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How to clean bi-fold doors
Lifestyle
It goes without saying that one of the main appeals of getting bi-folding doors is enjoying the spectacular views they provide to your home, and the way they effortlessly let in plenty of sunlight all year round. However, regularly cleaning your bi-folding doors is essential to maintain a clear and picturesque view.
Fortunately, you don’t need to be a cleaning expert to learn how to wipe down your bi-fold doors properly, and bi-fold doors maintenance is a relatively simple process. By following the tips we’ve outlined below, you should have no trouble getting those windows sparkling again and avoid damaging the paint on your frames by accident.
How often should I clean my bi-fold doors?
Although bi-fold doors maintenance is relatively easy, this style of doors does require semi-regular cleaning to keep them looking fresh and dirt free.
Generally speaking, you should look to clean your doors at least once a year, if not once every six months. If you have the time, you might want to consider integrating the cleaning process we’re about to cover into your regular caretaking routine, though this is not essential.
And one other thing to consider is in what weather to clean your bi-folding doors. While it might be tempting to get rid of all that muck and grime on a bright sunny day, doing so is more likely to leave them looking streaky due to quick evaporation. Instead, choose a cloudy day when you can still clearly see all the dirt.
1. Dusting your doors
Before getting down to the nitty-gritty of cleaning your bi-folds, your first step should be dusting both their glass and frames. Going from top to bottom, start by doing the inside of your doors first to avoid contaminating them with dirt from the outside.
You also don’t need anything fancy to dust your windows either. A simple microfibre or soft cloth, or a duster, is more than adequate, and lets you get into all the tiny gaps and nooks of your door layout.
2. Cleaning the tracks
Once your doors are dusted, you’ll want to clear the tracks of any visible debris; small rocks, leaves, etc, until you can move your doors smoothly without any resistance.
If you do experience resistance when opening, don’t try to force your doors. Instead, check the tracks again to see if anything’s blocking them, and if they’re clear, reach out to your door’s manufacturer for assistance. Here at Express, for example, our staff are always on hand to assist you with any door-related issues.
With your door tracks clear of large objects, you can then take a vacuum cleaner with a thin attachment and run it along the gaps to catch any dust and muck still lodged in the frames. And if you really want to get the details, you can use a small brush to clean the rollers of grease and stains.
3. Cleaning the glass
Now we get to the biggest and most important part of cleaning your bi-folding doors, the glass.
To clean your door’s glass without making them streaky, your best choice of cleaning product will be a regular window cleaning mix or a bucket mix of half-water, half-vinegar. You can use soap and water, but you should use as little soap as possible to avoid soap smears.
If you’re using a spray, you can apply it straight from the bottle and wipe your windows clean with a smooth or microfibre cloth to catch any remaining dust. With a water-vinegar mix, you should use a smooth cloth that’s thoroughly wrung out before wiping the window dry.
And to get that proper window shine, you can then buff your door glass dry with a separate cloth until they’re gleaming.
Additionally, if you want to address all the windows in your home, you can also check out our guides to cleaning a conservatory roof and cleaning skylights inside and out!
4. Cleaning the frames
With the glass shining out of the way, the next step is to get your frames to the same glossy sheen. Instead of your window cleaning mix, you should wipe the dirt on your frames away using a mix of lukewarm water and soap.
Whatever you do, do not use detergent or washing up liquid in your cleaning mix! Doing so will strip the paint from your frames.
Once your soap and water mix is ready, gently wipe clean the door frames, hinges, and gasket of each door to remove any stains. Persistent marks should be soaked with warm water and then wiped off with a standard cloth. If these stains continue to be stubborn, it’s best to leave them and reach out to your door manufacturer for assistance.
It’s also important that you don’t use any harsh scourers when cleaning your door frames. Like detergent and aggressive wiping, these tools will irreparably damage the paint on the frames of your doors.
5. The finishing touches
With all your doors and windows cleaned and fresh, the last thing to do is grease your door’s wheels, hinges, and handles to ensure smooth operation. You can then clean any muck out of the locks with a brush, give everything a test, and then step back and enjoy your renewed view.
Cleaning mould on your bi-fold doors
As uncommon as it might be, you might notice pockets of mould on the inside of your door frames whilst cleaning them. If this is the case, don’t worry.
To remove any mould on your doors, you simply need to apply any standard mould removal spray that’s powder paint friendly and follow the instructions listed on the bottle.
With that last step covered, you now have everything you need to know to get started cleaning your bi-fold doors. Simple, right? And best of all, if you own sliding doors, you can apply the same cleaning process to them as well.
In fact, this simple cleaning process can be applied to many of the bespoke windows and doors we make at Express. Get in touch today for more information about our products and speak with our team directly if you’re thinking about renovating your home.
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