The regular washing and drying of glass and window frames
affects long term durability, especially during construction. The
most important operation is to dry the glass after washing using a
clean grit free squeegee, cloth or paper towel andremember "Wet
glass is dirty glass."
Grease marks or glazing compounds and
sealants should be removed before washing without damaging
surrounding surface finishes.
First, determine whether the glass is
clear, tinted or reflective. Surface damage is more noticeable on
reflective glass compared with the other glass products.
If the reflective coated surface is
exposed either on the exterior or interior, special care must be
taken when cleaning, as scratches can result in coating removal and
a visible change in light transmittance. Cleaning tinted and
reflective glass in direct sunlight should be avoided. Cleaning
should begin at the top of the building and continue to the lower
levels.
One of the common mistakes made by
non-glass trades people, including glass cleaning contractors, is
the use of razor blades or other metal scrappers on a large portion
of the glass surface. Using large blades to scrape a window clean
carries considerable risk of causing damage to the glass.
The glass industry, fabricators,
distributors and installers neither condones nor recommends any
scraping of glass surfaces with metal blades or knives. Such
scraping usually permanently damages or scratches the glass
surfaces.