Spring Screen Cleaning: How to Clean Window and Door Screens

Spring is here! Normally around this time of the year, our work calendar would start to fill up with all of your spring cleaning appointments. We love doing those! We love being able to get your home super clean and in excellent shape to welcome all the fun activities that come with the warmer weather.

However, because of the current circumstances and for everyone’s safety, our spring cleaning season is looking very different this year. While we would love to go to your home and give it a beautiful deep spring clean, we are doing everything possible to help our healthcare workers manage the virus by slowing down the rate at which it spreads. And while that means no cleaning visits for a while, we still want to help you take care of some of those spring cleaning tasks that need to get done promptly!

One of those tasks is cleaning window and door screens. These may not be all that fun to clean, but doing it is a must so you can be ready to open up those windows and let some fresh air in once the weather warms up.

The following guide will explain how to clean window and door screens with supplies that you might already have around you home. Let’s do it!

What You’ll Need:

  • Microfiber cloths

  • Hose

  • Vacuum

  • Water

  • Bucket

  • All-purpose cleaner

  • Towels

  • Masking tape

  • Permanent marker

Step 1: Remove Screens

Pop out your door and window screens and lay them out on a flat surface. Write labels like “left kitchen” or “kids’ bath” on masking tape and attach to the screens so you know exactly where they go. Don’t skip this step! You’d be surprised to find out that they might not all the exact same size.

Step 2: Vacuum Up the Dirt

Let’s get rid of the easiest to clean and grossest stuff first. Run a vacuum over the screen to pick up loose dirt, dust, and spider webs. Take care not to bend the frame of the screens or rip the fabric while you do this.

Step 3: Wipe Down Grime

Grab your bucket and mix three parts water to one part all-purpose cleaner, dunk a microfiber cloth in the solution, and wipe down both sides of your screens. If the weather is nice, we recommend doing this outside. If that’s not an option, you could try doing it in the bathtub or a big sink, if you have one. Otherwise this can get a little messy!

Step 4: Rinse It All Away

Stand your screens upright and spray them down with a hose on a gentle setting. If you don’t have a hose with that functionality, pouring clean water over the soapy screens with your bucket works, too. Just be careful not to use the jet setting or high water pressure, as this could damage the screen.

Step 5: Clean Out Frames

Before you reinstall your screens, use a damp microfiber cloth to wipe out the frames.

Step 6: Dry and Re-Screen

Dry your screens with a clean towel and pop them back in. Don’t forget to remove your masking tape.

Bonus: How to Repair a Broken Screen

While you’re cleaning, you may come across a broken screen. Don’t worry! It’s actually easy to repair a screen, but you’ll need a few more things for this project.

Tools & Materials Needed:

  • 4-in-1 screwdriver

  • Awl

  • Cordless drill

  • Scissors

  • Screen roller

  • Utility knife

  • Brick

  • Screen

  • Spline

  • Wood stop block

You can find easy-to-follow instructions with pictures at the Family Handyman website.

Missing coming to a sparkly clean home every few weeks? We miss you too! We believe in our Madison community and know that if everyone does their part to the best of their abilities, we’ll be able to pull through this together. In the meantime, we’ll continue bringing you tutorials and little nuggets of information to help you keep your home in good shape until we can see each other again.

Stay safe,

The RM Cleaning Team