HOW WE REMOVE PAINT WHEN CLEANING WINDOWS IN DUNFERMLIME

Paint on windows can be unsightly and obviously for a home owner, this is a challenging job to take on due to access and fall hazards. While window cleaning traditionally in Dunfermline we have had to remove paint on many occasions. Depending on the type of paint, it can be very hard to remove these marks.

REMOVING EMULSION PAINT FROM GLASS

Emulsion paint is water based, although due to vinyl or acrylic resin added to modern emulsions they are still fairly hard wearing paints to remove. Usually we can remove emulsion based paint with the following process

• Wet the area with warm soapy water
• Leave to dwell for ten minutes
• Use the end of our window cleaning applicator to scrub the marks off

If this does not work then we will apply some methylated spirits to the area. This is an alcohol based chemical that can be bought at many local supply shops, and it will break down the paint. Personally this is a COSHH item for us being a business, and that means that under the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 we have to have it stored appropriately and also we have a risk assessment tin place for its use. Please do not use this substance without A wearing goggles B having gloves on and C disposing of the empty bottle safely.

When we have done the above, we finally buff the window and clean it as normal. There is no risk to the glass, after all how do all scientists store their chemicals?. In glass tubes.

REMOVING OIL BASED PAINT-WINDOW CLEANER DUNFERMLINE

Again; when working within the town, oil based paint is an equally common occurrence. This is probably more visible for us around windows, due to it being a paint that is used on window frames for its hard wearing finish. Here is the process of how we would remove that.

• Put a wet cloth on the bottom of the window frame
• Apply the paint thinner to the affected area
• Leave to dwell for ten minutes
• Wipe excess off with a cloth

This isn’t always enough to remove all of the paint. In which case, we would then use a window cleaning scraper to take the remains off.

CORRECT USE OF A WINDOW CLEANING SCRAPER

To take any remaining marks off we have to use a window cleaning scraper, which is essentially a razor blade inside a sleeve. On approach to this, the priority is not only to remove the paint on this window but to ensure we do not scratch the glass. This is done by first wetting the glass with some warm water and traffic film remover, traffic film remover seems to soften the paint a little and is a chemical we use for Upvc cleans often. We push the scrapper onto the glass, only moving forward and then lifting it off the glass when we have pushed forward as far as we want to go; the reason being that on the backward motion this is when scratching can happen; due to trapped grit under the blade. After a few attempts this will remove all of the paint, and we polish the glass with a microfiber cloth to finish. This was important because over time the glass has become faded under the paint.

RESTORING FADED GLASS WHEN WINDOW CLEANING IN DUNFERMLINE

As above, we can attempt to polish dull glass. But what if this isn’t enough?. In this case we will mix 25 % vinegar with 75% of water and rub this onto the glass. Vinegar not only brings a sheen to glass but is also finely abrasive and will remove minor imperfections from the window. Once this has been rubbed onto the glass we can then use warm water to clean the window as per usual.

For more information on our services please visit Fife Window Cleaning Services