When it comes to home improvements, the installation of wooden bi-folding doors can make a highly positive change to your interior, allowing natural light to flood into a room whilst you are able to admire the uninterrupted views of your garden. That is, however, until daily life takes its toll. Modern living combined with young children, pets and muddy hobbies can all contribute to smears, grime or specks of mud quickly appearing on the glass. With our simple guide, you need not wait for the window cleaner to pay a visit. Instead, your bi-folding doors can sparkle and shine all year round.
What you will need to clean wooden bi-fold doors
Firstly, you should gather the following items:
- A collection of dry cloths, some of which can be dampened and others to remain dry.
- A sponge.
- A bucket.
- A squeegee.
- Washing up liquid or glass cleaner.
- A toothbrush.
Prep your surface
Before you begin the clean, you will want to remove any dust or loose specks of mud from your window frame and glass. Use one of your dry cloths to do so, and lightly swipe. You should start from the top of the door and work your way down, preventing dust from falling onto an area you have previously wiped over. Don’t forget the locks and handles!
Get your glass gleaming
Gather your tools
For this step, we are focusing on cleaning and drying the panes of glass in each of your bi-folding panels. This will provide a gleaming finish if carried out correctly. You will need your bucket, sponge, glass cleaner/washing up liquid. Fill the bucket with an appropriate amount of water and mix in a little of your glass cleaner/washing up liquid. You are looking for a solution which only creates a small amount of suds and consists of mostly liquid.
Wash…
Dip your sponge into the bucket and glide a thin layer of the solution over your glass, starting from the top and working your way down. You may find that, toward the lower portion of your glass, there is more evidence of mud, grit, or dirt, and may need to spend a little extra time gliding over these areas. You should not need to apply too much pressure. To get the best results, we would advise working on one glass panel at a time. Once you reach the bottom of your window, you should begin the drying process to prevent any droplets leaving marks or stains.
Dry…
Make sure that your squeegee is clean and free from grit or grime that could damage your bi-folding doors. Once you are happy with its condition, start at the top of the glass panel and work your way downwards in an ‘S’ motion. Remove all traces of water and soap suds, wiping the squeegee off with a dry cloth when required, and repeating over the same pane of glass if required.
Repeat…
Once one panel has been washed and dried, and you are happy that there are no specks of grime which need a second bout of cleaning, you can move on to the next panel, repeating the same steps as before.
Cleaning the intricate areas
With the glass tackled and now gleaming, you can move onto the more intricate areas. This includes the locks, handles, and seals that join your wooden frames to the panes of glass.
Depending on the weather your home withstands, or the length of time that has passed since your doors last clean, you may notice some staining or rusting around the edges of these areas, specifically your locks or handles. With a toothbrush and some warm water, you can get scrubbing and should find that these markings begin to disappear.
Refresh the frames
Your wooden frames may have fallen victim to a splattering of mud, grit, or grime, and may be needing a refresh themselves. However, being crafted out of wood, you will have to take care when it comes to the products you use. Your wood will have been treated prior to installation to ensure it remains durable through wet weather, so we know that they will deal well with water. Because of this, we recommend only using a cloth that has been dampened with plain water and running it across your frames. In places, you may find a little extra force is required, and the toothbrush may come in handy to remove any stubborn build ups. Following over with a dry cloth will speed up the drying process of your frames, preventing any staining occurring.
With over 100 years of combined joinery experience, our team at New Forest Joinery specialise in constructing timber joinery of the highest standards of quality. We coat our timber doors with a Teknos End Grain Sealer prior to painting, providing it with the ability to lock in its moisture and preventing it from drying out. This is then followed by two layers of Teknos Water-Based primer, as well as two coats of Teknos Water-Based Topcoat. Every timber product we provide comes with a 30-year guarantee. Call 01425 628 281 to find out more.
