High-quality windows are an essential and important investment for anyone building a new home, especially in coastal Florida. Styles, sizes, and placement of windows are a crucial component in terms of design and aesthetics, as well as natural light, when designing a new home. In addition, the quality of your home’s windows plays a big role in the structural durability of your home—especially during high-powered storms—as well as how well it performs in terms of energy efficiency.

At LifeStyle Homes, each of our homes are built with high-efficiency double-pane Lo-E windows and sliding-glass doors as part of our LifeStyle SunSmart energy-saving program. In addition, two of our Vero Beach communities—Bent Pine Preserve and Pine Valley—include impact glass as standard.

With that in mind, properly caring for your home’s windows is of utmost importance to not only protect your investment, but to also ensure they perform at optimum levels.

LifeStyle Homes is proud to source high-quality windows from PGT Custom Windows + Doors. The following window cleaning and care tips are provided by PGT.

Overall Best Practices
• Wash your products with light pressure—excessive scrubbing can lead to damage, like scratches.
• Clean and rinse each window or door individually to prevent cleaning agents from permeating for long periods of time.
• Clean aluminum frames very carefully after they are installed. These frames are extremely susceptible to corrosion caused by various chemicals on a construction site.
• Avoid leaning on your window or door screens. These products are not designed to protect you from falling.

Glass
1. Begin by rinsing your glass with clean water to remove dirt and dust particles that can cause scratches during the cleaning process. Avoid using a power washer or garden hose.
2. Apply a soft, water-saturated cloth or a pre-mixed glass cleaner to the surface.
3. If you prefer a pre-mixed glass cleaner, follow the printed instructions carefully. Rinse and dry any run-down quickly to prevent the cleaning solution from leaving a residue on your glass.
4. Rinse your glass thoroughly with clean water to prevent the cleaning solution from leaving a film on your glass. As stated above, avoid using a power washer or garden hose.

Expert tip: For the best results, clean your glass during cooler temperatures without direct sunlight.

Frames
1. Begin by rinsing your frames with clean water to remove dirt and dust particles that can cause scratches during the cleaning process. Avoid using a power washer or garden hose.
2. Clean the interior and exterior of your window or door frames with a mixture of mild soap and water. To ensure a safe application, test your cleaning solution on a small area before you apply it to the entire surface.
3. Apply a light, car-wax solution to your frames once a year. Make sure to apply the wax after you have cleaned the frames. Otherwise, the wax may seal salt spray deposits to the frames, causing corrosion.