Just a few years ago, few would have believed that ever-self-cleaning windows would hit the market. Pilkington was the first company to meet the expectations of the most demanding customers and to produce glass with a "photo catalytic layer". But what exactly are self-cleaning windows and what technology is behind it? These and other questions we answer you in this post.

The secret of self-cleaning glasses lies in the use of a modern glass surface, which thanks to special sealing with nanotechnology hardly takes any dirt residues. This functional layer works in two stages:

• The first uses the photo catalytic phenomenon. The natural process of photo catalysis causes organic soil deposits to break down on exposure to UV rays and detach from the surface.
• In the second stage hydrophilic properties of the glass coating are used. As soon as it rains, the drops turn into a uniform film, so that the impurities are simply washed off with rain.

At the end you get a crystal-clear window glass without unsightly water edges and dirt - quite handy if the cleaning effort is so reduced!

Important: The more sunlight and rainfall the windows are exposed to, the better! Because slices that are in a sunny location reduce organic pollution faster. Unfortunately, the efficiency of self-cleaning decreases significantly in the shade and under covered areas.

Self-cleaning glass does not differ visually from normal windows. The transparency of the discs is in no way limited. Windows with the self-cleaning effect are ideal for the production of all laminated glass such as

• Balcony doors
• Picture window
• Glazing for conservatories
• Conventional window variants
• Glass facades

Some window producers also offer self-cleaning skylights. Right here, in hard-to-reach places, the smart surfaces show what they can - and give you a crystal-clear view from your skylights with even more daylight.

In addition, it is worthwhile to install this innovative type of window in high-rise buildings. In this way, you save a lot of effort and time when cleaning the windows.

Tip: It is also worth noting that self-cleaning glass works well in heavily industrialized areas where there are numerous organic contaminants!

Unfortunately, the coating does not provide complete protection against dirt. Some impurities will certainly remain on the glass and must be removed by hand. However, simply rinsing out without the use of cleaning agents is completely sufficient. A photo catalytic window will not save you 100% cleaning, but it will stay clean for much longer.

Unfortunately, this cannot be decided overall. Much depends on the specifics of the building as well as the requirements and expectations of the customers. In the meantime, self-cleaning glass is not as expensive as it was a few years ago - but compared to windows without hydrophobic coatings, the costs are (still) relatively high. Whether you consider investing in the functional layer to be useful is a matter of taste!

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