How To Avoid Replacing The Windows in Your Home By Maintaining The Windows You Have Now
Are your dreading having to replace the windows in your house. Then you better maintain the windows you have. Are vinyl windows really maintenance free? There is no such thing a maintenance free window. Painting is only one component of a proper maintenance plan. Proper window maintenance for all window should include steps to clean and maintain the glass and the frame. Simple routine window maintenance does not take long but it can extend the life of your windows significantly and prevent costly repairs and replacements.

Maintaining the Frames of the Windows in Your House
At a minimum, window frames should be cleaned annually, more frequently if they are exposed to a lot of dust, dirt or moisture. Window frames should be cleaned at least once a year but more frequently if they are exposed to a great deal of dust, dirt or moisture. The inside of the window frame can be cleaned with an all purpose cleaner and sponge. The same with the outside except that a brush may be needed to remove baked on tree sap, bird droppings or acid rain. If a window opens (this isn't applicable to picture and bay windows), extra consideration should be given to the track, slides and mechanical workings of the window.A window will not open and close properly or may not close all the way if dust and dirt build up in the track and other areas. Dust and dirt in the lock mechanism can prevent the lock from latching properly potentially leaving your home vulnerable. In dusty locations window frames should be cleaned more frequently.

Glass Cleaning
Cleaning window glass is a basic part of maintaining your home however a lot of homeowners do not do it regularly enough or only clean the interior glass. Glass can become permanently damaged from etching from contaminants that are permitted to remain on the glass for long periods. Interior glass requires cleaning as frequently as needed and is partially driven by homeowner preference but also other factors such as whether anyone smokes in the home, the condition of the air ducts and the geographic location. How often the interior glass is cleaned is significantly less important than how frequently the outside glass is cleaned. Household dirt can do little harm to glass so clean the interior of your windows as often as you want. More frequent cleaning is usually needed for windows in the kitchen and bathrooms. The level of dirt, dust, moisture, bird droppings, tree sap, etc. a window is exposed to has a considerable impact on how often the outside glass requires cleaning. Hot and cold weather can help bond contaminants to the glass so in areas with intense heat or cold the exterior glass should be cleaned more frequently.

Lubricating
Once you have thoroughly cleaned a window (and let it dry completely), it should be lubricated.Lubrication not only helps keep moving parts operating smoothly it also helps prevent moisture from getting into mechanical parts. Too much lubricant can be detrimental by attracting dirt and dust so use it sparingly and clean up any excess. The best lubricant to use is a light petroleum or silicon based one.

Extending the useful life of the windows of your home is easy if you adhere to the basic window maintenance tips discussed above. If you need replacement windows in Phoenix, AZ you can find more information at hubpages.com/hub/PhoenixReplacementWindows