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To clean the glass use a soft,
clean, grit-free cloth and mild soap or detergent; I also use
rubbing alcohol since it cuts dirt and since it is a drying
agent, it helps cut down on streaking.. Be sure to remove liquid
by wiping dry or using a clean squeegee.
Very Important:
Do not use ammonia, vinegar,
alkaline or acid solutions as these will cause chemical
breakdowns of sealant and result in failure of insulation glass.
Do not use solvents such as mineral spirits, toluene, xylene,
naphtha or muriatic acids as they can dull the finish, soften
the vinyl and/or cause seal failure of the insulating unit.
If the vinyl frame needs cleaning
do so by using the same material described above. For stubborn
dirt a “non-abrasive” cleaner such as Bon-Ami or Soft Scrub can
also be used. It is important to keep windows and door tracks
clear of debris and dirt and holes open and clear of
obstructions.
Cleaning Glass:
Did you know glass is a very slow-flowing liquid? So it is
important to keep your windows clean with the proper cleaning
techniques. Dust and dirt are very abrasive and can damage the
glass surface.
If you have ever watched a
professional window washer, you probably did not see him using a
spray bottle and a roll of paper towels. This technique removes
much of the abrasive dirt, but some of it is just spread in a
film over the glass. It may look fine at night, but when the sun
hits it, it is a mess.
Every good window washer has five
basic tools:
Make your own with a bucket of
warm water and a long squirt of dish soap (be careful not to use
too much soap) and then add ˝ quart to a quart of alcohol
depending on how big your bucket is and how many windows you
have to wash.
First use a wand to soak the
window with solution. A medium-to-long-nap fleece lamb’s wool
scrubber is effective for applying the soapy solution and is a
must for a good job.
The key is to get the scrubber well saturated with the solution
so that it picks up the majority of the dirt as it floods and
rinses the glass. You want the window to stay wet for as long as
possible, especially if it is in the bright sun. (And we avoid
cleaning windows in the bright sun. We always try to work in the
shade.) Just let the windows soak for a little bit and soften up
the dirt. If it starts to dry a little, we scrub and wet it
again just before we squeegee it off. That way, when the glass
is squeegeed dry, only clean solution is being squeegeed off.
Quick Tip:
If your solution dries before you
have a chance to squeegee, wet the top section of the window,
then squeegee; continue pattern until window is clean.
Hard-To-Clean Debris: If
some of the windows still have some specks of cement, paint, bug
spots, or tree sap on them, try using a scraper with lots of
soapy water. This will not only get stubborn spots off your
windows, but it will also be easier to do the job.
Squeegee:
It’s best to use a professional squeegee with a brass body
(12-18“wide) and replaceable rubber blades.
Brass is a relatively soft metal,
so it will not scratch the glass unless you bump it hard. Using
the squeegee properly to remove all the water is a very
important step. Every drop you put on the glass, has to come
back off, or you're leaving dirt on the window.
When you can, use a horizontal
pass across the window starting with your squeegee at the top.
If you are using a pole, you can squeegee from top to bottom
tilting the squeegee down on the dry side so that the water
flows up to the still wet area. After each stroke, wipe off the
squeegee with your lint-free towel (most paint stores sell
these). Overlap each stroke by about two inches for the best
results.
After you let the window edges
dry, use a chamois cloth to wipe the streaks and any drops left
on the window. Quick Tip: When ringing out your chamois cloth,
you want to ring it out enough so not to have any water dripping
from the cloth.
Then step back and enjoy the good
feeling we all get from SPARKLING CLEAN WINDOWS.
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