Window Cleaning in Naples, FL

The PGT, CGI and WinDoor care guide gives owners in a coastal area an instruction of their own: “At a minimum, clean all the materials listed in this guide once a year. If you live in a coastal area, clean all these materials at least once a month.”

That is a manufacturer's instruction, not a sales line, and the same guide's glass section adds: “Wash your glass frequently to remove surface dirt and prevent stains.” Owners are told to apply a light car wax to aluminum frames once a year, after cleaning, because “otherwise, the wax may seal salt spray deposits to the frames, allowing corrosion to occur.” The National Glass Association's cleaning standard states the general rule: “Since glass products can be permanently damaged if infrequently or improperly cleaned, glass producers and fabricators recommend strict compliance” with proper procedures, and cleaning frequencies “should be tailored to the individual characteristics inherent to the site conditions, as well as the severity of local environmental factors and atmospheric pollutants that vary from region to region.”

Irrigation water can reach the glass too. NGA's rule, written for cleaning, is “DO NOT allow water or cleaning residue to remain on the glass or adjacent materials,” and a sprinkler head that reaches a window leaves water on it. NGA's restoration line is scoped to construction: “Glass that is improperly stored or left unprotected during construction may result in glass that cannot be successfully cleaned using routine cleaning procedures,” and then “more aggressive cleaning and restoration techniques may become necessary,” such as razor blades, chemical cleaning or mechanical polishing. That is restoration, a different job from a cleaning.

What 239 Exteriors removes is the dirt and buildup on the outside of the glass, for a clearer view and a brighter exterior. The sections below set out what the glass industry and the makers publish about cleaning it.

The glass industry wrote the procedure down. NGA Glass Technical Paper FB01-00, “Proper Procedures for Cleaning Architectural Glass Products,” was first published in 2000 and updated in December 2023.

• Soak first. “Cleaning should begin by soaking the glass surfaces with clean water and a mild, non-abrasive glass cleaning solution.” The PGT guide's first step is a rinse: “Begin by rinsing your glass with clean water to remove dirt and dust particles that can cause scratches during the cleaning process.”
• No acids. “Glass cleaning solutions should not include acids,” NGA says, naming hydrochloric and hydrofluoric acid specifically.
• Plenty of water. “The use of sufficient water will help prevent abrasive particles from being trapped between the glass and the cleaning tools being used.”
• Top down. “Exterior cleaning should begin at the top of the building and continue to the lower levels to reduce the risk of leaving residue and cleaning solution on glass that has already been cleaned.”
• Squeegee it dry. From NGA's own list: “DO use a window cleaning squeegee to remove all of the cleaning solution.”
• Not in direct sun. “Cleaning tinted and reflective glass surfaces in direct sunlight should be avoided, as the surface temperature may be too hot for optimum cleaning.” PGT agrees: “clean your glass during cooler temperatures without direct sunlight.”
• One window at a time, rinsed clean. PGT: “Clean and rinse each window or door individually to prevent cleaning agents from permeating for long periods of time,” and “rinse your glass thoroughly with clean water to prevent the cleaning solution from leaving a film on your glass.”
• Test one window first. NGA: “it is strongly recommended that window cleaners test clean a small area of one window, then stop and examine the surface carefully for any damage to the glass and/or any exposed coating.” Scratches hide in flat light; they “may be very noticeable when the sun is at a certain angle in the sky or when the sun is low in the sky.”

What never touches the glass

NGA: “During routine cleaning care should be taken to avoid metal contact with the glass surface; razor blades and metal scrapers should not be part of routine cleaning.” Its members “neither condone nor recommend scraping of glass surfaces with blades or scrapers for routine cleaning.” PGT's do-not list for its windows is “A power washer or garden hose,” “Metal tools or sharp objects, like razor blades, putty knives, and abrasive pads,” and “Petroleum-based products, abrasive or caustic cleaners/solvents, and hydrochloric/phosphoric acid,” with the warning that “these improper tools may void your warranty and/or damage your products.” Even hand pressure is bounded: “Wash your products with light pressure,” because “excessive scrubbing can lead to damage, like scratches.”

NGA's paper describes a second technique, pure water, and writes that the International Window Cleaning Association recognizes it.

NGA: “The International Window Cleaning Association (IWCA) recognizes an additional glass cleaning technique being utilized by some professional window cleaning contractors. This technique employs the use of pure water delivered to the glass surface using a specialized extension pole.” On the glass, “gentle agitation with a non-scratching (non-abrasive) brush is followed by the final pure water rinse. Rinse water is generally allowed to evaporate from freshly cleaned surfaces.”

Why it works is a number: “the pure water used in both the wash and rinse must have a total dissolved solids content (TDS) of 20 parts per million (PPM) or less to prevent spotting and streaking of cleansed surfaces. The use of tap water is not acceptable.” NGA calls for “Effective water treatment, via ion exchange and/or reverse osmosis equipment,” adds that water quality “can be monitored with a handheld TDS or conductivity meter,” and notes that a reading of 40 microsiemens per centimeter “represents a TDS level of 20 PPM.” Dissolved solids are what a drying droplet leaves behind, and the specification holds them to a ceiling of 20 PPM, not to zero.

The pole is also why upper-floor exterior glass on a Naples home can be reached from the ground. The method and equipment 239 Exteriors uses on a particular home are a question for the estimate.

NGA writes that “Certain glass types may require different procedures and care,” and each of the four below changes how exterior glass gets cleaned.

A window is glass, frame and drainage, and the maker's guide covers all three.

Frames: PGT tells owners to clean window and door frames “with a mixture of mild soap and water,” testing the solution “on a small area before you apply it to the entire surface,” and it calls aluminum frames “extremely susceptible to corrosion caused by various chemicals on a construction site.” Aluminum frames get one more step, a light car wax once a year, applied after cleaning for the salt spray reason quoted above. The guide also gives homeowners a maintenance item of their own: “Routinely inspect and clean your water drainage (weep systems) to maintain proper drainage.”

How often

Three published lines answer that question, and each belongs to its publisher. NGA's quick-reference list opens with “DO clean glass when dirt and residue appear”; its frequency sentence reads: “Generally, twice per year cleaning is sufficient; however, specific regions may require more frequent cleaning due to environmental factors and atmospheric pollutants.” PGT, CGI and WinDoor, for owners in a coastal area: “at least once a month.” None of the three is written for a particular house. The September numbers are on record too: a normal 8.60 inches of rain and a normal high of 89.6 F at Naples Municipal Airport, and the National Hurricane Center puts the peak of the Atlantic hurricane season on September 10.

239 Exteriors cleans exterior windows for homes and businesses, and NGA's paper “describes procedures that generally apply to most architectural glass products,” with exterior cleaning that “should begin at the top of the building.”

For a business, the point is presentation: clean windows help your home or business present a more polished appearance. In a condominium, Florida Statutes 718.113(1) reads: “Maintenance of the common elements is the responsibility of the association, except for any maintenance responsibility for limited common elements assigned to the unit owner by the declaration.” Which side of that line the glass falls on, and so who orders its exterior cleaning, is the declaration's to settle; the board or the manager can say what it provides. For a house, the estimate form asks for the number of windows and anything else that helps, such as the number of stories and whether the glass is impact or tinted.