You love your kids, and you admire their seemingly boundless energy. But every once in a while, their playful antics lead to cuts, scrapes and broken objects.
Unfortunately, their most recent adventure resulted in a broken window. So how can you deal with the mess without accidentally injuring yourself?
(BTW, you’ll probably want to know whether or not your situation calls for emergency glass repair – click that link to check out some advice from us as one of Perth’s leading emergency glass repair specialists!)
1. Call a Glass Repair Company
Glass windows do more than let in natural light. They maintain your home’s energy efficiency and keep out insects, water and other unwanted visitors. Consequently, you’ll need a professional to repair or replace your window glass or as quickly as possible to ensure your home stays comfortable.
As you investigate potential companies, make sure to find a technician who follows Australian standards and who has extensive training in health and safety issues. Worried about security? Check that your repair team has valid police clearance before letting them onto your property.
Want to know more? Learn how to choose a glass repair company.
2. Assess the Damage and Secure the Area
To prevent further injury to your children or pets, block off the area with chairs, furniture or other items. Let older members in the household know about the accident and warn them not to step on the glass.
Once you’ve secured the area, assess the damage. Find out if the window has only minor cracks or if the frame has cracked beyond repair. For completely shattered windows, determine how far the shards spread. Examine cushions, furniture and other surfaces for glass particles.
3. Assemble Safety Gear
Before you move onto the nitty-gritty details, you need to assemble safety gear. Even small glass shards pierce the skin, and you may have a hard time seeing the tiniest pieces. To protect yourself against injury, make sure to wear the following:
Thick-soled shoes
Heavy-duty gloves
Safety goggles
And even if you wear gloves, you’ll still want additional tools to keep you safe and minimise your exposure to the glass. A broom and dustpan, vacuum, baking soda, tape, disposable newspaper or paper towels will all prove useful.
4. Start Big and End Small
Once you have your equipment, use your gloves to pick up the larger shards and throw them in the trash. If the glass shattered over carpeting, use a vacuum to remove the smaller pieces. For hardwood flooring, a broom and dustpan work best.
After vacuuming or sweeping, you’ll have removed most of the visible glass. However, the tiniest pieces likely remain. For these hard-to-grab pieces, sprinkle baking soda over the area. This keeps the glass from sticking and digging into your floor or carpet.
Next, dampen a paper towel and dab at the area. Do not use mops, sponges or rags you plan to reuse, as the glass may embed into the material and increase your risk of cuts. Furthermore, do not scrub, as this only pushes the shards around. Instead, use the towels to lift the fragments. Throw away the towels and double-bag the trash.
If the paper towels or newspaper don’t seem sufficient, use a piece of tape or a lint roller to pick up the remaining glass.
5. Secure the Window
In many cases, your glass repair company will secure and remove the window for you. However, if your technicians arrive late or you have to wait for some time before they can schedule a visit, you’ll should secure the window yourself.
As with the glass on the floor, remove any large, loose shards first. Do not hit or knock out the rest of the glass in the frame, though you may snap off one or two pieces if they seem likely to fall on their own.
Next, cover the hole with a heavy tarp or piece of plywood to keep the remaining glass from falling into your home. If you don’t have either of these materials available, cover the cracks with a garbage bag and reinforce it with duct or gaffer’s tape.
When you follow these five steps, you can keep you and your family safe until your technicians arrive to repair your glass.
At Westview Glass and Aluminium, we’re a one-stop shop for your glass and aluminium needs: from emergency glass repairs to sliding door repairs, and installation of aluminium glass doors, pet doors and even shower screens. Get in touch to see how we can help you protect your home and keep it looking beautiful!
(P.S. Enjoyed this article? Check out the next in this series: Glass Shower Screen Cleaning in 5 Easy Steps.)
