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Let's face it. Your mosquito screen door does a lot of dirty work. It takes the abuse of the weather, gets opened and shut a thousand times, and does all of this while blocking bugs, dirt, and leaves from entering your house. Over the course of a week, your mosquito door screen collects all kinds of nasty things. Dead bugs, dirt, pollen, maybe even a spider or two and a bunch of yuck just happens to build up on the mesh of the screen itself. Think of all the grime on it that you can't see. If you don't clean it, not only will it look bad, your door may even get damaged and it will stop doing what it is supposed to do. Clean your screen door and you will see the benefits of it looking better and more important, having it work better.
Have you considered the function of the screen? It should allow air and light to pass through while keeping solid objects out. But when dust and dead mosquitoes block the screen, it hinders airflow. Instead of a nice breeze, you get a weak puff. Furthermore, the mesh screen looks darker as the dust blocks the light. Insect bodies also corrode and stain the mesh, actually and metaphorically speaking. They are not just gross, but also acidic. A screen that is dirty is less effective. In fact, it may not be able to do any of its jobs.
Using harsh chemicals on your window screens and frames may cause damage. The same goes for using scrubbing pads and scouring pads, so be sure to avoid them. The basic tools you need are a soft brush or a brush attachment for a vacuum, a bucket with warm water and a drop of dish soap, and a soft sponge or cloth. If your door is easily accessible, you may want to consider using a garden hose to clean the door. Gentle cleaning methods are urged and recommended by many screen manufacturers, such as Techo. Using a lint-free cloth is also good because it will not leave fibers on the screen.
Start with the dry stuff. Use a soft brush or a soft vacuum attachment to gently brush the screen. It pulls up loose dust, cobwebs, and dried bugs. You don't want to push to hard or you may push dirt through the screen. You want to remove the very top layer. Just the top surface layer will make a big difference. Cleaning the surface will remove most the debris.
Next, you need to get a soft sponge or cloth wet with soapy water. You do not want it soaking wet so make sure you wring it out. Starting at the top, gently wipe the screen all the way to the bottom. If you have a pleated or retractable screen, make sure you are very gentle and wipe in the same direction as the folds. Don't scrub. The soapy water will loosen up any grease and any stuck on gunk. Work in sections so you can see where you have already cleaned.
Once you finish cleaning the entire screen you have to rinse off the soap. If you have access to a garden hose and a gentle spray attachment you can use that. It is better to push the dirt away from the house instead of towards it. If that is not an option you can use a clean bucket of water and fresh sponge. Use the sponge and clean water to rinse of the soap. It is important to remove all soap because it can attract dirt again.
For a long life of the screen, you need to let it air dry before closing the screen door or retracting it if it is a folding screen. You can speed up the drying with a gentle pat using a dry cloth. Do not fold or roll a screen that is still wet, it can trap moisture which can create a breeding ground for mold and mildew. A screen that is dry is a screen that is happy.
While at it, give the frame a wash too. The dust and dead insects accumulate a ridiculous amount on the sides and tracks. Sliding and closing a track cleaning the door helps. Use a cloth or a kind of small bristle brush to remove the dirt at the jam preventing from dirt to build up mechanism and sealing the bugs keeping edge the tight against in the first place.
Cleaning times is also great to check your screen. Mesh closely look at it. Little holes or tears are present unable to see them. Mosquitoes would love small rips. Loose, mesh edges fram the where it fits Look. Damage, bends or the frame Check it' sme. You mean small problem die catches a, early. Small ones big to, often are the repairable. The edge sucks. pressed back is may just need a edge.
How many bugs would you let into your home before you decided to clean your screen door? Obviously, you'd let in a few before you decided to do the cleaning, but how many exactly? Cleaning the screen door shouldn't be a once every few months deal. Cleaning the screen door is a quick and easy ten minute chore you can do every week. It is your house's mesh mobile fresh air blocker, and all fresh air mesh blockers deserve some love these days.
A dirty screen will get dirty rings around the screen. Nobody enjoys the sight of a dirty ring, so if you keep your screen door clean, you can avoid that. Letting fresh air into your home without the annoyance of bugs and having to clean screen rings is a great feeling. You worked for screen doors and deserve to be able to use them without all of the bugs. Cleaning the screen door is a chore everyone can do, and your screen door will love you for it.
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