How And What To Clean Plastic Windows – The Best Means For Frames And Window Sills

The next washing of plastic windows can significantly spoil the mood of the hostess. Washing plastic, and even white plastic, is sometimes a thankless task, because with maximum effort you may not get any result at all. And vice versa – following the simple recommendations of experienced housewives and window craftsmen, you can get an excellent result at a minimum cost.

Your windows will shine with cleanliness!

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The content of the article:

1. Preparation for work, choice of funds
2. Folk remedies and recipes
3. Washing tools
4. How to remove different types of stains
5. Work algorithm
6. Care of seals and fittings

Preparation for washing plastic windows – what do you need?

It is necessary to prepare for such an important procedure carefully by purchasing the missing cleaning tools and tools in advance in the store. In most cases, special products are needed to clean plastic windows, and not universal ones for furniture or kitchens.

Useful list:

1. If your windows are not heavily soiled or stained, and you just need to freshen them up, you can take a regular laundry detergent or liquid detergent… You can also use a soda solution, 2 tablespoons per liter of warm water.
2. Gel “Domestos” it will be needed if there are ingrained yellow spots on the frames and windowsills, as well as if there are mold spots.
3. Surface cleaning creams “Pemolux” or “Mr Muscle” useful if there are visible, hard-to-clean stains on the windowsill or plastic window frames – for example, rust marks, black rubber stains, flower pot marks, grease or limescale stains.
4. Surface cleaner “Mr. Proper “ – the best assistant in the fight against oily deposits on the windowsill, dark marks around the handles, dirty stains and soot spots.
5. Glass cleaner – any of your choice.

We have talked about the best cleaning products – but, if necessary, you can replace them with your favorite and cheaper counterparts.

Read labels carefully before use – products must be suitable for cleaning plastic!

Folk remedies for cleaning plastic windows, namely double-glazed windows, frames and window sills

For those who enjoy using home remedies and recipes for cleaning, we recommend the following:

1. Baking soda: soda solution is suitable for both glass cleaning and plastic. If there is stubborn dirt on the frames and windowsill, use a slurry of baking soda and water, applied to a soft cloth.
2. Vinegar: added to clean water, will wash the glass well – there will be no streaks when wiping them dry. Vinegar can also enhance the effect of baking soda for washing plastic on windows – extinguish the gruel from 2 tablespoons of soda with a tablespoon of 6% vinegar, and wash all existing stains with the resulting foam.
3. Starch: acts as a very soft and gentle abrasive that will clean glass with a shine – and without streaks. Gruel made of starch, slightly diluted with water, will cope with stains that have eaten into the plastic.
4. Laundry soap: we do not recommend using it for glasses, if you do not want to wash the stains for a long time afterwards. But for gentle washing of plastic, soap is perfect – especially if there is a greasy coating or handprints around the handles.
5. Chalk, tooth powder: These products will help remove stubborn marks on plastic frames. But keep in mind – if the plastic is glossy, abrasion can form on it with active friction!
6. Eraser, alcohol, scotch tape, vegetable oil: Any of these products will help remove sticky tape, tape or labels. With an eraser, you can simply erase dried glue marks. If the marks are still sticky, or there is a lot of dust on them, treat the spots with alcohol or vegetable oil, let dissolve for 10-15 minutes, and then wipe with a napkin and rinse with a degreasing agent – for example, for washing dishes. With scotch tape it’s even easier: stick the tape over the old tracks, wait a minute, then remove the scotch tape with a sharp motion.

Washing tools

The market for fixtures and special rags for cleaning windows is impressive – it would seem that it is high time to turn this routine work into easy fun.

But no, not all advertised “gadgets” can be useful to you – and do not waste your money. For example, experienced housewives do not recommend buying a double-sided device that can allegedly wash glass inside and outside – in most cases, it is useless, not coping with strong external dirt, traces of water and stains. Keep in mind that the thickness of your insulating glass units may differ from what is tested in the advertisement for this tool!

Also, there is absolutely no need to buy a whole arsenal of rags and sponges – much less is required for cleaning, we assure you.

1. Foam sponge – any. Shapes, sizes and colors as you like. You can use a sponge for washing the body, or for dishes – it doesn’t matter. The main thing is that it fits comfortably in your hand and matches the front of the tasks ahead.
2. It will be useful special mop for cleaning windows with telescopic handle – with it, you can reach the farthest corners of the window inside or outside, without risking falling out of it. As a rule, the washing surface of such mops is covered with a special fleecy cloth that washes the glass well without streaks.
3. To make it easier to work, collecting water on glasses, purchase a special window squeegee with silicone or rubber squeegee, allowing you to “drive” all the moisture down in one motion. After its work, you will only have to wipe the glass until it shines.
4. Also useful for cleaning windows cotton rag napkins (for example, from old T-shirts, bedding, etc.). Cut them into rags of different sizes in advance.
5. When washing plastic windows, modern microfiber cloths, of which it is enough to have 2-4 pieces in work. Basically, they finish the work – they rub glass and frames until they shine.

How to remove stubborn stains and various dirt from plastic frames and windowsills, as well as glass

Scotch stains

As we wrote above, for this purpose, products from your kitchen are well suited – vegetable oil or vinegar, as well as scotch tape or a school eraser.

Foam stains

These are the most problematic contamination of plastic and glass on windows. We do not recommend using coarse scrapers and abrasives – you will permanently ruin the surface!

1. If the polyurethane foam has not yet hardened, scrape off the maximum amount with a scraper (preferably plastic or wooden). Then treat the foam stains with Cosmofen solvent – it will not damage glass and plastic. After removing the remaining stains, wipe the surfaces well with a soft cloth, and then wash with soapy water.
2. Already hardened polyurethane foam can be removed using the well-known pharmaceutical drug “Dimexid”. Apply it undiluted onto the foam, wait up to 5 minutes, and then gently remove some of the foam using the hard side of a dish sponge. Repeat the procedure until the foam is completely removed. If the surface of the windowsill is glossy, remove the last layer not with an abrasive, but with the soft side of the sponge, so as not to leave unsightly abrasions.

Paint splatters on glass or windowsill

Take your time to clean them with a knife, try a more gentle method – using stationery silicate glue.

Apply a drop of glue to each stain of paint, let the glue dry completely. Then remove the glue lumps with a dry sponge – the paint will come off with them.

Plaster and grout stains

These substances are abrasive in themselves. If rubbed vigorously, scuffs may remain on the plastic or glass.

Stains of building plaster, primer, putty or cement can be removed after a good soaking. Moisten them from a spray bottle with soapy water, and you can put a napkin moistened with soap and water on the windowsill. Wait a while, then wash off layer by layer with a soft cloth, rinsing the fabric all the time.

Particularly stubborn dirt can be pre-soaked with 6% vinegar and then washed off with clean water.

Fly marks

This type of contamination can be easily removed with onion juice.

Cut open the onion and cut the stains. Then wash the surfaces with soapy water or any kind of detergent.

How to clean plastic windows, frames and sills – the algorithm of actions

So, we learned the theory, collected the necessary funds, removed rough dirt and stains. It’s time to start washing the windows directly.

1. Prepare a container with warm water – first we will remove heavy dirt, dust and soot. Start at the outside of the window. Lower the telescopic mop into the water, squeeze a little – and carefully remove dust, cobwebs, dirt from the glass and frame. If your frame is not wide, or it opens inward – great, use a soft cloth. When washing away dirt from the glass with a large amount of water (remember about the neighbors below and passers-by – the water should not flow like a river!), Drive it off with a glass scraper.
2. We begin to wash the frames from the outside. Use different products to remove different types of dirt – we have described them in detail above. When finished washing, wipe the outside of the plastic and slopes dry.
3. In the same way, wash the windows inside. Pay special attention to the end surfaces of the frames and crevices – they are easy to clean with an old toothbrush.
4. After the frames have been washed, the glass can be washed. Start by cleaning the outside surface. Apply glass cleaner using a spray bottle, and using gentle strokes – from top to bottom or vertically, but – in one direction – wipe off the glass with a cloth until the glass is dry. Do not forget to pay attention to the corners – this is where stains and unwashed areas sometimes remain. If the glass cleaner does not give the desired streak-free cleanliness effect, use starch: apply it to a dry cloth and wipe the glass thoroughly. Then wipe the surface again with a microfiber cloth. In some cases, it is useful to use the old grandmother’s method – shine on the glass with a crumpled newspaper. But do not forget that the newspaper can leave gray marks on the plastic of the frames! Wash the inner surface of the glass unit using the same algorithm.
5. Finish cleaning the window by cleaning the windowsill and wiping dry.

Everything, your window is shining!

How to care for rubber seals and fittings on plastic windows?

Many people ignore this point, but it is very important in window care. After all, broken or poorly functioning fittings will allow dust, cold, insects to enter your home.

1. A couple of times a year – usually in spring and autumn – after general cleaning of windows, you should lubricate the rubber window seals with a special silicone grease (sold in hardware stores or companies that install this type of windows). If no lubricant is available, glycerin can be used. Apply the product to a soft brush or cotton swab and work over the seal.
2. The metal frame fasteners and the handle mechanism must also be lubricated with machine oil twice a year. Apply oil with a brush or swab to the mounts and cover mechanism. For better oil distribution, close and open the window several times. At first, it is advisable to keep the windows closed in order to avoid dust getting on the fresh oil. After a few days, remove oil spills, if any, with a soft cloth.