The brief
It is not a room and it is not quite a balcony. It is a terrace closed in with glass, and every panel has two faces to clean.
The brief was the whole apartment's glass: the windows and sliding doors, and the frameless glass enclosure that wraps the terrace. From inside it is all view. From a cleaning point of view it is a long run of tall panels, every one of them on show from both sides.
Glass enclosures get dirty on both faces in different ways. Outside it is salt, dust and rain spotting. Inside, a closed-in space traps warmth and moisture, so the inner faces pick up condensation marks and a film that an ordinary wipe smears rather than removes.
How we worked it
Mostly traditional, applicator and squeegee by hand, because getting a water supply up to the apartment for a water-fed pole was not practical. Enclosure panels washed outside then inside, panel by panel, with the runners and edges cleared as we went. Then the apartment's windows and sliding doors, outside faces first, inside with the floors protected.
Enclosure panels, outside faces
Salt, dust and spotting washed off wet, panel by panel, edges included.
Inside faces treated for film
Condensation marks and the film that builds up in an enclosed space treated and taken off properly, not smeared round.
Runners and tracks cleared
Frameless panels slide and stack on runners. Grit in a runner is back on the glass in a week, and it is what makes panels stiff to move.
Windows and sliding doors
Both faces, frames and tracks included, outside first.
Floors protected inside
Protection down under the working area, anything moved put back exactly where it was.
Checked from inside in daylight
Enclosure glass is looked through from inside, so that is where it gets checked before we leave.
What was included
- Every enclosure panel, both faces
- Panel runners and edges cleared
- Windows, both faces
- Sliding doors, inside and out
- Seals wiped down
- Interior glass
- Frames, sills and tracks
- Floors protected and furniture put back
The result
Being straight with you about hard water
Most mineral spotting comes off. Some of it has been drying on the same pane for long enough that it has etched into the surface, and at that point the marking is in the glass rather than on it. Cleaning improves it and will not remove it, and we will tell you which panes are which at the survey rather than after.
We would also rather quote a villa for the time it actually takes, inside and out, than turn up with half the time it needs and rush the last elevation.
Common questions
Do you clean glass enclosures and glazed terraces?
Yes. Every panel is cleaned on both faces and the runners are cleared, so the panels slide properly and the grit does not end up back on the glass.
Why does the inside of an enclosure get dirty?
A closed-in glass space traps warmth and moisture, so the inside faces collect condensation marks and a thin film. It needs treating and taking off properly, or it just gets moved around.
Can you clean the apartment windows at the same time?
Yes, and it is cheaper as one visit than two.
Do you cover Lagos?
Yes. Lagos is part of our western round, which runs from Luz and Lagos through Alvor, Portimão and Ferragudo to Lagoa, Carvoeiro and Porches.
