Plexiglass is a construction material that has become popular among homeowners. They are lighter and thinner than the standard glass used for the construction of windows and doors. Their lighter weight makes them suitable to be moved around for long distances. From homeowners who import or transport the plexiglass for long distances, they incur lesser costs compared to those who transport heavier glass materials. Plexiglass sheets being thinner and lighter than the standard glass is considered to be more delicate. It is delicate in how the people installing and maintaining they should handle it. When cleaning the plexiglass, certain solutions are not recommended due to their corrosive capabilities. Using such solutions will lead to the glass being corroded. A corroded glass window would not be attractive when in your home.
Additionally, there is the risk of the glass being damaged through imposed scratches while washing or maintaining them. Since you do not want your home looking unattractive due to cracks and scratches on your acrylic windows, you ought to understand how to maintain them in good shape. There are particular things that you need to understand if you already have or are looking forward to introducing plexiglass or Clear Acrylic Sheets in your home or office. Read on through the article to get useful content on how you should handle the two types of glass to keep them in good shape. The article presents some of the primary things you need to know before cleaning these two types of glasses.
Use the right cleaning solutions for the plexiglass
Plexiglass sheets is sensitive to the type of cleaning and that is used on it. When you are cleaning the plexiglass sheet windows, you ought to check for the strength of the cleaning agent that you will use. It is recommended that you should use a non-abrasive cleaning agent that will not be harsh on your plexiglass. This way you will enjoy the durability of the glass in the long run. Ammonia solution is the most common recommended cleaning agent for a standard type of glass. Its ability to remove stains and other types of heavy dirt from standard glass makes it popular among many homeowners. Ammonia, on the contrary, is considered to be too strong for clear acrylic glass sheets. When cleaning the acrylic glass types in your home or office, experts recommend that you use the recommended solutions in your home. Brillianize is a common cleaning agent for this type of glass. To be used effectively, you should use a soft cloth that will not leave behind any scratches in the long run. A microfiber sponge is most recommended for wiping off any dirt off the acrylic glass without causing any type of damage. When using either a soft cloth or microfiber, you should not put too much pressure on the glass to avoid breaking it due to its delicate nature.
Avoid using dry cloths or hands to clean
Conventionally, using dry cloth or hands could be used as an alternative to clean standard glass. It helps in reducing the amount of dirt on the surface of the glass before using other cleaning agents on it. Using dry cloth or hands to clean off dirt from the acrylic glass is however considered to cause more harm than good. If you clean with the dry cloth, it spreads the dirt on the clear acrylic sheet more rather than reducing it. With this, it is difficult to completely clean the glass and leave it attractive as it should be. It is important to ensure that you use a wet cloth to soak the dust off the surface of the plexiglass before using the recommended cleaning agent. If you do not have the recommended cleaning agents, you don’t need to worry as using just warm dishwater and a soft cloth could do the trick of washing your plexiglass clean. A common mistake among homeowners is assuming that the plexiglass sheets can be cleaned in the same manner as standard glass. This then contributes to the continued damage on the surface of the glass which might make your home or office windows or doors look unattractive.
They are delicate
Glass materials are considered to be delicate. The delicacy of the glass is dependent on the method by which they are produced, the thickness and the environmental conditions they are exposed to. Due to the thinness of the plexiglass sheets, it is more delicate than the standard glass. When you apply too much force when removing stains on them, you could easily cause cracks. Both small and large cracks on these types of glass could be a great risk to it finally shattering to pieces. In such an occurrence, the home or office owner will be required to buy replacement glass for their windows or door which will be affected. As a result, there are unexpected costs incurred in the long run. Experts recommend that a small hole can be drilled at the end of the crack to prevent it from extending further. This way, you will have preserved the aesthetic of your windows or doors.
Removing scratches from the plexiglass
Acrylic glass is considered to be trendy and classy. Having scratches on it could be detrimental to the outlook of the house to visitors or other admirers. You do not want your windows appearing to have either mild or deep scratches which are not removable. Ideally, different approaches may be used in the removal of scratches from your precious plexiglass. Using the recommended Novus#2 or #3, you can scrub the scratches off and it will restore your glass into perfect condition as if they were new. Just like cleaning, you should not be tempted to use harsh cleaners such as ammonia solvents. This type of solution will cause corrosion of the clear acrylic glass sheet and will have undesired results in the long run. It is essential that you ensure you check the type of solution that you buy for the removal of stains from the plexi or clear acrylic sheets.
Avoid using steel wool
Steel wool is cheap and readily available cleaning tool that is used both at home and in the office. A popular advantage of using steel wool is that it makes the glass surfaces shiny. This is true for the standard and frosted type of glasses but not for the clear acrylic sheets. Mostly when you use steel wool on acrylic glass sheets, you cause abrasion on the surface. As a result, most of the surface of the acrylic glass remains damaged, and you might end up looking for a replacement sooner than you expected it to last. In addition to the steel wool, using a hard brush to remove stains from the acrylic glass could be detrimental to the aesthetic and elegance of your home or office. This can be avoided by buying microfibers or soft cloth that would be used for the cleaning of the glass surface.
In conclusion, cleaning standard glass surfaces is not similar to cleaning the plexiglass or acrylic glass. When buying cleaning solutions, you should consider enquiring from the experts about the most suitable type for use with the acrylic glass sheets.
