How to Clean & Disinfect Windows

It’s really more confusing than difficult to clean glass. There are a lot of cleaning products on the market that promise to make window cleaning quick and easy. And it is quick and easy as 1-2-3 if you follow these tips from Glass Doctor.

1) Decide whether to use a retail glass cleaner or make your own.

If you use a retail glass cleaner read the contents.

• It may have ammonia, which cleans best but has strong fumes and leaves streaks. It may have al­cohol, which dries quicker. It may be a combina­tion. Both are effective, but they are flammable.


• Some glass cleaners are tinted liquid in squirt bottles and some are foamy in aerosol cans. Wipe fast with a tinted liquid, it can streak the glass. Foamy cleaners stay put, which is great for inside windshields. However, they may contain petro­leum products that are harmful in large amounts.


• Most environmentally safe cleaners have citric acid. This is an effective cleaner, but you have to dry it off quickly so it won’t eat into the glass.


• Spic and Span® by Proctor & Gamble® is marketed as a glass cleaner and hospital-grade disinfectant. It may not be available in stores, but it is avail­able online in high concentration for professional use. Go to http://www.pgpro.com for more information.

If you make your own glass cleaner, use the right ingredients and the right recipe. A simple, effective homemade glass cleaner con­tains vinegar and water mixed equally.

• Pilkington, a leading window glass manufacturer, recommends one part vinegar to 10 parts water for tinted or treated glass. Anything stronger can damage the tinting.


• Consumer Reports recommends a mixture of 7 pints of water, 1 pint of rubbing alcohol and a half-cup of ammonia. This mixture cleans better than vinegar and water, just be sure to follow the recipe specifically; it is toxic if swallowed.


• Never use bleach or abrasives in a glass cleaner mixture. The resulting fumes are toxic. Plus they damage the glass.


• If you are going to store homemade glass cleaner tint it with blue food col­oring so that you remember what it is.

2) Clean the glass without damaging it.

Use a clean, dry cloth when you apply the cleaner to the glass. Preferably the glass is dry too. If there is no visible dirt on the glass, first spray the cleaner on the clean, dry cloth instead of spraying it directly on the glass. Ignore your grandmoth­er’s advice and don’t use newspaper. It sticks to the glass and gets your hands dirty for no good reason.

• Never use brushes, abrasives (like powder tub and tile cleaner or baking soda), razor blades, credit cards or steel wool. Glass scratched with these things usually must be replaced.


• If you have never used a new glass cleaner before test it on a small part of the glass. Make sure it dries clear. If the glass is cloudy there is residue and possibly chemical damage to the glass.


• Use a squeegee to remove excess cleaner from the glass before you dry it.


• Dry the glass with a separate cloth. There are new micro-fiber cloths that do an amazing job of removing cleaner without leaving spots.


• Be sure to get all of the glass cleaner off the glass, or it will dry into a film that slowly con­taminates the glass.


• Watch out if you get glass cleaner on latex paint. It could take the paint right off.

3) Consider using a glass treatment protector.

Now there are a number of glass treatments that repel water, such as Aquapel® by PGW, which is available at many Glass Doctor locations. Most glass protector are designed for windshields, but they can be applied to shower doors, mirrors and windows as well. Make sure the glass is thoroughly clean and dry before applying a glass protector. The glass protec­tor needs time to dry according to the instructions.

Windshield Replacement Risk - What to Ask Auto Glass Installers Before

A cracked windshield isn’t a cosmetic problem. It can be a safety problem that should be replaced as soon as possible. It impairs your vision when you’re driving and it puts your passengers at risk in a crash.

Most people don’t know how important the windshield is to their safety. You’d get the airbags fixed if you knew they wouldn’t work 100 percent in a wreck. If the windshield is cracked, then in some vehicles you should consider the airbags broken.

When a vehicle with a cracked windshield is in a crash, the passenger airbag may fail to deploy properly because the cracked windshield is not strong enough to withstand the airbag’s force.

The real tragedy is even if you have the cracked windshield replaced, a bad installation of the replacement windshield may leave the vehicle more unsafe than with the original cracked windshield. The glass and adhesive should meet industry standards and the installer should follow the industry’s best practices as advocated by the Auto Glass Replacement Safety Standards (AGRSS).

Often the main safety issue isn’t the quality of the windshield glass, but the quality of the windshield installation. If the correct adhesive is not used, or if the adhesive isn’t allowed enough time to cure, then the windshield could fly out of the vehicle during a crash. Without a good windshield, not only would the passenger airbag not properly deploy, but the vehicle’s roof could be crushed in a rollover.

When you need a windshield replacement, ask the auto glass technician some basic questions before the installation:

• Will the old adhesive be removed from the vehicle frame? If the old adhesive isn’t removed down to the adhesive manufacturer’s recommended level, the fit may not be tight and the new adhesive won’t bond right between the windshield and the frame. The adhesive bond must meet 500 pounds per square inch.


• Will the installer wear gloves to keep from contaminating the glass? If oil and dirt get on the edges the new adhesive (called urethane) may not bond correctly.


• Will the new urethane adhesive stand up to the high deployment pressure of airbags? The best available manufacturer equivalent urethane adhesive should be used, not butyl tape. Ask for urethane adhesive made by Dow, Sika or the original equipment supplier of adhesives to the original car makers.


• How long does the urethane adhesive need to set until the vehicle can be driven? Every urethane has a “safe drive-away time.” Ask for adhesives that allow you to safely drive away in one hour. This also reduces the chances of leaks occurring. The last thing you want is a leaky windshield.

After the new windshield is installed, inspect it before driving the vehicle. An auto glass technician who follows industry best practices should have given you a service checklist with the safe drive-away time. Don’t drive the vehicle before the curing time is completed. Here are the signs of a proper installation:

• See if the windshield is centered on the vehicle. The glass should have a relatively smooth curve, not waves or bows. Some aftermarket windshields do not fit perfectly.


• Look at the molding around the edge of the windshield. It should be flat and unbroken. If it’s wavy or has gaps, it should be re-installed.


• Make sure the glass is flush with the vehicle’s frame. If the glass is not flush with the frame, a salvage windshield or a defective windshield may have been installed. A salvage windshield is taken from another similar vehicle, but the adhesive may not bond properly. A defective windshield may not be manufactured to the exact dimensions to fit in the vehicle’s frame. This will definitely cause leaks and the windshield may be loose.

Glass Doctor uses OE (that’s glass-speak for “original equivalent” manufactured by a company that supplies the auto makers) quality glass windshields. Glass Doctor also guarantees its windshields for 12 full months against breakage and for a lifetime against leaks. Ask a local Glass Doctor shop for details. To schedule an appointment call Glass Doctor at 1-866-318-9304 or go to http://www.glassdoctor.com/.

Glass Doctor voluntarily supports the best industry standard glass replacement procedures approved by AGRSS. AGRSS is the only auto glass replacement safety standard in the U.S. More than 155 of the 370 Glass Doctor independently owned and operated locations nationwide are accredited by AGRSS, and more will be accredited throughout the coming months. Consumers can find AGRSS-approved locations at http://www.safewindshields.com/.

Glass Doctor of Montana Helps Open First Homeless Shelter in Bozeman

Thanks to help from Glass Doctor and the local community, the first homeless shelter in Bozeman, MT will open next week. Glass Doctor donated and installed windows, helped paint the house, raised funds, and coordinated renovations through the local homebuilder's association. For more, read this story from the Bozeman Daily Chronicle. Thanks to the Glass Doctor of Montana team for their "service before self" attitude!

Glass Doctor of Ft. Lauderdale featured in storefront repair story

Frank Klavon of Glass Doctor of Fort Lauderdale was featured today in a story by the South Florida Sun-Sentinel about a rash of storefront burglaries. He is in a video interview as well. Other Glass Doctor franchises throughout Florida are experiencing a similar increase in storefront board-ups and replacements due to smash-and-grab burglaries. Sometimes burglars are slowed down by laminated, hurricane-resistant glass. As a result burglars are crashing trucks and SUVs into storefronts.

Consider Decision to Repair or Replace Damaged Windshields

The most obvious and easily overlooked safety component in a vehicle is right in front of your face. Windshields not only keep insects and rain out, they are vital for passenger airbags to properly function. That’s why the decision about whether or not to repair or replace a damaged windshield is so important.

You may think a chip in a windshield isn’t a big deal. It becomes a big deal when it runs into a crack. A windshield chip cracks when the air conditioning or heating is activated, something we at Glass Doctor call thermal shock (amaze your friends by explaining that thermal shock is the stress on objects caused by drastic differences in outdoor and indoor temperatures).

Why is a windshield crack a big deal? In today’s vehicles made of lighter materials, the windshield helps support the roof and keeps the front passenger airbag inside the vehicle. If the vehicle you are driving with a cracked windshield is in a crash, the force of the passenger airbag deployment could break the windshield. Your passenger may hit the dashboard instead of the airbag. During a rollover the roof would crush you, your passenger and your other occupants in the back seat. Not to mention that a windshield crack can impair your driving vision, which would cause the wreck in the first place.

So if you want to stay safe, it’s not a question of whether or not to fix a damaged windshield. The question is whether or not to fix a chip or wait until a crack appears. Well, it’s much cheaper and faster for Glass Doctor to repair a windshield chip. Why?

Glass Doctor can fix most chips less than the size of a dollar bill. Repairing the windshield restores the structural integrity of the windshield without touching the original windshield bonding area to the vehicle. That means there’s no possibility of leaks, which can happen with a bad replacement.

Repairing a windshield costs less than replacing a windshield. Most windshield chips can be repaired by Glass Doctor for less than $100, and most insurance companies will waive the deductible and pay the entire cost of the repair. Replacing a windshield can cost hundreds of dollars, depending upon how much your auto insurance will pay and what your deductible is.

Relatively minor windshield chips can be repaired in less than an hour, thanks to advanced resin technology Glass Doctor uses in its proprietary system. Once the windshield repair is done the vehicle is ready to drive. Most windshield replacements take three hours or more if “safe drive-away time” is included for the adhesive to properly cure.

Windshield repair is good for the environment. It’s one less windshield in our landfills, because the glass with PVB laminate cannot be recycled easily.

Fortunately Glass Doctor can both repair and replace windshields, so we know whether or not the windshield can be repaired to safe standards. For example, the windshield should be replaced if the chip is in the driver’s primary vision zone, which is 12 inches wide, the height of the windshield wiper sweep, and aligned with the center of the steering wheel. In most cases Glass Doctor will try to repair the windshield first, but if it cannot be repaired it will be replaced with an OEM (original equivalent manufactured) windshield and manufacturer’s equivalent adhesive. That means it will be good as new.

Glass Doctor offers free in-shop appointments for windshield damage estimates in April, which is National Car Care Month. To schedule an appointment call Glass Doctor at 1-800-838-GLAS (4527) or visit www.glassdoctor.com.

First Canadian Franchise Ready to "Fix Your Panes" in Kawartha Lakes, Ontario

The Glass Doctor of Kawartha Lakes franchise owned by Joe and Wendy Barrieau and Brian Stephens is now open and ready to “fix your panes!”

Glass Doctor of Kawartha Lakes is the first independently owned and operated Glass Doctor franchise store to open in Canada. The Bobcaygeon store offers mobile residential, automotive, and commercial glass services to the Kawartha Lakes area. Located at 87 East Street North, the shop is open 8 a.m. – 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, and 24-hour emergency service is available.

“We’re excited to be the first Glass Doctor franchise in Canada. We know it will help us expand our business,” Joe Barrieau said. “We’ve had experience with auto glass at our body shop, and now we are able to offer home and business services as well.”

After they bought the franchise area last September, Joe and Wendy attended the most in-depth training in the glass services industry, a 10-day training course on the latest glass repair technology, customer service techniques and marketing methods at the Glass Doctor University training center in Waco, Texas. Brian Stephens joined the team as outside sales manager and attended training in November.

“Glass Doctor is a premier choice for glass repair and replacement in the United States, and now we are pleased to be able to offer our services in Canada,” said Mark Dawson, president of Glass Doctor. “We’re delighted Joe, Wendy and Brian have joined our franchise team, and we believe their business will be successful because we all operate under the same core values.”

Glass Doctor Ready to "Fix Your Panes" in River Falls, WI: Window Repair, Windshield Replacement, Storefront Installation Now Offered

The Glass Doctor of River Falls franchise owned by Jamie Bark is now open and ready to “fix your panes!”

Glass Doctor of River Falls offers mobile residential, automotive, and commercial glass repair and replacement services, including windows, windshields and storefronts, to the eastern Minneapolis/St. Paul area. The shop is open 8 a.m. – 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, and 24-hour emergency service is available.

“We’re pleased to be a part of Glass Doctor, we know it will help us quickly grow our business,” Bark said. “Now we are able to add glass replacement services for home and business to our auto glass services.”

Upon purchasing the Glass Doctor franchise in December, Bark attended the most in-depth training in the glass services industry, a 10-day training course on the latest glass repair technology, customer service techniques and marketing methods held at the Glass Doctor University Training Center in Waco, Texas.

Glass Doctor of River Falls will offer windows that qualify for the federal income tax credit on energy-efficient windows. Homeowners who install energy-efficient replacement glass windows and doors can claim a tax credit in 2009 or 2010 of 30 percent of the product cost up to $1,500 per household. The glass must meet or exceed the new “30/30” criteria, which is stricter than the Energy Star criteria.

The independently owned and operated shop is located at 645 N. Main St. in River Falls. For service call (715) 426-3500.

Federal Tax Credit Increased for Replacement Energy-Efficient Windows and Doors

The federal income tax credit for energy-efficient replacement glass windows and doors is now 30% of product cost up to $1,500 per household, an increase from $500 two years ago. The new energy-efficiency tax credit on replacement windows is available in both 2009 and 2010 according to the economic stimulus bill signed by President Barack Obama Feb. 17.

Unlike tax credits for energy-efficient windows and doors in prior years, the “30/30” criteria is stricter than the government’s Energy Star rating program. Not all Energy Star labeled windows and doors will qualify for the new tax credit.

To take advantage of the tax credit, you must make sure the energy-efficient replacement glass windows and doors meet or exceed the “30/30” criteria to qualify. Here’s what to do:

1. Look for the manufacturer’s labels on the glass window product packaging. Save them for documentation.

The manufacturer’s labels should show that the qualifying replacement glass windows meet or exceed U-factor and Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC) ratings, also called the “30/30” criteria. In other words, the U-factor rating must be .30 or less and the SHGC must be .30 or less.

The U-factor rating measures the passage of heat through the glass. Windows with lower U-factor ratings are more energy efficient. The SHGC rating measures the percentage of heat in the room gained from absorbed heat and direct sunlight. Windows with lower SHGC ratings reduce the solar heat gain in the house. It adds up to lower energy costs for your home, which saves you money on your electricity and/or natural gas bills.

2. Select the right replacement windows for your home that will qualify for the tax credit.

The most energy-efficient replacement windows on the market are triple-pane replacement windows with argon gas insulation (commonly called Insulated Glass Units or IGUs). These windows are eligible for the tax credits and will reduce your energy costs the most.

Single-pane replacement windows are not eligible for the energy-efficient tax credit because glass by itself is not an insulator. The U-factor and SHGC ratings will be too high.

Most double-pane replacement windows with low-E coating or gas insulation probably will qualify. You should insist on checking for the Energy Star label as well as the U-factor and SHGC ratings on the replacement window manufacturer’s labels before allowing the windows to be installed. Remember, not all Energy Star double-pane windows qualify for the tax credit, but if the product does not have an Energy Star label at all it definitely will not qualify. If you have a question about whether or not the double-pane windows qualify, a Glass Doctor installer will be glad to help you contact the window manufacturer directly.

Glass Doctor is working with its replacement window suppliers to offer high-quality, energy-efficient window products with the Energy Star seal that qualify for the tax credit. MI Windows and Doors has developed a special line of double-pane windows for Glass Doctor. With next generation warm-edge spacer technology, the ETC30 glass package includes high performance low-E coatings and argon insulation enhancement.

3. Save the manufacturer’s labels and documentation for the special form to be submitted with your tax return.

To receive the tax credit, you will have to submit an IRS Form 5695 with a receipt for the replacement window purchase and the window manufacturer labels and stickers. A tax credit reduces the amount a taxpayer owes the government in taxes; it does not reduce the amount of income on which the taxpayer owes taxes.

The federal energy efficiency tax credit is allowed on the cost of the actual replacement window product that qualifies. The tax credit is not allowed on installation services, onsite preparation, assembly, or state sales taxes. Windows for new homes do not qualify for the tax credit, no matter what type of window is installed.

If you have any questions about energy-efficient replacement windows and glass doors, contact your local Glass Doctor. If you have questions about the tax credit, be sure to contact your tax planner or accountant. We can fix your panes, but we can’t fix your tax returns if you’re audited.

Taxpayers should consult their tax planners or accountants and review all IRS guidelines. Glass Doctor is not a tax advisor. The above is a partial summary of the revisions to the federal tax code (U.S. Code Title 26, Section 25C) as updated by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Taxpayers should check with the IRS regarding updates to the IRS interim guidance in Notice 2006-26 for further details on the tax credit. Other energy efficient improvements may apply; check the following link and the IRS website for more details at at http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=97322,00.html. Glass Doctor bears no responsibility in the validation of obtaining the tax credit. Please consult with a professional tax advisor or the IRS. Glass Doctor expressly disclaims any responsibility for determining whether a particular product qualifies for the tax credit.