How to clean plastic windows

It is quite simple to take care of metal—plastic windows - this is one of their undeniable advantages. Plastic windows, unlike wooden ones, do not need to be painted every few years, and the plastic surface of the window, thanks to its minimal porosity, is easily cleaned of dirt and dust.
But you still need to wash the plastic window — otherwise the profile and the double-glazed window will look untidy. Moreover, this procedure is not burdensome, and if simple rules are followed, it does not take much time.

What can be used to wash windows?

The most important task is to clean the frames and sashes of the plastic window qualitatively (that is, the details from the profile). Both white and colored surfaces can accumulate dirt, so they need to be taken care of. The simplest devices and compositions are used to wash the plastic profile.

• The main tool is a wet cloth, sponge or soft rag. Moisten them with soap solution and carefully wipe the profile of the plastic window. To remove dust and not the most persistent contaminants, this is more than enough — after wiping dry, the window looks like new.
• If persistent dirt appears on the plastic profile, you can use means that dissolve fat — for example, dishwashing liquid or gel with active components. Substances that are part of such detergents quickly dissolve organic matter, and therefore plastic will quickly become clean.
• The use of powders and mastics with abrasive components, as well as hard metal brushes or sponges made of hard plastic is undesirable. Yes, they will clean off the dirt quickly — but the window profile will also be damaged. The furrows and scratches that the abrasive leaves on the plastic surface accumulate dust and dirt and because of this are very striking.

Especially carefully you need to wash laminated windows. We wipe the surface of the profile with a sponge soaked in detergent, and pay special attention to the corners. There is no need to rub them: there is a risk of damaging the lamination at the junction of the profiles, which will lead to its detachment.

Removal of persistent contaminants

Above we talked about how you can wash a plastic window from household dirt or dust. But after the repair or installation of window structures, persistent stains often appear on the profile surfaces. It is not always possible to wash them with a conventional detergent, so you have to use other techniques.

Paint

Paint stains are the most persistent — therefore it is better not to allow them to appear. There are two ways to do this:

• Remove the protective film from the profile only after the completion of painting work.
• Use masking tape.

The second method is preferable, because the adhesive tape does not leave traces of glue on the plastic.

If paint stains have appeared, then you can wash the window with a flushing (check whether this means does not damage the plastic, in a hidden area of the window from prying eyes). You can also gently warm up the paint stain with a hair dryer and try to clean it off with a plastic spatula — the fresher the paint, the easier it will be to clean the window.

Plaster, putty, primer

Fresh building solutions — plaster, putty or primer — can be easily removed with a damp cloth or sponge. But the dried solution cannot be cleaned off — the risk of scratches is very high. To minimize damage, you need:

• Cover the stain with a damp cloth.
• Periodically moisten the napkin with water.
• After a while, the solution will soften, and it can be washed from the profile.

Adhesive tape and protective film

Adhesive tape and protective film leave adhesive traces on the profile, which are removed with great difficulty after drying. If you do not clean the surface in time, you will have to use various techniques:

• It is fashionable to treat stains with soap solution or hot water, and then remove the glue residue with a scraper for ceramic surfaces.
• You can try to erase the glue stain with an eraser.
• Finally, you can use a hair dryer and clean the profile after preheating.

A separate rather extensive article is devoted to the issues of cleaning the profile from the protective film in our blog.

Mounting foam

Polymerized mounting foam has high strength and adhesion, therefore it is very difficult to remove it. The foam is washed by means based on acetic acid or acetone, but they can damage the very surface of the window. Therefore, it is better to use special compositions for cleaning plastic, which are available in the form of:

• Creams.
• Napkins soaked in the solution.
• Sprays.

The price of such products is quite high, but they are more effective than most solvents.

Advice! In order to remove foam, glue or dried protective film as little difficulties as possible, they must be removed immediately after installation. It is better to re-seal the profile with masking tape and remove it after finishing work is completed.

How to wash double-glazed windows?

To remove dirt from the glasses, you can do with a warm soap solution. But compositions with active components that dissolve organic matter — citric acid, ammonia or ethyl alcohol — are more effective. In addition, they not only clean the glass, but also do not damage plastic surfaces and seals. Such compositions can be prepared independently, but there are enough detergents on the market with an affordable price and high efficiency.

To prevent the appearance of stains, double-glazed windows are washed like this:

• All surfaces are thoroughly washed, removing dirt and avoiding dust in the corners.
• After that, the remaining detergent is removed. To do this, the entire treated surface is washed with a sponge, abundantly soaked in warm pure water.
• The final stage is wiping dry with simultaneous polishing. For this purpose, old newspapers or microfiber cloths are used. If a modern detergent was used, then the components that go into its composition will provide a characteristic shine to the double-glazed window.

When washing double-glazed windows, it is sometimes very difficult to get to the outer glass. To do this, use glass mops on long telescopic handles or magnetic scrapers. In any case, when washing windows at a height, you need to be extremely careful.

Window sill washing

Most of the window sills for plastic windows are made of PVC — therefore, the same means can be used to wash them as for frames with sashes.

The rules of care are also simple:

• All dirt should be removed as early as possible.
• It is not necessary to use compositions with abrasive components and agents that dissolve polyvinyl chloride.
• After washing, the window sill is wiped dry with simultaneous polishing.

Advice! Before washing the window sill, open the sash and wipe the inner surfaces of the window — dust accumulates there, which otherwise can get on the already cleaned surface. At the same time, you can remove dust from the fittings, lubricate the fittings and seals — this will prolong the service life of the window.

Follow these tips — and your metal-plastic windows will always be clean and beautiful. 

You can order plastic windows by following the link