Summer is fast approaching which means that we’re all going to be spending much more time outside and in our summer living spaces. Hopefully, you haven’t been neglecting your conservatory over the winter months, but you’re not alone if you have! So many of us choose to turn our conservatories into a cool storage space for all of our outdoor furniture and outdoor equipment over the winter. We’ve even seen some homeowners who turn their conservatory into a shelter for all of the big outdoor plants that wouldn’t do well with the frosty January mornings. Whilst it is easy to keep the inside of your conservatory clean over the winter, it can be a real downer to move all of that clutter back outside, hoover up the dust and decorate it perfectly, only to look up and see a less than clear or even worse, dirty conservatory roof. This can happen without us really noticing over the autumn and winter months. During autumn, the weather suddenly gets much cooler, and we stop spending so much time in our conservatories. During this time, leaves and various other bits of dead plants start to fall across the roof. This can often be washed away by rain, but we fail to look up and see just how dirty the glass panels are getting throughout the winter. After several months of negligence, it’s not surprising that many of us look up at that roof after such a long time with a disappointed sigh. However, cleaning the conservatory roof may be easier than you think!
Self Cleaning Conservatories
First things first, you may not even have this problem if your conservatory roof has self-cleaning panels. These days, many glass conservatory roofs have this feature built in to save homeowners from this particular problem. These often work by providing the glass with a layer of coating that reacts with UV rays from the sun. During this reaction, any dirt or grime that is on the window is broken down and then rolls off during the next bit of rain and dries very quickly. However, even with this feature, many installers would recommend that cleaning the glass by hand every so often will help to keep the glass clear for longer.
Hiring a Professional
Of course, hiring a professional is always a good idea if you’re unsure what you’re doing. We would never recommend that you do something like this yourself without having researched and carried out the necessary precautions for such a task. Climbing up a ladder can be quite dangerous, as our conservatory roofs tend to be at quite a height and often at an awkward angle that makes it difficult to do a thorough job. Luckily, plenty of local companies are out there who are more than happy to help! They’ll be experienced in exactly this kind of work and will have the equipment to boot. It’s usually not as expensive as you might think, so we would recommend shopping around and seeing what kind of prices you can get for a professional service.
DIY Cleaning
If you are set on cleaning it yourself, then the first thing you should do is assess the safety measures that are going to be required for the job. Will a telescopic cleaning brush do the trick, or will you have to get on a ladder and climb up there yourself to get to those hard to reach places? Any job like this should be taken seriously so that you do not endanger yourself unnecessarily.
Once you’ve assessed the situation adequately and you feel that you know what you’re going to need, it’s time to start cleaning! Before you even get started, our first tip is not to use any kind of chemical cleaning solution on your windows! This can leave horrible streaks that are almost impossible to remove once they’re on. All you’re going to need is a bit of soap, water, a brush and probably a ladder.
Your first step will be to dislodge any debris that may have collected on the roof. These will be the things that are easily removed with a clean brush, things like leaves, branches, lost balloons or anything unsightly that may have made its way up there during the winter months. The tricky work starts after you’ve got all the loose bits off the top. Using a hosepipe, you’ll want to get your conservatory roof nice and soaked so that you can attack the grimy bits. This is where a telescopic brush comes in handy because you can save yourself climbing up there and using the brush to scrub the panels.
If you do decide that you need to get up there yourself, do not, under any circumstances, place your weight onto the roof. Conservatory roofs, particularly glass ones, are not designed to take a person’s weight at all, so it is incredibly dangerous to climb onto the conservatory itself. Your only reason for being up there is to get a better angle on the panels with a long brush for scrubbing.
Once you’ve done your scrubbing, get your hose back out, rinse the conservatory clean, and simply leave it to dry, and you’re all done! It’s not as hard as it may seem, but it is important to take the necessary precautions for this activity as it can be quite dangerous. However, once it’s done, the difference will be so noticeable that you’ll want to spend your entire summer in a conservatory that feels like it’s brand new!
