From the article you will learn:

So that the profiles of plastic windows are not damaged and not dirty during their delivery to the installation site, as well as during installation work, they are covered with a special film. The protective material has an adhesive base and can be easily removed after installation.

Manufacturers recommend not to delay the removal of the film coating and do not leave it on the frame for longer than for 10 days after placing the window in a permanent place. In principle, if you violate the deadline insignificantly and start removing protection after 30-60 days, then, most likely, there will be no special difficulties. Removing the film after this time can be unexpectedly difficult, and cleaning the frames will require considerable effort.

Why does the film lag badly behind plastic?

The reason for the super-strong "seizure" of the film with the surface of the frames is simple:

The film consists of two layers, the bottom of which is coated with glue. This layer is quite thin and unstable, it quickly collapses under the influence of high temperatures and sunlight. The resulting substance is tightly glued to the frames, and when trying to peel off the film, only the outer (protective) layer is detached from the structure.

There are several circumstances that accelerate the process of permanent bonding of materials:

• Influence of ultraviolet radiation... The more shaded the area where the plastic windows are located, the longer the lower layer of the film will disintegrate. The sun's rays accelerate the decomposition and absorption of the adhesive into the plastic.
• Heat... In the cold season, the film retains its integrity longer, and with the arrival of heat, its inner layer is destroyed faster.
• Adhesive properties... High quality adhesive breaks down the film more slowly and allows more time for easy removal. Cheap adhesives shorten this period. Film from inexpensive windows of dubious quality should be removed as quickly as possible.

Read also: How to open a plastic window from the outside

How to remove old film?

1. Using a construction hair dryer... A directed jet of hot air from a professional device will allow you to easily remove even a long-adhered film. Under the influence of high temperature, the adhesive composition melts and it can be removed without much difficulty. There is one subtlety in working with a building hair dryer - it is impossible for hot air to hit the glass, as it can burst from a sharp increase in temperature. If the film does not have time to stick strongly, then the situation can be corrected by a regular hairdryer used in the "turbo" mode.
2. With a scraper designed for cleaning glass ceramic slabs... The tool has an adjustable blade that will not damage the plastic surface.
3. By hand... The film is peeled off in small pieces that are picked up by a sharp blade, razor or scraper. Most of the work is done by hand, the tools must be used very carefully so as not to scratch the frame. To remove traces of glue, a household sponge with a rough surface is used.
4. Household solvent... For working with plastic, only weakly active chemicals are suitable. Before starting treatment, the effect of the composition must be tested on a small section of the frame, which is not particularly striking. If the solvent has not changed the color of the plastic, then it can be applied to the entire surface.
5. White spirit... The familiar gasoline solvent will help if it is applied not to the surface of the film, but between it and the frame. Painstaking work requires separating the edge of the film from the surface and instilling a dissolving liquid into the gap. After a while, the treated area can be removed from the frame.
6. School eraser... After removing the outer layer, the remnants of the film are removed by rubbing with a regular rubber band. The process is long and laborious.
7. With a stiff bristle brush dampened with soapy water... Do not use products with metal pile. This method is effective only for windows located in the shade.
8. Cosmophen... A modern cleaning agent for plastic products is available from window installers and renovators. Cosmophen is subdivided into types, depending on the concentration of the active substance, and has a numbering. No. 5 is considered the most active - it is able to dissolve plastic, and therefore it must be used as carefully as possible. Numbers 10 and 20 are less "vigorous", but their effectiveness is not so high. Cosmofen belongs to substances that are harmful to human health, and therefore, before using it, you need to take all safety measures (wear a respirator, gloves and other protective equipment).
9. Order film removal at a cleaning company... Almost all large "cleaning" agencies have in their list the service of cleaning plastic windows from various kinds of pollution. Their specialists are equipped with the necessary tools (hair dryers, solutions, scrapers) and have experience in such work. This method is the fastest and least energy consuming.

Gone are the hot summer days ... The window of your room, shining with a mirror shine, began to bring trouble instead of invigorating coolness? Have you dropped your favorite ficus leaves? Did your favorite canary start to wake up and twitter just by lunchtime? And all because there was not enough light in the house! A miracle of technology - the thinnest sun-protection film that saved you from the oppressive heat in the summer, with the arrival of autumn began to show its negative properties.

Light transmission through the plastic window decreased by 20-30%. It's time to think about how to remove the film from plastic windows without damaging the PVC profile and at the same time not scratching the glass ...

Methods for removing the light protective film

The negative qualities of sunscreen films begin to manifest themselves in the autumn-winter period. And they are connected with the fact that the light transmission coefficient of these films is 90% - 5%. Manufacturers recommend removing the film from the plastic window for the winter. And they do this not to increase sales, but to prevent criticism from consumers who, when buying and sticking a reflective film, inattentively read the instructions.

The overwhelming majority of sun-protection (mirror) films are currently glued to a plastic window in a "wet" way - using a soap solution. But the composition of the glue - in most cases, remains a trade secret of the manufacturer.

We can only state that any reputable manufacturer strives to ensure that the glue is of high quality and resistant to UV rays, precipitation, temperature extremes and mechanical stress.

It is these properties of the glue that create insurmountable obstacles for some home craftsmen who have successfully coped with the problem of high-quality gluing of the film, when the time comes to get rid of it.

Of all the methods invented, with the exception of contacting the manufacturer with the question: what solvent to use for the sunscreen film you have made to remove it?

And this information is usually placed on the packaging of the film of reputable and proven companies from the Netherlands, Germany or France.

In 90% + of the products of firms in the Southeast Asia region, either they do not indicate the brand of the solvent at all, or they place this information encrypted, in hieroglyphs that do not lend themselves to the Russian mind, in the list of technical characteristics.

Craftsmen have come up with 3 main ways to remove a film:

• soaking;
• warming up;
• use of solvents.

Soak off reflective films

If the film is glued to the glass of a plastic window using an aqueous solution with the addition of surfactants (surfactants), then it is logical to assume that the glue used by the manufacturer is water-soluble.

The simplest will be the old soaking method.

To do this, you need:

• cotton or semi-synthetic fabric, which in size fully corresponds to the size of the window glass;
• spray;
• foam roller;
• a basin for a solution with a surfactant;
• construction scraper with replaceable blades;
• plastic or rubber spatula.

Step 1

Over the summer, the film has time to dry out, and the polymer structure becomes brittle. It must be thoroughly soaked in water to remove it. Cut a piece of canvas 10-20 mm larger in length / width than the dimensions of the plastic window glass, so that it folds slightly onto the PVC profile of the window frames. Soak it in the surfactant solution. To do this, you can use any detergent, but best of all - dishwashing detergent - "Fairy", "Sort", "Dosya", "Drop", etc. or window cleaner.

Step 2

Moisten the surface of the film with a solution with a surfactant from a spray bottle and stick a wet cloth on it. Use a spray bottle to moisten the cloth periodically to keep it constantly damp. Do not hurry! The longer the film is soaked on the plastic window, the easier it will be to remove it from the glass. The minimum exposure is 1 hour.

Step 3

Use your fingernail or a sharp object (toothpick, plastic spatula) to pick up the film at the upper corner of the window and try to separate it from the glass by 10-20 mm. After that, moisten the separated area from the spray bottle, so that the solution gets between the adhesive surface of the film and the glass. Leave it on for 5-10 minutes.

Step 4

It is better to perform it with an assistant. Grab the unsticked corner with your fingers and very slowly and smoothly, without sudden efforts, pull it towards you. If the film begins to peel off, you can clean the glass without any problems. You will be successful!

Using a hard rubber (plastic) spatula, hold the corner of the film with your fingers with a hard rubber (plastic) spatula, peel off a narrow strip along the entire upper edge of the window and moisten it again from the spray bottle.

Step 5

All further work will consist in the fact that you will smoothly and evenly pull the film towards yourself, trying to prevent it from bursting, and the assistant will moisten the glass surface at this time, so that the soap solution gets between the film and the glass.

The main thing is not to rush. Post-wetting intervals should be 5-10 minutes.

Step 6

If pieces of film that have not come off remain on the window, they are abundantly moistened and removed using a construction (office) scraper with replaceable blades. After completely removing the film, the window is washed with a solution of window cleaner. You can add a few drops of ammonia solution (ammonia) to it to give the glass a shine.

Removing with a hair dryer

All polymer coatings are temperature sensitive. When heated, they become more plastic and much easier to bend or separate from each other. Reflective films are made from heat-resistant polymers. So that during active heating on the Sun they do not peel off spontaneously. Therefore, the temperature of their heating should be high enough - 50-100 ° С.

A regular household hair dryer will not work for this (the overheat protection relay will activate).

To clean the window, you must use a building hair dryer. The technology for separating the film does not differ significantly from that when using a soap solution.

Step 1

Warm up evenly the entire surface of the window with the glued film, keeping the hair dryer at a distance of 100-150 mm from the surface. Do not hold the hair dryer in one area. Glass may break due to overheating.

Step 2

Point the hair dryer at the corner of the film at the top edge of the window for 2-5 seconds.

Pick up the softened film with a spatula and separate from the glass.

Step 3

Need help from an assistant. Evenly, holding the hair dryer 50-100 mm from the glass, run it along the film in a horizontal plane. At the same time, the assistant must keep the film taut, separating (pasting) from the glass.

The main thing is not to overheat the film and glass, the film may begin to deform and be pulled by threads, and the glass may burst due to the high temperature.

Step 4

After removing the film, wash the glass.

Removal with solvents

All polymer films, including reflective films, are sensitive to nitro solvents. Therefore, to remove them, in no case should you use liquids containing acetone or similar chemicals. Otherwise, you run the risk of dissolving the polymer base, turning it into a viscous mass, leaving glue on the glass.

As solvents for the glue, it is necessary to use either the solvent recommended by the manufacturer, or select it empirically, after conducting a series of tests.

For samples, use the pieces of film left over from the repair, or peel off the corner of the film on the window glass using one of the methods described above.

Important to remember! Working with solvents requires the mandatory use of respiratory protection - a protective respirator with cartridges for working with chemicals, or a gas mask.

Remove all plants, pets (especially cold-blooded ones - fish, amphibians, reptiles) from the room! Work in the absence of children!

Windows must be open during work!

The most suitable for removing the film are solvents based on oil distillation products - gasoline, naphtha, solvents:

• nephras C2;
• Z-646;
• toluene;
• ethyl gasoline;
• orthoxynol;
• solvent, etc.

Or alcohol-based - isopropyl alcohol, formic alcohol, formaldehyde, etc.

All of these solvents are toxic!

After peeling off a corner of the film, use a pipette to apply a few drops of solvent between the film and the glass. If the solvent is effective, a rainbow spot should form between the film and the glass, and the film should separate from the glass without any effort.

Use a pipette to apply the solvent between the film and glass. Exposure between solvent application and film separation time is 1-3 minutes.

The process can be monitored visually, by the formation of an iridescent layer between the film and the glass.

Before starting work on the inner surface of the PVC profile, determine the resistance of the PVC window profile to the selected solvent. To do this, soak a piece of cotton wool in a solvent and attach it to the PVC profile. If after that, cotton wool fibers remain on the window profile, you cannot use such a solvent!

Apply solvent especially carefully to the edges of the film. It must not get on the rubber seals of the window, otherwise they will melt! Wipe off solvent adhering to the rubber immediately with a dry cloth.

You can only work with rubber gloves resistant to gasoline!

Instead of a conclusion

These are not tricky, time-tested, but very unreliable ways to remove reflective film from the glass of a plastic window. All of them take time and painstaking, unhurried work.

Newly installed plastic windows are always covered with a protective film. It is advisable to remove it as soon as possible, otherwise the coating will firmly adhere to the glass unit, and it will be very difficult to remove it. There are several ways to remove the film.

Why does the film stick to the window

New PVC windows are covered with a protective film that needs to be removed

Double-glazed windows can be scratched during transportation and installation, so the manufacturers cover them with a protective film. Its top layer is dense, it is easy to wash it off. But inside there is a delicate material that quickly collapses and is firmly glued to the structure. Such an "addition" spoils the appearance of the room, it must be removed no later than 10 days after the installation of windows.

The adhesive layer hardens over time. Temperature can affect the speed of this process. The windows are located above the heating radiators, warm air flows rise up and heat the glass unit. The film begins to dry quickly and becomes difficult to tear off. If the sun's rays hit a window, the heat from the radiation is exacerbated by exposure to ultraviolet light.

Good materials, even in heat and direct sunlight, will not harden within 10 days, but film manufacturers are trying to save money. They can use cheap, low-quality glue that sets very quickly.

The speed of dense adhesion of the film to glass depends on the quality of the material and the conditions in which the structure is used. Take seriously the choice of a company that installs plastic windows. Remove the cover urgently if the insulating glass units are exposed to heat or sunlight.

Mechanical methods for removing the protective coating

A construction hairdryer will help remove the film from the window

Do not use a knife or scraper to scrape off the film, no matter how firmly it adheres. If you use tools ineptly, you can scratch the PVC binders and glass, expensive windows will look sloppy. Do not use a wire brush, the teeth will most likely leave marks.

You do not need to scrape with a knife, but only pry off the edge of the film, and then tear it off with your hands. If you don’t take too long to remove the cover, it will easily come off the glass. All that remains is to wash the window block to remove the remaining glue. Instead of a knife, it is better to use a special scraper for glass-ceramic tiles, it scratches the plastic surface less.

Heat the firmly adhered film with a building hair dryer. Using a steam generator or hair dryer will not always give the desired result: the air flow temperature of household appliances is too low. Direct the air stream not at the glass, which can burst from temperature extremes, but at the frame. Pick up the loose edge of the film with a knife and use your hands to separate it from the glass unit.

Mechanical methods help only at the initial stage - within a few days after the installation of windows, and even better - immediately after the installers leave. If they do not work, you have to move on to other measures.

Chemical preparations for cleaning the glass unit from the film

When working with aggressive substances, protective equipment comes in handy

You can clean the windows from the dried film with the help of chemicals. All of them are harmful to the skin of the hands and hazardous to the eyes. Wear gloves and goggles. It is advisable to wear a respirator.

To reduce the adhesion of the protective coating to the glass or frame, you can use the following means:

• White Spirit. Peel off the edge of the film and pour some solvent into the gap. The softened part of the coating should peel off well. Repeat the procedure until you have cleaned the entire area.
• Denatured alcohol. Apply it to the entire surface with a spray bottle. After a few minutes, the film will soften, pick it up by the edge and peel it off. You can wash off the remaining adhesive with soapy water or an acrylic solvent.
• Cosmofen. A special solvent, which, depending on the aggressiveness, has a number 5, 10 or 20. The strongest is number 5, it can dissolve plastic binders. Take # 10 or 20 and follow the instructions.
• Paint stripper SP 6. Apply a thick layer to plastic windows.
• "Shumanit". Detergent, which must also be used in accordance with the instructions. After 10 minutes, the coating will begin to bubble, remove it.

Be careful not to damage the windows and frames with harsh product. Try it first on an inconspicuous area; some drugs can ruin the plastic.

Folk remedies for removing coating from windows

If you heat the film with a hair dryer, it will be easier to remove.

Instead of harsh chemicals, safer alternative methods can be used. Try using:

• hairdryer complete with wooden sticks;
• with a brush;
• eraser.

A combined method can be applied. First, heat the film with a hair dryer, then peel it from the window with a sharp object. Use detergent or acrylic thinner to remove any glue residue.

Wooden toothpicks or sticks for cleaning nails, kitchen spatulas made of wood are good, but they will have to be sharpened periodically. Wipe off sticky tape with a hair or synthetic brush and detergent, this method can give a good result.

Sometimes it is not necessary to wipe off the building film from the windows, but the old coating to protect the apartment from the sun's rays. It is made of lavsan, which is not affected by solvents. Clean the glass with a sponge and a strong detergent such as Shumanite. If it does not help, there is only one way out - to slowly peel off the film with a knife.

The use of folk methods does not give a 100% guarantee. It all depends on the materials and the bond strength of the coated film. For example, an eraser on some windows quickly wipes off the entire surface, on others it cleans a palm-sized piece in half an hour.

Often, the owners of plastic structures do not remove the protective film immediately after installation. But, as you know, if you postpone this matter, then over time the protective coating "dries up" and it becomes very difficult to remove it. Next, we will consider several ways how to remove the film from plastic windows.

I must say that removing the film itself is only part of the question, since an adhesive still remains on the surface of the glass unit, which is also very difficult to remove.

Methods for cleaning double-glazed windows from film and glue

There are two main ways to remove old film from plastic windows:

• Mechanical
• Chemical.

Sometimes, for greater efficiency, both methods are combined.

Mechanical window cleaning options

Of the mechanical cleaning options, several of the most effective can be distinguished:

1. The remnants of the protective coating are removed with a special scraper designed for cleaning hobs or glass-ceramic hobs. Small scratches and glue residues can then be removed with FENOSOL or COSMOFEN 10 cleaner. If these cleaners are not available, you can use an acrylic solvent, for example - P-12.
2. The second method requires an industrial hair dryer or, at least, a powerful home hair dryer, since it is much easier to remove the film from plastic windows after heating it. This method is very simple - you need to heat the film and pry off its edge with a sharp stationery knife or scalpel. In this case, the coating should be easily removed, the remnants of glue can be removed in the manner described above.
3. Similar to the previous method, you can use a steam generator, this method is even more effective.
4. There is another interesting tip on how to peel off the film from plastic windows, which will help solve the problem - the film is erased with an ordinary stationery eraser. Remains of glue can be removed with mineral spirits or the above cleaners.

Advice!
The scraper should be used as carefully as possible and, if possible, remove the film with your fingers, as even a safe scraper leaves scratches on the PVC profile.

Chemical options

And so, we examined how to remove the film from plastic windows mechanically.

However, some methods of chemical cleaning have proved to be no less effective:

• Denatured alcohol should be poured into a water spray, for example, for spraying indoor plants with water. Then the denatured alcohol should be applied to the surface and wait a few minutes.Before removing the protective film from plastic windows, you may have to pry it off with a clerical knife. (See also the article.)
• The Shumanit detergent, which is produced by the Israeli company Baggi, copes well with the task. However, it should be borne in mind that this is a very powerful tool, so it should be used with caution. The price of this tool is quite affordable.
• It is easy to clean the glass unit with the help of paint remover RP 6. This chemical composition must be thickly applied to the surface and wait 10 minutes, after which the protective tape will begin to swell literally before our eyes. Before you clean the plastic windows from the film, you should wear glasses and gloves, alkali and glue residues can be washed off with soapy water.

Note!
Many owners of PVC double-glazed windows make a gross mistake - they are trying to remove the protective tape with a solvent.
The fact is that the film will still remain on the bags, but the profile will be hopelessly damaged.

How to clean plastic windows

Moreover, there are several washing methods, here are the most effective:

• Using a spray, rag and paper;
• With a screed and a sponge.

Now let's look at each of these methods.

Washing with a spray cloth and paper

This method can be used if the surface is not too dirty.

For him we need:

• Clean cotton fabric;
• Window cleaner with spray nozzle;
• Capacity for water;
• Paper napkins.

The instructions for cleaning windows using this method are quite simple:

• First of all, you need to take a small amount of warm water into the container and wet a rag. The fabric should be wrung out so that it is damp but not wet.
• Then you need to wipe the dirt from the window with a rag.
• After that, you need to distribute the spray over the surface in zigzag movements.
• Next, the surface should be washed with a dry piece of cloth.
• The result obtained must be fixed by wiping the surface with newspapers or paper napkins.

Washing windows with screed and sponge

This method is especially good if you cannot get to the windows with your own hands or you need to reach for them. In this case, you can use a tie with a handle 25-30 cm long. With such cleaning, there will be no streaks or any stains on the glasses.

Many users, faced with the problem of a window film firmly "welded" to the PVC profile, rush to experiment, which does not always end well. Especially in the case of colored windows, there is a risk of destroying them. How to remove the old protective film from plastic windows effectively and without disastrous consequences, the MEDIA WINDOWS portal will tell.

All plastic windows come to the market with frames protected by the manufacturer with a self-adhesive film. According to the rules, the protective film should be removed as soon as possible after the windows are installed - especially when the PVC window is exposed to direct sunlight.

Why is it so difficult to remove the old protective film from PVC windows?

Unfortunately, this happens quite often that, through the carelessness of the installer or the user himself, the protective film on the PVC profile can remain even for several years. In this case, when hands reach the point of putting the new plastic windows in order, the user is in for an unpleasant surprise - it is almost impossible to remove the protective coating.

It is difficult to remove the old window film from the profile of a plastic window, because it consists of two layers. The outer layer (transparent film) begins to peel off under the influence of ultraviolet rays and is relatively easy to clean. But at the bottom there is a second layer of white plastic with markings - it is he who adheres so strongly to the substrate.

The presence of an old film looks especially bad in the case of a tree-like profile, because usually the protective coating is used in white. Under the influence of UV rays, the film undergoes vulcanization and adheres very firmly to the surface of the PVC window. At the same time, it becomes less durable and breaks easily.

Some people try to wash off the protective layer with gasoline, acetone or other solvents - this helps a little, but at the same time you can remove the wood texture that is applied to the laminated frame (white PVC windows, of course, are insured against this). Experts do not recommend exposing the surface of a colored PVC profile to too much mechanical stress (scraping or grinding), because it is very easy to damage the lamination layer.

Eureka: there is a way to get rid of the old screen protector!

Fortunately, there are several ways to get rid of the screen protector, so let's take a look at one of them. This method is simple, effective and, most importantly, will not destroy the plastic window. However, the procedure will take quite a long time and requires the use of a device with a steam cleaning function.

Such a device can be bought without any problems, they are often sold in supermarkets. Please note that the package includes a special hose that allows you to fix the nozzle. Versions of this device are often commercially available, in which steam comes out directly from the tank through a nozzle. In this case, you will have to constantly hold the heater in your hands during cleaning, but it soon becomes clear that heating the film in the lower part of the frame in this case is impossible (the window sill interferes).

Work begins with filling the purifier with water and connecting it to the mains. After a few minutes, you can start heating a small area of ​​the protective film with a steam jet (hold the nozzle directly over the film or even touch it). Heat a small piece of 1-2 cm across the entire width. If the window film is already too old and does not flake off, you will have to reheat it (after cooling). At this time, you can heat the protective window cover from the other end.

To remove the protective film with steam, shortly after heating a small area, you must try to separate the film from the substrate with your fingernail. This should be done carefully and slowly, across the entire width of the tape. This is the most important point. It is necessary to make sure that a small piece of the film comes off the entire width. Then you can grab the end and slowly (!) Tear off the film while heating it in parallel from above and below (at the points of contact with the substrate).

If the protective film begins to tear and its fragment does not come off, a fingernail should be used in this place and lead to a situation where it will peel off again across its entire width. After removing a long enough fragment, cut it off with scissors, leaving 2-3 cm so that there is something to catch on to continue further cleaning of the PVC profile.

After removing the protective layer, a white coating remains on the surface of the window frame, which is rather difficult to wash off. And here there is a proven method - you can use a glass cleaner (for example, Mr. Muscle) for this purpose.

When buying new plastic windows, do not ignore the advice of the window company, which is clearly spelled out in the operating instructions, when it is worth removing the protective film from the PVC profile. This will save you both time and money, and also save your nerves. In general, compliance with the manufacturer's recommendations, not only in this paragraph, but also in all others, is the key to the impeccable appearance and durability of your plastic windows.