3 Tips for Cleaning Exterior French Doors

Exterior French doors add a great deal to a property. They increase the value as well as beautify the place and make the outdoors more accessible. However, the fact that they’re exterior doors means that they receive wind, rain and other things, so they need to be cleaned regularly in order to stay looking good. There are ways to make the cleaning of the exterior French doors quicker and more effective.

Glass

There’s plenty of glass on exterior French doors and it can become dirty very easily, especially in fall or winter. Cleaning with a commercial spray isn’t the best answer for this, as it will tend to leave streaks. Try taking a squeegee and running a little dish washing liquid along about half its length. Use this on the glass. It will clean very effectively. To wipe it off, have another squeegee and a bucket of cold water. Dip the second squeegee in the water then wipe over the glass you’ve cleaned to remove the soap and leave a sparkling, streak-free finish.

You can also use vinegar and old newspaper to clean glass. Put some white vinegar on the newspaper and wipe over the glass, making sure you get into all the corners. To clean, use dry newspapers. The combination of vinegar and newsprint makes a highly effective cleaning combination for glass.

Solids

How you clean the part of the exterior French doors that isn’t wood is going to depend on the material. In many cases they’ll be made of wood, which makes things a great deal easier. The best way to clean wood is with a good pure liquid soap and water. Use a sponge, and have a scrub brush for less accessible areas as well as removing tougher stains. In most instances this will take care of all problems. You’ll simply need to rinse later with cold water and leave to dry. A good wood cleaner will also be very effective and should clean the exterior French doors in one go.

Locks

The locks and handles are an important part of your exterior French door and you need to look after these two. All the metal fixtures need to be cleaned regularly or they can easily rust. Use the proper cleaner for the type of metal, such as brass cleaner for brass. By cleaning monthly you’ll protect the metal as well as keeping it shining. When cleaning, you should also use a few drops of penetrating oil on the lock mechanism. This is a preventative in case any moisture should enter, and will keep the handles and lock turning smoothly. Every few cleanings you can put a little oil on the hinges, too.

It’s advisable to have a schedule for cleaning the exterior French doors. Once a month should be adequate, if it’s done throughout the year. When done regularly it will only take up a few minutes of your time and your house will look a great deal better for it.