How self-cleaning glass works

After years of development, Pilkington Activ™ is the world's first self-cleaning glass to use a microscopic coating with a unique dual-action. The first stage is "photocatalytic" - the coating reacts with daylight to break down organic dirt. The second stage is "hydrophilic" - instead of forming droplets, rainwater hits the glass and spreads evenly, running off in a "sheet" and taking the loosened dirt with it, also drying quickly without leaving streaks.

Maintaining your self-cleaning glass

The coating on Pilkington Activ™ Self-Cleaning Glass needs approximately 5-7 days to energise. After this period it continues to work even on cloudy days and during the night, washing away dirt whenever it rains. However, there are certain circumstances in which a little basic maintenance on self-cleaning glass may be necessary.

The coating on self-cleaning glass normally breaks down even the heaviest deposits of organic dirt in time - but if the surface is so dirty that daylight cannot reach the glass, the self-cleaning action will not take effect. In such cases, clean the glass with warm soapy water and a soft cloth - in a few days the self-cleaning process will have re-activated. During very dry spells you may need to clean your windows, as there will have been no rain to wash loosened dirt away. This is easily done by simply hosing down with water - which should remove most traces of dirt.

Note: organic dirt will not necessarily be removed by hosing, so some dirt may still be seen when the glass dries after the hosing treatment.

The special coating on self-cleaning glass should last as long as the glass itself. Tests have shown that the special coating on the self-cleaning glass will not flake off or discolour, but it will be affected if the surface itself is damaged; for example, by pointed objects or abrasive cleaners. For this reason, ink or paint must be carefully removed from the self-cleaning glass using a soft cloth and methylated spirits and never with harsh scouring glass cleaning agents, steel wool, razor blades or anything else that would scratch the glass.

The greatest feature of Pilkington Activ™ Self-Cleaning Glass is that it relies on the forces of nature to keep your windows looking beautiful. When it comes to glass cleaning it's easy to see why more and more home owners are turning to Pilkington Activ™ Self-Cleaning Glass to keep their homes looking at their very best.

A better way of glass cleaning

External window and glass cleaning has been simplified by the abundance of glass cleaning agents around today. However, these glass cleaning agents still require sufficient elbow grease to get your windows looking great - and can't even begin to rival the ease and effectiveness of self-cleaning glass.

If the thought of spending endless hours cleaning glass makes you want to scrap that idea of building a new conservatory or installing skylights then self-cleaning glass is precisely what you need.

When it comes to "glass cleaning agents"; world-leading glassmaker Pilkington has produced the ultimate. Pilkington Activ™ Self-Cleaning Glass is taking the world by storm and is considered the most efficient and effective self-cleaning glass product on the market. Pilkington Activ™ Self-Cleaning Glass is effectively a conventional glass with a special microscopic coating added during manufacture.