Broken Window? Follow These Easy Steps for a Speedy and Effective Clean Up

Imagine it: you're enjoying a restful afternoon with a cup of tea while you read the paper. The kids are happily playing outside, kicking a football around (and thank goodness they're ignoring their smartphones and game systems for a while). There's the happy background noise of children at play, which is followed by the intrusive sound of glass smashing, followed by absolute silence from the children. Yes, it happens. Window's can be broken. It's a massive inconvenience, but is also potentially dangerous. So how do you clean up the damage and get that broken window back to new, as soon as possible?

1. Getting It Fixed

You'll need to contact a glass repairs company immediately. Look up a few different companies online and make some calls. Briefly explain the damage, and the company might be able to give you an approximate cost over the phone. What's more important is how soon they can visit you. You don't want to leave a gaping hole in the window overnight, so speed is important. While you wait for the company to arrive, have a look at your insurance policy. You will need to pay the company out of your own cost, but you should begin the process of making the insurance claim as soon as possible, allowing you to be reimbursed.

2. Securing the Window

Wearing enclosed footwear, take a close look at the broken window. If the break is clean, there's not much you can do at this stage. If there are some loose shards that look as though they could easily fall, you'll need to take steps to prevent this. Get some strong thick gaffer or packaging tape and use it to hold the pieces in place. Thin tape (like the kind you would use for wrapping gifts) is not sufficient. Do not try to snap off these loose shards, as you can easily injure yourself and make the breakage even worse.

3. Cleaning the Big Pieces

Put on a pair of gardening gloves, and failing that, a pair of rubber dishwashing gloves. Collect the large pieces by hand, and place them on top of a thick piece of newspaper. Once you've got them all, wrap up the newspaper and secure it with tape or string. Don't simply put the pieces into a plastic bag, as they will rip straight through it.

4. Cleaning the Small Pieces

A thorough vacuuming is needed. Run the vacuum cleaner head over the affected area, being sure to reach into any nooks and crannies. Also thoroughly vacuum the surrounding areas to pick up any shards that might have spread out. Remember that these pieces of glass can damage paper vacuum cleaner bags, so you will need to open the cleaner and dispose of the bag.

5. Cleaning the Tiny Pieces

For added surety, you should head to the kitchen. Wipe the floor under the affected area with a piece of bread. It's amazingly effective at picking up tiny shards of glass that might have been missed.

Now all you need to do is wait for the glass repairs company to arrive. You might also want to have a stern word with the kids about improving their aim. To learn more about glass repairs, contact a company like Westview Glass & Aluminium.