Taking Down Storm Windows

You will get the most value and use out of your storm windows when you care for them properly. Taking removable storm windows down at the end of a winter season is a part of taking care of them. If you leave them up for a prolonged period of time, even if you stained the storm windows, you could be exposing them to harsher temperatures and elements which allow them to wear out sooner than they need to.

Doing it yourself

For the most part, removing storm windows in preparation for the spring and summer months is likely to be a part of your yearly home maintenance routine. Just as you might put your screen windows and doors in before the warm months set in, you may regularly install and remove your storm windows. It might depend upon the climate in which your home is in, or even in the types of storm windows you own but in general you probably will not find it too difficult to take up the task of removing them when it is time.

Cleaning them after a full season of use is a lot easier and possibly safer when you do so after they have been taken down. You might want to clean them after they have been stored up for the season. Either way, when you have individual storm windows safely removed it is much easier to clean them individually and do so on a solid surface, or at least one that is blanketed with a drop cloth to prevent dirt and other debris from getting on a floor or patio surface.

If you have two or more floors, you will need to have a ladder handy in order to begin the task of removing your storm windows. This may be a job you will want to entrust to professionals or a handyman. If you are at all uncertain of whether you can do the task safely, it is better to leave the task in the hands of someone with experience. You will not want to hurt yourself in the process for one thing and, for another, you will not want to risk dropping or otherwise damaging the storm windows themselves.

This may be especially the case for storm windows that are attached to the outside frame by hooks. It may be a job that involves two people. One person can manage doing the task from the inside and the other can manage from the outside. Both people will be able to ensure that the window units are removed gently and carefully so as to avoid dropping them or allowing them to slip when they have been released from their frames.

This is something you may need to do with someone else even if the windows are only located on a ground level. The other person can ensure the windows are being held steadily in place until any and all sides have been unhooked. After this, the storm window unit can be moved to the place where it will be stored with the others until the end of the season.

For some homes this may be a basement or garage. Wherever the units will be stored, make sure that they are stored upright. You may be able to store them with a moving blanket or other material in between each window for added protection. Taking down storm windows may be an even easier task for those homes where inside panels are installed for a season. These may be affixed by double faced tape or other types of snap on seals which make taking them down easy and safe.