Janelas Exóticas

Quick Facts

Brand at a Glance

Product Range

Why This System

Step 1 of 2: Manufacturer Recommendations

Official Care Guidance

Glass

• ✓Clean roller shutter housing before touching the glass on any property with integrated shutters.
• ✓Lukewarm water with mild dish soap or glass cleaner. Microfibre T-bar, professional squeegee, fresh rubber.
• ✓In coastal locations, rinse glass with clean fresh water after the squeegee pass to remove any salt residue from the cleaning solution.
• ✓No razor blades on coated glass.

Frames

• ✓Aluminium frames: pH-neutral cleaner on a soft cloth, rinse with clean fresh water, dry immediately.
• ✓In coastal locations: rinse aluminium frames with fresh water after cleaning, even if the cleaner is pH-neutral. Salt residue from the cleaner drying on the frame accelerates chalking.
• ✓PVC frames: pH-neutral cleaner, damp cloth, rinse, dry. No bleach, no solvent.
• ✓Clear bi-fold track and sliding door tracks at every clean.

Hardware

• ✓Wipe hardware dry after cleaning. Coastal Portuguese climate - salt air and hardware moisture is a fast corrosion combination.
• ✓Lubricate casement hardware, sliding door rollers, and bi-fold hinges annually.
• ✓Check rubber seals at every clean. In coastal and high-UV locations, seal life is shorter than in northern European climates.

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 Janelas Exóticas installation.

1. 1

   Coastal context assessment

   Identify the property's distance from the coast. Within 1 km of the Atlantic, salt air protocols apply to every clean.

   Locate roller shutter housings and plan the top-to-bottom cleaning sequence.

   Identify bi-fold or sliding door systems and check track condition before starting.

2. 2

   Shutter housing and track preparation

   Brush shutter housing face and slot before any glass work.

   Sweep bi-fold and sliding door tracks dry before wetting. Sand and salt in the track should be removed dry, not washed into the roller mechanism.

   Open shutters and secure in the open position.

3. 3

   Glass wash

   Apply soap solution with T-bar in overlapping passes.

   On bi-fold systems, work one panel at a time and move the panel to access the full glass face if needed.

   Dwell 30 to 60 seconds on soiling.

4. 4

   Squeegee

   Standard technique, side-to-side from the top.

   On coastal properties, follow the squeegee pass with a clean water rinse on the glass using a fresh damp cloth to remove any salt residue from the cleaning solution.

   Bottom edge pass to complete.

5. 5

   Frame wipe-down

   pH-neutral cleaner on a soft cloth. Rinse with clean fresh water on a separate cloth. Dry immediately.

   In coastal locations, the fresh water rinse on the frame is as important as the cleaning step.

   Clear tracks and drainage slots with a soft brush after the frame wash.

6. 6

   Hardware check and seal inspection

   Run each window through full operation.

   Check rubber seals on south-facing elevations for hardening or cracking.

   Dry all hardware immediately. In coastal locations, dry within 5 minutes of contact to prevent salt air from combining with residual moisture on hardware.

Pro Tips

• ★ Within 500 metres of the Portuguese Atlantic coast, every clean should include a fresh water rinse of all aluminium surfaces after the cleaning product has been applied and wiped off. This removes any residual salt from the cleaner before it can dry on the frame.
• ★ Bi-fold door tracks in Portuguese coastal properties accumulate a mixture of fine sand and salt that compacts into a paste under the roller mechanism. Brush it out dry, then rinse the track with clean water and dry before closing the doors.
• ★ Aluminium powder coat in coastal locations develops a chalky bloom over 5 to 10 years from salt air and UV combined. A purpose-made aluminium restorer can reduce the chalking. Increased cleaning frequency slows it down.
• ★ Portuguese residential buildings in historic city centres (Lisbon, Porto) often have windows from multiple eras - original wrought-iron casements, 1970s non-thermally-broken aluminium, and new products in the same building. Identify each product before applying any cleaning approach.
• ★ Folding systems with multiple sash panels need each panel cleaned individually. The sashes overlap when folded - unfold each panel to access the full glass face.
• ★ Rubber seals on Portuguese aluminium windows should be inspected at every clean and replaced every 5 to 7 years in high-UV coastal locations. A brief seal condition note in the client record helps track seal age.
• ★ Salt air corrosion on non-thermally-broken aluminium frames appears first at the joins between frame members and at any fixing point. A torch inspection of joins and fixings at the annual service visit catches early corrosion before it spreads.

What NOT To Do

Bundle Kits and Tool Recommendations

Cleaning Frequency

Glass: 4x per year minimum in coastal locations (Atlantic coastal properties accumulate salt and organic soiling fast. Quarterly minimum. Monthly on properties within 200 metres of the sea.). Frames: Same schedule as glass (Fresh water rinse after every clean in coastal locations.). Tracks (bi-fold, sliding): Every clean (Salt and sand in tracks is the leading cause of roller wear on Portuguese coastal bi-fold systems.). Hardware lubrication and seal check: 2x per year in coastal locations (Annual lubrication is insufficient in high-salt-air environments.)

Frequently Asked Questions

Field Notes

“Portuguese coastal window maintenance is the most demanding environmental context in which standard window cleaning technique is expected to apply. Salt air, UV, and Atlantic rain create a combination that tests every product and seal faster than Central European climates. Bi-fold door systems are very popular in Portuguese coastal villa architecture. They are also the highest-maintenance window product in the range due to the multiple sash panels and the track accumulation issue. The fresh water rinse step after aluminium frame cleaning is not optional in coastal locations. It takes 90 extra seconds per window and prevents years of accelerated powder-coat degradation.”

Justin Orloff