Why some glass surfaces are harder to clean  

We find glass everywhere in our everyday life, both inside and outside our home - doors, windows, balustrades, conservatories, facades of buildings, shower enclosures, the list goes on. While every other element of the building has surface protection; steel is galvanized and painted, aluminum is powder coated or anodized, and concrete is rendered or coated, how is it that glass is just left to deteriorate?

Have you ever experienced glass stains or streaks on glass, that no matter how hard you try to clean them, just will not budge? Why do shower enclosures get dirtier and more opaque over time? Why does it seem impossible to remove finger prints from sandblasted glass?

The problem is amplified with certain types of glass

This phenomenon is amplified on glasses such as etched or sandblasted glasses. Anyone who has handled sandblasted glass will tell you that removing finger prints or dirt from this type of glass is a real nightmare.

A hidden reason

To understand this problem we need to zoom into the surface of glass. Now glass may seem like it has a smooth surface, however the microscopic surface topography of glass is actually uneven and pitted with peaks and valleys. This surface architecture is the hidden reason behind many glass-related problems.

Etching or sandblasting will make the surface even coarser, rougher and more prone to this problem than regular glass.

Deposits building up over time

Glass surface naturally attracts water (hydrophilic), meaning that when water makes contact with the surface of glass the water will tend to spread out and form a thin sheet on the surface. When the water evaporates, all the mineral deposits it contained are left on the surface of the glass.

These deposits, which include calcium, salt, heavy metals and a wide range of minerals, together with dust, grime, bacteria, soap scum and a long list of contaminants embed themselves into these pits and valleys inside the surface of the glass. These elements get lodged, building up over time slowly making the glass surface more and more opaque, dirtier and harder to clean.