How often do you wash your windows?
Once a year? Twice a year? Never? You know it’s not enough. You are probably sitting in your living room, at your desk, or in your office looking out the window, trying to see if it’s a beautiful day, and there’s grime. Your view of the world is covered in grime. What is that black stuff anyway?
Clean windows are obviously an important part of home maintenance, but no one likes to do it. Perhaps you wash them a couple of times a year, maybe each spring and fall when the storm windows and screens are being swapped, but it’s not enough. Windows should be washed once every month, depending on the surroundings. If you are in a forest or a city, consider washing your windows at least once a month. If your house is in a place where dirt and pollen don’t always stick, consider cleaning windows every two or three months.
Why are Clean Windows Important?
The importance of clean windows should not be overlooked. Windows allow light into your home, which helps heat your home in winter and keeps electricity bills low as they brighten your space. They provide your own little picture boxes of the world. You sit by them to read in natural light, watch your kids play outside, and place your plants next to them to grow. Clean windows brighten the whole house by letting in much more light, bringing warmth and enhancing your home’s appearance.
Over the winter months, road salt gets crushed by cars and forms a fine dust. Window cleaning removes that. Acid rain can etch into windows over time if not removed regularly. Regular window cleaning also removes dust and smoke, improving the air quality inside your home.
In summary, clean windows are important for:
- Breathe healthier and easier.
- Better view.
- Heat efficiency.
- Professional business image.
Beyond those reasons, the most important reason for glass maintenance is to avoid glass degradation. Glass will over time become permeated with a variety of contaminants:
- Hard minerals (from sprinkler systems and building runoff).
- Oxidation (from windows encased in metal frames and screens).
- Acid rain.
- Sea spray.
- Overspray (from paint, caulking, mortar, and more).
In most cases, hard minerals or hard water is the biggest threat to most home and business owners. The need for basic glass restoration can be avoided with regular cleaning of exterior window glass surfaces. We recommend no less than two cleanings per year.
It’s easy to see why hard water (rainwater running over prefabricated surfaces, wood stains, painted siding, and concrete sealants, depositing minerals and acids from those substances into the pores of the glass) can damage glass if not maintained regularly.
If you are a homeowner or business owner, you likely appreciate the need to protect your glass investment. Glass left unmaintained for long periods may suffer permanent damage, requiring costly replacement. You can avoid glass degradation and save money by maintaining your windows regularly.
