There are few additions you can make to your home that will have as profound a design impact as a set of bi-folding doors.
Not only are they an elegant and space-saving solution for accessing the garden or patio area of your home, but they do so while bringing in so much extra light due to the glazing that covers most of their visage.
The thing about glazing, however, is that it is a magnet for fingerprints and watermarks, which could soon build up into an obfuscation that renders your beautiful bi-folding doors almost worthless.
And that’s before you even mention the tracks and frame, which can build up dirt and debris if not cleaned semi-regularly.
So, with that in mind, we’ve put together a brief guide to keeping your bi-fold doors clean, clear and charming for years or even decades to come.
How often to clean your bi-fold doors
This will depend on how often you use your doors and your local area. For example, do you get a lot of heavy rain and blustery weather?
Or, do you live near the sea? Because salt deposits, when left to sit fester, can grind away in the tracks as the doors are being opened and closed and wear away at them over time.
The best practice is typically to wash them down with freshwater around once a week, particularly in the summer months when you’re going to be using them more and people will be walking in more dirt, sand, and debris.
How to clean bi-fold doors
When cleaning the glazing, it can be treated as any other window in your home, which means warm water and a cloth should suffice for most jobs.
If that doesn’t do the trick then consider using a gentle soap, preferably one designed specifically for glazing. The same method can be used on the door frames too.
Clearing the tracks, meanwhile, is as simple as using a small brush to remove any debris and then using a vacuum cleaner nozzle to hoover up the remnants.
If there are bits that refuse to budge, meanwhile consider washing them down with fresh water.
We would never recommend anything coarse such as a scouring pad, as this could scratch the glass.
Solvent-based cleaning products are also abrasive and could damage your windows and frames if used too liberally.
Track maintenance
The actual operation of bi-folding doors works on a system of hinges and wheels with multi-point locks and handles that secure them in place. While these mechanisms will have been built to last, they might need a little help from time to time.
Simply use a little spray of grease or silicone spray every couple of months or whenever you notice the doors starting to stick. Wipe away any excess with a soft cloth and you should be good to go.
There are more serious issues that can arise over time, of course, such as your doors being shifted out of their locking mechanism. If this happens though, don’t panic.
These doors are designed to be lifted out of their tracks for installation and can be slotted back in quite comfortably with a little elbow grease.
Bi-folding doors typically require very little maintenance – but just because it’s a small job doesn’t mean it’s not an important one!