Window screens
How to clean and care for window and solar screens
Take insect screens out, lay them flat, brush or vacuum off the loose dust, then wash both sides with mild dish soap in warm water and a soft brush, rinse with a gentle hose spray and let them dry fully before putting them back. Solar screens clean the same way and can often be done in place with a soft brush and a light rinse. Skip pressure washers, stiff brushes, bleach and strong solvents, which stretch mesh, pull it from its frame groove and dull the fabric.
Updated · A-Affordable Screen, Sparks
How often to clean screens in Reno-Sparks
High-desert dust settles on screens fast. Afternoon wind carries grit across the valley most of the spring and summer; NOAA's hourly normals show the 2 to 6 pm wind at the Reno airport averaging about 13 mph from April through July, against roughly 2 to 4 mph in the early morning. Screens on the windward west side, and the patio screen door, collect the most.
For most homes, a full wash once or twice a year is plenty: in spring before the windows start opening, and in fall before any screens come down for winter. A quick dry brush or vacuum between washes, especially after a windy week, keeps airflow and the view clear. Solar screens on west and south windows benefit from the same spring and fall routine.
What you need
- A vacuum with a soft brush attachment, or a soft-bristle hand brush.
- A bucket of warm water with a few drops of mild dish soap.
- A soft brush or sponge, the kind you would use on a car.
- A garden hose with a spray nozzle set to shower or gentle.
- Old towels or a clean tarp to lay screens on, and a flat surface such as a patio or driveway.
- Masking tape and a marker to label each screen with its window.
Cleaning insect window screens, step by step
Pick a calm morning if you can. Screens are light and act like sails, and the afternoon wind can flip a wet one across the yard.
- Label and remove. Put a piece of tape on each frame with the room and window before you take it out. Screens that look identical often differ by a fraction of an inch.
- Dust while dry. Lay the screen on a towel or tarp and go over both sides with the vacuum brush or a soft hand brush. This lifts most of the dust and cobwebs before they get wet.
- Wash gently. Dip the soft brush in the soapy water and work over the mesh in light, overlapping strokes, both sides. Support the mesh from behind with your other hand so it does not stretch.
- Rinse with low pressure. Hold the hose at an angle and rinse from the top down with a gentle spray until the suds are gone. Do not aim a hard jet at the mesh or the spline groove.
- Dry completely. Shake off the water, stand the screen on its edge or lay it flat in the shade, and let it dry fully. Wet frames and corners trap grit when reinstalled.
- Check and reinstall. Look along the edges for mesh pulling out of the spline and for holes or bent corners, then put each screen back in its labeled window.
Caring for solar screens
Exterior solar screens use a heavier woven fabric than insect mesh, commonly a PVC-coated polyester, in a stronger frame. The DOE's Energy Saver guidance describes them as looking similar to regular insect screens while reducing solar heat gain, UV damage and glare. They hold dust in the weave like any screen, and a dusty one looks darker from inside and lets through less light than it should.
Most can be cleaned where they hang. Brush the outside with a soft brush from the top down, then rinse with a gentle hose spray and let them dry in the sun. If a screen is on a second story, clean what you can reach safely from the ground and leave the rest; it is not worth a ladder on a windy afternoon. If you take solar screens down, the same flat, soft-brush, mild-soap routine as insect screens works. Our solar screens in winter guide covers storing them off-season.
Treat the fabric gently. Stiff brushes scuff the coating, and harsh cleaners can dull the color. If sprinkler overspray has left spots, a second soapy wash and rinse usually softens them.
What to use and what to avoid
| Method | Insect screens | Solar screens | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Soft brush or vacuum brush, dry | Yes, first step | Yes, first step | Lifts loose dust before it turns to mud |
| Warm water and mild dish soap | Yes | Yes | Enough for normal dirt without harming mesh or coating |
| Garden hose on a gentle spray | Yes | Yes | Rinses soap away without stretching the weave |
| Pressure washer | No | No | Can stretch mesh, blow it out of the spline and bend the frame |
| Stiff scrub brush | No | No | Frays fiberglass mesh and scuffs fabric coatings |
| Bleach, ammonia or strong solvents | No | No | Can weaken mesh, dull color and damage frame finish |
| Mild white vinegar in water | Occasionally, rinse well | Test a corner first | Helps with light mineral spots |
General guidance for common mesh and fabric types. If a screen came with care instructions, follow those.
Patio screen doors need track care too
A sliding screen door gets the same wash as a window screen, but the part that most needs cleaning is at your feet. Grit in the bottom track is what makes a door drag. Vacuum the track and wipe it with a damp cloth whenever you wash the door, and brush the dust out of the pile weatherstrip along the edges. Our guide to a door that will not slide walks through what to check.
Storing screens you take down
Some people pull certain screens for winter or while painting. Clean and dry them first, then store them flat or standing upright on a long edge, never leaning at an angle where the frame can bow. Keep them together in a dry garage or shed, away from where they could be stepped on or have things stacked against them, and keep your labels on so each goes back to its own window.
Spotting damage while you clean
Cleaning is the one time most screens get a close look. The Washoe County Health District, now Northern Nevada Public Health, advises making sure doors and windows have tight-fitting screens to keep mosquitoes out and to repair or replace screens with tears or holes. Mosquito season here runs May through September, so a spring cleaning is the natural time to find problems.
Watch for small tears, mesh that has pulled loose from the spline, fiberglass that feels brittle or turns chalky when brushed, and corners that have cracked. A brittle mesh that tears as you wash it has reached the end of its life. Our rescreen or replace guide helps decide which fix a screen needs, and the DIY vs pro rescreening guide covers doing it yourself.
Small habits that make screens last
- Open and close windows and the patio door by the handle or sash, not by pushing on the mesh.
- Keep sprinklers from hitting screens and frames where you can adjust them.
- Move grills and heaters away from screens; heat can melt fiberglass mesh.
- Teach pets not to paw at screens, or switch to pet-resistant mesh where they wait by the door.
- Check screens after a strong wind day for any that have shifted in their channel.
When a screen needs more than a wash
If the wash turned up torn mesh, bent frames or gaps where screens used to be, that is the work A-Affordable Screen has done around Reno-Sparks since 1997. Each screen goes on a free quote as either new mesh in its old frame or a new custom window screen built to the opening, with homes in Sparks, Reno and Sun Valley among those we visit. Replacing several at once may qualify for the multi-window discount listed on our discounts page. Call or text (775) 240-0418, or ask for a free quote.
Questions
Straight answers
Can I clean window screens without taking them out?
You can vacuum or brush them in place for a quick refresh. For a proper wash, insect screens come out and go flat; solar screens can often be brushed and rinsed where they hang.
Can I pressure-wash my screens?
No. A pressure washer can stretch the mesh, push it out of the spline and bend the frame. A garden hose on a gentle spray is enough.
What soap is safe for screens?
A few drops of mild dish soap in warm water. Avoid bleach, ammonia and strong solvents, which can weaken mesh and dull colors.
How often should I clean solar screens?
Once or twice a year suits most homes, in spring and fall, with a quick brushing after dusty, windy spells.
My screen tore while I was cleaning it. Can it be fixed?
Usually. If the frame is straight and square, new mesh can go into the old frame. Mesh that tears when washed is often brittle all over, so rescreening the whole screen is better than a patch.
Do clean screens let in more light?
Yes. Dust in the weave blocks light and makes a view look hazy, which is most noticeable on solar screens.
Related
Keep reading
Sources: Washoe County Health District (now Northern Nevada Public Health): West Nile virus still present in Washoe County (opens in a new tab) · U.S. DOE Energy Saver: Energy Efficient Window Coverings (Internet Archive capture, Jan. 1, 2026) (opens in a new tab) · NOAA NCEI: U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (Reno-Tahoe International Airport) (opens in a new tab)
Since 1997 · Sparks, Nevada
Ready for a free quote?
Call or text us. Or leave your details and we call or text you back.
Monday-Friday 8:00 am-4:00 pm
We come to you anywhere in the Reno-Sparks area to measure and quote, at no charge.
