Deceuninck

Quick Facts

Brand at a Glance

Product Range

Why This System

Step 1 of 2: Manufacturer Recommendations

Official Care Guidance

Glass

• ✓Lukewarm water with a small amount of mild soap or a dedicated glass cleaner. No ammonia-based cleaners near PVC frames or rubber seals.
• ✓Microfibre T-bar applicator on the wash, professional squeegee on the pull. Fresh rubber blade - worn rubber leaves residue in the flush sash shadow gap on Elegant profiles.
• ✓No razor blades without confirming the glass specification. Solar control and easy-clean coatings are present on many mid-range Deceuninck-based installations.
• ✓After squeegeeing, wipe the flush sash shadow gap on Elegant profiles with a damp cloth to remove any solution that has run into the gap during the pull.

Frames

• ✓Wipe with a damp cloth and pH-neutral cleaner. Rinse thoroughly - residue in rebate grooves and the flush sash gap attracts grime and degrades rubber seals.
• ✓No bleach, chlorine, or strong alkali on white or colour-foil PVC. Test any new product on an inconspicuous area first on colour foil installations.
• ✓No abrasive pads on any Deceuninck profile surface. The outer face of colour foil profiles is particularly sensitive.
• ✓Clear drainage slots at the frame base and sash base at every clean. Use a soft brush or cocktail stick, never metal.

Hardware

• ✓Wipe hardware with a damp cloth and dry immediately. Standing water on steel locking bars and hinges causes rust staining on adjacent white or colour PVC.
• ✓Lubricate all moving hardware points - tilt-and-turn mechanisms, hinge points, espagnolette rods - with a light machine oil once per year.
• ✓Check that all locking points engage smoothly. Resistance at the handle is the first indicator that lubrication has dried out.

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 Deceuninck installation.

1. 1

   Preparation

   Identify the profile series if possible - Elegant flush sash profiles need extra attention at the shadow gap; standard Zendow profiles are more straightforward. The flush sash is identifiable by the flat front face of the sash sitting close to the outer frame plane.

   Check drainage slots at the base of the frame and sash on each window. If blocked, clear dry before washing - wet debris pushed into slots is harder to shift.

   Check for any Twinson composite elements (sills, fascia) alongside the windows. These need a different cleaning approach - set them aside from the PVC frame cleaning sequence.

2. 2

   Agitation

   Apply soap solution to the glass with the microfibre T-bar in overlapping passes. On Elegant profiles, keep the solution application away from the flush sash gap - solution that runs into the gap during the wash phase is harder to remove during the squeegee phase.

   Apply pH-neutral frame cleaner to a damp cloth for the frame wash rather than spraying directly onto the frame. This keeps the product off glass and adjacent seals.

   Rinse the T-bar cover after every two or three windows.

3. 3

   Edge detail

   On standard Zendow profiles, run a damp cloth along the rebate groove before squeegeeing. On Elegant flush sash profiles, use the soft-bristle brush to clear the shadow gap before the squeegee pass.

   Wipe the top frame rail dry before squeegeeing - drips from the top rail during the pull land on already-cleaned glass below.

   On colour foil frames, handle the edge detail gently - the foil edge at the frame corner is the most vulnerable point on any co-extruded surface.

4. 4

   Squeegee

   Cut in at the top of the glass with the squeegee angled away from the frame. Side-to-side passes for standard residential panel sizes.

   On Elegant profiles, the final squeegee pass near the bottom of the glass should direct water away from the flush sash gap. Angle the squeegee rubber so water falls onto the outer frame face rather than into the gap.

   Wipe the rubber dry on a clean cloth after every pass. Solution from the rubber deposits on the colour foil frame face as a visible mark if the rubber is not kept clean.

5. 5

   Frame wipe-down

   Wipe all frame faces with damp cloth and pH-neutral cleaner, top to bottom. Pay attention to welded corners - grime accumulates in the corner junction of PVC profiles and is commonly missed.

   On Elegant profiles, use the soft-bristle brush in the shadow gap after the main frame wipe. Work from the top of the gap to the bottom and wipe the loosened grime away with a damp cloth.

   Rinse frames with clean water on a separate cloth and dry. Do not leave cleaner sitting on PVC or colour foil surfaces.

6. 6

   Hardware and drainage check

   Operate each window through its full range after cleaning - tilt, turn, and close. Confirm all locking points engage. Stiff or heavy handle operation means lubrication is needed.

   After the wash, recheck drainage slots with a torch at a low angle. Any slot still blocked after the dry clear at the start needs another pass with the wooden pick.

   Dry any standing water on steel hardware immediately. On colour PVC frames, rust staining from hardware is particularly visible against dark or woodgrain colour foil.

Pro Tips

• ★ On Elegant flush sash profiles, the shadow gap accumulates more grime per month than the main frame face - budget extra time for this detail on the first visit to an Elegant installation.
• ★ Deceuninck colour foils in dark woodgrain finishes show water marks more clearly than white PVC - work in smaller sections and dry faster on dark colour installations.
• ★ If white Deceuninck profiles have yellowed, a dedicated PVC restorer can address mild cases. Do not use bleach - it causes further yellowing and hardens adjacent rubber seals.
• ★ Recycled-core Deceuninck profiles (Twinson excepted) have identical outer surfaces to standard virgin PVC profiles - no adjusted cleaning technique is needed for the recycled-core series.
• ★ On French-market Deceuninck fabrications, hardware is often from French suppliers and may differ from Belgian or Dutch market equivalents on the same profile - check hardware operation before assuming lubricant type.
• ★ Drainage slot blockages on Deceuninck profiles in urban environments are almost always airborne dust compacted by rain, not cleaning product residue - a wooden pick clears them in seconds.
• ★ On north-facing Deceuninck installations, algae establishes in the frame rebate over winter. Diluted white vinegar removes it without damaging PVC or seals - rinse thoroughly after application.

What NOT To Do

Bundle Kits and Tool Recommendations

Cleaning Frequency

Glass: 2x per year minimum (Spring and autumn. Urban and south-facing locations benefit from quarterly cleaning.). Frames: 2x per year (Same visit as glass. Elegant flush sash shadow gaps need attention at every clean.). Drainage slots: Every clean (30 seconds per window. The cost of ignoring it is water damage behind the glass unit.). Hardware lubrication: Once per year (Light machine oil or dedicated window lubricant on all moving points.)

Frequently Asked Questions

Field Notes

“The Elegant flush sash profile is the most common source of missed grime on Deceuninck installations - the shadow gap is not visible from a distance and is regularly skipped by cleaners who do not know the profile. Colour foil damage on Deceuninck profiles is almost always concentrated at the corners of the frame where the foil wraps - inspect corners on the first visit to any colour foil installation and flag any pre-existing lifting. Drainage slot blockages on Deceuninck profiles cause water ingress into the glass rebate - the first sign is usually a tide mark of dried mineral residue on the inner face of the glass unit, just above the bottom frame rail.”

Justin Orloff