How To Prepare Your Shopfront for Christmas Displays

Why clean glass matters for Christmas displays

London shopfronts pick up traffic film, airborne grime and hard-water marks quickly, especially on busy high streets. Backlit displays make this worse after dark, when every streak shows. Shoppers also photograph and share window displays, so the glass is part of the display itself.

Before installation: a shopfront checklist

• Book a deep clean of the inside and outside glass a few days before your display goes in, so vinyls and decorations are applied to clean glass rather than over dirt.
• Remove old stickers, vinyls and adhesive residue from earlier promotions.
• Clean frames, sills, door furniture, signage and the fascia, not just the glass.
• Check the glass for scratches, chips or failed seals before anything covers them up.
• Include upper-floor glass and high-level signage if access equipment is needed, so everything is done in one visit.
• Ask your display installer how decorations will be fixed. Low-tack, removable products are easier to clean around and to take down.
• If your glass has a coating or applied film, such as solar control or anti-graffiti film, check with the supplier before applying adhesives.

During trading: keeping the glass presentable

One clean before the display goes in will not last until Christmas. Fingerprints, rain spots and road spray build up quickly, so plan regular visits for the whole trading period.

• Increase frequency for December. Busy high street stores may want weekly external cleans through the season; quieter locations may manage with fortnightly visits.
• Clean before opening. Early-morning visits keep the work away from shoppers and queues.
• Keep the pavement safe. Your contractor should keep entrances clear, avoid trailing hoses across walkways and use barriers where needed. High-level work with a cherry picker on the highway may need a council licence, so book it early.
• Check shopping centre rules. Centre management often sets contractor hours and asks for RAMS and insurance documents before work is allowed, so allow time for approval.
• Handle daily touch-ups in-house. Staff can wipe fingerprints from doors and internal display glass between professional cleans.
• Plan for the weather. Rain does not usually stop pure-water cleaning, but frost, ice and strong winds can. Agree in advance how a postponed visit will be rebooked.

After removal: the January clean-up

• Take decorations and vinyls down carefully. Never scrape coated or filmed glass with a blade.
• Remove adhesive residue properly rather than leaving outlines on the glass.
• Book a deep clean once the display is down, ready for January sales windows.
• Inspect the glass for scratches or damage and arrange repairs or glass restoration before the next display goes in.

Why use a professional retail window cleaner

Large shop windows, glazed facades and high-level glass are not safe or practical to clean with a ladder and bucket, particularly on a busy pavement. Our teams use water-fed poles for most shopfronts and rope access or cherry pickers for higher glass. Every job is planned with a site-specific risk assessment and method statement, and we supply insurance documents for shopping centres and landlords on request.

All Clean London has worked with retailers and shopping centres across London since 1979. We are CHAS and SafeContractor accredited and certified to ISO 9001, 14001 and 45001.

Get your shopfront ready for Christmas

We clean shopfronts across all 32 London boroughs, from single high street stores to shopping centres. To book a pre-Christmas deep clean or regular visits through December, request a free quote or call 020 7127 8079.