Kansas City Spring Cleaning: Guide to Maintaining Your Marvin Windows

Ready or not, tis the season for spring cleaning. In the flurry of cleaning tasks to tackle this spring, you may or may not have already considered doing some maintenance on your home windows.

If you have Marvin fiberglass windows, you’re in luck. Not only do fiberglass windows have excellent performance, they’re very durable and reasonably low maintenance. But that’s not to say there’s no maintenance required to keep them at peak performance. Now is a good time to make sure everything is running smoothly and give them a good cleaning before you go on enjoying their benefits through the rest of the season.

A Quick 3 Step Marvin Window Check-Up

Before you start any cleaning Look at your windows and make sure that everything is as it should be, especially:

1. Window Color: Marvin fiberglass windows shouldn’t need to be painted, so you won’t have to worry much about the finish but do take note if the color is a little faded.
2. .Caulking: Check the caulking to ensure that the seal is still sturdy. Lock and unlock the window, open and close it, to make sure nothing is stiff or dysfunctional.
3. Stiffness: If your windows are difficult to budge, don’t panic – and more importantly, do not forcibly try to ‘unjam’ them. We cover some tips for loosening your stiff windows in the next section..

Take notes of any issues that might arise to come back to them when you start cleaning. Hopefully, these are things you’ll be able to take care of in maintenance, without needing major repairs.

What to do if Your Marvin Windows Are Stiff & Difficult to Budge

If the tilt lever won’t budge when you try to unlock the window, give it a little silicone spray lubricant to loosen it up. Be very careful to keep the oil away from the window itself, and only use enough to get the tilt turn moving again. This method could also work on stiff hinges in case the window refuses to close, or snaps shut when you test it.

In most cases, this is enough to get your windows moving again. If it doesn’t work, you may need to call the company that installed your windows – usually they will provide you with repair services. (But check with them to be sure!)

How to Maintain the Glass in your Marvin Windows

 The good news is Marvin windows made in double-hung or glider styles can be cleaned completely from indoors. With double-hung windows, you simply unlock the window and move one sash in towards you, cleaning it with water and a mild, non-abrasive cleaning solution.

In the case of glider windows, lift the sash off the track and towards you, then clean with the same solution.

Before you finish, make sure you clear the sills and tracks of dust and debris. Return the sashes to their places and give the windows a light dusting.

…and that’s it! Marvin fiberglass windows are remarkably low maintenance and can survive with an occasional wipe down as detailed above.

With that done, you can move on to the next project and not worry about your windows until it’s time to weather-strip them. (More on that in a later post!)

Have additional questions about Marvin window maintenance or the quality you can enjoy from Marvin’s Ultrex fiberglass windows? Contact Johnson County Siding & Window Co. We’ll be happy to answer your questions or schedule a free estimate.