You’ve had new Bi-fold doors installed, hopefully by us here at Essex Window and Door Centre, but perhaps by another company. You’re very happy with them and they look pristine, but what is the easiest and most efficient way to keep them looking brand new and shiny?
The trick to sparkling glass (whether it’s in windows or doors) is not to leave smears, which sounds simple but as anyone will know who has spent an age cleaning windows only to stand back to admire their work and been disappointed and disheartened by the number of smears left behind, it’s not as easy as it sounds.
There are as many ways to clean glass as there are opinions on the correct option, but whether you use lemon juice, vinegar, purpose-made cleaner or just good old washing-up liquid the main consideration is what you use to apply it and how you remove it.
To begin with, you need the correct type of cloth. Most fabrics leave behind small fibres which make your windows look dusty and add a smeary appearance. If you are going to be using a cloth, microfibre is the best choice because it sheds less and will leave fewer fibres on the glass.
So, what is the best thing to clean windows? Well, believe it or not, newspaper is one of our favourites. It absorbs moisture, making smears less likely, it doesn’t shed fibre, it’s ecologically friendly, and on top of all that, it’s free.
Having found the correct medium to clean your glass, what about the liquid solution? There are ‘streak free’ cleaning solutions on the market, some of them work, but some of them sadly are not quite up to their marketing claims. A good old fashioned but reliable solution is a mix of vinegar and water.
Try using 1 part white vinegar to 3 parts water in a spray bottle and lightly spray your windows before wiping off with the newspaper. The acid in the vinegar cuts through any grease on the glass without adding to it like some brands of cleaner do. Another plus to using vinegar is that it’s safe for children and pets should they come into contact with it.
If you find yourself cleaning your windows often and you like a bit of technology there is such thing as a window vacuum cleaner that sucks the water away from the glass when you’ve finished cleaning. A great idea, but if that’s a cleaning step too far for you, you can’t do better than stick with good old vinegar and newspaper.
We hope this helps you maintain streak-free glass on your new bi-fold doors and any windows in your home.
