Secco Sistemi — 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 in warm water. On stainless steel systems, use purified water for the final rinse to avoid chloride deposits from hard tap water.
• ✓Microfibre applicator and professional squeegee. No abrasive pads near steel frame faces.
• ✓On historic glazing in heritage installations, specialist assessment before cleaning.
• ✓Edge detail at slim sightlines: solution control is critical. There is almost no frame face but it is very visible.

Frames

• ✓Painted steel: pH-neutral cleaner on soft cloth. Check for paint chips or rust spots at every visit. Report immediately.
• ✓Stainless steel: pH-neutral or slightly acidic stainless steel cleaner. No chlorine-containing products under any circumstances. Rinse with purified water.
• ✓Cor-Ten: water rinse only on stable patina. Do not apply cleaning products to Cor-Ten weathering steel.
• ✓On all steel types: dry immediately after cleaning. Do not leave water standing on steel surfaces.

Hardware

• ✓Hardware on Secco Sistemi systems is typically high-specification concealed or minimal hardware - stainless steel or powder-coated steel.
• ✓Lubricate pivot points and hinge mechanisms with a product appropriate for the hardware material. On stainless steel hardware, chloride-free lubricants only.
• ✓Check sealant condition at frame-to-glass junctions at every visit. Report any cracking or adhesion failure in structural sealant on slim-profile systems.

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 Secco Sistemi 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 Secco Sistemi 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 Secco Sistemi 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 Secco Sistemi 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 bleach or any chlorine-containing product on or near stainless steel windows. Chloride-induced pitting corrosion on stainless steel is permanent and cannot be polished out from deep pits.
• ★ On Cor-Ten weathering steel, the question is not what to clean with but whether to clean at all. A stable patina surface in good condition is often best maintained with a water rinse rather than any cleaning product.
• ★ Purified water is not optional for the final rinse on stainless steel. Tap water in many regions contains enough chloride to leave a deposit on stainless steel that initiates surface corrosion over time.
• ★ A rust spot on painted steel is a time-critical finding. Rust spreads under paint from a pinhole. A 5mm rust spot visible from outside represents a rust front that may be 15 to 20mm in diameter beneath the paint. Report it immediately.
• ★ Slim 25mm sightlines on Secco Sistemi windows are the visual point of the product. A cleaning technique error on a 25mm frame face is proportionally enormous compared to the same error on an 80mm PVC frame. Control is everything.
• ★ Heritage restoration steel windows with historic glazing should not be cleaned by a standard window cleaning operative without specialist assessment. The glass may be cylinder glass, crown glass, or decorative glass from a previous century that cannot be replaced.
• ★ Luxury clients expect a written condition report from every cleaning visit. Secco Sistemi installations are in properties where the owner knows exactly what they have and will notice anything you missed or any damage that occurred.

What NOT To Do

Bundle Kits and Tool Recommendations

Cleaning Frequency

Glass: 4 to 6x per year (Luxury context. Coastal stainless steel: monthly minimum due to salt deposition on stainless steel.). Painted steel frame inspection: Every clean (Rust spot identification is a maintenance requirement on painted steel, not an optional check.). Stainless steel frame: Same visit as glass (Purified water rinse mandatory at every visit.). Hardware lubrication: Twice per year (Pivot and hinge points on slim-profile systems carry high loads relative to their size.)

Frequently Asked Questions

Field Notes

“Secco Sistemi installations represent the top of the market specification range. The client, the architect, and the building context all demand cleaning quality that matches the product quality. Steel window cleaning is a specialist skill. Most window cleaning training in central Europe focuses on PVC and aluminium. Steel requires additional knowledge of corrosion prevention, material-specific chemistry, and finish condition assessment. The combination of luxury context and steel-specific maintenance requirements makes Secco Sistemi one of the most demanding window care assignments available. It is also one of the most technically interesting.”

Justin Orloff