It wasn’t a pretty day, but the views are beautiful at this home and we made the views even better!

Most people don’t think about their view on the ugly days. This time of year, we can have a big mix of ugly days and spectacular days. Sometimes, the worst days for views are the best days to make them better. We spent the day at this home in Rob Roy getting things looking great for Christmas guests that are on their way. Everyone will be able to clearly see the great views at this home now that the sun is shining again!

We just washed the windows on a ranch house out in the Round Mountain area. The windows are all insulated Pella windows with the window treatments in between the panes. As is typical, a haze begins to build up inside the window unit and it must be opened to clean all 4 sides of glass on the window. This can be a tricky proposition! What makes this project even more difficult is that the window blinds are in between the panes and we had to be very careful to keep from getting the blinds dirty while washing the glass. It is not difficult, it just takes a lot of time and patience. We had to hold the blind away from the glass, clean the window, wipe all of the moisture away without leaving any smudges or smears and then gently place the blind back in place. We would leave the insulated part of the window open for a while to ensure that all of the moisture evaporated before closing them up. If you close these insulated units too soon, they will fog up and look horrible. Give us a call if you are not patient enough to wash your windows. 512-926-7000.

The details are real important when cleaning the inside portion of storm windows; especially the Pella type that can be opening and have blinds in between the panes.

Stains on glass from sprinklers, showers and run-off look just horrible on glass and they don’t just clean off. We always include a disclaimer in our proposals that states we are bidding a regular window cleaning and that removal of hard water staining is NOT included. We do this because when the windows are dirty, we usually can’t see if there are hard water stains and because removing of those stains does not happen when using traditional cleaning methods. The stains are not actually sitting on the surface just waiting to be wiped or scrubbed off, or even scraped off. They are actually chemically bonded to the glass and have changed the molecular structure of the surface of the glass. You can read more about the technical issues here.

These white hard water stains on the window and frame from the sprinkler system were easy to see when we quoted this cleaning.

We do our best to identify the staining when giving a proposal, but sometimes people are still surprised and disappointed when we have cleaned their windows, but they still have spots. People will ask, “Why didn’t you just use vinegar, I hear that works?” or, “Can’t you just rub some lemon juice or CLR on it?” In our experience, these methods typically don’t work and some methods can actually cause damage to the glass or to the surround framework or weatherproofing.

Restoration of glass and frames is also very time consuming and therefore, much more expensive than window cleaning. As the saying goes, “Time is Money!” We have found that stains can have different compositions and sometimes need a different approach to restore, so our “Go To” solution does not always work and is not always the quickest, but it may help you, if you want to do it yourself. Some of the quicker methods involve using acids that “can” damage other surrounding surfaces and be a health hazard.

We use Bar Keepers Friend – Cleanser and Polish. We have not had much success with Bar Keepers Friend – Soft Cleanser. Use a cotton rag, get it damp, but not soaked, and sprinkle some Bar Keepers Friend on the damp part of the rag. Use it to vigorously scrub the affected area. Rinse and repeat if necessary. It is not a fun process and depending on the severity of the stain can take a lot of time. Once you try it yourself, you will understand why we don’t include restoration in a regular cleaning price and why we may charge a significant amount for restoration. Hopefully you will get results similar to this “after” picture:

This is the same window as the “before” picture above.

Give it a try, or give us a call: 512-926-7000

Before removing the stains

Those of us who have oak trees can really enjoy the beauty of the tree. But with that come the acorns that leave nasty stains on our sidewalks and driveways. It would seem simple to just get out a pressure washer and remove them quickly, but it doesn’t work that way. Cranking up the pressure doesn’t help either and can actually cause damage. But the solution is actually pretty simple.

Step 1: pressure wash the area to remove all other dirt and debris

Step 2: use a 50:50 mixture of household bleach (always add bleach to water and not water to bleach) in a pump up sprayer and soak the stained areas. Be sure to wear gloves, protective eye wear, rubber boots and rain pants when handling the bleach.

Step 3: scrub the area with a stiff bristle brush

Step 4: pressure wash the area again

Step 5: repeat steps 2 – 4 if necessary

You should get some beautiful results like these!