How to Remove Scratches from Glass Surfaces

Keeping glass clean is important to the image of your home or office which is why window cleaning services have become so popular. But what happens if the glass, on your windows or anywhere else in your home or office gets scratched? No amount of cleaning the glass will help. Glass is hard, but it does get scratched surprisingly easily. If the scratch is deep enough for your fingernail to be inserted into it, it usually means that nothing can be done about it. However, for scratches that are less deep, it may be possible to either remove or reduce them.

Removing scratches from glass requires the use of chemicals and motorized equipment, so please ensure you take all safety precautions.

You will need Jeweler’s Rouge (cerium oxide), an electric buffer with a polishing pad, household liquid ammonia, a spray bottle, rubber gloves, safety goggles, a dust mask and lint free paper towels or cloth.

• Apply a small amount of the Jeweler’s Rouge to the polishing pad- lamb’s wool pads are considered the best for this purpose.
• Put on your goggles and dust mask. Turn on the buffer and set it to not more than medium speed. Place the pad on the scratched area. While a small amount of pressure should be applied, be careful not to press too hard. The scratch may have weakened the glass and pressing too hard may cause it to crack. Hold the pad over the scratch for about a minute or so.
• If the scratch is in a spot where the buffer will not reach, you can rub the pad on the glass by hand, but be warned this is a slow and tiring process.
• Fill the spray bottle with ammonia and water in the ratio of 1 part of ammonia to 4 parts of water. Remember that even household ammonia can be dangerous and always wear gloves, goggles and the mask when working with it, even in a diluted state.
• Spray the ammonia and water solution on to the area that has been buffed and wipe it off with a lint free piece of cloth or a paper towel.
• If the scratch is still visible, repeat the process again.
• If after three attempts to remove the scratch it is still present, that means that it is too deep to remove and you should stop trying. Any further buffing of the area may weaken to glass to the point it may break later, on even a light touch.

Although removing of scratch is not part of standard window cleaning services, the agency you use should be able to tell you where you can get all the equipment you need, in case you don’t have it.