Hard-water stain removal in Pelican Bay.

Pelican Bay runs from beachfront high-rises to single-family homes inside the gates, and the spotting problem looks different across them. On the towers, balcony and sliding glass take wind-driven salt off the Gulf with little to break it, and the bonded film builds on the seaward face. On the homes set back among the mangroves, it's a mix of Gulf salt and irrigation overspray drying into the lower panes. We read each before we lift, then hand-polish the bonded deposit off with 0000 steel wool, worked wet on bare glass so it releases without scratching.

The community runs a mix of seasonal and year-round residents, and the year-round homes tend to show steadier irrigation spotting along the bottom of the glass while the seasonal ones come back to a season's worth of salt at once. Much of the newer high-rise glazing is coated or Low-E, which steel wool can't touch — we use a gentler method on those panes and save the polishing for bare glass. We're straight about the ceiling too: etched glass can't be un-etched, so the work is about lifting the deposit before it pits.

Stain removal clears the backlog; a rhythm keeps it from returning. After the reset we keep Pelican Bay glass on an every-two-month plan with our exterior window cleaning, reaching upper-floor and balcony panes from where they can be safely worked. See what recurring care covers across Pelican Bay.