Living by the coast is a very enviable lifestyle. However, you are more exposed to the elements than people living further inland. The most obvious issue is salt spray collecting on your windows. This is not just a seasonal thing – it’s a year-round problem in coastal areas and that is why regular window cleaning is so important. It’s one of the external maintenance services we offer, and we advise you to take advantage of that service on a frequent basis. Here’s why.
If you live right by the coast, sea breezes and large waves will make salt water become airborne, and much of it will eventually land on your windows. While the water will evaporate, the salt it leaves behind can build up on your windows, making them look milky thanks to a process known as efflorescence.
Sea spray straight from the ocean isn’t the only cause. During summer, warm water can rise into the air and begin to resemble a salty vapour. This moist and salty air hits your windows on all sides of your home, not just the side most exposed to sea breezes. Gradually, this leads to a massive build-up of salt all around your home.
This build-up makes windows murky and milky, and hard to see through. But that’s not the only problem. Salt crystals, when left to build up, can also cause your entire window to deteriorate over time. If left untreated, the salt can weaken window glass, as well as the frame. The glass and frames won’t exactly crumble away into nothing, but they might corrode enough to let water leak through the windows. Corroded windows might also lead to higher energy bills when heating your home, as energy can pass through the weakened window space in the form of drafts. And when corroded windows have to be replaced, the cost can be significant.
Regular window cleaning is the easy way to protect against damage and prevent a huge expense down the track. The best way to do it is to put a cleaning programme in place.
This is something we do for many of our customers, including people who have a holiday home on the coast that is usually empty during the cooler months of winter. But as salt air is always present on the coast, the windows still need to be cleaned year-round. So, if you’re lucky enough to live on the coast, or if you have a holiday home by the beach, contact us and let’s discuss a way to keep your windows at their best. We can tell you about our other external maintenance services too – for example, a regular building washdown will also keep salt away.
