Long Cleveland Winter. Time for Fresh Air. Can Your Windows Handle the Job?
Although the recent rainy weather in the Cleveland area may not have us thinking about spring cleaning, the temperatures are warming up and we'll want to be opening up those windows for some fresh air soon enough. The Cleveland Indians Home Opener is weeks behind us now, another sign of Spring, and we just know that more 70 degree sunny days are just around the corner. Are your windows up for the job?
Are Your Windows Easy to Open?
It has been a long winter in greater Cleveland, with the snow still falling into April, but it's finally time to think about moving the ice scraper/snow-brush from the back seat to the trunk, unlocking those house windows and giving them a whirl.
Do they open easily? Are your windows effortlessly unlocking and sliding up and down, if you have double hung and single hung windows, or sliding left and right, if you have sliders? Maybe this is your first spring in the new house and you're realizing the windows are actually painted shut. Some of these issues can be remedied with lubricant and a good window cleaning, read "Spring Cleaning Tips for Your Windows – Not Just the Glass," a post we published last spring with tips for lubricating your vinyl windows, whether sliders, casement, single-hung or double hung windows.
Are Your Windows Easy to Clean?
There are hundreds of types of windows. With the window industry innovating for a century now with the types of energy efficiency features, aesthetics and functionality, as they have improved on the technology that goes into window manufacturing windows have been continuously improving.
Fifteen years ago, although vinyl windows were very popular, the easy-to-clean features of vinyl windows were still being developed. Chances are, if your windows are more than fifteen years old, they were not designed for easy cleaning.
Many builders in the Cleveland area - Lakewood, Westlake, North Olmsted, Bay Village, Rocky River and other neighborhoods that popped-up in the 1990s, were likely to install single hung, builders grade vinyl windows during that period. These windows are hard to clean and now, almost 30 years old, would be an energy nightmare - allowing heat to escape in the winter and cooler air being released through poor quality windows in the summer.
Although many of these windows are beautiful, allowing for maximum light to enter the household giving a very open and comfortable feel, the same benefits of this type of window can be recreated with more energy efficient options of today.
Are Your Windows Easy to Secure?
It's no secret that many thieves target homes with older windows for home break-ins. If it's obvious the windows are older, it's likely the latches and security features have degraded to the point of no longer functioning. Take this opportunity to make sure all your windows can be secured easily and that old latches and worn-out window hardware isn't leaving your home vulnerable to break-ins.
If you have never replaced your windows, and you have lived in your home over fifteen or twenty years, it's very likely that the latches and security features of your windows have begun to wear out.
Spring: Great Time for a Free Replacement Window Quote
So if you're taking your windows for a whirl this month, opening them up, cleaning out the debris and assessing their effectiveness, if you find them painted shut, difficult to open, difficult to clean and possibly difficult to secure, call Integrity Windows of Lakewood for a free, ZERO pressure window estimate before you spend a lot of time struggling to clean or repair your old windows. After your quote, you may decide this spring is the year to replace your windows, rather than clean them!
For more information check out some recent blog posts:
