How to Clean Saint-Gobain Glass: Standard and Self-Cleaning Guide

Saint-Gobain was founded in 1665 in Paris. The company began by producing mirrors for the Palace of Versailles, including the Hall of Mirrors. It is one of the oldest manufacturers in the world still operating in its original field, and today its glass is found in buildings, homes, and facades across every continent.

You might know Saint-Gobain glass as PLANILUX float glass, STADIP laminated safety glass, CLIMAPLUS double-glazed units, or the SGG BIOCLEAN self-cleaning glass that has become increasingly popular in residential and commercial projects across Europe.

With 25 years of professional glass care, I clean Saint-Gobain glass regularly. Standard float glass responds beautifully to proper squeegee technique. BIOCLEAN self-cleaning glass has its own specific requirements. This guide covers both.

Understanding the Saint-Gobain Glass Range

Saint-Gobain produces glass under the SGG brand. The range includes several products you may have in your home.

PLANILUX is Saint-Gobain's standard clear annealed float glass. It is manufactured by the float process, which produces a glass with a perfectly flat, parallel surface. This is the benchmark for clarity in residential glazing.

STADIP is Saint-Gobain's laminated safety glass. Two or more panes of glass are bonded together with a PVB interlayer. If the glass breaks, the interlayer holds the fragments in place. Common in overhead glazing, balustrades, and doors.

CLIMAPLUS is the double-glazed unit range, incorporating a low-emissivity coating to improve thermal performance. If your home has energy-efficient double glazing, there is a reasonable chance the IGU (insulated glass unit) was assembled using Saint-Gobain glass.

SGG BIOCLEAN is the self-cleaning glass. It has a photocatalytic titanium dioxide coating on the outer surface that works in two ways: it breaks down organic dirt using UV light from daylight, and it causes water to sheet off the glass instead of forming droplets. BIOCLEAN II is the current specification, available for double-glazed units and monolithic panes.

Before getting into Saint-Gobain's specific care advice, the foundational glass-cleaning technique applies to all standard glass in their range. If you are new to it, the Window Cleaning Manifesto is free and takes five minutes.

Start with the free Window Cleaning Manifesto at orloffs.com/the-skill

Part One: Cleaning Standard Saint-Gobain Glass (PLANILUX, STADIP, CLIMAPLUS)

For Saint-Gobain's standard glass range, the professional technique is the same as for any premium float glass. The quality of the manufacturing shows in how cleanly it responds to the squeegee.

What You Need

• A T-bar applicator with a microfiber cover (a T-shaped handle with a horizontal bar covered in microfiber fabric, designed to wash glass).
• A professional squeegee with a fresh rubber blade (a flat tool with a rubber blade that shaves the water off the glass).
• A bucket with lukewarm water and one drop of mild dish soap per litre.
• 100% cotton towelling rags (dry rags for detailing the edges).

Do not use paper towels on the glass. They leave fibres behind. Do not use abrasive cloths or scouring pads. They scratch the glass surface.

Detail the Frame First

Before touching the glass, wipe down the window frame edges with a cloth dampened in mild soapy water. This removes the dust, pollen, and grime sitting on the frame. When you run the squeegee across the glass, the rubber edge makes contact with the frame. If there is dirt on that frame, the squeegee picks it up and drags it across the clean glass as a streak.

Clean the frame first. Every time.

Agitation: The Step That Changes Everything

Dip your T-bar applicator completely into the soapy water on both sides. Apply the solution across the whole glass area using up-and-down or side-to-side motions. The idea is to dissolve the dirt, ready for the squeegee to shave away.

If the dirt is not fully dissolved in the soap water and released from the glass, the remaining dirt still stuck will be transported over the squeegee, leaving smudges or smears.

Saint-Gobain's PLANILUX is perfectly flat and parallel by design. This means the squeegee tracks evenly across the surface, and a properly agitated glass comes up crystal clear.

The Three Squeegee Turns

There are three professional squeegee turns. Mastering each one is what produces consistent, streak-free results.

Side to side. Start at the very top edge of the window with a dry rubber. Work across the glass in a straight horizontal line. Tilt the squeegee at a slight angle so the soap water spills from only one side of the channel. Wipe the rubber dry after each line. Overlap slightly into the next line down. Repeat until the window is complete.

Top to bottom. The same steps as side to side, but working down the glass in vertical lines. Start in the top corner with a dry rubber. Tilt to direct water to the lower side. Wipe the rubber dry after each line. Overlap into the next line across. Repeat to the bottom.

Turn with a twist (the J tune). This is the professional continuous motion. From the top of the window to the bottom is one endless, smooth movement. There are no stops. Your thumb is your guide: as you reach the end of a horizontal pass, rotate your wrist so the squeegee turns and continues down. At the bottom, rotate back and return across. When you have this in your muscle memory, it is the fastest and most consistent turn for any window size.

Finishing: Edge Detailing

After squeegeeing, there is always a thin line of water along the bottom edge and at the sides where the squeegee cannot close out completely. Take a dry cotton rag, fold it to a clean corner, and detail these edges in one smooth pass.

Get your finger into the edge where the glass meets the frame seal. Remove any pooled soap water sitting there. If this is left to dry, it leaves a residue mark that shows up as soon as the sun hits the glass.

Part Two: Cleaning SGG BIOCLEAN Self-Cleaning Glass

BIOCLEAN glass has a titanium dioxide photocatalytic coating on the outer surface. It works 100% naturally using daylight and water. Understanding how it works shapes how you clean it.

Two mechanisms work together. Photocatalysis: UV light from daylight activates the coating, breaking down organic dirt and atmospheric pollutants on the surface. The hydrophilic effect: water runs off in sheets instead of droplets, carrying the loosened dirt with it.

Saint-Gobain confirms the efficiency of BIOCLEAN remains constant over the entire service life of the glass. The coating does not wear out.

What Saint-Gobain Recommends for BIOCLEAN

These care instructions come directly from Saint-Gobain's official BIOCLEAN documentation.

• For routine cleaning: spray the coated surface with soft or demineralised water. The hydrophilic effect means water sheets off cleanly. The drying step can be skipped. This alone saves roughly one third of the usual cleaning time.
• For stubborn stains: use hot sudsy water and either a clean scraper or a standard window-cleaning product with a soft, clean cloth.
• BIOCLEAN coating must not come into contact with silicone in any form. This includes silicone spray, silicone suction pads, and silicone gloves. Silicone diminishes the photocatalytic efficiency of the coating.
• Do not use glass treatment products containing silicones or abrasive particles on BIOCLEAN glass.
• Do not use commercial products intended for surfaces other than glass. Do not use soda, bleach, or washing powder.
• Avoid contact with all sharp or abrasive objects: razor blades, Stanley knives, scouring pads, steel wool, sandpaper, and abrasive jewellery or buckles.

My Professional Approach to BIOCLEAN

In practice, BIOCLEAN glass in good condition needs less regular cleaning than standard glass. The photocatalysis handles the organic dirt between cleaning sessions. The hydrophilic effect means rain does a significant amount of the work.

When I do clean BIOCLEAN glass, I use demineralised water first. I avoid any silicone-based products entirely. I use the same T-bar applicator approach as for standard glass, but I am more careful about what products touch the surface. A standard professional squeegee with a fresh rubber blade is fine. The rubber does not contain silicone and does not affect the coating.

What I avoid completely: any commercial window spray. Most contain silicone or conditioning agents that are incompatible with the BIOCLEAN coating. This rules out most products you find in a supermarket.

What NOT to Do with Saint-Gobain Glass

Saint-Gobain's care documentation is specific. These restrictions apply across its range.

• No silicone-based products of any kind on BIOCLEAN glass. Not spray, not suction pads, not gloves.
• No abrasive cloths, steel wool, scouring pads, or sandpaper.
• No razor blades, sharp tools, or Stanley knives near the glass surface.
• No bleach, soda, or washing powder.
• No commercial products designed for surfaces other than glass.
• No jewellery, buckles, or tape measures dragged across the surface.

Why the Right Technique Matters

Saint-Gobain has been making glass since 1665. Their manufacturing standards are some of the most rigorous in the world. PLANILUX, STADIP, CLIMAPLUS, and BIOCLEAN are all built to perform across the full lifetime of a building.

In over 25 years of cleaning premium glass across Vienna and Melbourne, I have cleaned every type of glass you can put in a window. The professional technique is always the same foundation: dissolve the dirt, squeegee cleanly, detail the edges. The manufacturer's specific care instructions layer on top.

Saint-Gobain's care guidelines give you the product rules. The professional technique in this guide gives you the method. Together, they protect everything their glass was engineered to deliver.

The Manifesto is free and only takes five minutes to review, making it a smart starting point.

Start with the free Manifesto at orloffs.com/the-skill. The Skill ($69, lifetime access) includes the Manifesto, AR Training Tool, and Quick Start Mastery Course.