preparing your house for professional cleaners

Stained glass windows are known for their beauty. If you're lucky enough to have one or more of these gems in your home, avoid these mistakes when cleaning it to ensure it stays beautiful for years to come.

Mistake #1: Using regular window cleaner.

Most window cleaners are ammonia-based. This is great for getting plain windows clean, but it will eat away at the metal canes between the pieces of glass on your stained glass window. Read the label of any glass cleaner before using it on stained glass. Make sure it states "safe for stained glass" or "ammonia-free."

Mistake #2: Power washing your stained glass windows.

It's usually okay to power wash your plain windows with the power washer on the lowest setting. However, you should never hit your stained glass windows with the power washer. All of that pressure focused on a single pane of glass can push it out from between the canes or cause it to crack -- and then you'll be left with a hole in your window. Always wash stained glass windows by hand.

Mistake #3: Skipping the corners.

Grime accumulates in the corners of the sections of stained glass. You may be tempted to leave it there, since it's barely obvious once you take a step back. However, this is a mistake because the grime can weaken the windows over time as it soaks up cleaner and keeps it on the surface of the canes. To get dirt out of the corners of your stained glass, dip a cotton swab in window cleaner (ammonia-free, of course) and use it to swab away the dirt.

Mistake #4: Trying to make the canes shiny with cleaners.

The canes (the black or grayish metal pieces between the segments of stained glass) are naturally dull. No matter how much polish or cleaner you use, they will not become shiny. Rubbing away at them will just weaken them and may cause them to separate from the glass. To clean them, simply wipe them over (once) with a cloth sprayed with ammonia-free window cleaner. Then, leave them alone until next time.

Cleaning stained glass windows is not hard, but it's important that you do it properly because the windows are sensitive. Use an ammonia-free cleaner, don't use too much pressure or cleaner on the canes, steer clear of power washers, and get those corners clean. Your stained glass will stay looking stunningly beautiful for generations to come.

For more information, contact Lindas Country Cleaners or a similar company.