card details securely
  • Cancel subscription: You can cancel anytime, retaining access until period ends
  • Billing history: View past invoices and payment receipts

Frequently Asked Questions

Quick answers to common questions.

We've compiled answers to the most common questions from window cleaners using whatcleaner. Whether you're just getting started or have been using the app for months, you'll find helpful information below. If you can't find what you're looking for, don't hesitate to contact our UK-based support team.

How do I add a new customer?
Click Customers in the menu, then the green "Add Customer" button. You only need their name and phone number to start. Add their address later for route planning, and use the notes field for things like "key under mat" or "barking dog".
How do I create a booking?
Go to Bookings → Add Booking. Start typing a customer's name to find them, set your price (e.g. £15), pick a date, and choose "Recurring" if they're a regular. Most cleaners leave the description as "Window cleaning" - it's optional.
What happens when I mark a booking as completed?
Two things happen: (1) The customer now "owes" you the booking amount - it appears in your Payments section. (2) If it's a recurring booking, the next appointment is automatically created. You don't need to do anything else until they pay.
How do I set up recurring bookings?
When adding a booking, tick "Recurring" and pick how often (most cleaners use 4-weekly or fortnightly). When you complete a job, the next one appears automatically on the right date. No need to manually create each booking!
Can I import my existing customers?
Yes! We offer free bulk import from Squeegee, George, Excel, and other systems. Learn more about bulk import →
How does the Smart Round Planner work?
Go to Route Optimizer → Smart Round Planner. It looks at all your bookings for the month, groups nearby customers together (by postcode area like SW1, LU1), and suggests the most efficient order. You preview everything before applying - nothing changes until you say so.
Can I archive customers?
Yes - perfect for customers who've moved away or stopped using you. Click on the customer, then "Archive". They disappear from your main list but keep their full history. If they come back, just restore them from the "Archived" tab.
Is my data secure?
Absolutely. Your data is encrypted and stored on secure UK-based servers (not overseas). We run automatic backups daily. We never sell or share your customer data - it's yours. You can export and delete everything anytime. Read our privacy policy →
How do I export my customer list?
Go to Customers and click the "Download PDF" button at the top of the page. This exports all your active customers with their contact details and addresses as a printable PDF document.
Can I cancel a recurring booking?
Yes! Go to the booking and click "Cancel". You can choose to cancel just this booking or all future bookings in the series. Canceled bookings won't generate future appointments.
What happens if I miss a customer's payment?
Completed but unpaid bookings stay in the Payments section indefinitely. You'll see them highlighted as overdue after a certain period. Once paid, just click "Mark as Paid" to clear them.
Can I use whatcleaner on my mobile phone?
Yes! Most cleaners use their phone on the rounds and their laptop/computer at home. The app works identically on both - add a customer on your phone, it instantly appears on your computer. Just bookmark whatcleaner.co.uk on your phone browser.

Troubleshooting

Common issues and how to fix them.

Running into a problem? Don't worry - most issues have simple solutions. Below you'll find fixes for the most common problems window cleaners encounter when using whatcleaner. We've written these in plain English, so you can get back to work as quickly as possible.

If you're experiencing something not listed here, or if these solutions don't work for you, please contact our support team. We're real people based in the UK, and we typically respond within a few hours during business days.

"Where are my bookings?" - Dashboard looks empty

Check the date filter at the top - you might be viewing a different month. Click "This Month" to reset. Also, bookings only appear after you create them - new accounts start empty.

Click "This Month" to reset the view
"I can't find a customer I know I added"

Try searching by phone number (most reliable) or just the first few letters of their name. If still missing, check the "Archived" tab - you may have accidentally archived them. They're never deleted, just hidden.

Search by phone or check Archived tab
"My recurring booking didn't create the next one"

The next booking only appears after you mark the current one as "Completed". This is by design - it prevents the system creating bookings you might not do. Complete today's job, and tomorrow's will appear.

Mark current booking Complete first
"Route Optimizer shows weird results"

The optimizer needs valid UK postcodes (like SW1A 1AA) for every customer. Check for typos - "LU1 5RL" works but "LU1" alone doesn't. Also set your start location in Settings so it knows where your day begins.

Add full postcodes to all customers
Can't mark booking as paid

Make sure the booking is marked as "Completed" first. Only completed bookings can be marked as paid. Check the Payments section for unpaid bookings.

Complete the booking first
"PDF won't download" or "Nothing happens when I click export"

Your browser might be blocking it. Look for a small popup blocker icon in your address bar and click "Allow". On phones, check your Downloads folder - it might have downloaded without you noticing.

Allow popups from whatcleaner.co.uk
"Save button not working" or "Changes aren't saving"

Check for red error messages - you might be missing a required field (name and phone are mandatory). If you see no errors but it still won't save, try refreshing the page. Rarely, clearing your browser cache helps.

Look for red error text near the form
Still having issues? Contact our support team - we typically respond within 2-4 hours during business hours.