PaX (Groupe LIEBOT Germany)

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 in warm water. Microfibre T-bar applicator and professional squeegee.
• ✓Clean inner face in tilt position, outer face in turn position or from ladder.
• ✓Squeegee top to bottom with overlapping passes. Wipe rubber after each pass.
• ✓Edge wipe in rebate groove before final pull.

Frames

• ✓PVC: pH-neutral cleaner on damp cloth. No solvents, no abrasives, no bleach.
• ✓Aluminium: pH-neutral aluminium-safe cleaner on soft cloth. Rinse immediately. Dry with chamois.
• ✓Clear roller shutter guide rail-to-frame junctions with a soft brush before cleaning.
• ✓Clear all sash drainage slots in the base of each tilt-and-turn sash.

Hardware

• ✓Annual lubrication at all moving points: hinge scissors, corner transfer pieces, espagnolette rod guides, cam faces.
• ✓Wipe hardware with damp cloth and dry at every clean visit.
• ✓Check seal compression by running a finger along the full sash perimeter seal. Note any flat or cracked sections.

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 PaX (Groupe LIEBOT Germany) installation.

1. 1

   Shutter rail junction clearance

   Clear any roller shutter guide rails attached to the window frame sides with a soft brush before starting glass or frame cleaning.

   Remove leaf debris, insect nests, and dirt from the rail-to-frame junction. This debris holds moisture against the frame and creates the worst staining on German window installations.

   On windows with raised external shutters, also check the shutter box base seal against the top frame member.

2. 2

   Glass cleaning

   Apply solution with T-bar in full overlapping passes. Inner face in tilt, outer face in turn position.

   Squeegee from top to bottom with consistent strokes. Rubber wipe after each pass.

   Edge detail wipe in rebate before final pull.

3. 3

   Frame cleaning

   Apply pH-neutral cleaner to cloth, wipe top to bottom in straight strokes.

   On colour foil PVC, use minimal pressure near seam edges. On aluminium, rinse immediately after cleaner application.

   Dry frames with cotton cloth. Do not leave cleaner residue on PVC or aluminium.

4. 4

   Drainage slot clearance

   Clear every sash base drainage slot with a plastic tool. Confirm each slot is open.

   Test drainage with a small amount of water in the glazing rebate.

   Clear the external cill junction sealant bead of debris.

5. 5

   Hardware lubrication

   Apply light oil to hinge scissors, corner transfer pieces, and espagnolette rod guides.

   Operate full tilt-and-turn cycle to distribute lubrication.

   Check cam engagement at all locking points.

6. 6

   Seal inspection

   Open each window and run a finger along the full perimeter compression seal.

   Note any flat spots, cracks, or sections where the seal has detached from the channel.

   Report seal condition to property owner. Degraded seals need replacement before winter.

Pro Tips

• ★ German roller shutter installations are the hidden source of most lower-frame staining on PaX windows. Clear the shutter rail junction every time, not just when it looks dirty.
• ★ RAL-certified PVC profiles have better UV stability than non-certified profiles, but they still discolour if cleaned with bleach or oxidising products. The certification covers material quality, not chemical resistance to wrong cleaning products.
• ★ On PaX aluminium windows, the powder coat finish is factory-applied to a high standard. A streaky finish after cleaning is a technique problem, not a product problem. Use straight wipe strokes and a chamois final pass.
• ★ German tilt-and-turn windows operated from the inside of a multi-storey building can only be cleaned on the outer face from the open turn position. Confirm the hinge scissors support the sash weight correctly before working at height from outside.
• ★ The corner transfer piece on German mid-range tilt-and-turn hardware is the first point to show wear signs. A clicking sound at the 45-degree handle position during operation is the corner piece telling you it needs lubrication.
• ★ PaX PVC frames in white maintain their appearance best with regular gentle cleaning rather than infrequent heavy cleaning. Every six months of deposit buildup requires more aggressive cleaning that is harder on the PVC surface.
• ★ Entrance door multi-point lock bolts on German doors use hook bolts rather than deadbolts on most configurations. The hooks engage in keeps in the door frame. Check that all three to five hook points are fully seated when the handle is fully raised.

What NOT To Do

Bundle Kits and Tool Recommendations

Cleaning Frequency

Glass: 2x per year (Spring and autumn. More frequent in locations with heavy atmospheric deposits.). Frames: 2x per year (Same visit as glass. Roller shutter junction clearing at every visit.). Drainage slots: Every clean (Standard tilt-and-turn maintenance.). Hardware lubrication: Once per year (Annual service. Check seal condition at same visit.)

Frequently Asked Questions

Field Notes

“German market window installations with roller shutters represent a different cleaning scope to standard window work. Budget extra time per window for shutter junction clearance on every German installation visit. PaX aluminium products appear in both residential and light commercial installations. The commercial installations typically have more glass area per window and benefit from a longer-channel squeegee. RAL quality mark on PaX products is a positive indicator for maintenance planning - it means the product was manufactured to a consistent standard and gives a reliable baseline for predicting cleaning product compatibility.”

Justin Orloff