Caring for Your Window Screens

Window, door, and other outdoor screens are probably one of the most neglected parts of the house, because they we forget how important they really are. To keep your screens functioning well and keep them tight, heightening their overall functionality, you should follow proper screen care.

Set-Up

Get Supplies

First, you must set up your area for cleaning your screens. It is best to clean your screens outside due to the size and the mess that large screens can make. Next, get the supplies that you need: You will need soapy water or a common house cleaner, a water hose, connection to a water source, towels, and a vacuum.

Label

If you are doing a bunch of frames at the same time, which is suggested for time’s sake, it is best to label each frame as to where is is located, to not only save you time, but also the frustration of missing frames. Use masking tape or painters tape and a permanent marker to label each frame.

Cleaning Your Window Screens

Vacuum

Next, grab your vacuum, vacuum hose, and attachment, and vacuum each frame to get all the pollen, lint, spider webs, and other particles out of the grid of the frames. Vacuuming beforehand will ensure that your frames get completely clean. Many particles that are normally stuck in screens, will not come out from the screen unless it is dry.

Wash

After you’ve vacuumed your screens, it is time to wash them. Though it may seem like vacuuming would be good enough to get your screens clean, washing them ensures that any type of bacterial or fungal spore dies and doesn’t make it into your home, and gets rid of the extra dust that may not have come off when vacuuming. Use soapy water, a general house cleaner being aware of where you are spraying it, or a diluted mixture of house cleaner and water. Using a sponge or rag, gently clean each screen.

Rinse

Once you’ve cleaned each screen, rinse each with a hose. A hose with high pressure water is best, because it will get all the soap or cleaning mixture off your screens completely and quickly.

Dry

To dry each frame, wipe them down with a towel to speed up the drying process, and then set them out to air dry. Once dry, reinstall, and enjoy clean screens!

Extra Care Tip

As the cold weather nears, it is best to consider what care your screens will require this winter season. Though you can leave your screens in your windows, ice and snow can wreak havoc on your screens causing sagging and torn screens. To protect your frames this winter, label them and take them inside.

Lost or Torn Screen?

Lost or damaged frame? Check out Metro Screenworks replacement window screen frames! We carry a wide variety of screen sizes and have affordable custom options. If you just want to replace the material in your window screen frame, we have rolls of screen material too! Have questions or want a sample? Contact us and we will ship you the sample product that your need for your replacement window screen frames!