Window hardware
The one part of a window the manufacturer says to keep water away from. A dry soft duster, no solvents, no multi-purpose lubricants.
What not to do
Water is unsafe on Window hardware
Unsafe
Do not do this. The risk is established, and it is described below.
Unusually, plain water is the prohibited agent here, and it sits inches from a surface that is cleaned with soapy water.
Evidence
Supported
Sources
PVC-U Window & Door Systems: Handling, Installation, Maintenance and Care Guide
The VEKA UK Group (VEKA and Halo profile systems), 2014 · Manufacturer documentation
Relied on for: That external hardware is cleaned by wiping with a dry soft duster, and that water is not to be used on it. (states this directly)
Precautions
- Check the manufacturer's instructions
In detail
Handles, hinges, key cylinders, catches and restrictors are the part of a window most likely to be cleaned by accident — they are what a cloth passes over on the way to the frame — and the manufacturer's instruction for them is the opposite of the instruction for everything around them. They carry coatings and polished surfaces, and the guide is explicit: clean them with a DRY SOFT DUSTER, and DO NOT USE WATER. Solvent-based cleaners are excluded, as they are for the frame, and so are multi-purpose lubricants, which is a separate prohibition and a common mistake — the household spray that seems obviously right for a stiff hinge is named as wrong. What lubrication they do need is annual, with a light multi-purpose oil or an acid-free lubricant such as petroleum jelly, wiped on rather than sprayed, and acidic lubricants are excluded. The other instruction is about what marks them rather than what cleans them: take care not to scratch the surfaces with jewellery such as rings or keys, and do not hang things from handles. Cement and plaster are separately noted as corroding hardware and fittings, and must be removed immediately rather than at the end of the job.
Sources for this page
Sources
PVC-U Window & Door Systems: Handling, Installation, Maintenance and Care Guide
The VEKA UK Group (VEKA and Halo profile systems), 2014 · Manufacturer documentation
Relied on for: That external hardware carries coatings and polished surfaces, is cleaned with a dry soft duster with water not used, that solvent-based cleaners and multi-purpose lubricants must on no account be used, that surfaces should not be scratched with jewellery or keys, and that lubrication is annual with a light or acid-free lubricant rather than spray oil. (states this directly)