Self-Cleaning Glass: How It Works and Where It Is Worth It
Self-cleaning glass uses a special coating and rainfall to stay clearer for longer. Here is how it works and where it genuinely pays to specify it.
Cleaning windows is one thing. Cleaning a roof lantern, a high gable window or a conservatory roof is quite another. Self-cleaning glass is designed for exactly those hard-to-reach places, staying clearer for longer with far less effort.
How it works
A special coating on the outer face does two jobs. In daylight it breaks down organic dirt that lands on the glass. Then when it rains, water sheets across the surface rather than beading, rinsing the loosened dirt away and drying with fewer streaks. The result is glass that stays cleaner between cleans and dries clearer.
Realistic expectations
Self-cleaning glass is low maintenance, not no maintenance. It dramatically reduces how often you need to clean, and how bad it gets in between, but it is not a substitute for the occasional wash on accessible windows. Where it earns its keep is the glass you physically cannot reach easily.
Where it genuinely pays
- Roof lanterns and rooflights that face the sky and collect dirt
- High or gable-end windows that need scaffolding or a long ladder
- Conservatory and orangery roofs
- Any glazing above a single storey
Pairing it with performance
Self-cleaning is an outer-pane coating, so it pairs happily with a Low-E or solar control inner pane. You can have a unit that cleans itself, keeps heat in, and controls summer solar gain all at once. It is available across double and triple options in the range.
Specify self-cleaning where you cannot reach. Choose a unit, enter your size, and see the price cut to measure.
Explore the full made-to-measure glazing range, from double glazing units to triple glazing, all cut to your exact size.
Author at SmartaView, writing about aluminium glazing, home improvements and the buying process.