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French doors are a beautiful addition to a home. But as they are often exposed to the wind, rain and other elements, they need a good clean up from time to time. And with all that glass it can look like an intimidating job! In this article we’ll be answering the question “just how do you clean French doors?” and the good news is it’s actually very easy, and you can probably do the whole job with stuff you already have around the house. So grab a cuppa and enjoy our top tips to clean French doors.
What Cleaning Supplies Do I Need?
- Sponge
- Scrubbing brush/old toothbrush
- Wood/aluminium cleaner (optional)
- Metal cleaner appropriate for your hardware
- A squeegee
- Washing Up liquid
- White vinegar
- Clean, dry cloth
How Long Will I Need?
How long the job will take really depends on how dirty your French doors are. The best way to clean French doors is regularly! We’re not talking weekly, but we are talking monthly. A quick monthly spruce up should really only take you twenty minutes at the most. If you’re dealing with a build-up of bad winter weather, the process is the same but it might take you an hour or two to get your doors looking fresh again.
What’s the Best Way To Clean French Doors? A Step By Step Guide
The main feature of French doors is the glass, and we’ll be looking at how to clean glass French doors in a moment, but we’re not going to begin our job here. Glass will show up smears and stains more than anything else on our doors so we want to make sure all other components are clean and dry before we put the finishing touches to the job with the glasswork. We’re going to start with the solid part of the door: the frame.
French door frames are usually made of wood or aluminium, and whether you’re wondering how to clean aluminium French doors or wooden ones, the technique is much the same.
You have two main options when it comes to how best to clean French door frames. You can opt to use a commercial wood or aluminium cleaner from your local DIY store, which will help you get the job done to a good standard and is best if your frame is particularly grimy. However, as long as you’re not dealing with too much dirt, you’ll probably be all right with just a little soap and water! Simply mix up your soapy water (as you would for the dishes) and use a sponge to wash down the frame. Make sure you have a small scrubbing brush or an old toothbrush on hand for the nooks and crannies and to help you clean up tougher stains. To finish, simply rinse down the frame with clean water. This is very important for wood frames, as soap will dry out the wood over time, so give it a good rinse.
One final point on aluminium doors: if your aluminium has not oxidised too much, you may be able to bring back it’s lustre by using some fine steel wool with water and some good old elbow grease. If your aluminium is long past polishing up but you’d like the shine back, consider contacting a professional who will be able to achieve the desired result without spending hours developing tennis elbow.
Next, it’s time to tackle the hardware (handles, hinges, locks and so on). If you’re sticking to your monthly spruce up, it’ll only take a couple of minutes to have your metalwork gleaming and looking as good as new. Dirtier, rustier or more tarnished metals may take more time and more elbow grease but will still look a lot better for it.
Cleaning metals is primarily about identifying what type of metal your door features and using the appropriate cleaner (brass cleaner for brass etc.). When your metalwork is clean, finish this part of the job by adding a little penetrating oil to your locks, and to your hinges too if they need it.
And now we come to the cherry on the cake as we look at the best way to clean French door windows. While it is tempting to reach for a commercial glass-cleaning product, this isn’t actually the most effective approach. The best way to clean French door glass is actually with a little washing up liquid, some white vinegar and a squeegee.
All you need to do is mix three parts water to one part white vinegar and add a little squirt of washing up liquid. You’re not going to need loads of mixture so don’t go overboard on the quantities! Then simply dip your sponge into the mixture and wipe over your glass. This is the bulk of your cleaning job done. To finish off, dip your squeegee into some clean water, run this over the panes to remove the remains of the mixture and leave your glass streak-free and gleaming. For tougher stains splash a little white vinegar on an old dry newspaper and rub that over your glass, the newspaper print combined with the vinegar makes a surprisingly good cleaning solution. Wipe the bottom of your panes with a clean dry cloth and you’re done. Just don’t forget to clean the other side of the glass!
Once your French doors are lovely and clean you could consider using a product like Rain X on the outside panes, which will help water to run off more easily and might give you a little longer between cleans.
Not Got Long? Try This Quick & Easy Method
If you’re in a real hurry, perhaps the family are on their way round, or you hadn’t realised how dirty your French doors look and your new flame is about to arrive, there are still one or two things you can do to smarten up!
The quickest way to clean French doors is to focus on the glass. This is what people will be looking through after all, and if your glass is gleaming, they might not even notice that coffee stain on your wood! So here’s the easy way to clean French doors.
First of all, keep a spray bottle full of your water, vinegar and soap mix in a cupboard for moments like these. Grab it and shoot a couple of sprays on each pane of your French doors and wipe with newspaper or a coffee filter, as neither of these will leave lint on your windows.
If you don’t even have time for that, stash a blackboard eraser somewhere convenient and use this to wipe over the glass and rub out much of the offending dirt and smears.
Whether you’re here for the most thorough, or the easiest way to clean French doors, we hope we’ve left you full of confidence for the job ahead. It’s really a very straightforward process, made much easier with a regular monthly cleaning schedule. And as you stand back to admire your work, you’ll remember why you loved those doors so much in the first place.
