Gleam Team Cleaning Services & Garden Maintenance
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Gleam Team Conservatory Cleaning & Maintenance Tips
Conservatories continue to grow in popularity in the UK as they can be a wonderful addition to the home adding value and additional space the whole family can enjoy. If properly maintained they last many years without losing their aesthetic appeal.
Wood or uPVC?
Conservatories are made of wood or uPVC with wooden frames generally being more expensive and coming in a variety of woods such as mahogany,oak,cedar and pine. Wood can be painted or stained in various shades allowing you to lighten or darken the wood from its original colour.
uPVC comes in a brilliant white finish and is more easily maintained and can be wiped clean. Although the plastic does not need treatments as wood does it will benefit from uPVC whitener and restorer once or twice a year.
Conservatory Roofs
Glass or Polycarbonate?
Polycarbonate is the cheaper alternative to glass and comes in varying thickness up to 35mm. It can be as insulating as double glazing but the material distorts sunlight meaning the roof does not have the same clarity as glass. Polycarbonate roofs tend to attract algae more than glass and are more susceptible to staining and therefore need regular cleaning.
Glass roofs are more expensive and arguably more attractive looking. Glass types come in a wide variety including self cleaning,single or double glazing,tinted and so on. Glass roofs allow more light to enter and generally offer better insulation and soundproofing.
Cleaning Conservatory Glass
Glass can be cleaned like any other window using products like Windolene or any other quality glass cleaner. However,using these products will over time lead to a build-up of residue left on the glass even after wiping off.
If you’re feeling more adventurous you could use a window cleaner’s tools like a squeegee. Simply clean the window with a soapy sponge and then squeegee off the soap. Mop up any streaks with a microfibre cloth.
2 in 1 squeegee and window cleaning pads can be bought very cheaply as seen here from Wilkinsons. Clean with the pad and squeegee off combined in one tool.
Any mild cleaning solution is ok including good old fashioned washing up liquid. Be sure NOT to use any abrasive cleaner which could scratch the glass.
To clean conservatory roofs you will need an extension pole long enough to reach the entire roof. First wet the roof with a hose then spray on a good quality cleaning product like Virosol. If the roof has gone green you will need some sort of algae remover,preferably with an inhibiting chemical to prevent re-growth.
If you have a glass roof don’t rinse with a hosepipe and leave the water on the glass. If it is not removed with a squeegee or some other suitable tool when it dries it will cause ‘spotting’ from hard water deposits in the tap water.This is particularly the case here in Kent and across the south east where the water is particularly hard.
Exterior Frames
As with glass be sure NOT to use any abrasive cleaners on wood or uPVC frames that may scratch the surface.
CIF (formerly Jif) is an excellent low cost product that cleans very well and brings up uPVC to a lovely shine.
For wooden frames products like Pledge Wood Cleaner diluted in water are very good and simple to use.
Gleam Team Cleaning Services & Garden Maintenance
For all your exterior cleaning needs in Maidstone,Kent
Don’t just clean it , Gleam It !