Screens get dirty. Whether they are fiberglass or old-school metal window screens, they need to be cleaned. Of course, in desert climates, you can get away with a quick rinse with the hose, but the rest of us need to put a little more effort into it. Everyone has their own technique, but, for the newbies, here are a few of the more popular ones.
1. You can gently brush the entire surface with a soft, bristle brush. This loosens all the dust and debris in the screen itself as well as removes cobwebs and other gunk from the metal frame. This method works great on those fragile screens that you are nervous about damaging.
2. Some window cleaners prefer to use a product like Magic Screen. This handy spray cleans up screens like new, just spray it on and let it do its thing. The product actually dissolves all the dust, debris, cobwebs and a dead bug or two. Don’t worry. It is safe to use regularly on screens and won’t shorten their lifespan. In fact, you can leave it on the screen; no rinsing required.
3. Another popular method is to remove all the screens and wash them with your window cleaning wetter. Scrubbing both the screens and the metal frames can get rid of more stubborn, sticky goo. Be sure to rinse well with a hose to remove any soapy residue.
As always, the important thing to stress to your customers is that screens are a disposable item. They are not meant to last as long as the window. The clips break. The frame gets warped. Kids and pets can wreak their special havoc on it. Stuff happens. They is not meant to last forever, no matter how careful you are.
So, what do you do? How do you clean window screens? Do You use a method that we talked about above or something completely different? We’d love to hear about it.