Earlier this year, we washed the exterior of a Client’s home and received a call of concern.
The actual washing came out nice and the Client seemed quite pleased as the home was now free from the unsightly mildew and mold which had set in and gripped her home’s exterior in a chokehold, the challenge that arose however, was that upon looking at their windows after things had dried out, there appeared to be a sort of clouding phenomenon occurring which the Client had not previously noticed on certain windows.
When our techs went out on-site, they did a quick test and it was soon discovered that what was being observed was not anything related to the washing necessarily, but what was being seen were the lingering effects of acid rain.
Acid rain is a broad term which refers to any type of precipitation with acidic components (examples: sulfuric or nitric acid) that fall to the ground in either wet or dry forms – these include rain, snow, fog, hail, or even acidic dust! (Source: United States Environmental Protection Agency)
Air pollution is the cause of acid rain, as when gases produced from the burning of different types of fuels react with the oxygen in the air and water vapor, the acids are then osmosed into the rain that falls to the Earth.
As acid rain falls, it has widespread adverse effects which have been known to include health problems in people, forestry damage, harmful impacts on bodies of water and their associated ecosystems, and, in our example, damage to buildings and objects.
In the instance of our window, the acid rain leaves a cloudy, grayish/white, ashy-looking type buildup on the glass in different thicknesses.
To clean off this buildup, there are several solutions that may work.
If you do a search on the Internet, you will most likely come up with many methods for removing the acid rain effects from the affected areas of this glass on your windows.
Although there are a number of very valid approaches, perhaps one of the most simplest and effective methodologies is to mix one cup of regular vinegar with one quart of clean water.
After combining them together and loading the solution into a spray bottle, spray the areas where the acid rain has left its mark.
Then wipe off the sprayed areas with a clean cloth (paper towel, microfiber cloth, or the like).
It is important to use a clean portion of the cloth each time you wipe so that the dirt on the cloth does not mix with the other areas that you are working to clean and leaves streak marks behind.
The vinegar technique should actually produce quite the nice shine on the glass.
While not the only strategy for getting the job done, my sense is that this uncomplicated procedure will work rather well for you.
Unfortunately, the results of pollution throughout our society are not new news.
I remember being taught about acid rain when I was in elementary school in the mid-1980s and as with many things these days, the consequences of acid rain have not gotten a whole lot better over time, in fact, the opposite may indeed be true.
No matter whether you live in an area that is greatly affected by acid rain or sees very little evidence of its existence, knowing how to recognize its presence on your home’s glass and how to properly clean it may prove at some point to be a valuable tidbit of information amongst your home improvement acumen.
