5 Tips for Preventing Smudges on Your Sliding Glass Door

April 2nd, 2019

Sliding glass doors may look attractive and add to the aesthetic appeal of your home or office, but smudges or dirt smears can really ruin them completely and create a negative impact of the rest of your home or office. Here are a few tips on how to keep your glass doors clean and smudge free.

The Door Furniture

The handles on glass sliding doors often become greasy and can look for dingy. These handles need to be cleaned regularly with soapy water and a damp cloth. You should also pay attention to the other side of the handle. This area may not be visible but dirt and grease definitely accumulate in this area. Any door furniture that is metal needs to be lightly polished after you have cleaned them.

The Door Frames

The frame of a glass sliding door is usually handled frequently and it is common for this area of the door to feature smears and smudges where dirt and grease from hands will collect. The bottom part of the door frame, especially the threshold usually collects dirt from people that walk over it. Cleaning these areas should involve a damp rough cloth or even a strong scouring pad. The top part of the frame that is exposed will also tend to gather dust. Make sure you dust this area with a clean and dry cloth and when necessary wipe the areas down with warm soapy water. Make sure when you clean the door that you wipe the entire frame down with a cloth that is slightly damp. If you encounter stubborn marks they will require a bit more attention. The troublesome areas might benefit from a bit of scrubbing using a mild detergent and some soapy, warm water. Always make sure that you wipe away any soap residue.

The Door

The edges of your sliding door are more than often used in place of the handle. For this reason, it is a good idea to wipe both of the edges using a slightly damp cloth. Make sure you also clean and wipe the frames that surround the glass.

The Rails

In most cases, a sliding glass door operates off a central-rail which is located on the bottom of the door’s frame. These rails often collect dirt very quickly, which can have an effect on how smoothly your door opens or closes. Wiping this rail will usually be enough, but from time to time you may need to wipe over the rail using an oily cloth. It is also important to vacuum the rail to extract any dirt or grit which has collected on each side.

The Glass

The glass on both the outside and the inside will need to be cleaned using a mild water and detergent mixture. The solution should be weak enough that it is not able to make bubbles if agitated. Use a soft cloth to gently scrub the glass from top to bottom. Use a dry cloth or newspaper to thoroughly dry the doors and to prevent streaking. The newspaper is effective at absorbing any moisture. It will also remove the scum layer which may have stayed on the glass. The end result should be a sparkling high gloss.

If you find that the glass is not completely clean and free from smudges after these steps, especially when smears and fingerprints have been left behind, you are going to require something that is a bit more astringent. A concentrated solution of white-vinegar and a little bit of water applied using a leather chamois should be an effective solution to remove all the marks. Ensure that you dry the glass using newspaper which should return your glass sliding doors to a shiny full gleam.

If you find after all these steps that there are still marks left behind, make sure you avoid trying to remove them with a sharp object such as razor blades. This is a procedure which is only suitable for standard glass. As a last resort use neat vinegar to try and rub away the marks with a clean kitchen towel. If this fails to remove the marks, then it is more than likely that the mark is actually a scratch which has been etched in the glass.