Salt film on oceanfront windows

Quick answer: Salt film is the gray haze that builds on glass within a mile or two of the ocean or Intracoastal. It should be washed off with fresh water before any scrubbing; wiping it dry drags salt and sand across the glass and scratches it. Oceanfront homes on Hutchinson Island, Sewall's Point, Jupiter Island and Vero's barrier island should be cleaned quarterly at minimum. Call or text 772-243-1234.

What salt does to glass

Wind carries microscopic salt-water droplets inland. They land on glass and dry, leaving salt crystals. Those crystals pull moisture from the humid air, dissolve and re-dry in a cycle that builds a film. With sand and grit mixed in, the film becomes abrasive, and left long enough it pits the glass and corrodes aluminum frames and slider rollers.

Wash, never wipe

The one rule for coastal glass: rinse first. Fresh water dissolves and floats the salt off. Then scrub, squeegee and detail. Wiping dry salt with a cloth or paper towel is like wiping with fine sandpaper. This applies to homeowners hosing off between cleans, too: rinse and let dry, don't wipe.

How often

Quarterly for most oceanfront and Intracoastal homes. Every two months for direct oceanfront exposure with onshore wind. Six months or more lets the film bond and start affecting the glass.

Frames, tracks and hardware

Salt is harder on aluminum than on glass. Rinsing tracks and wiping frames during a window clean slows corrosion. A slider that's getting hard to open is usually salt and grit in the track, not a worn roller.