How to Install Hurricane Window Film

Cut Hurricane Window Film and Prepare Window

• 1

  Trim the window film to size. Wet the window with plain water and lay the hurricane window film over it. Cut the film approximately one to two inches larger than the pane of glass. To store it until needed, spray another window with water and spread the film across the pane of glass; the window film will stick to it.

• 2

  Fill a quart spray bottle about two-thirds full of water and add 1 tspn. of Johnson's Baby Shampoo. Gently shake the contents to mix thoroughly. This is the solution you'll use to clean the window. This particular shampoo dries clear so any residue left on the window will not show.

• 3

  Clean the window very thoroughly, first by scraping. Wet the window glass well by spraying with the shampoo mixture. Scrape over every inch of the window pane with a glass scraper. Use both hands and really dig in to remove any invisible specks of paint or dirt.

• 4

  Scrub the window. Use a plastic dish scrubber, the kind used for Teflon pans, to scrub down the window pane. Spray well with the shampoo mixture and scrub over the entire window with the plastic dish scrubber.

• 5

  Squeegee off the shampoo cleaning solution with a window washer's squeegee and wipe off the blade of the squeegee after every pass. Use a lint-free cloth to avoid leaving lint on the window.

• 6

  Dampen a soft, lint-free cloth and clean the corners of the pane of glass and the adjacent window frame.

Attach Hurricane Window Film to Window Pane

• 7

  Attach a 3-inch-long piece of Scotch tape to the corner of the pre-cut window film. Place about half of the tape on the corner of the window film and the other half hanging over the corner. Attach an identical piece of Scotch tape to the other side of the same corner in the same way. Grasp both pieces of tape and pull apart in opposite directions to remove the clear liner from the window film. The clear liner protects the adhesive that will ultimately bond with the glass and provide protection from high winds.

• 8

  Thoroughly spray the sticky side of the window film with the shampoo mixture (the side that you removed the clear protective liner from). Spray the center area of the freshly cleaned window pane to which you will attach the window film.

• 9

  Place the window film over the window, centering it as best you can.

• 10

  Use a stiff squeegee to squeegee the water to the edge of the window pane. Begin at the center of the window and work your way out to the edge, stopping about an inch from the edge of the window pane. Push the stiff squeegee, do not pull it; pushing it pushes out more water from between the window film and the window pane.

• 11

  Trim the window film with an X-acto knife about 1/16th inch from where it meets the window frame. Use a ruler or wallpaper cutting guide and lay it along the edge of the window. Run the X-acto knife along the edge of the ruler.

• 12

  Spray the film with the shampoo solution and squeegee it one more time. This time use a stiff squeegee or a credit card. Start in the center of the window and push outwards using both hands. This will remove the remaining water from between the film and the glass. Keep the surface of the film damp by periodically spraying it with the solution. When you get to the very edge of the window, wrap the squeegee in a small absorbent cloth to soak up the water that is forced out from between the window pane and the window liner.

• 13

  Let the window film "cure" and harden for at least 30 days without disturbing it. Do not wash the window during this time as it may prevent the film from adhering to the glass.