Fenêtre ADF — Window Cleaning Guide

Quick Facts

Brand at a Glance

Product Range

Why This System

Step 1 of 2: Manufacturer Recommendations

Official Care Guidance

Glass

• ✓Lukewarm water with mild dish soap or a purpose-made glass cleaner. No ammonia on tinted glass.
• ✓Microfibre T-bar applicator to wash, professional squeegee to pull. Fresh rubber on every job.
• ✓Check for low-emissivity or solar-control coatings before using any hard tool on the glass surface.
• ✓On outward-opening casements, secure the sash in the open position before cleaning the outer face from a ladder.

Frames

• ✓PVC frames: damp cloth with pH-neutral cleaner. No bleach, no solvent, no abrasive pad.
• ✓Aluminium frames: pH-neutral cleaner on a soft cloth. No alkaline or acidic products - both attack powder coat over time.
• ✓Timber frames: damp cloth only on sound paintwork. Do not wet cracked or flaking paint. Report paint failure before cleaning.
• ✓Clear all drainage slots at the bottom of the fixed frame after every clean.

Hardware

• ✓Wipe all hardware with a damp cloth and dry immediately - French window hardware is often steel and rusts if left wet.
• ✓Lubricate espagnolette rods and cremone bolt guides annually with light machine oil or purpose-made hardware lubricant.
• ✓Check friction stays on casement sashes hold the sash open at the correct position - worn stays that drop the sash during cleaning are a safety issue.

Step 2 of 2: The Orloffs Protocol

The Orloffs Protocol

Pro Tools

My daily tool list. This is what I carry to every job.

Follow these steps in order. Each one builds on the last. This is the same sequence I use on every Fenêtre ADF installation.

1. 1

   Preparation -- before any water touches the glass

   Fill the bucket with at least 10 litres of water. Add soap for cleaning power -- enough to cut through environmental deposits, not so much you are fighting foam.

   Before touching the glass, brush down the surface to remove loose dust, spiderwebs, and debris. Any grit left on the glass during the wash phase risks scratching during agitation.

   Check the aluminium frame condition before you start. Confirm which cleaning product is safe for that surface before opening any bottle.

   Cover anything below the windows that cannot be moved.

2. 2

   Agitation -- apply and work the solution

   Dip the microfiber T-bar completely into the soap water, both sides. Remove excess water with your hand so it does not drip. Apply the solution across the entire glass surface with overlapping passes.

   The goal is to fully dissolve and release every deposit from the glass surface. Anything not released during agitation gets transported across the glass by the squeegee as a smear.

   For stubborn spots -- insect marks, salt residue, environmental deposits -- re-apply soap water and allow it to soak for a full minute before agitating again. Use more soap water, not more pressure.

   For panels above arm reach: attach the T-bar to an extension pole. Work in sections -- top first, then middle, then bottom -- keeping each section wet until you squeegee it.

   Rinse the T-bar cover regularly during the job. A dirty applicator causes microscopic scratches that accumulate over time.

3. 3

   Detail the frame edge before squeegeeing

   Use your 100% cotton towelling rag, finger pressed into the fabric, to work into every junction and remove pooled soap water before the squeegee pass.

   This prevents drips running down onto already-cleaned areas during squeegeeing and keeps soap water out of drainage channels.

   On Fenetre ADF aluminium frames, pay particular attention to the bottom edge where glass meets the frame sill -- water pooled here runs into drainage openings and leaves residue over time.

4. 4

   The squeegee

   Tilt the squeegee at a slight angle so soap water spills from one side of the channel only -- not both. If the rubber is jumping or squeaking, either the rubber is not lubricated enough or the glass surface has warmed.

   Cutting in: start with the rubber blade making first contact on a dry edge of the glass.

   Side to side: horizontal passes across the panel. Works well on wide sections. Top to bottom: vertical passes down the panel. Works well on tall narrow sections.

   The J tune: one smooth unbroken motion top to bottom, wrist rotating at each end to reverse without lifting the rubber. The most efficient method on larger panels -- but it requires training before applying it to premium glass.

   Wipe the rubber dry after every pass. Overlap each stroke by 2-3 cm.

5. 5

   Final edge detailing

   After squeegeeing, there is always a residual line of water along the bottom edge and at the panel sides. Take a dry cotton rag, fold to a clean corner, and detail these edges in one smooth pass.

   On Fenetre ADF frames, the bottom edge where glass meets the sill requires the most careful attention. Water left here runs into drainage and leaves residue that affects the next clean.

   Rotate the rag to a clean section after every pass. If the rag picks up grit at any point, replace it immediately.

6. 6

   Frame wipe and hardware check

   On Fenetre ADF powder-coated aluminium frames: use pH-neutral cleaner only, never abrasive pads or steel wool. Dry immediately after wiping.

   Check that all drainage openings are clear and unobstructed. Water must be able to flow freely -- a blocked channel leads to accumulation that affects seal performance over time.

   Operate every opening window through its full range. Stiff handles or resistance at locking points indicate hardware that needs lubrication. Flag it to the owner rather than forcing it.

Pro Tips

• ★ On outward-opening casements, clean the top of the outer sash face first before the sash swings back - solution dripping from the top rail onto a cleaned lower section is the most common rework cause.
• ★ French timber windows on south-facing elevations often show paint breakdown at the bottom rail first - this is the highest moisture-accumulation point and needs the most careful condition check.
• ★ Cremone bolt guides run the full height of the sash in a narrow channel. A thin bead of light oil applied at the top guide entry point works its way down by gravity over a few operations.
• ★ On powder-coated aluminium, a white chalky bloom after cleaning means the cleaner was too alkaline. Switch to a lower-pH product and the bloom does not return.
• ★ Check the sealant bead between the fixed frame and the wall surround on older Fenetre ADF installations - French residential buildings often use a polymer mastic that shrinks and cracks over 10 to 15 years.
• ★ If a casement sash rattles when closed and locked, the issue is usually the keep (strike plate) position rather than the espagnolette rod. Do not force the handle - flag for adjustment.
• ★ On multi-light windows with a central mullion, the mullion face accumulates more grime than the outer frame because rain does not wash it. Give mullion faces extra attention on every clean.

What NOT To Do

Bundle Kits and Tool Recommendations

Cleaning Frequency

Glass: 2x per year minimum (Spring and autumn. Coastal and urban locations: quarterly.). Frames: 2x per year (Same visit as glass. Timber frames may need more frequent checks in high-rainfall areas.). Drainage slots: Every clean (Fixed-frame drainage slots on casement systems are easy to miss - build them into the checklist.). Hardware lubrication: Once per year (Cremone bolts and espagnolette rods on French systems dry out faster than tilt-and-turn hardware.)

Frequently Asked Questions

Field Notes

“French casement windows require a mental shift from tilt-and-turn work - the outer face is accessed while the sash is open and the safe working position at the ladder changes accordingly. Cremone bolt hardware on tall French windows is the most commonly neglected lubrication point in any maintenance schedule. A seized cremone bolt on a 2.4 metre sash is a significant repair. Timber windows in this range sit at the higher-maintenance end of the product line. Build condition checking into every visit - catching paint failure early prevents expensive timber remediation.”

Justin Orloff