Getting your home Upvc to "gleam" again

During the past twenty to thirty years the appearance to the front and rear of the outside of our homes has gradually gone through a transformation. This new look can be attributed to the popular use of UPVC products such as windows, doors and conservatories. Now in the year of 2011 when it is time to replace rotten and decayed timber windows and doors most people are opting to replace their traditional pine or hardwood frames with UPVC.

However, Because UPVC is completely un-paintable the main question many home owners with UPVC fittings asked is: "how do you keep UPVC looking bright, sparkly and free from environmental grim?"



When new windows, doors and conservatories with UPVC frames are installed they literally sparkle in the sunlight, but maintaining their crisp white appearance will require some maintenance. It is recommended UPVC frames should be cleaned on a regular basis - at least once or twice a year. A good bi-annual or annual clean will undoubtedly help to keep them gleaming white and free from environmental discolouring or even worse corrosion of the mechanical fixtures and fittings such as locks and hinges. Regular cleaning with suitable cleaning solutions will help to keep your UPVC looking better for longer.



However, going outside to clean your frames is often easier said than done. Apart from being quite large they can also be difficult to access and subsequently be a rather a challenging job.



Without a doubt the best way to go about it is by splitting the job up and if you have someone that can help you then you will find the task to be a lot easer than if you attempted to do it on your own – there is an old saying: "many hands make light work". However, if you are on your own then dividing the job up to be completed over a period of days will probably be your best option. Maybe divide the jobs into inside and outside, or perhaps one day focus on the ground floor, the next day the first floor and the day after you could look at the roof area.



If you have a conservatory then a beware that cleaning the outside usually takes longer than the inside and is considerably more difficult - because the outside is exposed to all that the elements can throw at it. Planning to do your cleaning on mild day that is not too cold or too hot will make the task less ardours, and never try to do the cleaning in bright sunlight because you may find that the glass within the frame will dry with horrible streaky and smears.

Planning your cleaning route before you actually start work will help to make sure you get the job done with the minimum of fuss and in an orderly manner. Starting work at the top of your home around the gutters, soffits, fascias, and cladding and work your way down would probably be the best route to take.



The ground floor area of your home door, widows, conservatory and French windows are far easer to clean but will still require a bit of physical effort. Cleaning UPVC extrusions only requires some warm soapy water and a soft cloth to keep them looking as good as new.

But, if you feel that cleaning your own UPVC is something that you don’t want to do and would prefer to leave it to someone else then you could look at hiring a professional UPVC cleaning company to do the work for you. A brief look through your local yellow pages or a local search on the internet for "Upvc cleaning service " or even some large gutter cleaning companies will be happy to provide you with a free no- obligation quotation.