Sky-Frame: Window Cleaning Guide

Quick Facts

Brand at a Glance

Product Range

Why This System

Step 1 of 2: Manufacturer Recommendations

Official Care Guidance

Sky-Frame's 7-Step Cleaning Process

• ✓Clean panes of glass with a soft cloth and a normal commercial glass cleaner.
• ✓Remove soiling from base profile with a vacuum cleaner.
• ✓Clean base profile with a damp cloth and a liquid cleaning agent.
• ✓Check the gutter for soiling and clean if necessary.
• ✓Ensure that water can flow away in the gutter.
• ✓Remove all tools, materials, and other equipment from the working area.
• ✓Clean the working area and remove any liquids, consumables, or similar materials.

Gaskets and Seals

• ✓Seals are treated with silicone from the factory to prevent freezing.
• ✓1. Spray silicone spray onto a cloth outdoors. 2. Apply silicone spray to the seals using the cloth.
• ✓The 2025 US edition of the manual adds: rub the seals with silicone spray once a year.

Road Salt

• ✕Road salt can damage the sliding windows.
• ✓Avoid use of road salt in the immediate vicinity of the sliding window.

What Not To Do

• ✕NEVER use metal blades / glass scrapers! These can cause severe damage to TSG-HST glass.
• ✓Do not use abrasive or scouring material.
• ✓Do not use cleaning agents containing solvents. (The 2025 US edition allows white alcohol or isopropanol for grease or sealant residue on the glass.)
• ✓Do not use alkalis (lyes).
• ✓DO NOT USE A HIGH-PRESSURE CLEANER! High pressure can damage the seal of the sill profile.
• ✕Grains of dirt in cloths can scratch the panes of glass. Rinse cloths as often as possible.
• ✓On the aluminium surfaces: do not clean in direct sunlight or if the surface is very hot.
• ✕Cement, mortar, concrete, plaster: remove immediately from the aluminium surfaces with a sponge or soft cloth before it dries.

Step 2 of 2: The Orloffs Protocol

The Orloffs Protocol

Pro Tools

My daily tool list. This is what I carry to every job.

Follow these steps in order. Each one builds on the last. This is the same sequence I use on every Sky-Frame installation.

1. 1

   Preparation -- before any water touches the glass

   Fill the bucket with at least 10 litres of water. Add soap for cleaning power -- enough to cut through environmental deposits, not so much you are fighting foam.

   Before touching the glass, brush down the surface to remove loose dust, spiderwebs, and debris. Any grit left on the glass during the wash phase risks scratching during agitation.

   Check the aluminium profiles before you start. Sky-Frame recommends a diluted pH-neutral cleaner on them.

   Vacuum the base profile before any water goes on the glass.

   
2. 2

   Agitation -- apply and work the solution

   Dip the microfiber T-bar completely into the soap water, both sides. Remove excess water with your hand so it does not drip. Apply the solution across the entire glass surface with overlapping passes.

   The goal is to fully dissolve and release every deposit from the glass surface. Anything not released during agitation gets transported across the glass by the squeegee as a smear.

   For stubborn spots -- insect marks, salt residue, environmental deposits -- re-apply soap water and allow it to soak for a full minute before agitating again. Use more soap water, not more pressure.

   For panels above arm reach: attach the T-bar to an extension pole. Work in sections -- top first, then middle, then bottom -- keeping each section wet until you squeegee it.

   Rinse the T-bar cover regularly during the job. A dirty applicator causes microscopic scratches that accumulate over time.

   
3. 3

   Detail the edges before squeegeeing

   Use your 100% cotton towelling rag, finger pressed into the fabric, to work into every junction and remove pooled soap water before the squeegee pass.

   This prevents drips running down onto already-cleaned areas during squeegeeing and keeps soap water out of the gutter.

   On Sky-Frame, pay particular attention to the bottom edge where the glass meets the sill profile. Water pooled here runs into the gutter and leaves residue over time.

   
4. 4

   The squeegee

   Tilt the squeegee at a slight angle so soap water spills from one side of the channel only -- not both. If the rubber is jumping or squeaking, either the rubber is not lubricated enough or the glass surface has warmed.

   Cutting in: start with the rubber blade making first contact on a dry edge of the glass.

   Side to side: horizontal passes across the panel. Works well on wide sections. Top to bottom: vertical passes down the panel. Works well on tall narrow sections.

   The J turn: one smooth unbroken motion top to bottom, wrist rotating at each end to reverse without lifting the rubber. The most efficient method on larger panels -- but it requires training before applying it to premium glass.

   Wipe the rubber dry after every pass. Overlap each stroke by 2-3 cm.

   
5. 5

   Final edge detailing

   After squeegeeing, there is always a residual line of water along the bottom edge and at the panel sides. Take a dry cotton rag, fold to a clean corner, and detail these edges in one smooth pass.

   On Sky-Frame, the bottom edge where the glass meets the sill profile needs the most care. Water left here runs into the gutter and leaves residue for the next clean.

   Rotate the rag to a clean section after every pass. Rinse cloths often: grit in a cloth scratches the glass.

   
6. 6

   Profile wipe and sliding check

   On the aluminium profiles, Sky-Frame recommends a diluted pH-neutral cleaner, gentle pressure, rinse, then dry with a clean cotton cloth.

   Check the gutter and make sure water can flow away, as Sky-Frame's cleaning steps say.

   Slide each panel slowly through its full run. If it drags, clean the track. If it still drags, call a Sky-Frame specialist. Never oil the track: Sky-Frame says no silicone spray or lubricants on the running track.

   

Pro Tips

• ★ Never use metal blades or glass scrapers. Sky-Frame's manual says they can cause severe damage to TSG-HST glass.
• ★ My advice: avoid cleaning the glass in direct sunlight. The solution dries too fast and leaves streaks across metres.
• ★ Rinse cloths often. Sky-Frame's manual warns that grains of dirt in cloths can scratch the panes.
• ★ Vacuum the base profile before washing the glass. Wet debris turns to paste in the gutter.
• ★ Use more soap water, not more pressure. Sky-Frame says no abrasive or scouring material.
• ★ Silicone spray goes onto a cloth outdoors, then onto the seals. Never on the running track.
• ★ After nearby building work, remove cement, mortar, concrete or plaster from the aluminium straight away, before it dries.

What NOT To Do

Bundle Kits and Tool Recommendations

Cleaning Frequency

Glass: 2× per year minimum (My advice: spring and autumn.). Surfaces (Sky-Frame): At least once a year (Sky-Frame: monthly near the sea or in industrial air.). After nearby construction: Immediately (Sky-Frame: remove cement, mortar, concrete and plaster from the aluminium before it dries.). Base profile and gutter: Every clean (Part of Sky-Frame's own cleaning steps.). Seals: Once a year (Sky-Frame (2025 US manual): rub the seals with silicone spray once a year.). Road salt: Avoid (Sky-Frame: avoid road salt in the immediate vicinity of the sliding window.)

Frequently Asked Questions

Field Notes

“Glass: twice a year minimum (my advice). Sky-Frame: surfaces at least once a year, monthly near the sea or in industrial air. After nearby construction: remove cement, mortar, concrete and plaster from the aluminium before it dries. Base profile and gutter: at every glass cleaning. Seals: silicone spray via a cloth, once a year (2025 US manual). Road salt: avoid it in the immediate vicinity of the sliding window.”

Justin Orloff

From the blog

Read the full care guide