It’s that time of the year when the chilly weather is back. Just as you look after yourself with jumpers and coats, we recommend looking after your glass as well – for both buildings and vehicles. Moreover, it could be that central heating systems could affect your windows. We list some of our tips to look after your windows and car glass during the cold weather in winter, so that you minimise damage and costs.

Condensation on windows – this is fine if it is on the exterior of the window, as it shows your windows have glass which is energy efficient and glazed properly. However, if the condensation appears on the inside, this could be bad due to reduced ventilation. Our tip would be to open the windows slightly to increase fresh air inside rooms and buildings. You can do this via night vents. For bathrooms and kitchens, we recommend switching on the fan for 15-20 minutes after usage to remove moisture from the indoors.

Caring for all parts of your windows and not only the glass – when your window glass gets dirty or cracked, this can be easy to spot and fix. However, it’s important to look after all parts of your windows, including panes, hinges, locks, joints and handles. Lubricating parts helps everything move smoothly and can stop hinges or joints from breaking in the winter and letting in cold air.

Car windshields and windows – in the winter, these frost up easily. You can either plan ahead and cover them the night before or clear them properly in the morning. To do this, we recommend using a scraper and de-icer on all glass materials. Use a proper window scraper, and NOT credit cards or other sharp materials which can degrade the quality of the glass and increase the chances of chips or scratches. Also, contrary to tradition, do not use boiling hot water from a kettle, as this could crack the glass (which would be subject to extreme temperatures from below zero degrees Celsius to over 100 degrees Celsius. To protect the inside glass, use your heater by slowing turning up the heat over time which will help demist all car glass.