Clean and Care for Window Screens

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It is very unlikely that you spend a lot of time thinking about your window screens, but even so, they are still hard at work keeping some nasty things out of your home. At the same time, they are getting dirty. While it may be tempting to ignore your window screens, or at least put off cleaning them, maintaining your window screens regularly is a much better idea.

Luckily for you, keeping your window screens clean is easy and requires nothing special beyond the knowledge of the proper techniques and a few common household materials. If you know that your window screens are dirty, the following instructions should help.

Setting Up

First, you will need to find a good place to work. You need to choose somewhere outside, where you have access to a garden hose. However, you must also choose a place where you do not mind pouring ammonia into the ground.

Once you have selected a good place to work, open all of your windows and pop out all of your window screens. You may think you will be able to remember which window goes with which window screen when you are all finished. However, if there is any doubt — if you have a lot of windows, or many different shaped ones — you should take a moment now to label which window screen goes with which window using your masking tape and pen.

Finally, mix 3 cups of water with 1 cup of ammonia, and throw in a little bit of detergent. Put the whole mixture into your spray bottle. You are now ready to begin.

Rinsing

First, use your garden hose to rinse off any loose dirt and dust from your window screens. Be sure to go over every spot on each screen at least once, even if you don't see any loose material to be removed. Once you have done the best job you can with the garden hose, you can continue.

Cleaning

Now it is time to really clean your window screen. Use your spray bottle filled with the cleaning mixture that you made to spray down every inch of your window screens. Once you are finished, go over the window screens again with the hose. Be sure to rinse them completely, as you do not want to accidentally leave any of your mixtures behind.

Finishing Up

Once you have washed and rinsed your window screens, you can simply let them air dry. When they are finished, put them back where they belong using either your memory or the notes you kept for this purpose.

Maintaining

You can keep everyday dirt and dust off of your window screens easily with routine maintenance. Using a vacuum cleaner attachment is a great way to do this. Keep in mind that pushing on window screens can damage them, so don't push too hard, if at all.

If you do not have a vacuum cleaner attachment, or it is not convenient to use one, you can use a microfiber cloth instead. Again, pushing on your screen will damage it.