Care & Cleaning Guide

You may use almost any type of glass cleaner on your etched glass door panels, except Glass Plus, which contains some wax that could dull your etching over time. I would advise against using any type of cleaner that contains ammonia or vinegar, because it is too acidic for your mirrors, and may possibly damage/ blacken the edges. Ammonia & vinegar products would be fine on just glass products.

To clean your panels, spray the glass cleaner, wetting the entire surface. Work fast, wipe until dry; replacing your paper towels when they begin to crumble. Repeat this procedure, if you see streaking. (Don’t panic if your etching disappears when you wet it. It will regain the frosted appearance when it dries.)

The easiest way to clean your panels is to spray your paper towel with the glass cleaner. This way you may clean small areas at a time. I would like to suggest using cleaning cloths, because they shred less and don’t leave as much lint. An old T-shirt or sheet is good. Another great product for cleaning glass are the micro fiber cleaning cloths; sold through grocery stores, Walmart automotive departments and home improvement stores.. They remove dust and polish glass clean as if you used wet glass cleaners.

If rain or spray from a hose lands on your etching, it may cause water ring marks when it evaporates. If you can wipe the water drops off before they dry and fan the damp glass to aid evaporation, you’ll prevent spotting or unevenness in the frosted areas.

Reverse etchings are more work to keep clean. You may want to try rubbing your panels with baby oil, to masks fingerprints and possibly repel water drop rings from forming. Apply the baby oil with a cloth and then wipe off the excess with another cloth.  The oil will darken the etching slightly. You will have to reapply the oil, every time you use glass cleaner on your doors.

For stubborn oily spots, you can use mineral spirits/turpentine, on your etching. Follow that with regular glass cleaner. (Be careful of your molding.)

There are citrus cleaners that are also excellent for cleaning stubborn spots on your glass as well as other areas in your home. You can buy them at Home Depot/Lowes in the chemical aisle, of the paint dept. or in their cleaning dept. They also carry good foaming aerosol glass cleaners, but I prefer Sprayway Glass Cleaners sold through Ace Hardware and Amazon. Hi Sheen is alos very goo and is bought through local glass shops. CRL cleaner is another brand glass shops carry, is a just as good, but I don’t care for the smell. (Follow the citrus cleaner with glass cleaner, or it may look like an oil finish, which may be fine for your reverse etched panels.

If you get latex paint on your etching, you can try rubbing or denatured alcohol, to soften the paint; then scrap off with your fingernails. It’s better to mask your etching with low tack ‘blue’ tape prior to painting. If you happen to leave your masking tape on your etching for too long, you may cause a slight discoloration from the adhesive. The best chemical to remove this residue is Naptha; an adhesive remover and oil paint thinner. Naptha may leave white streaks as the chemical evaporates, so it’s best to aid its drying by fanning it or following immediately with glass cleaner.

Please do not use a glass squeegee on your etchings. The slightly rough etched surface will abrade the rubber blade causing it to leave a dark residue on your etching. The rubber streaks may be removed with mineral spirits or MEK thinner, followed immediately with glass cleaner.

Also do not pressure clean your exterior etchings. It will polish the frost areas, causing permanent bands and streaks where the water pressure washed it. (One of my customers have found this out the hard way.) The only way to repair this is to sandblast the pressure washed areas again, at additional cost.

If I can be of any further service, please feel free to call me. 772-873-0053. EST

or email me at: glassylassie@hotmail.com

Michele Parrish – Sandcastle Studio