Summer Sun, Ultraviolet Rays, Heat, and Worn Out Furniture: It All Starts with the Windows May 20, 2016 The summer sun can cause a lot of damage to your furniture, carpeting, and other surfaces inside your house. That’s due to the sun’s ultraviolet radiation. The sun’s UV rays are powerful. They have the ability to fade just about any surface, from paper to carpeting, the car finish on your vehicle, and just about everything else. During the summer months, it’s nice to throw open the blinds or window coverings to allow that glorious sunlight to pour in. It’s even nice to do that during the winter to help warm up at least a portion of your home. However, every time you do, you’re exposing all of those furniture items and carpeting, as well as floor surfaces, to the sun’s UV rays. This increases the drying process of wood surfaces and leather. It also increases the rate of decay for some of those items, especially if they begin to crack due to the dryness. There are steps you can take to protect these items. There are aftermarket film coatings that can be purchased and applied to your windows that will cut back on a significant portion of the sun’s ultraviolet radiation. In truth, though, these are not a practical solution for most people because they don’t look great if they’re not applied properly. And, they’re extremely difficult to apply properly. The best option is when purchasing replacement windows for your home, choose Low-E film coating to be applied during the manufacturing process. This film won’t even be noticed, but you’ll feel the effects immediately because you won’t feel the heat of the sun nearly as powerfully as you would have otherwise. This film helps to cut back on a significant percentage of the sun’s ultraviolet radiation, thus reducing heating during the summer and the fading of furniture and other items in your house.
