If you find yourself suddenly confronted with a broken or cracked window in your home, it needs to be repaired without delay. This unfortunate situation can arise easily and without warning. It's important to act quickly to protect your home. You'll need to keep the wind and rain from entering and maintain a comfortable inside temperature. You may need to wait for the window repair service you decide to hire, a place like Robertson's Glazing Service, so a temporary emergency fix is needed. Here's how you can make your house secure with some quick-and-easy fixes.

Examine the window carefully, and if you find it is only cracked and there is no missing glass, your task is a relatively simple one.

Repair the Crack

Your aim is to ensure that the window stays put until it can be replaced. Be extremely careful not to press too heavily and apply heavy packaging or duct tape along the crack line. Do this on both sides of the window. Maintaining a light touch, rub over the surface of the tape to smooth out any air bubbles. Take care, as you don't want to make the crack worse or completely break the window.

Fix Small Holes

If you discover that tiny pieces of glass are missing or you find very small holes, you can create a temporary patch. Apply several layers of clear nail polish or transparent shellac. Be patient and allow each coat to dry thoroughly before adding another.

Slightly bigger holes can be filled with super glue. This will also need to be applied in layers with each one drying before the next is applied.

Mend Large Holes and Shattered Glass

If you find that the window has a gaping hole or is shattered, your first task is to remove all the remaining pieces of glass. Take care to wear heavy gloves and use protective eyewear. Cover the area around the window with a tarpaulin to collect any glass fragments.

Depending of the size of the window, it may be necessary to remove it from the frame and lay it down on a flat surface in order to take out all the broken glass. For an average sized window, this should not be necessary.

You can either choose to remove the glass piece by piece for a smaller job, or you can completely cover the window with masking tape and tap the glass lightly with a hammer handle to loosen it.

The next step is to cover up the open area.  A heavy- duty plastic rubbish bag is a perfect short term solution. Securely tape the plastic to the frame, or you may prefer to use a staple gun for a wooden window frame.

Should you discover that the damage is more extensive or prompt repairs are not possible, you may want to board up the window.

You will need to measure the area and get hold of a sheet of plywood that is slightly larger. Secure the board with enough screws to support the board and attach it firmly in place. Obviously, this is not a pretty solution but will suffice until a permanent fix is available.

Your broken window incident may actually be a good opportunity to consider alternative types of windows and what replacement is best. Advances in energy efficiency and window technologies have most likely made great improvements since your windows were first installed. New glazing and framing materials allow a choice of window that needs less maintenance and provides better use of household energy. You may be able to find a far more appropriate solution for your home in today's window market.