Windows are an important aspect of the aesthetic and structural integrity of your home; they help keep your home safe from weather and allergens, while also contributing to the comfort inside of your home and the efficiency of your heating and cooling system. Proper window maintenance can go a long way in helping to protect your windows and save you in repair and replacement costs over time. While there isn’t much that can be done on a DIY-scale to preserve the operation of your windows, proper cleaning and maintenance can help to preserve the look and protective barrier that your windows provide.

Window maintenance all begins with proper and regular window cleaning. As with any product exposed to the elements, your windows will become dirty and require regular cleaning. Rain can help to keep the exteriors of your windows clean, but you should regularly clean both the interior and exterior sides of your window with a popular glass cleaner of you choice and a soft cloth or paper towel. Cleaning your windows also gives you the opportunity to inspect them for missing paint, rotten wood, or parts (such as a crank handle) that are not operating correctly.

For the interior of your windows, consider light sanding and re-staining or painting of wood windows. For the exterior portion of your windows, keep a fresh coat of paint on them so that water can’t seep into your home.

If you don’t keep paint on the exterior of the window, water can get into that joint where the vertical and horizontal pieces of wood come together and start to rot your windows from the inside out. Your wood windows operate very similarly to hollow logs you see in the woods – the log started to rot from the inside out, as the sun is only able to heat and dry the outside of the wood, while the interior stays damp; the same can very easily happen to your windows once any moisture has entered.

Pro Tip: If you’re able to wiggle the bottom of the wood when your window is lifted, the wood has already started to rot, and needs to be replaced.

If your windows are no longer operating smoothly, it may be time to call Omaha Door & Window Company to inspect them to determine if they can be serviced by our expert technicians or if it is time to replace your windows.

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