Winter Screen Maintenance

Before winter weather sets in and we hunker down inside for winter, it is typical for homeowners to perform seasonal maintenance. Many people think to do things like blow out the water in their sprinkler lines, clean their gutters, and other essentials, but window screens can often be forgotten. Window screens do require regular maintenance for optimal performance.

5 Tips For Winter Screen Maintenance

Follow these tips for winterizing your home and caring for your home during the winter season and be sure to shop Metro Screenworks online store for all your window screens, sliding screen doors, and other screen needs.

To Remove or Not Remove Screens

One of the most important steps to performing winter screen maintenance is to decide whether you will be leaving the screens of your home on during the winter, or if you will deinstall them and store them inside. There may be benefits to either side of the argument. Keeping screens on your home could help with energy efficiency as they act as a small barrier to keep heat from escaping your home.

Removing them can allow more natural light to penetrate through your windows also reducing the amount of energy you use to heat your home and maybe brighten your home during some of the darkest days of the year. If you utilize solar screens and other window screen types that obscure sunlight, it may be a good idea to remove them and reinstall them next spring. Removing your window screens could also help to protect them during the stormiest parts of the year and could cut down on the risk for water damage to your home.

Ultimately, deciding to remove your window screens is up to you, the needs of your home, and how your window screens fair under the extreme weather conditions that winter brings to many parts of the country.

Replace Screens

Whether or not you have decided to remove your screens, winter can be a great time to examine your screens for holes, rips, and other damage, and replace them. Replacing the screen often can help mitigate further damage. If you must replace your window screens or sliding screen doors, consider upgrading them to a screen material that can provide you even greater benefits such as a pet screen, Allergy Guard, and other screening materials.

Clean Window Screens

Due to wind and general wear, our screens can become dirty; when we leave our windows open, dirt and grime can make their way inside. As a result, it is best to regularly clean our screens. Fall and winter can be the optimal time to clean window screens and screen doors as you will most likely not need to use them.

How to Clean Your Window Screens

• Remove from window frames and label with the room name on the screen frame using easy-to-remove tape
• Gently vacuum your screen
• Wash with soapy water and a soft cloth— use liquid dish soap to clean
• Rinse with clean water
• Allow the screens to dry before reinstalling

Winterize Screen Enclosures

Lastly, it’s important to winterize your screen enclosures. Winterizing your enclosures may look differently for each person depending on how you constructed your enclosure. We recommend installing tempered glass panels in place of screen panels. Glass panels can withstand the wear-and-tear of winter and can allow you to still get some use out of your enclosure even when the weather isn’t optimal.

If your enclosure doesn’t have tempered glass panels, remove all furniture and other items that could become damaged due to winter winds, cold, and moisture. However, this year might be a great time to upgrade your space with removable screen panels (and subsequently tempered glass panels for winter) or to install retractable screen porch windows such as the Genius Expanse Screened-In Porch Windows that have tempered glass panels and retractable screens — with these windows you don’t have to worry about deinstalling your screens. You have the option for windows or screens all year around!

Maintain Catios

If you installed a catio earlier this year, it may be a good idea to winterize it to keep your home and your fur baby warm this year. However, if your cat loves to play outside even when it’s cold, it may be a good idea to install glass panels and let your cat enjoy a place to play all winter long.

Have Questions?

Have questions about how to winterize our screens or not sure how best to clean your speciality screens? Feel free to contact us with your questions! The window screen and screen door experts at Metro Screenworks would love to help you take the best care of your screens so you can enjoy them for years to come. Connect with us via live chat, email, or contacting us through the website. Be sure to shop all the screen products you need at Metro Screenworks.com!