Rites of Spring

[bigstick509]

After a very long winter we had our first weekend of nice weather, so window washing was on the top of a long spring cleaning list. As I was finishing the back of the condo I discovered that the painting contractor had left me with a patio door full of a fine over spray from last falls painting ritual. My formula of 1 gallon water with 4 oz. of vinegar and a teaspoon of dish washing soap had no effect as you could imagine. My thought is to rewash and scrap with a razor blade before I squeeze it clean. Labor intense for a six foot door wall.Short of calling the contractor back to clean up the irritating mess, I thought I'd ask the BT3 brain trust for some advice.

[Richard in Smithville]

I think you're stuck with a labour intensive job. Make a mixture of soapy water in a spray bottle and have at it with the razor blade. If someone knows of a product that will do better, I would love to hear about it.

[pelligrini]

Did you try a scotch brite pad with your solution?

If that doesn't work, I'd use one of those wider scraper blades. Home depot has some 4" or 6" ones with replaceable blades. It would cover more area than a narrow razor blade.

[crokett]

Mechanical removal is all I know to get paint off of glass. You might try some environmentally safe paint remover, but you'd have to be very careful to keep it off of places you want to keep painted.

[Mr__Bill]

Auto body shops use a razor blade with window wash solution. the WWS lubricates the blade and floats the stuff away. They use lots of blades, changing often as it's easy to scratch the window with a dull blade. Expect to use 3 or 4 blades and it's easier to use a holder than just holding the blade in your fingers but fingers work.

Now here is the question, is there a coating on that window on the outside?


Bill, on the Sunny Oregon Coast, 4" of rain in 2 days.

[bigstick509]

Thanks all for the input. As to Mr. Bill's question, there is no coating on the door wall. I know that would be a issue with mechanical scraping. I have thought the 3M sun film coating might be a good idea because this door wall faces south, but I've read conflicting reports that it might damage the triple pane glass.