Glass Facts

Window replacement costs are far greater than the cost of having your glass cleaned so regular maintenance makes financial sense. If you are considering replacing your current windows you will be saving money in the long run from better insulation properties reducing heating/cooling costs.  We would recommend crank out/casement windows rather than double hung for two reasons.  Double hung (see our Residential page for a picture) has two pieces of glass to clean rather than one casement piece.  The screens are on the inside of casement windows rather than on the outside of double hung windows so the screens do not get as dirty.

Most home owners and building managers do not realize the problem their sprinklers can cause to their windows.  So a little education would be beneficial to help eliminate the buildup problem that occurs on the glass.  How do raindrops differ from city or well water and how does that affect your windows?

Glass is composed of materials like silicates, lime and soda.  Untreated glass is porous and as a result it absorbs mineral deposits. Rain from hoses is not the only source of mineral deposits.  Acid rain falling on shingles and other man-made surfaces can absorb minerals and leave a residue on glass. A chemical catalyst is temperature, or otherwise known as sunshine, that heats the glass and causes chemical reactions.  Over time un-maintained glass will discolor and etching can happen.  The minerals are bonded to the glass. Once this happens, cleaners can only remove surface minerals from the glass.

Raindrops begin forming when water vapor condenses on micrometer-sized particles of dust floating in the atmosphere. The dust particles grow to millimeter-sized droplets, which are heavy enough to begin falling. As they fall, the droplets accumulate more and more moisture until they become the large raindrops that we see here on the ground.  While rain is falling, it is pretty much pure water. The minerals that could make it “hard” are not found in the clouds where it formed.However, as water makes its way through the ground and into our waterways, it picks up minerals like lime, calcium and iron.  Minerals in the city or well water make it ‘hard’.

Glass can also get dirty from wind blown particles in the winter, so this is not a seasonal problem only.Professionals stay away from products like Windex and paper towels.  The use of mild dish washing detergent in the correct proportion to water avoids streaking and smearing and the attraction of dust particles.  The best squeegee blades are made from a mixture of rubber. Several companies make excellent squeegee channels that provide an evenly balanced pressure of the rubber blade against the window glass.  They evenly remove water from the glass surface so that no evaporation takes place to leave mineral deposits behind.

As you can see, maintenance of glass is essential for windows to provide that clear view of the world outside.

1st Class Window Serves Columbus, North Vernon, Franklin and Indianapolis for professional window cleaning and window washing services.