Hard water stains or mineral deposits can occur all the way up sixty six stories, or just on the first floor. They can come from brickwork, concrete facades, sprinkler systems, or the garden hose. They can also result on the inside of windows surrounding indoor pools. When they form they can be extremely difficult to remove. Most times very special polishing procedures are required to accomplish this. Acids which etch glass should never be used to remove mineral deposits since these can very quickly and easily destroy windows. It is because of these reasons that the correct procedure for "clearing" windows of mineral deposits can be extremely expensive.
Our customer might tell us to just use a little steel wool. Or extra soap? Or what about a store bought product people use on their bathroom fixtures? Obviously they are not familiar with the nature of the problem. Mineral deposits can start developing on an invisible level. Then they become more and more noticeable until they are very unsightly and absolutely impossible to remove with a simple inexpensive procedure. The greatest reason for this is that such spots are very similar to glass itself. They are based on a combination of silicates and silica. This is what the matrix of glass is. It is like trying to remove paint from paint. Another reason why they are so difficult to remove lies in the fact that exterior glass surfaces on a microscopic level look like the lunar landscape. Check out the picture here on this blog showing what the etched surface of window glass looks like. Over time the exterior/weather side of window glass is attacked mostly by acid rain and is badly etched. Water vapor will react with the elements that make up soda lime/window glass literally leaching away certain atomic components. You can actually feel this by lightly running a dry fingertip across the dry inside surface of a storm window and compare this to the outside surface of the same plate of glass. The outside surface will be much more rough. Mineral deposits which are essentially silicon based salts, will fill in and strongly attach themselves to the windows by means of these microscopic leached pores.
Water spots or mineral deposits can actually be seen before they become obvious by simply fogging a "clean" window surface with your breath. As the fog forms it will show up every spot. Then as the fog vanishes so do the spots. Try running a dry fingertip across that surface and you will soon notice how much friction this generates. If you polish a clear spot using an ultra pure polishing compound you will notice how smooth it becomes. Try doing this with steel wool, extra soap, or bathroom stain remover based on hydrochloric acid. It just won't happen.
Further. If the effort is made to remove all spotting/minerals early on before they become tenaciously attached and quite unsightly; then a special sealer should be applied immediately after the restoration work is performed. Make sure the sealer is one that has been tested and is not attacked by alkali chemistry or UVC. Your window cleaner will know exactly which one to use. The application of such a chemical will help to keep the windows looking absolutely pristine.
So if your window cleaner tells you that it would be a good thing to "restore" your windows, it would be a good thing to listen. Listen now, pay a little now, or pay a LOT later down the line. The choice is up to you!
Written by Henry Grover Jr.
henrygroverjr@gmail.com
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