OPTIWIN — Window Cleaning Guide

Quick Facts

Brand at a Glance

Product Range

Why This System

Step 1 of 2: Manufacturer Recommendations

Official Care Guidance

Glass

• ✓pH-neutral glass cleaner, lukewarm water, microfibre T-bar and professional squeegee. Triple-glazed units have the same outer surface as double-glazed - cleaning approach is identical.
• ✓Do not lean cleaning tools or equipment against tilted triple-glazed sashes. The sash weight is significantly higher than standard residential glazing.
• ✓Clean outer face through the open turn position or from a ladder. Do not try to clean the outer face while the window is in tilt position.
• ✓Check the glass unit edge at every clean. Triple-glazed units have two internal cavities - a seal failure shows as a distinct condensation ring at one cavity boundary.

Frames

• ✓Outer aluminium cladding: pH-neutral aluminium cleaner, soft cloth, rinse, dry. No alkaline or abrasive products.
• ✓Inner timber face: damp cloth only with minimal moisture. No water-based cleaners on oiled timber. On painted timber, a very slightly damp cloth only - allow to dry before closing the window.
• ✓Do not use the same cloth or product on both inner timber and outer aluminium faces.
• ✓Check the cladding-to-frame sealant bead at every annual service. Report any gaps or lifting sealant immediately.

Hardware

• ✓Lubricate all moving hardware annually with light machine oil or PTFE spray. OPTIWIN windows with heavy triple-glazed sashes need more thorough lubrication than standard residential windows.
• ✓Condition all rubber compression seals annually with a non-silicone rubber conditioner.
• ✓On lift-and-slide terrace doors, lubricate running gear rollers and track at least twice per year - the load on unlubricated rollers carrying 100kg sash weight is severe.

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 OPTIWIN 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 Optiwin 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 Optiwin 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 Optiwin 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

• ★ Never use the same cloth on both the inner timber face and the outer aluminium cladding - the product safe for aluminium is not safe for oiled timber, and vice versa.
• ★ Triple-glazed sashes in tilt position feel heavier than expected when you first rest a T-bar on them. Confirm the sash is fully settled in tilt position before resting any equipment against it.
• ★ The compression seals on OPTIWIN Passive House windows are doing real thermal work, not just weather exclusion. A seal that has hardened and cracked means the window is losing air-tightness and the Passive House performance figures are no longer accurate.
• ★ Oiled timber inner faces should not be cleaned with any water-based product. A dry microfibre cloth removes light dust and fingermarks without introducing moisture into the timber.
• ★ Aluminium cladding on timber-alu windows is powder-coated after cladding fabrication. The coating is continuous across the outer face but stops at the cladding edge where it meets the timber frame. This junction is the only moisture vulnerability point - check it at every annual service.
• ★ OPTIWIN lift-and-slide doors often have a threshold seal that rises when the door is operated, sealing against the bottom of the sash. This seal needs to be clean and in contact with a clean track to function. Clean the track channel before lubricating.
• ★ On heavily loaded lift-and-slide running gear, apply PTFE spray to both the roller axle and the track face for best results. Lubricating only the track leaves the roller dry and the roller bearing doing most of the wear.

What NOT To Do

Bundle Kits and Tool Recommendations

Cleaning Frequency

Glass: 2x per year (Spring and autumn. Timber-alu windows in forested Austrian locations may accumulate more pollen and resin deposit than urban equivalents.). Outer frame - aluminium cladding: 2x per year (Same visit as glass. Alpine and rural locations accumulate organic deposits faster than urban locations.). Rubber seals: Once per year (Conditioning at the annual service visit. More frequent inspection in heavily used windows.). Running gear on lift-and-slide: 2x per year (Spring and autumn lubrication for heavy sash loads. More frequent in high-use locations.)

Frequently Asked Questions

Field Notes

“OPTIWIN windows are among the highest-specification products in the Austrian and German residential market. Clients who have invested in Passive House certification are typically detail-conscious and will notice cleaning quality issues that a standard client would not. The inner timber face of timber-alu windows is the most commonly damaged surface during cleaning by untrained operatives. The error is applying the same damp cloth used on the aluminium outer face to the timber inner face. Lift-and-slide terrace doors at this specification level are large, heavy, and expensive. Running gear failure on a 150kg triple-glazed sash is a significant repair. Annual lubrication is non-negotiable on these products.”

Justin Orloff