Tips For Cleaning The Various Types of Glass Homeowners Have

One of the most important things that you are going to need to look at in your home or office, is the glass. Glass for windows, table tops, and much more come from different locations. You may be surprised to know that there are at least 5 types of glass that you may have to get cleaned from time to time. This means that you’ll have to work with different cleaning solutions to get the right fix, otherwise, you’ll end up with a high price to pay for replacement, and upkeep overall. The following tips can help you clean any type of glass you may have in and around your home, or office.

Simple Cleaning With Annealed Glass 

If you have annealed glass solutions anywhere, you will find that it’s easy to clean. This is a type of glass that doesn’t shatter easily, and doesn’t stain or spot when cleaning. Using the proper methods, you could even scrape the top surface, and see no major residue or damage to the glass. It’s a strong solution that dates back to the 1950s.

Heated Glass (Heat Strengthened) 

When cleaning this type of glass, you’ll need to be careful not to scrape or hit it with anything hard. Furthermore, certain chemicals can actually cause this to weaken over time, so it’s imperative that the job is not overly complex when pushing forward. Heated glass shatters into shards that can cut deep, so it’s not the same as other types.

Cleaning Tempered Glass

This should be done with professional care in mind. Cleaning tempered solutions is going to cause a serious amount of damage, as it shatters into small pieces. Window cleaning this can cause the elements to break over time. It’s not easy to break it, necessarily, but the treatment of the glass edges and surfaces need to be in place at 100% in order to ensure clarity, and design.

Low-E Glass 

You may see or hear about this in apartment complexes or homes. There’s a film on this glass that requires specific types of cleaning so that the coating doesn’t come off. It’s put in place to help block harmful UV rays that can come into a home or office. Cleaned appropriately, you’ll find that this is a modern solution, that can last a while, but you have to be careful when cleaning as the film can bubble up and peel away.

IGU (Insulated Glass Units) 

This is actually put together through setting up an air pocket to divide two sections of glass together. IGU is an interesting concept as it gives you strength and elements of separation for expansion and more. However, there’s no standard here, so cleaning can be tricky. Calling in a professional is the best thing here.

There are different types of glass that you may have in and around your home or work. Finding the right fit is crucial to moving forward within the confines of each option. When in doubt, however, hiring a professional can be the best thing you can do to ensure longevity.

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Solutions For Window Treatments That Thrive on Energy Efficiency

Window treatments are fascinating overall. When you have this placed on the exterior and interior of your home, you are going to have a few elements to consider. It’s easy to move forward with putting something into place, but when it comes to installation, you’re going to want to add a layer of energy efficiency. The average treatments aren’t bad, but why not add a little extra when installing these elements in place? It could very well change the way that you see these elements. Consider a few solutions that can help you in regards to finding energy efficiency window treatments.

A Look At Awnings 

First and foremost, you’re going to find that there are awnings that you can put into place. Why would awnings need efficiency? Well, think about how often you’re going to get sunlight over windows. You’re going to find that the sun can hit your home with a lot of light, and can end up having a lot of heat and light wasted. What if you could harness the power of the sun and give you a bit of shade, and feed electrical elements? That’s exactly what you can do with several elements on the top of your awning. For instance, you could have solar paneling put in place, collecting the sunlight. You can also add a gap for ventilation, so that air can come through and you can let it out.

Blinds That Can Help 

Interior and exterior blind solutions may help with heating and cooling. Some analysts have stated that this could very well give you a helping hand in regards to 45% reduction in heating and cooling costs. Whether you choose exterior or interior solutions, you will find that you can close off sun gaps, and give a bit of air flow. Whether you raise these all the way up, or you have them partially raised, you’ll find that cooling and heating costs will drop exponentially. You could also have utilized draperies to raise efficiency as well.

Insulated Paneling and Reflective Films

Amidst the various options that you have to work with in regards to efficient window treatments, consider films that you can use to block the sun’s rays. This includes putting glazing on the exterior and interior of the glass. These films can help isolate heat, reflect light, and help reduce heating costs. Insulated panels can help as well, as they can help retain heat and reduce cooling overall. These panels can be placed along window panes, and allow for typical board insulation solutions. Adding these to the interior of windows can offset heating, and can even be removed if need be.  

These are just some of the solutions you can consider. There are many others that you can utilize to isolate efficiency. For instance, storm panels, shutters, window blinds, and much more can be added to help with offsetting the high cost of heating and cooling. Investigating this further, could very well help you gain the upper hand in regards to your monthly bills.

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Is It Time To Get A Professional Window Cleaner?

There are a lot of different jobs that you can do on your own. However, there may be times when you would like to hire someone to assist you with some of the work load. For that reason, consider the notion of hiring a professional window cleaner from time to time. Perhaps you have never done this before, and if that’s the case, consider a few simple things that may point you to whether or not you should hire a pro for your windows.

The Time Problem

Most people are busy with work, life, and other elements in general. With that in mind, you’re going to want to look into whether or not you truly have the time for a deep cleaning of your windows from time to time. If you don’t have enough time, then it’s important that you get some help to alleviate the burden of cleaning the glass in your home.

Fixing Issues That Could Cause Serious Damage

Professionals don’t just wipe your glass with window cleaner and that’s it. They focus on making sure that the frames are clear, the screens fit perfectly, and any damage is taken care of right now. This means that you will get a quality, clear glass, with maintenance added to ensure longevity.

Pest Control

One of the great things about hiring a professional window cleaner is in regards to getting rid of insects. You may not think about it, but there are a lot of insects that can call your window frames home, and when you get a pro to handle this, you also get rid of wasps and more.

Tools For The Trade

Do you have a pressure washer? What about ladders? Are you using store bought window cleaner or do you have additional elements? If you don’t have the right tools, you may not be getting the right cleaning done for the glass that you have. This is particularly true for those that have tinted or painted glass elements. The right tools and equipment come with hiring a pro, that’s for sure.

Maintaining your home’s overall look and feel. At the end of the day, you’re really not just investing in maintenance. You’re hiring someone to help you keep your houses value, look, and overall appeal. It’s a huge difference when you invite people over, or go to sell the home you’re in. Simply put, it may be a good idea to hire someone to clean your windows from time to time.

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Focusing on Maintaining Self Cleaning Glass

Glass is a tricky substance. It seems simple enough, you have it in your home or office, and you clean it with window cleaner. It’s not so simple. There are several types of glass that you can utilize, and there are a great deal of issues that you will need to know about. With that in mind, maintaining certain types require you to focus on certain elements of cleaning. For instance, you’ll want to look into self-cleaning glass and how you maintain things properly. Self-cleaning doesn’t always mean what you think it may be.

The Notion of Automatic Cleaning

When people consider the notion of “self-cleaning” options, you’re going to find that it may mean that it automatically changes up, right? Well, it’s not necessarily going to be automatically cleared up. When glass is made in this regards, you will find that this option is created with titanium oxide, to allow for easier clean up. It’s mixed into the side that faces the sun and wind. This added protection comes at a price, and quality overall.

Cleaning Things Up Correctly

Here’s the thing, you’re going to need to clean things up clearly. If you don’t hire a professional, you need to only use purified water and soaps that are not abrasive at all. Do not scrape, use a squeegee or anything like that. Scraping the glass, dyes, and other elements can ruin the shimmer and shine that comes across the glass from the outside.

Professional Recommendations

At the end of the day, you’re going to want to have a professional clean this up. The reason why is simple, once the glass is damaged you cannot repair it all. There is absolutely no way that you can change and clean this up if you scrape, scratch, or peel away the film. Despite the name, this is a solution that you need to be very careful as to how you clear and clean it up. Call in a professional, it’s best overall.

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