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July 20th, 2010
KEEPING YOUR WINDOWS LOOKING GREAT
OUTSIDE THE HOME If you have exterior mounted screens it is best to have them cleaned with your window cleaning. Dust and pollen that gets trapped in the screen mesh will wash onto the glass during a rain shower. During the winter when the windows are not opened, you can remove the screens and store them for the season. In the warm months screens can be removed from the windows that are never opened. Keep your barbeque grill at least 5 feet away from any windows or doorwalls. This will stop splattering sauce, grease, smoke and oils from landing on your newly cleaned glass. Keep trees and bushes trimmed away from the home. Trees and bushes give off pollens that can gather on the glass just like dust. Keeping them trimmed back away from the home will reduce the amount of pollen that will accumulate on the glass. Keep your lawn sprinklers from watering the windows. Windows that are in the path of a sprinkler system will get stained from mineral deposits. These types of stains will eventually etch the glass and cause permanent damage. INSIDE THE HOME Change your furnace air filters regularly. Keeping the air filter clean in your heating/cooling system will reduce the amount of indoor airborne dust that would otherwise accumulate not only on your windows but your home furnishings as well. If you burn candles in your home for ambiance, fragrance or whatever, keep the candles away from the windows. This will reduce the amount of smoke residue that will form on the glass. Also, some candles will emit more smoke and soot then others, so when buying candles ask the retailer which ones will generate the least amount of smoke and soot. Have your heating/cooling air ducts cleaned. Cleaning the air ducts is especially helpful in new construction and newly remodeled homes. Drywall dust from construction that has gathered inside of the ducts gets circulated throughout the home when the system runs. Cleaning the ducts will eliminate this source of dust and keep both your home and windows cleaner longer. Run the kitchen exhaust fan when cooking. By operating the kitchen exhaust fan while cooking, your kitchen and dining windows will stay cleaner longer because much of the airborne oils will be removed from the environment. And remember, rain does not make the windows dirty, dirt does. Dust accumulates on the outside of the glass from lawn mowers, leaf blowers, tree pollen, car exhaust and many other sources. When it rains, the water droplets push the dust into different patterns and after the water dries the dust remains on the glass. This new “mud residue” is now highly visible because it is no longer uniformly settled. Clean glass will stay clean after a rain because once the rain water dries, there is nothing left behind to obscure the view. CONDENSATED OR 'FOGGY' WINDOWS? Windows that appear to be dirty even after they have been cleaned are typically obscured from one of two common sources. First, it is likely that the glass may be stained on the outside surface from foreign contaminants. Hard water deposits from lawn irrigation systems, leeching from exterior surfaces and overspray from deck and patio sealants can stain a window and cause it to have a dirty appearance. This type of staining is easy to identify and can be removed in most cases. The other common cause of visual obstruction is insulated glass unit failure which is not as easily remedied. This occurs when the airtight seal joining the two panes of glass together is compromised. The 'broken' seal allows moisture into the unit causing condensation and eventually an obvious hazy appearance. The main reason a seal fails is the constant atmospheric pressures combating the window and extreme temperatures that cause the window to expand and contract. The most punishing factor however, is the direct sunlight throughout the day. That is why most 'bad windows' are found on the sunny side of the home. As the sun 'bakes' the window, it causes an increase in temperature between the panes of glass and makes the air molecules more active, increasing pressure in the chamber, on the glass and on the seals. Over time the seal eventually gives way and air enters the sealed unit. As air travels into the unit day after day, it brings moisture in with it. The amount of air and moisture entering the unit increases as the seal continues to deteriorate. To counteract this inevitable process, insulated or 'dual pane' windows are constructed with an absorption material, or 'desiccant' around the perimeter. The purpose of this material is to absorb the moisture that enters the sealed unit. This desiccant is the same type of preservative you would find in the packaging of a new pair of leather shoes. Eventually as the moisture builds up inside the window it finally reaches a maximum capacity where it can no longer absorb the moisture and it becomes visible as condensation between the panes of glass. Initially this condensation may appear and disappear through evaporation but ultimately the moisture becomes permanent and stains the inner surfaces of the glass. Cleaning a window with a failed seal will improve its overall appearance but will not correct the failed seal. While new technologies are being developed to restore failed units, the most common solution for the problem is to replace the glass or the entire window. Most windows come with a warranty that covers this type of repair but only during the warranty period.
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