What we remove
- Plaster and brick dust on glass, frames, sills and tracks
- Mortar and render splashes on glass and frames
- Silicone smears around new seals
- Protective film left on frames (it gets harder to remove once it has had a summer of sun)
- Stickers and labels on new glass
- Paint specks on glass
Why it is done differently
Most of the scratches people find on new windows happen in the first clean, when a dry cloth or a squeegee drags grit across the glass. We wet everything down first and rinse the grit away before anything touches the glass. Mortar is softened and lifted, not chipped.
New windows are often toughened glass, which is more easily scratched by scraper blades than ordinary glass. We only use a blade where the glass type allows it, and otherwise use a product suited to the mark.
Inside and out
We do the inside and outside of the glass, the frames and the sills, and hoover the dust out of the window and patio door tracks. If the builders are still on site, book us for after the last trade has finished, or the dust comes straight back.
What's the worst thing you can do to new glass?
Wipe it dry. Builders' dust is grit, and a dry cloth drags it across the glass like sandpaper. The first clean after building work is when new windows are most likely to be scratched. We always flood the glass with water first so the grit floats away before anything touches it.
Cement, mortar and silicone
Mortar and cement spots bond to glass as they cure. We soften them with water and lift them one at a time. On toughened glass, which most doors, low windows and patio doors are, we don't use a scraper blade at all. Our guide on getting cement and mortar off windows explains the method.
Sun-baked protective film
The film on new uPVC frames is meant to come off soon after fitting. Left in the sun, it goes brittle and tears into strips, leaving glue behind. We warm it, lift it with plastic tools and clear the glue with a uPVC-safe cleaner. See removing protective film from uPVC windows.
When to book
After the dusty trades have finished and the scaffold has come down, and before the furniture goes in if you can. If plasterers or bricklayers are still working nearby, the windows will be dusty again the next day.
Extensions, renovations and new builds
We do single rooms after an extension, whole houses after a renovation, and new builds before or just after handover. Developers and builders can book us for several plots at once. Send the addresses and the handover dates.
Inside and out in one visit
We clean the inside glass, frames, sills and tracks as well as the outside, so the whole window is done at once. Inside, we protect floors and new sills with dust sheets and towels, and we work with damp cloths, never dry ones, until the grit is gone.