Window Cleaning at St. Raphael. Salt film? Disavowed.

St. Raphael stands at 7117 Pelican Bay Boulevard. It was completed in 2000 and rises 20 floors with 164 residences, which makes it one of the larger towers along the boulevard. Homes range from two-bedroom plans to four-bedroom residences of about 3,100 square feet and penthouses near 4,200 square feet. Many units look both ways: west across the mangrove preserve to the Gulf of Mexico, and east over The Club at Pelican Bay golf course. Listings describe impact-resistant glass on all windows and sliders, a 40-by-80-foot saltwater pool billed as the biggest in Pelican Bay, two Har-Tru tennis courts, four guest suites and a secured garage under the building.

Quick facts for owners

• Address: 7117 Pelican Bay Blvd, Naples 34108, inside gated Pelican Bay
• Completed 2000; 20 floors; 164 residences
• Impact-resistant glass on windows and sliders (per recent listings)
• Lanais plus screened balconies; some owners have added electric storm shutters and retractable screens
• Saltwater pool about 40 by 80 feet, fitness room on the lobby level, billiards, library and four guest suites
• Residents can use the Pelican Bay beach facilities and the tram that serves them

Impact glass is heavier work, not harder work

Laminated impact units are thick, and the frames are deep. The pane itself cleans like any other glass, but the deeper frame pockets hold more dust, and the larger sliders run in wide channels that fill with sand and leaf litter. We take extra time on those channels, because a gritty track makes a heavy slider hard to move and wears its rollers. If a door drags after we clear the track, we say so, so you can ask the association or a door technician to look at the rollers.

Screened balconies change the job

Many St. Raphael homes have a screened balcony in addition to an open lanai. The screen keeps insects out, but it also traps fine dust, and the glass behind it stays dirtier than you might expect because rain never rinses it. We clean that sheltered glass on both faces. Screen panels can be brushed and rinsed on request. Where an owner has fitted retractable screens or electric shutters, we keep our tools and water clear of the housings and motors; we clean the glass, not the shutter system.

Two directions, two kinds of residue

The west glass catches the afternoon sun and the breeze off the Gulf, so a thin layer of salt is what usually builds there. The east glass, facing the fairways, collects a different mix: dust from mowing, pollen from the landscaping and the occasional hard-water spot from irrigation. Residents near the tennis courts may also notice a fine green grit on lower-floor glass on dry, windy days, since Har-Tru courts are surfaced with crushed stone. We treat each face for what is actually on it.

Large homes, longer appointments

A four-bedroom residence of 3,100 square feet with ten-foot ceilings has a lot of tall glass, and a penthouse of more than 4,000 square feet has even more. For homes of that size we plan the visit as a full morning or longer and bring two technicians when it makes sense. When you request a quote, tell us your unit number and which stack you are in; that tells us roughly how much glass to expect.

A busy building to schedule in

With 164 residences sharing elevators and a single garage, St. Raphael sees steady traffic from movers, renovation crews and deliveries, especially from November through April. We book our visits around the building’s contractor hours, register with the front desk and use whichever elevator management assigns to service work. Booking a week or two ahead in season helps us get the slot you want.

Guest suites and the pool deck

Owners often book one of the four guest suites when family arrives for the holidays or spring break, and that is a good time to have your own glass cleaned so the view is clear when everyone gathers on the lanai. The long pool deck is where the building spends its afternoons, and residents on the lower floors look directly down onto it; sunscreen spray and splashes don’t reach high, but wind-blown deck dust does reach the first few floors.

Pets in the home

Recent listings say owners may keep one or two small dogs or cats, with restrictions set by the association. Nose prints on the lower part of a slider are among the most common things we remove, and we give that part of the glass an extra pass when a pet lives in the home.

What stays with the association

Tower glass that can only be reached from outside the building, along with the exterior of fixed panels high on the facade, belongs to the association’s own contractor. Our work covers what you can reach from inside the residence and from your lanai or screened balcony.

Small things that help between visits

Run a damp cloth along the bottom rail of the big sliders once a week in season, keep the screened balcony door closed on windy days to slow the dust, and rinse off beach chairs before they go back on the lanai. If you leave for the summer, close the shutters if you have them; it will save the glass from months of salt and storm debris.