How does self cleaning glass work is a question we hear so often. Some people are incredibly sceptical about it, others think it’s the best thing since sliced bread! So we decided to put this post together to explain exactly how it works and the benefits of installing self cleaning glass in your home when considering glazing replacements.

How does self cleaning glass work?

We are proud installers of Pilkington Glass and their Pilkington Activ range of products is absolutely one of the market leaders when it comes to self cleaning glass. In fact it was after years of research and development that Pilkington released the worlds first ever self cleaning glass!

A self cleaning active coating is chemically bonded to glass during manufacturing. This coating is permanent and is designed to last the lifetime of the glazing unit. Activated by UV light, the coating begins to breakdown organic dirt that attaches itself to the glass. Then when it rains, the water flows down the glass rather than beading as it does on ordinary glass, and washes away the dirt.

Saves You Time and Money

Whether you clean the windows yourself or employ a regular window cleaner, the time and expense to keep your windows clean is in constant demand. By installing new windows with self cleaning glass you can remove that demand completely leaving you more time to focus on things much more enjoyable!

What If There Is No rain?

As mentioned above, the self cleaning windows work with the combination of UV light breaking down the dirt and rain washing it away. Occasionally in the UK we do experience a warm dry spell over the summer when of course the lack of rain could be an issue. Well fear not! With a quick spray over with the garden hose the process will continue as it should and your windows will look as good as ever.

Less Risk of Harm

If you are a household that prefers to clean your windows yourself rather than hire a window cleaner, i’m sure there will have been at least one occasion where you’ve had a moment of panic. Perhaps a ladder wobble or the bucket slipped and fell. Well the statistics for falls from ladders are scary, and by installing self cleaning glass with your replacement windows, it means reducing your requirement to climb a ladder and therefore your risk of falling from one.

Things To Be Mindful Of

Self cleaning glass is more expensive than standard glass so you will need to be aware of the difference in cost when budgeting for your replacement windows.
The self cleaning process is a gradual one. When the rain has cleared, it won’t leave you with the sparkling clean result that a visit from the window cleaner would but the windows also won’t build up to be as dirty as they would be if you were waiting for the window cleaners next visit.
Once installed, the coating will take a short period to activate – sometimes up to a couple of months depending on the climate and season of installation. So please don’t think it is defective if you don’t see any difference from your old glass straight away.
And of course, you will need to still clean the inside of the windows