How to clean plastic windows from protective film? Removing film from plastic windows: effective methods and useful recommendations How to wash old film from plastic windows

After the plastic windows have been installed, you must immediately remove the protective film. Many people do not pay attention to it and believe that it will protect the windows for a while. In fact, if you delay this matter, then problems will arise with its removal, since over time it begins to crack and burst, which does not add beauty to the windows.

When and why should you remove window film?

It is usually customary to install windows without removing the film. Manufacturers recommend removing the film within 10 days after installing the window. You need to know that the protective film consists of 2 layers glued together. The first layer usually contains the manufacturer's advertising, and the second is tightly glued to the surface of the frame. If it is not removed in time, then under the influence of heat and sun the glue thickens and sticks firmly to the surface. The front layer can still be removed, but the bottom layer will be removed in pieces.

3 ways to remove old film from plastic windows

If you weren’t able to remove the film in time, now you’ll have to work harder. There are several proven methods for removing film from windows.

1 way

It will require patience and effort. To remove it you will need a blade or a thin sharp knife. You need to pry the film with this object and tear off the protruding ends with your hands. And so on until complete removal.

Then the remaining glue is removed from the surface. It can be erased with a regular eraser. You can also use a sponge and detergent to wipe the frame until it is completely clean.

Method 2

This method is suitable if the bottom layer is not “tightly” glued. For this you will need construction hair dryer or even the one used for drying hair, but powerful. They heat the surface of the film and try to remove it using a thin scraper. Residues of glue are washed off with detergents.

How to remove using various tools old film from a PVC window, you can clearly see in the video:

3 way

Here a steam cleaner is used to remove the film. The film is thoroughly heated with steam, then removed from the frame using a glass scraper. To get rid of glue on the frame, it is best to use white spirit. It removes glue well without damaging plastic surface. If you can’t completely remove it, you can saturate the film with a cloth soaked in white spirit.

Product for removing film from plastic windows

Not all products can be used to remove film as they may damage the surface. Denatured alcohol, that is, technical alcohol, is considered effective and does not damage the surface of PVC.

To treat the surface, you need to pour denatured alcohol into a spray bottle and spray the film, do nothing for about 5 minutes. Then you need to pry its edge with a thin knife and gently pull the film. She must pull out. Spray again and pull off the remaining film. Do this until all the film is removed.

If you wish, you can purchase a specialized product - Starwax natural cleaner and stain remover. Simply spray it onto the film, wait a few minutes and remove it with a scraper. As a bonus, the product has pleasant aroma orange peel.

To not only remove the film, but also traces of glue, it is suggested to use any car body cleaner:

How to remove film from a plastic window sill?

The same methods are used to remove film from windows and window sills. The fastest and most effective is removal protective material using special means"Admiral", which is produced specifically for PVC surfaces:

Wet the window sill.
Hold for 5-7 minutes.
Take out a scraper for glass ceramics and use it to scrape off the film.

Do all this several times until the film is completely removed. If there are dirty marks left, the article “” will tell you how to remove them.

Video: How to remove protective film from PVC windows?

The video shows how the remnants of the old one are removed protective film in a very simple and original way:

So, in order not to bother yourself with the work of removing the old film, you need to remove it immediately after installing the windows. Then there will be no difficulties - it will be easily removed, you just have to pull a little. It is worth understanding that such a film is intended to protect materials only during transportation.

When I had the opportunity to remove the film myself from a window installed 3-4 years ago, I tried many methods, and on personal experience I was convinced that there is no ideal and quick remedy; in any case, you will have to tinker a lot and be patient. So, here are my own works with reviews:

1 Remove the film with something sharp

This is the simplest and affordable way, find a razor blade or a stationery knife, or any other sharp object, including even nail sticks, and use this object to pick at the edges of the film, slowly peeling it away from the plastic.

The work, I’ll tell you, requires a lot of patience, because they come off in pieces, which also stick back to another place, it’s just some kind of restoration. It's too long and tedious, and when you lose patience and try to speed up the process, you start scratching the plastic.

It is best to use these sticks:

There is even a professional tool, although it was developed not for removing film from a window, but for cleaning glass ceramics:

I didn't have to work with them, but most likely it won't be as useful on oval and hard-to-reach places.

2 Hot air from a hair dryer

At first we tried a hair dryer, but it doesn’t produce such a powerful flow and overheats quickly, so we had to ask professional hair dryer with tip. The action is simple, you need to warm up the remaining film and then peel it off.

Things went faster when they started using sticks and a hairdryer at the same time; in fact, when the film warmed up, it was easier to remove, but there was an inconvenience - it burned your hands.

A hairdryer is good when removing film from a new window in large pieces to pull the edge and warm the area that has not yet been removed.

3 Solvent liquid

You just need to apply the solvent to the film and wait until it softens, then use either a rag or a sponge, or the same sticks or blades.

You can use it like ordinary solvents, such as white spirit, 646 and others, but first you need to try it on a hidden piece of the window so as not to dissolve the plastic. Or use a professional solvent, like this industrial one:

Using regular solvent is such a stink that it doesn't even help. open window, but it does not dissolve the film, but only makes it softer and only at the edges does it come off well.

A professional solvent with a scent (we used orange) so it doesn’t really stink, but you still have to inhale the dissolution products, and it dissolves the film not much better than usual, despite the fact that its price per bottle is about 1000 rubles.

5 Eraser - eraser for erasing a pencil.

An absolutely useless thing, unless you need to remove a film no larger than a fingernail.

6 Soap solution using a stiff brush

I also tested this method, it only breaks the edges of the film, but the main part holds on. But it removes the glue itself well when the film is torn off.

Hide

Plastic windows are often equipped with various films that are needed to protect from the sun, give the glass greater strength, and decoration. When purchasing an apartment, the windows can be covered with such films, but the new owner does not always need them. In addition, if the time has come to update the windows, since films tend to become unusable, the question arises of how to remove the solar control film from the window.

Coating removal methods

You can remove the sun protection film from the glass different ways, choosing the most convenient and affordable. This is done both mechanically and with the help of various detergents; they also use a combined approach in order to clean efficiently.

The film can be quite useful: it has a small thickness, but at the same time it makes the window much stronger; it can no longer be broken with a simple stone. Exist different types films that help protect the glass unit even from strong impacts, such as a shot; They are classified as protective. It will not be possible to remove perforated film from glass or any other type of protective or tinting from the outside: an attacker will not do this, since the process requires a lot of time, effort, and attracts the attention of others. Most films are applied with inside, with the exception of protective.

Knowing how to remove film from window glass may be necessary if you want to replace it when updating the interior or replacing a double-glazed window. Sometimes a product loses its visual appeal and requires updating, or the owners of the room want to change its lighting, make the room lighter or darker. The process of removing film is simple and does not require hiring a specialist, but it is worth considering that you will have to spend a sufficient amount of time and effort on this. You need to work carefully: in the process it is easy to damage the glass and scratch it, especially if you remove the film using hard materials like a spatula or a rough brush.

What should you do when you need to remove film from a window?

When choosing a method, means, or option for cleaning glass, room owners take into account several parameters:

You must not harm the glass.
Spend as little time as possible on this.
The option should be inexpensive.
There should be no traces of glue, film residues, or various contaminants left on the glass.

The easiest way to remove the sun-protective film from glass is to use a spatula and your fingers. Some types can be carefully pryed off by grabbing the edge and tearing it off, but this does not always happen due to the fact that the film is glued unevenly, is damaged in places and peels off.

It is quite difficult to remove film adhesive from glass. It is difficult to remove with detergents and is not susceptible to mechanical action. In order to remove it, you can use white spirit or another alcohol-containing substance that can gently clean the surface. You should not use rags with coarse pile, as this may leave marks on the glass that are visible in the sun.

Understand , how to remove old film from plastic windows, may be required if it is damaged, there is a desire to change the appearance of the window, or to renew an old coating that has already deteriorated.

What methods for dismantling are there?

Removal methods can be divided into two – mechanical and chemical. The first allows you to remove film from plastic windows without spending much money, but with the risk of scratching the glass. The second will take longer and cost more, but with the right products you can thoroughly clean the surface without causing harm to it. For greater effectiveness, it is best to combine the methods: first, you will need to tear off all swollen, cracked or otherwise deteriorated film.

You can remove the film from plastic windows by hand, then get rid of the glue using substances such as COSMOFEN 10, FENOSOL. These detergents have a cheaper alternative that you can buy at a hardware store: it's called P-12.

It will be much easier to remove the protective film from plastic windows if you heat it up with a hair dryer before tearing it off. Heated glue becomes more viscous and allows parts of the structure to be peeled off. However, it is better to remove the glue itself when it has cooled a little.

You should try to heat the surface evenly: the better you do this, the easier it will be to remove the self-adhesive film from the glass and the remnants of its glue. The latter will not be easy to remove; you will need to use a solvent, a scraper and detergents. You need to act carefully, otherwise you may scratch the glass. A steam generator can help in this matter. You can use it to remove stained glass film from glass. , get rid of tinting or protective film, glue residues. If you don’t have a steam generator or a powerful hair dryer at hand, you shouldn’t try to heat it up with an iron. This way, the film will not be removed, but it will partially stick to the surface of the iron, which can significantly damage it, and after cooling it will not be easy to tear it off from the iron.

You can remove the self-adhesive film from the glass, if it is warmed up well, using a hard eraser for artists. Eraser residue can be easily removed from the window. To do this you need a dry sponge or rag. If there is any glue left, you can reapply the eraser or use a solvent. Most hardware stores will have something to remove film from glass.

Before removing film from glass, you need to carefully study all the methods, purchase suitable detergents and tools with which you can clean the surface.

Under the influence of ultraviolet radiation, sunlight and time, the protective film strongly sticks to plastic profile and glass, bursts, cracks, dries out. Clean up protective covering no later than 10 days after installing the new window. To separate the film from the plastic, use a scraper, dull knife or a stiff brush. Heat the dried tape with hot air from a hairdryer or use solvents (white spirit, RP6), denatured alcohol, Schumanite, and professional plastic cleaning products. Wipe off the remaining glue with a school eraser, nail polish remover, or vegetable oil. To remove self-adhesive tint film or solar control coating, use a multi-pronged approach.

Adhesive tape protects new windows during transportation, installation, construction work in room. Untimely removal leads to its drying out. Knowing how to remove film from plastic windows, you can quickly and effectively return them to their attractive appearance and remove dust stuck to them. adhesive base without damaging the surface.

Why does the film stick to the window?

The protective film is applied to the new metal-plastic frame using adhesive composition.

Its quality largely determines how easily and quickly it will be removed. Unscrupulous manufacturers use cheap coatings that “stick” to the window, burst and peel. It is difficult to remove such a film even within the prescribed period.

Hot summer weather and South side windows make the situation worse.

Profile, installed in winter, cleaning is somewhat easier if done on time. In the cold, the coating also collapses, bursts, and loses elasticity.

Important! Remove the protective film no later than 10 days from the date of installation of the new profile so that it does not have time to stick and collapse.

How to remove protective film from a window

To remove intact film from a plastic frame or window sill, just pick up its corner with any sharp object(scissors, knife, fingernail), and then carefully separate along the entire length. The coating will easily come away from the profile, will not tear and will not leave sticky marks.

Old, stuck-on film will have to be removed using improvised means or solvents.

Conventionally, methods for removing dried film can be divided into:

mechanical (brushes, scrapers, blades);
chemical (solvents);
temperature (heating with a hairdryer).

In some cases, removing very old, damaged coating may require a multi-pronged approach.

Mechanical methods for removing protective coating

Using a scraper, knife, or stiff brush is one of the most popular methods for cleaning the profile from the protective film. You need to act very carefully so as not to damage the plastic or glass.

Hard brush

Any brush with stiff, non-metallic bristles or a dish sponge with an abrasive layer will do.

Algorithm of actions:

Using your hands, remove as much surface area as possible from the coating.
Divorce laundry soap in warm water.
Wet the brush.
Using circular movements, remove the sticky layer.
Wipe the plastic with a clean cloth.

Scraper

Use a special scraper for cleaning glass ceramics or a rubberized construction spatula.

Remove the coating by hand as much as possible.
Wipe the frames with a wet, soapy cloth to remove dirt and dust.
Holding the tool at a comfortable angle, remove the sticky layer.
Wash the windows with a hard sponge and soap, wipe with a fresh cloth.

Knife, blade

Use a dull knife or blade to avoid damaging the profile and causing injury. Wash the frames with soapy warm water and carefully clean with a blade.

Important! Metal tools can leave deep scratches on the plastic, where dust and dirt will become clogged. Their use is not advisable.

Scotch

After removing the tape, wash the frame well

The method is effective for removing cracked, dried film from PVC windows.

Cut a small strip of wide stationery tape, stick it to the frame, and tear it off sharply. Small dried parts of the protective coating will stick to the adhesive tape and come away from the plastic with it.

Chemicals for cleaning glass from film

Chemical solvents corrode the adhesive base and quickly and effectively remove film from windows.

Enterprises producing metal-plastic windows, supply their products with protective film. Its role is to protect frames from dust, dirt and scratches during storage, transportation and installation of window units. After this, it becomes completely useless and needs to be removed. Let's figure out how to do this.

When to remove protective film from plastic windows

Ideally, the protective coating is removed immediately after the windows are installed or within a couple of days thereafter. However, if indoors are still ongoing renovation work and the risk of damaging or staining the frames is high, this period can be increased. But not indefinitely: after 1-2 months, especially in hot weather conditions, it will be difficult to remove the film. If it is really necessary to protect the frames, instead of the factory coating, they can be covered with masking tape - there will be much less problems with its removal.

Why does the film stick and come off poorly?

The strength of the connection between the film and the frame is influenced by several factors:

Adhesive coating. The worse quality and cheaper the glue used, the faster it will stick tightly to the frame.
Room temperature. Under the influence of heat, both the glue itself and the film begin to slowly melt and literally eat into the plastic of the frames.
Exposure to ultraviolet radiation. As with the heat, Sun rays change the structure of the glue and film, as a result they stick to the window very quickly.

How to remove film from plastic windows: all possible methods

Even old film can sometimes be removed relatively easily; it is only difficult to pick up its edge. In such a situation, any thin and sharp object will come to the rescue: a knife, nail scissors, a needle or something similar. But you need to work with them carefully so as not to injure yourself or scratch the plastic of the frame. If this doesn't work, it's time to move on to more radical options.

Whichever method is chosen from those described below, it is very important during the process of removing the film not to damage the hydro- and vapor barrier coatings located at the junction of the frames with the walls and roof.

Hairdryer

The hairdryer is brought as close as possible and a stream of hot air is directed onto the frames. Under the influence of heat, the dried glue and film soften, and following fresh traces, the protective coating becomes really easy to pry and remove. Practice shows that it is more effective to blow not under the film, but at an angle from above as the film is torn off.

The more high temperature provides the device, the more effective the method becomes. The best option– do not use a fairly weak technique for drying hair, but a powerful hair dryer. An alternative to a hairdryer can be a heater, if its mechanism of action is also based on blowing hot air, or a clothes steamer.

Solvents

Chemicals for diluting or dissolving paints, varnishes and other construction liquids will most likely help remove the film from a plastic window. Acetone (and even acetone-containing nail polish remover), mineral spirits and other kerosene-based liquids, automotive tar removal chemicals, special sticker removers, and much more can work. The effectiveness of such remedies in each specific case may vary, so it is better to test them experimentally.

Procedure:

Pry up the tip of the film at least a little. If this does not work, then at least cut or otherwise disrupt the integrity of the film, otherwise the solvent will be ineffective or useless at all.
Apply the product - carefully pour, spread with a brush or cloth.
Wait 2-3 minutes.
Pull the edge of the film and try to remove it from the treated area.
If there is no result, add solvent and let stand for some more time.
Upon completion of work, wipe the frames with a damp cloth, possibly adding detergent.

It is important to follow safety precautions - if the instructions for the product recommend working with gloves and ventilating the room well, this should not be neglected. Otherwise, you can cause intoxication of the body and a chemical burn to the skin.

Scotch

This method is most effective if you need to remove individual small pieces of protective film from plastic windows. It is necessary to cut a piece of wide tape at least 4-5 cm long (a smaller size will be awkward to hold in your hands). It is glued to areas of the frame with film, carefully smoothed, and then pulled very sharply. Ideally, the entire protective coating should remain on the strip of tape.

You should only use stationery tape (transparent or colored - it doesn’t matter). Masking and double-sided tape on fabric and paper based coated with a less sticky adhesive.

Cold

The effectiveness of this method is based on the properties of many polymer materials become hard and brittle when exposed to low temperatures. In the case of a protective film, the glue will simply harden and stop adhering it so tightly to the frame.

If in winter period In your region, frosts reach at least -10°C, you just need to wait for the cold weather and let the frames cool thoroughly by opening the windows in the room for a couple of hours. If not, you can try to cool the problem areas artificially by applying frozen bottled water to them and immediately trying to peel off the film using fresh traces. But the effectiveness of this option is significantly lower.

Scraper

If the film is stuck so tightly that even intense rubbing with a brush does not help, you can only use a sharp object. The knife is not suitable for this purpose - it will take a very long time to pick out the film with the tip, and holding the narrow blade flat is inconvenient. You can use a construction spatula, but still would be better suited scraper for glass ceramic coating electric stoves. It is even more difficult for them to scratch the plastic of the frames.

Hard brush

In this case, you will need a stiff, but preferably non-metallic brush. The surface of the film is actively rubbed with it until it is removed. An alternative to a brush is a metal dish sponge. Made from thin strips of metal, it, like a knife or scraper, cuts off the film, but unlike them it does it more delicately, i.e. with less risk of scratching the plastic of the frame.

Vegetable oils

If you somehow managed to remove the film from a plastic window, but there is still a sticky layer of adhesive on the frames, help here vegetable oils. They generously lubricate the contaminated areas, leave for a few minutes so that they are saturated with liquid, and then remove with a cloth, sponge or brush. You can use absolutely any vegetable oils or drying oil.

The oil itself must also be removed from the frames, otherwise over time it will harden and form dark and sticky stains, to which dust will quickly stick. You can remove residual oil with soap, dishwashing detergent, acetone or alcohol.

Butter alternatives:

hard sponge with soapy water;
weak solvent;
regular office eraser. It is advisable to choose an elastic grater that matches the color of the frames (so that it does not stain them). From rubbing with an eraser, the remaining glue and film will roll into large lumps, which will fall off on their own or can be easily removed with your fingers or a damp cloth.

Video on how to clean a plastic window from old film

See also video instructions for removing protective film from plastic materials that was not removed in time. window frames:

Contacting a cleaning company

If you were unable to clean the film from plastic windows yourself, you should turn to those for whom such tasks are the main activity. Cleaning company employees have the most different instruments and substances for removing contaminants, and, last but not least, experience.

How to remove film from a plastic window sill

For the window sill, all the same methods are applicable as described above for window frames: heating with a hairdryer, solvents, sharp scrapers, a stiff brush, etc. But if the window sill is not perfectly smooth, but has a rough texture, then in addition to them you can try abrasive substances - powdered detergents or regular baking soda. It is better not to use them on a smooth surface; the risk of leaving scratches on it is too great. Additionally, read about protection from contamination, because this is not uncommon during repairs.

The protective film on the frames of plastic windows is designed only for short-term protection from dirt and scratches. After installation, you should get rid of this coating as quickly as possible, otherwise it will be quite difficult to remove it later.