Cleaning and maintaining your bi-fold door frames
Looking after your bi-fold doors and keeping the frames clean is a straightforward task – even if it is not your favourite chore! Normally you will simply need to give them a thorough wipe with a non-abrasive cloth using warm water and a mild detergent.
Be careful with the powder coat finish though. A strong household cleaner could cause damage to the coating spoiling the sleek finish you love. As a general rule, more stubborn stains can be dealt with using a non-abrasive liquid cream cleaner or paraffin-based cleaning solution.
Cleaning the tracks of your bi-fold doors
It is important for the smooth running of your bi-fold doors that you keep the tracks free from stones and debris as these can cause damage. The easiest way is simply to run your vacuum cleaner nozzle.
An accumulation of dirt can be cleaned away by running a cloth along the track.
With some doors it can be a good idea to keep the tracks and mechanisms lubricated with a silicon spray. Check with your supplier to see if this advisable for your doors. If so, concentrate on the area where the wheel and guide disks meet the tracks to ensure on-going smooth running.
If you find that the track has suffered real damage, your best option is to contact a professional to assess the situation. It might be something that they can fix or they might recommend replacing the damaged track. But please don’t tinker with it yourself. You could make an easily-fixed problem worse!
Cleaning the glass of your bi-fold doors
When you’ve invested in bi-fold doors to bring sunlight into your home, the last thing you want is to spoil that effect with streaky glass. Here are our tips for keeping your bi-fold doors sparkling:
- An eco-friendly 50/50 mixture of vinegar and water is a long-standing traditional way to clean glass for a reason. But it will leave a powerful smell of vinegar for a while so this might be one for a nice day when you can get some fresh air into the room.
- A mixture of soap and water is a common choice but don’t go overboard with the soap as the suds will leave a streaky residue on the glass.
- To avoid streaks your choice of cleaning tool is key. Microfibre cloths or squeegees are best for a streak-free effect.
- Try to avoid letting dirty water drip onto the frames. If it does, make sure you wipe it away fully. Sparkling clean windows need a smart, smear-free frame to off-set them.
