How to clean and care for your glass extension

One of the main attractions of a glass extension is its large amount of glazing. As well as adding the wow factor to your property, a fully-glazed home extension also allows natural light to flood your living space while offering panoramic views of the outdoors.

But all that glass can beg the question of maintenance. Will it be time-consuming and difficult to clean your glass extension? How much will its bi-folding doors or sliding doors need looking after to continue working as smoothly as they should? Your glass extension may be built to stand the test of time – but how quickly will its appearance start to fade?

Fortunately, cleaning and caring for your Solarlux glass extension is pretty easy. With minimal effort, you can ensure it looks and performs at its very best for decades to come.

Maintenance and cleaning of glass extensions

Manufactured using high-quality materials and factory-applied coatings, Solarlux wintergarden glass extensions are designed to be durable and long-lasting. The aluminium profiles are permanently resistant to weathering, the glass is easy to maintain, the timber will only need renovating at long intervals, and all hinges and locks are extremely robust.

Your glass extension, therefore, does not require any extensive maintenance and care. However, it’s advised that you check all elements regularly for intactness and function. Bear in mind that even the best materials need a little TLC if they are significantly exposed to high winds, excessive precipitation, and other environmental stresses such as smoke and salinity.

So it makes sense to clean your glass extension from time to time. This helps protect the surface, keeps the seals flexible and the fittings easily accessible, and ensures the mechanisms continue to function correctly. Looking after your glass extension also allows you to spot minor issues before they become larger problems, and helps maintain the validity of the warranty.

If you live in a coastal or urban area, regular and more thorough cleaning is also important as there are higher concentrations of chlorides and sulphuric acid in the atmosphere. These can affect the appearance, durability and performance of your glass extension.

Full cleaning and care instructions are provided with your glass extension to help you keep it as sparkling and useable as the day it was installed. In addition, there is also a range of specific Solarlux cleaning and care products that can help with the maintenance of your glass extension.

Follow our guide below for some handy tips.

Glass extensions maintenance and cleaning guide

Cleaning the exterior glass

Exterior glass surfaces will generally be cleaned by rainwater, which is sufficient to prevent dirt building up.

Routine cleaning, however, can be carried out using plenty of clear or soapy water, a soft window leather and glass cleaning agents with no scouring components.

Cleaning the interior glass

Marks from fingers or pets' noses are perhaps the biggest problem in keeping the glass clean inside your home. These can easily be removed with a leather cloth or wet sponge.

For bright-annealed and mirror-polished surfaces, use non-chloric glass cleaning agents.

Clean stubborn soiling, traces of limescale and light discolouration with standard household cleaning cream and non-ferritic cleaning sponges, rinsed with clear water and wiped dry.

Cleaning aluminium

Aluminium surfaces can be cleaned regularly with a soft sponge, water and a neutral cleaning agent. For extremely dirty aluminium, including coated and anodised, the Solarlux Top-Clean Aluminium Cleaner removes heavy dirt quickly and thoroughly. Use a soft cloth to rub some into the surface, then rinse with water.

You can also use a soft cloth and a preservative such as car wax every six months.

Cleaning timber

Wooden surfaces can be cleaned a couple of times a year with a soft sponge, water and a neutral cleaning agent. At the same time, check for any damage or weathering. You can fix minor damage yourself with a commercially available repair kit. For major damage, contact Solarlux.

Check the surface coating every few years and if it is weathered, recoat it with the correct material.

Maintaining and cleaning sliding doors and bi-folds

If your glass extension includes sliding doors or bi-folding doors at the sides, these will also need maintaining and cleaning. They should also be used in accordance with the operating instructions, to ensure optimal performance. For doors that are electrically driven, there will usually be an inspection hatch in the frame. This allows a specialist professional to carry out maintenance of the drive unit and control system, ensuring your doors function correctly.

Cleaning glass doors

• Clean the glass panes and aluminium frames of your sliding doors or bi-folds in the same way as you’d clean the glass and aluminium elsewhere in your glass extension.

• If you have opted for a laser scanner with your moving door system, clean the optical signal window regularly with a clean, damp cloth.

Maintaining glass doors

• Oil all moveable fittings once a year using a grease with no acidic or resin components, or the Solarlux Top Clean Fog Spray, which reaches parts that are difficult to access.

• Regularly check and clean the running and guide rails to keep them free of dirt and debris. This ensures they continue to function correctly and operate smoothly. To prevent damage, remove any foreign bodies that obstruct water drainage in the floor track.

• Solarlux glass doors are carefully installed and precision calibrated by specialist partners, including Solarlux by Reveal. Contact us if they need recalibrating or adjusting.

• Check the elastic seals are seated and in good condition. If any of the surfaces have minor damage, repair it immediately – Solarlux can help with this.

• Regularly lubricate the bearings of the pulley, tension rollers and drive wheel bearing system. Check everything is seated securely.

• Carry out a visual inspection of the toothed belt now and again to check for wear and tear.

Handles, ironmongery and hardware

High-quality stainless steel handles and fittings add the finishing touch to Solarlux sliding doors and bi-folds. Stainless steel is resistant to corrosion, so can be maintained with minimal effort, such as wiping clean when needed. You can also use Solarlux’s Top Clean Stainless-Steel Cleaner to remove rust and coarse dirt.

Check handles once a year and tighten the mounting screws if necessary. It’s also recommended lubricating the hinges around twice a year with suitable agents.

Seals

Regular checks ensure that seals are in good condition, seated correctly, and clear from dust and debris.

Ensure the seals on your glass extension retain their elasticity by cleaning them about once a year with warm water and a mild cleaner. They should also be greased using a silicone spray or Solarlux Top Clean Seal Care.

A few don’ts

• Do not use a power washer as it will damage the seals.

• Be careful not to scratch the glass when cleaning it, so remove all rings before you start.

• Do not use razor blades, scrapers, knives, steel wool or tools that could scratch surfaces and coatings.

• Avoid using alkaline soap suds, acidic and fluoric cleaning agents on glass surfaces.

• Do not use solvents containing esters, ketones, polyhydric alcohols, glycol ethers or halogenated hydrocarbons as these can damage the paintwork of the aluminium frame and invalidate the warranty.

• Do not use strong acid or alkaline cleaning agents such as all-purpose cleaners and degreasers as these can damage the paintwork of the aluminium frame and invalidate the warranty.

• Never use substances with unknown compositions to clean or care for your Solarlux glass extension or any of its components.

• Never use scouring agents, powders or pads; solvents such as synthetic resin or cellulose thinners; toilet or bathroom cleaning products; or anything containing chlorine or hydrochloric acid, bleach or silver polish.

Seasonal maintenance tips

• In spring, as you start to think about using your glass doors more to open up your home to the outside, check that everything is in working order and ready for increased use as the weather warms up.

• In summer, clean the glass on cooler days. When it’s really hot, the water or cleaner you use will dry quickly on the glass, leaving marks and streaks.

• In autumn, remove leaves regularly from the gutters and downpipes.

• In winter, keep gutters and downpipes free of snow and ice. You could, if you wish, install self-regulating heating strips. These have low energy consumption and can be retrofitted into existing gutters and downpipes at any time. Ice and snow can also prevent water drainage inside and in front of the floor track, and must be removed.

By making a small effort to clean and care for your glass extension now and again, you'll be able to make the most of all the amazing benefits that it brings. Effortlessly open your bi-folds or sliding doors to enhance a summer gathering with friends, or stargaze from your sofa through glass that's as clear as the crisp winter night sky. However you use it, with a little TLC your glass extension will bring you a lifetime of joy.