HOW TO CLEAN WINDOW SCREENS
Your window screens keep bugs out while letting the fresh air and beautiful scenery of the outdoors into your home. To keep the air flowing and reduce allergens, it’s best to clean your screens at least twice a year. Cleaning regularly will also help prevent rusting and tearing, lengthening the life of the screens.
A quick rinse with household ammonia may not be the best way to clean your window screens, as the chemical can irritate your eyes, respiratory tract and skin. Dish soap may be a safer option, but it may not be strong enough to wash away the caked-on dirt, plus it’s harder to rinse away. Lastly, simply hosing your dirty screens down will remove dust, but it won’t remove built-up dirt, dead bugs, tree sap, cobwebs, pollen or other outdoor debris.
Simple Green Ready-To-Use All-Purpose Cleaner easily removes dirt and dust without harsh chemicals that can harm you and the environment. Instead of harmful ammonia fumes, the biodegradable* cleaner leaves behind a light sassafras scent.
Directions:
Use a screwdriver or butter knife to remove the screens for the best clean. Be sure you don’t twist or bend the frames.
- Wet. Rinse the screens first with a garden hose on very low pressure. Wetting the surface before cleaning removes any loose dirt, grime and visible debris, and allows the Simple Green to better penetrate caked-on soils.
- Spray cleaner on. Liberally spray both sides of each screen with your Simple Green cleaning solution and let them sit for about 1 minute.
- Scrub screens. After that, gently scrub the screens from side to side with a soft bristle brush.
- Rinse. Rinse the screens from top to bottom with a garden hose on low pressure. Too high of pressure can loosen the screens from their splines and leave them saggy.
- Dry. Use a dry towel to absorb excess water and place the screens up against your house so they can dry completely.