Several parts of any home often require maintenance, from dishwashers to HVAC units. When it comes to your installations, windows are not any different. Window maintenance may have slipped your mind as you were shopping for them, but every window has a level of maintenance needed to keep them in good working condition and maintain their appearance and design.
Proper maintenance is one of the most significant factors to improve the longevity of your windows. However, proper maintenance does not have to be hasselsome. There are a variety of ways to simplify your home’s window maintenance.
Make Window Maintenance Easy!
Like nearly everything in life, the KISS method is applicable to window maintenance—Keep It Super Simple. The following are a few tips on how to do just that.
Consider the Window Style and Placement
The style and placement of your windows can significantly impact how easy they will be to maintain. Obviously, installing them in easy-to-reach locations helps you better access and clean them. If they are too much of a hassle to get to, then you are less likely to clean them regularly.
Choose Materials That Require Less Maintenance
Window frame material is another consideration to help simplify their maintenance. For example, wood framing can often require more maintenance from weather damage than a vinyl or aluminum frame would.
In fact, vinyl is one of the easiest framing materials to clean and maintain as it is durable and designed to handle the effects of UV light beating down on it over an extended period of time. While aluminum window frames are also known to be long-lasting, low maintenance, and more modern.
The Type of Building Makes a Difference
You should consider the type of building you are installing your windows in too. For example, if you live on the 20th floor of a condo building, it can be challenging to effectively clean the exterior side of your windows.
That is when the window style can help make window maintenance easier. Choose styles that turn or tilt inward, or allow you to access the exterior glass pane from the inside, such as double-hung or casement selections if you reside in a condo or for the upper levels of a structure.
3 Tips to Help You Properly Maintain Your Windows
Window maintenance can be simplified especially when you take it into consideration as you are shopping for them. Below are a couple of pro pointers to help best maintain your windows, including:
- Regularly cleaning the hardware and removing dirt, dust, debris, etc. from the tracks and sashes
- Use an oil-free lubricant on the tracks and mechanisms to keep the window moving smoothly
Which Window is Easiest to Maintain for You?
You can help ensure that your installations remain in good working condition by choosing a complementary window style with a maintenance schedule that suits you. Regardless of what window style you install in your home, ensure they fit properly, have good caulking, and are watertight. For more window care tips, click the button below to download our tipsheet or browse our info portal to access several high-performance window and door resources.
