Be gentle, though, because screening is delicate. If bird droppings (or any other type of hardened gunk) are ruining your view, grab an old soft toothbrush to break it apart. How to Remove Dried Bird Droppings From Window Screens If you need something more powerful, make a paste of baking soda and water to scrub the rust on the screen. Vinegar should dissolve it, but you may need to repeat the process a few times. With this job, you need a vinegar-soaked rag and some elbow grease to get rid of the rust. Rusty metal screens are actually a thing, and it’s not so easy to just power wash the rust off. (If using a commercial cleaning product and garden hose, you do not need an extension pole or water/dish detergent mixture.) With your extension pole, clean your screens as best as possible scrubbing in a methodical direction. Submerge the brush or mop head into the bucket to moisten. (You are not using ammonia here because you don’t want it to drip down into unwanted areas or onto your hair and face.) Or, use a commercial cleaning product that attaches to your garden hose.Īttach a brush or mop head to an extension pole. Grab your bucket and mix a few drops of dish detergent into the water until sudsy. Be sure to completely close all the windows when you finish vacuuming.Use the garden hose to wet down your non-removable screens (remember to close your windows!). They’re also formulated so that they do not damage any plantings or the siding of your home when they drip from the windows.įrom the inside, open your windows and vacuum your screens with the brush attachment. Use these products in place of a pole and brush/mop. Note: There are outdoor window cleaning products that attach to your garden hose, offering an effective spray that reaches high windows. Soft-bristled brush with a handle or a microfiber mop head.Stay safe and off the ladder with this method. If you have windows and screens you can’t reach from the outside and the screens are not removable, you don’t necessarily need a ladder to get the job done. Let the screen air-dry or wipe it down with an old, clean towel if desired. (You won’t believe how much dirt comes off.) Repeat the process on the other side of the screen. Rinse that side of the screen with a gentle spray from the garden hose. Sponge, brush, or use the cloth to wipe the solution methodically across the screen, then up and down the screen, to grab all the dirt. Spray one entire side of the screen with the cleaning solution. (You don’t want to have too hard of a spray that could cause a hole or loosen the screening from the frame.) Hose off both sides of a screen with a gentle spray of water from the garden hose. Gather screens you’ve removed from windows. Mix the ammonia, water, and dish detergent solution in a spray bottle. Set up a folding table near the garden hose. Protective clothing and gloves (not optional with ammonia).Large sponge, large soft-bristled brush, or microfiber cloth.Warning: Remember, screening material is delicate, and you may have makeshift patches on them already that you don’t want to disturb, so be gentle while cleaning. You’ll get wet, so grab some old clothes, some protective gloves, and start scrubbing. If you can reach your screens and remove them from the window intact with the frame, it can be an easy cleaning job if you use ammonia (which cleans windows and mirrors, too). Dirty screens make your home appear…dirty clean screens make your home feel and look clean.You can’t see very well from a window covered with a dirty screen.Birds also tend to leave droppings on window screens (don’t ask how they manage that!).Birds sometimes grab onto your window screens with their claws and talons (probably to grab bugs)-and you don’t want to know where their little feet have been. Insects tend to land and get caught in your screens, maybe they’ve spun webs, and sometimes they die on your screens resulting in old carcasses that partially disintegrate.Oxidized metal screens can damage windows by permanently etching the glass over time you can hire a glass restorer to try to fix the costly problem.Dirt- and mud-saturated screens, mixed with rainwater, make the glass on your windows dirty.Rain dampens screens and attracts mold and mildew build-up.Breezes blast dirt, pollen, and allergens past your screens and into your home disrupting interior air quality.Here are a few benefits to cleaning your window screens, whether they are made out of metal or nylon mesh:
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