6 ways to clean a plastic window from protective film stuck “tightly”

The sun protection film protected the room from ultraviolet rays for a long time and has already lost its appearance. There is a need to replace the coating. But under the influence of the heat of the sun's rays, the glue literally grew into the surface of the glass. We offer options on how to remove the sun protection film from the window if it has dried up. You can choose the one that is more convenient for you.

Removing film (photo source: Yandex.Images)

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How to remove old protective film from plastic windows?

We heat the film with an industrial hair dryer (or use a powerful “home” hair dryer). After which, quickly (until the protective film has cooled) and carefully, pry up the edge of the film with a scalpel (or a sharp stationery knife) and tear it off the window surface without stopping.

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Soaking

You can remove foil from window glass by soaking it. To do this, you need to take a flannel diaper or just a piece of fabric. Soak in water with any dishwashing detergent and apply to the surface of the window. Leave for two hours so that the fabric does not dry out, spray with a spray bottle.

Remove the diaper, carefully pry a corner of the cover with a knife or spatula, and pull it towards you. If it separates poorly, spray a soap solution between the glass and the film, wait 10-15 minutes, and continue further. After release, wash the glass with water and ammonia.

Precautionary measures

Work to remove the adhered film is carried out with chemicals and sharp objects. Therefore, in order not to cause possible harmful consequences to the window structure when removing the film from the glass, and most importantly - to preserve your own health, you need to take precautions.

• When working with chemicals, protect your eyes, skin with impermeable clothing, goggles and gloves, and your respiratory tract with respirators.
• When using a sharp tool, perform the actions carefully, eliminating the possibility of injury.
• Apply measured forces to the glass so that it does not burst from mechanical stress.
• When working with aggressive chemicals and solvents, do not allow the sealing rubber of double-glazed windows and PVC surfaces to come into contact with them.
• When using heating devices, do not overheat the glass to avoid cracks.
• When using sharp tools, use methods that minimize the possibility of scratching the glass or causing other damage.

Compliance with these precautionary rules will not create additional problems when it is necessary to remove the sun film from the glass.

What will you need?

Depending on the method chosen to clean the window glass, you will be supplied with working and auxiliary tools.

To remove mechanically, you should have a scraper, a stiff brush with non-metallic bristles, a metal dishwashing sponge or a dull knife or blade on hand. Residues can be wiped off with a regular office eraser or melamine sponge. In addition to removing the sun protection coating of the glass, it is often necessary to remove the protective or simply adhesive tape from the plastic surfaces of the windows. Plastic is much softer than glass. And you need to clean it with mechanical objects as carefully as possible so as not to cause scratches.

When removing some types of coating, it may break into small sharp pieces and fly far to the sides. To prevent this phenomenon, the film (usually stained glass or advertising) must be moistened with water. Therefore, stock up on capacity.

Stained glass solar control film (photo source: Yandex.Pictures)

If you decide to use a chemical detergent, you will need:

• the solvent itself;
• polyethylene film;
• water;
• felt and GOI paste.

Cover the plastic surfaces of the windows with plastic film to prevent possible contact with chemicals. In case of accidental contact, rinse the area with water.

Chemicals and plastics can interact with plastic-damaging effects. Therefore, it is important to determine the product that will be effective in removing a particular film. Treat with the selected reagent several times until the film completely moves away from the glass surface. Upon completion of the process, treat the glass with felt and GOI paste.

Steaming

Heat exposure is an excellent way to remove solar control film from a window if it has dried. The main goal here is to turn the dried glue into a liquid mass, which will allow you to tear off the old film from the glass. A household steamer is used as a tool. The steam heating process must be started from the edge of the film. After a short wait, you can lift the edge with a sharp object and pull it towards you with your hand. Continue to consistently steam the area covered with the film, and you will see how it is carefully removed from the glass. While the glue is still liquid, it can be easily removed with a rag moistened with a special remover (for example, Phenosol), and then wiped with a soapy solution and rinsed with clean water.

Using a steamer to remove film (photo source: Yandex.Images)

Detergents and cleaning products

There are many substances that can remove stuck film. The most popular are the following:

• soap solution;
• "Cosmofen" and other window cleaning products;
• "Domax" and similar chemistry for glass-ceramic stoves;
• “Shumanit” and other solutions used in tile cleaning technology;
• solvents (acetone, white spirit, turpentine, toluene and others), they are selected individually for the type of glue;
• industrial alcohol or denatured alcohol;
• paint remover RP6, applied to the surface in a thick, thick layer.

The variety of materials from which sun protection film is made requires careful selection of detergents and cleaning agents for the most complete removal. Some of them (for example, solvents) have specific applications. Their action must be concentrated on the adhesive composition and applied into the gap between the film and the window glass. In most cases, the solvent has no effect on the coating itself.

“Shumanit” product for film removal (photo source: Yandex.Pictures)

Stationery knife

Thin and sharp, with a comfortable handle, it allows you to easily lift the edges and make cuts if necessary. Structurally, it is provided that you can easily break off the tip, which has become dull during use, along the notch, and the knife will become sharp again.

Newspaper and soapy water

Some films can be removed using newspaper sheets and a soap solution. The technology here is simple:

• newspapers cover the entire area of ​​the window;
• then they are sprayed with a soap solution until they stick to the surface of the glass with the film;
• for an hour the newspapers remain in this state, periodically moistened with a soap solution;
• After exposure, they are removed along with the film.

But not all film coatings are so easy to remove.

Newspapers for gluing glass (photo source: Yandex.Images)

Removing stained glass film

Removing self-adhesive stained glass film from glass is a labor-intensive process. To speed it up, we need a hair dryer and a scraper (preferably polycarbonate). The removal method is similar to removing foil from glass: pry up the edges of the film, heat the glue under it with a hairdryer and carefully remove, moving from the top to the bottom edge.

If, after dismantling the stained glass film, glue residues are visible on the glass, use white alcohol or an eraser to wipe it off. Do not forget about the safety rules when working with a hair dryer and chemicals!

Source: xclean.info

Purpose and types of sun protection coatings

The film performs not only a reflective function. Thanks to it, the glass becomes more durable, even more difficult to break with a stone. There are special perforated, especially durable coatings that belong to the protective class. They are glued to the outside of the window, it protects against shots and break-ins. Other types are used for the inside of glass.

All types of solar control film contain aluminum, so it is difficult to remove it from glass with ordinary water. In order to prevent windows from being damaged, you need to take into account some features and know the most effective methods.

Let’s try to figure out how to remove tinting from the glass of plastic windows quickly and safely.

How to remove stains (scale) from foil from glass?

One of the options is no joke———-

Coca-Cola, Fanta and Sprite

Fans of Coca-Cola, Fanta and Sprite are in for an unpleasant surprise. It has long been known that these drinks can be used not only directly for the purposes for which it is intended, but also for cleaning, for example, a toilet. But probably not everyone knows that this drink can destroy a piece of fried meat - put a steak on a plate with Cola, and in two days you won’t find it there. The active ingredient in Cola is phosphoric acid. Its pH is 2.8. In 4 days it can even dissolve nails. By the way, to transport Cola concentrate, the truck must be equipped with special pallets designed for highly corrosive materials. Coke distributors have been using it for 20 years to clean the engines of their trucks. Tips for using Coca-Cola for other purposes: - to remove rust stains from a chrome car bumper, rub the bumper with a crumpled sheet of aluminum foil soaked in Coke - to remove corrosion from batteries in car, pour a can of Coke over the batteries, and the corrosion will disappear, - to unscrew a rusty bolt, moisten a rag with Coke and wrap it around the bolt for a few minutes, - perfectly removes greasy stains on the wooden decks of yachts, - to clean clothes from dirt, pour a can of Coke on the pile dirty clothes, add laundry detergent and machine wash as usual. Cola will help get rid of stains. It will also clear road dust from your car windows - to clean the toilet, pour a can of Coke into the toilet and. do not wash off for an hour. Citric acid in Cola will remove stains from earthenware. By the way, in many states in the USA, the highway police always carry 2 gallons of Coke in their patrol car to wash off blood from the highway after an accident. Sprite can be used as a descaler in a kettle. A metal scourer for cleaning dishes will remove rust and retain its shine if you keep it in Coca-Cola. All these drinks wash jewelry, filigree, gold, silver, cutlery well - soak overnight, and by morning everything will sparkle!

Available means

You can deal with scratches on glass using available tools that are found in every home.

Top 5 effective compositions:

• toothpaste;
• a mixture of vinegar and mustard;
• clear nail polish;
• baking soda;
• vegetable oil.

Toothpaste

Toothpaste will help get rid of minor superficial damage. It's easy to use:

1. Apply toothpaste to a cotton pad. A small pea-sized amount of product is sufficient for treatment.
2. Treat the glass with soft circular movements.
3. Remove any remaining paste with a dry paper towel.
4. Repeat the procedure 4-5 times until the mark disappears completely.

To process glass, you do not need to take a multi-colored gel with inclusions and pigmented particles. The ideal option would be regular white toothpaste.

Vinegar and mustard

If the scratches are of medium depth, then you can get rid of them with vinegar and mustard.

Mode of application:

• prepare a thick paste based on dry mustard and vinegar - the consistency should resemble country sour cream;
• apply the composition to the glass, clean it with a cotton pad;
• polish the surface with a paper towel.

Ready-made store-bought mustard will not work for removing scratches. To achieve the optimal effect, you need to use a mixture of mustard powder and vinegar.

Nail polish

Clear varnish helps to disguise even deep recesses.

Procedure:

1. Degrease the surface using nail polish remover, alcohol or acetone.
2. Apply a thin layer of varnish to the scratch.
3. Allow the product to dry.
4. Remove any remaining varnish using a rubber spatula or a cotton swab soaked in acetone.

You cannot remove excess varnish with hard or sharp objects, as they will leave behind new scratches.

Baking soda

To prevent new scratches from appearing on the glass after treating it with soda, you must strictly follow the instructions:

• dilute a small amount of baking soda with warm water;
• there should be no undiluted particles or lumps in the finished mixture;
• apply the paste to the damaged area;
• Wipe the glass with a cotton pad and remove any residue with a clean, soft cloth.

Vegetable oil

Vegetable oil is the most inexpensive polish that is found in every home. It can be used to disguise minor scratches.

Mode of application:

• oil is applied to a cotton pad;
• treat the damaged area with it;
• remove residues with a paper napkin.

Deep scratches cannot be removed with oil.

Main product options and their features

Foil for solar windows can be different, I will tell you about the options that are most common. We will figure out how best to attach them, what are the pros and cons of this or that solution, and in what situations it is better to use a certain type of product.

Option 1 - regular foil

This solution has several undoubted advantages:

Regular aluminum foil is an inexpensive and affordable solution

Naturally, this option also has its disadvantages:

• The main disadvantage is that aluminum foil is opaque, so if you cover the windows completely with it, the room will be dark. Alternatively, you can close the window opening only partially, this will reduce efficiency, but will provide the room with at least some natural light;
• Another disadvantage is that the appearance is not very attractive. Of course, if you need to quickly solve a problem and the view is not important, you can ignore this aspect, but still many people want the window to look more or less decent;

This type of protection is good where appearance is not important.

• If you don’t know how to stick foil on a window and listen to the advice of pseudo-masters, then it’s very easy to ruin the surface. Incorrect fastening makes the process of removing the foil very long and tedious; you will have to sit by the window for more than one hour.

Let's figure out how the installation is carried out. I first read information on this issue on the Internet and you know what I discovered? That the request “how to remove foil from a window” is much more common than the question of how to glue it.

The fact is that many people attach foil as a tint - they apply a soap solution to the glass, apply the material and expel the moisture from under it. As a result, when you need to remove the protection, it turns out that the foil comes off in small pieces and there is simply no other way out except to pore over the window with a blade or a construction knife.

Source: obustroeno.com