It almost seems like the kind of thing that happens in a daytime drama. You pull into the driveway, relieved to be home after a long day at work. Traffic wasn’t too bad, and the kids both seemed to have had a good day at school. Walking up to the door, you’re fishing for the house key when you see it — the window next to the door is broken. Your hair stands on end, and your stomach feels like it might sink all the way to the ground. What do you do next?
Nobody wants to come home to a broken window, but the reality is that these things happen. At the moment, it’s easy to feel scared, violated, and uncertain. None of that helps with getting started on replacing or repairing your window or glass door to resecure your home and restore a sense of confidence. So what should you do when you come home to a broken window?
At Ronnie’s 24-Hour Glass and Door Repair in Fort Worth, our full-time job is to help local residents and businesses with fast, affordable glass replacement and door repair, no matter what the cause was. In today’s blog, we share some of the things we’ve learned about how to approach and address a broken window at your home or business.
To get glass replacement or door repair help fast, call us today, or request a quote by filling out our online form.
SAFETY FIRST
The first thing to keep in mind is your safety and the safety of your family. Make sure to keep a cool head and assess the situation for a few moments before making any decisions. While doing so, make sure to guide your children or pets away from any broken glass or debris.
IS THIS AN EMERGENCY?
Ask yourself, “Is this an emergency?” If it looks like there may have been a break-in — usually signified by a completely broken glass pane near a door, as opposed to a cracked or damaged one — then contacting the police should probably be your first order of business. If you are worried that there may still be someone in your home, do not enter it until officers arrive to escort you in.
Another situation that might warrant emergency attention is coming home to a broken window in the middle of a storm that looks to continue over the coming evening and days. Window and other debris could further damage the window and case glass and/or water to enter your home. If this is the case, make sure to call Ronnie’s 24-Hour Glass and Door Repair right away to avoid further damage to your home.
CONSIDER THE EXTENT OF THE DAMAGE
MAJOR DAMAGE
The next step is to assess the damage done to the window. If you are looking at a large hole in the window and a fair amount of broken glass on the ground, then blocking off the area and starting to carefully clean up the glass is your first priority.
Ronnie’s 24-Hour Glass and Door Repair in Fort Worth recommends using heavy-duty work gloves to pick up larger pieces. If there are any tiny pieces of glass or glass powder — which is highly likely — then you’ll also want to vacuum the area thoroughly before allowing family members and pets back into it. Outdoors, a broom and a dustpan will usually suffice, but a shop vac is still the best way to go. In either situation, be careful when emptying your vacuum.
MINOR DAMAGE
If the broken window you are looking at is really just a serious crack or a spiderweb that didn’t result in loose or fallen glass, then there are a few things to do. First, use a vacuum to clean around the ledge and below the window to capture any tiny pieces of glass that may have come out. Then, brace the window using the best tape you have. Lay the tape strips in an overlapping fashion, and go well beyond the actual damage itself to ensure a secure patch.
In the case of a hole in the window from a baseball, golf ball, or rock, clean up as directed above, and then tape a piece of corrugated cardboard to the interior and exterior area of the damaged window. Next, tape a layer of saran wrap or plastic lining over the cardboard to avoid it gathering moisture.
CALL AN EXPERT WINDOW REPAIR AND REPLACEMENT COMPANY
The “fixes” above are temporary ways to mitigate further damage to your windows and protect your home from the elements, but they’re by no means a long term solution you should rely on. For a true fix that will last, call a local, professional window repair and glass replacement company.
GET A QUOTE FROM RONNIE’S 24-HOUR GLASS AND DOOR REPAIR
Ronnie’s 24-Hour Glass and Door Repair in Fort Worth is here to help with professional glass replacement for your home or business 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Let us help restore and repair your glass and windows quickly, affordably, and with exceptional workmanship. Fill out our online form, or call to get your quote today.
