Vaucluse architecture is shaped by the view. Harbour, ocean, city skyline, or all three. That means large windows, sliding walls of glass and glass balustrades, usually on the elevation facing the water and the weather.
Window cleaning is searched around 720 times a month in Sydney, peaking at about 1,000 in October and November. Vaucluse owners are a big part of that, and the reason is the exposure.
What dirties view glass
Salt. On the ocean side and the exposed harbour headlands, salt spray builds as a film. Left long enough, it etches. More: salt film versus hard water staining.
Hard water. Irrigation that reaches glass leaves mineral spots that bake on in summer sun.
Organic drip. On the harbour side, trees drip sap and tannin onto glass, and humidity lets mould grow on frames and seals.
Bird droppings. Common on clifftop properties and on high glass. Acidic and worth removing promptly.
How often
Ocean-facing view glass: a professional clean two to four times a year, with fresh-water rinses between. Harbour-side glass in sheltered positions: twice a year is usually enough. Street-side glass: on a normal residential interval.
The rinses matter more than the cleans. Salt that never sits for months never etches.
How it should be cleaned
Purified water through a water-fed pole is the standard for high and large glass. It leaves no mineral residue and reaches upper storeys without ladders against the facade. Lower glass can be done traditionally. More: window cleaning.
No abrasive pads, no razor scrapers on toughened or coated glass without testing. Low-E and self-cleaning coatings can be damaged by the wrong products.
Frames, tracks, flyscreens and seals
The glass is the visible part. The part that fails is the frame. Powder-coated aluminium corrodes under salt from scratches and cut edges. Sliding door tracks fill with sand and salt until the rollers grind. Flyscreens trap salt and go grey. More: powder-coated aluminium in salt air, window tracks and flyscreens.
Skylights and roof glazing
Often forgotten, and often filthy. Skylights collect leaves on the harbour side and salt on the ocean side. They need roof access and care: older polycarbonate is brittle. More: skylight cleaning.
When it is etched
If glass is clean and still dull or rough, it is etched. Polishing can help light etching. Heavy etching means replacement. That is worth knowing before paying for repeated cleans that cannot fix it. More: salt-hazed coastal glass.
What you can do between cleans
A hose on the shower setting, run top to bottom over ocean-facing glass and frames every few weeks, does more to prevent etching than anything else an owner can do. It is not cleaning; it is rinsing salt off before it bonds. Do it in the early morning or evening, not in full sun, so the water does not dry in spots.
Turn off or redirect irrigation that reaches glass. It is one of the commonest causes of hard water spotting on Vaucluse view glass, and it is easy to fix.
Avoid household glass cleaners with ammonia on tinted or coated glass, and never scrape with a blade on toughened glass. Toughened glass can carry fabrication debris on its surface that a blade drags into long scratches.
What to ask a window cleaner
Whether they use purified water on exterior glass. How they reach upper glass, and whether that involves ladders against the facade or roof access. Whether tracks, sills and frames are included or extra. Whether they will tell you if glass is etched rather than charge to clean it again. And whether they carry public liability insurance for work at height. More: what public liability covers.
For the rest of the year, see the Vaucluse maintenance calendar and Vaucluse’s two coasts.
