One of the most often asked questions is about the care of tinted windows.
Most films are made of dual or triple-ply polyester, laminated with a laminating adhesive. The film is pre coated with a mounting adhesive, which can be a "dry" or "pressure-sensitive"(PS) adhesive. On the opposite side, the film has a scratch-resistant coating (SR), protecting the film from getting scratched too easily.
Now remember, it is scratch-resistant, not scratch-proof. Even glass does scratch, so a polyester film is softer.
A number of chemicals can destroy this scratch-resistant layer, often also called hard coat.
Some window film manufacturers claim that any cleaner can be used on their films. I would be careful with this statement, because many of the glass cleaners contain ammonia. This chemical is recommended to remove films from glass, especially the PS films. All safety, automotive, frosted, decorative and some solar control film manufacturers use PS as the mounting adhesive, which ammonia helps to soften for removal.
Cleaning your glass with these common glass cleaners will attack the scratch -resistant coating and over time the coating breaks down. One day, a simple wipe with a cloth and the glass cleaner will simply remove the entire layer.
Another thing to avoid is the exposure of the film to Ultraviolet light (UV). Windows left open for long periods, french doors and others opening to the outside, the film will not last as long as film not exposed. We have also come across situations, where only some windows in a room are tinted and then the sun getting in from another side, attacking the film from behind. Warranties will not cover UV damage.
New Zealand experiences warranty claims at present, where the SR coating has failed. It is contained to a small number of manufacturers. Tint Pro has used Johnson Window Films for about 7 years now and is not affected with this problem.
One or two of the latest high performance films promoted by our competitors offer very high heat rejection with a very light or no tint. The performance of these films is achieved by adding heat absorbing dyes into the SR coating. The effect is that the hardcoat is now being weakened and is very easy to scratch off.
You can use a soft cloth with a little detergent as well, but you may then be left with some streaking.
And here is another hint: Do not clean glass in the sun, it is much easier in the shade.
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