OPTIWIN

Quick Facts

Brand at a Glance

Product Range

Why This System

Step 1 of 2: Manufacturer Recommendations

Official Care Guidance

Glass

• ✓pH-neutral glass cleaner, lukewarm water, microfibre T-bar and professional squeegee. Triple-glazed units have the same outer surface as double-glazed - cleaning approach is identical.
• ✓Do not lean cleaning tools or equipment against tilted triple-glazed sashes. The sash weight is significantly higher than standard residential glazing.
• ✓Clean outer face through the open turn position or from a ladder. Do not try to clean the outer face while the window is in tilt position.
• ✓Check the glass unit edge at every clean. Triple-glazed units have two internal cavities - a seal failure shows as a distinct condensation ring at one cavity boundary.

Frames

• ✓Outer aluminium cladding: pH-neutral aluminium cleaner, soft cloth, rinse, dry. No alkaline or abrasive products.
• ✓Inner timber face: damp cloth only with minimal moisture. No water-based cleaners on oiled timber. On painted timber, a very slightly damp cloth only - allow to dry before closing the window.
• ✓Do not use the same cloth or product on both inner timber and outer aluminium faces.
• ✓Check the cladding-to-frame sealant bead at every annual service. Report any gaps or lifting sealant immediately.

Hardware

• ✓Lubricate all moving hardware annually with light machine oil or PTFE spray. OPTIWIN windows with heavy triple-glazed sashes need more thorough lubrication than standard residential windows.
• ✓Condition all rubber compression seals annually with a non-silicone rubber conditioner.
• ✓On lift-and-slide terrace doors, lubricate running gear rollers and track at least twice per year - the load on unlubricated rollers carrying 100kg sash weight is severe.

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 OPTIWIN installation.

1. 1

   Material identification and condition check

   Identify the window construction type - timber-alu, full timber, or PVC. The outer face appearance tells you: aluminium-clad, painted timber, or white/colour PVC.

   On timber-alu products, check the aluminium cladding joins at corners and sill edges for any sealant gaps or moisture staining.

   On full timber products, check paint or oil finish condition before any cleaning - cracked or flaking paint needs reporting before water-based cleaning proceeds.

2. 2

   Outer face cleaning - aluminium or timber

   On timber-alu outer face: pH-neutral aluminium cleaner on soft cloth, wipe, rinse with clean water, dry. Work top to bottom.

   On full timber outer face: damp cloth with very dilute pH-neutral cleaner on sound paintwork only. Dry immediately with clean cloth.

   On PVC outer face: standard pH-neutral PVC cleaner, damp cloth, rinse, dry.

3. 3

   Glass cleaning

   Apply solution with T-bar, squeegee with consistent overlapping passes from top to bottom.

   On tall OPTIWIN sashes, work from a ladder with a long-handle T-bar rather than leaning the T-bar handle against the glass to extend reach.

   Edge detail wipe in rebate before final squeegee pass.

4. 4

   Inner face cleaning

   Inner timber face (painted): very slightly damp cloth, minimal passes, allow to dry before closing.

   Inner timber face (oiled): dry cloth only. No moisture on oiled timber surfaces.

   Inner PVC or aluminium face: standard pH-neutral cleaner, damp cloth, dry.

5. 5

   Seal conditioning

   Apply non-silicone rubber conditioner to all compression seals around the sash perimeter with a cloth or the product applicator.

   Allow the conditioner to absorb for 5 minutes before closing the window to prevent transfer to the opposite seal surface.

   On lift-and-slide terrace doors, condition the threshold seal as well as the perimeter seals - threshold seals carry the weight of the sash and wear faster.

6. 6

   Hardware service

   Lubricate all mechanism points: hinge scissors, corner transfer pieces, espagnolette rod guides, locking cam surfaces.

   On lift-and-slide doors, lubricate running gear roller axles with PTFE spray and track with a thin line of silicone grease.

   Operate all windows through full cycle. Report any stiffness or misalignment that persists after lubrication.

Pro Tips

• ★ Never use the same cloth on both the inner timber face and the outer aluminium cladding - the product safe for aluminium is not safe for oiled timber, and vice versa.
• ★ Triple-glazed sashes in tilt position feel heavier than expected when you first rest a T-bar on them. Confirm the sash is fully settled in tilt position before resting any equipment against it.
• ★ The compression seals on OPTIWIN Passive House windows are doing real thermal work, not just weather exclusion. A seal that has hardened and cracked means the window is losing air-tightness and the Passive House performance figures are no longer accurate.
• ★ Oiled timber inner faces should not be cleaned with any water-based product. A dry microfibre cloth removes light dust and fingermarks without introducing moisture into the timber.
• ★ Aluminium cladding on timber-alu windows is powder-coated after cladding fabrication. The coating is continuous across the outer face but stops at the cladding edge where it meets the timber frame. This junction is the only moisture vulnerability point - check it at every annual service.
• ★ OPTIWIN lift-and-slide doors often have a threshold seal that rises when the door is operated, sealing against the bottom of the sash. This seal needs to be clean and in contact with a clean track to function. Clean the track channel before lubricating.
• ★ On heavily loaded lift-and-slide running gear, apply PTFE spray to both the roller axle and the track face for best results. Lubricating only the track leaves the roller dry and the roller bearing doing most of the wear.

What NOT To Do

Bundle Kits and Tool Recommendations

Cleaning Frequency

Glass: 2x per year (Spring and autumn. Timber-alu windows in forested Austrian locations may accumulate more pollen and resin deposit than urban equivalents.). Outer frame - aluminium cladding: 2x per year (Same visit as glass. Alpine and rural locations accumulate organic deposits faster than urban locations.). Rubber seals: Once per year (Conditioning at the annual service visit. More frequent inspection in heavily used windows.). Running gear on lift-and-slide: 2x per year (Spring and autumn lubrication for heavy sash loads. More frequent in high-use locations.)

Frequently Asked Questions

Field Notes

“OPTIWIN windows are among the highest-specification products in the Austrian and German residential market. Clients who have invested in Passive House certification are typically detail-conscious and will notice cleaning quality issues that a standard client would not. The inner timber face of timber-alu windows is the most commonly damaged surface during cleaning by untrained operatives. The error is applying the same damp cloth used on the aluminium outer face to the timber inner face. Lift-and-slide terrace doors at this specification level are large, heavy, and expensive. Running gear failure on a 150kg triple-glazed sash is a significant repair. Annual lubrication is non-negotiable on these products.”

Justin Orloff