Many home owners regularly clean their windows but pay little attention to their window screens.
One big reason my wife Cynthia and I got into the window cleaning business is because everyone loves clean windows.
One big reason we almost didn’t get into this business is because of window screens.
Working with residential window screens is a basic, necessary part of our jobs as window cleaners. We work with them every day and have become quite adept at dealing with them. We even smile and maintain a professional demeanor while cleaning and handling them.
But we don’t have to like window screens.
Window screens are often neglected and replaced infrequently and become brittle over time. Once the neglected screen is touched and/or removed to clean the window, many fall apart right in your hands.
And whose hand is touching the screen?
The window cleaner’s.
Welcome to my world.
One of my first blog posts was “How Often Should I Clean My Windows? (Dec 2011)” because it is my customers’ most frequently asked question.
I followed it with “How Often Should I Clean My Awnings? (Jan 2012)” because it’s the #2 question I hear most.
The #3 most frequently asked question, and today’s topic, is about one of my least favorite subjects, window screens.
When we clean residential windows we always remove, clean and replace the screens. It’s an important element of professional window cleaning and just part of the package.
It’s easy to notice homeowners that pay attention to their windows and screens because every window works and the screens are all in pretty good shape.
Do we wish all customers were like this? Yes.
Is this what we see in the real world? No.
Quite often, the only time homeowners even notice their screens is when they finally get around to cleaning their windows.
Infrequent window cleaning is one thing, dealing with neglected and corroded screens is rarely done before they break.
Herein lies my issue with screens.
As with most things in life… it depends.
There are a number of structural and environmental factors that determine how often you should replace your window screens.
Here are some factors that will affect your screen’s longevity:
So, no one answer will fit every screen. It depends.
OK, so how long should a screen last?
A normal screen that is primarily in shade, remains relatively dry, gets cleaned semi-regularly and is not subject to lots of handling (except at window cleaning time) should last you 10 to 15 years before it begins to break down and need replacement.
With regular maintenance and care, you can add 5 to 10 additional years to your screen’s life.
Here are 8 screen maintenance tips to increase the life of your screens:
Wipe the frames regularly (every 3-6 months) and check for corrosion
In most cases, maintenance costs are less than replacement costs. You can do most of these tasks yourself and save money while keeping your screens in working order.
One note: When we surveyed our customers, we found that cost is not generally the reason for infrequent maintenance. It’s the time and hassle.
If you are not a Do-It-Yourself type of person, your local hardware store can inspect and maintain your screens for you. You just have to bring the screens into their store.
Also, there are also many excellent on-site screen companies that will come to your home and maintain them on the spot. These companies tend to be a little more expensive, but they really reduce the time and hassle factors for you.
Whatever method you choose, regular maintenance increases the life of your screens.
Over the last couple of years, we’ve unfortunately had dozens of situations where a 20+ year old screen falls apart in my cleaner’s hands and the customer, rightly so, asks what we are going to do about it.
Yep. We touched it without noting it first, and we now own it.
And, as a professional service provider, we replace it for the customer free of charge.
Here’s a helpful tip to prevent customer/service provider issues before they happen.
Quick Tip: The next time you have your windows cleaned, talk with your window cleaner before they start, and ask them to inspect the screens and indicate those they recommend maintaining or replacing. You both can then determine how to handle any repairs and/or replacement.
This up-front communication saves a lot of headaches and reduces the possibility of “after-the-fact” situations.
Be safe and have a great weekend!
_______________________
About the Author
John Gran (@JohnSouthBay) is an entrepreneur and management consultant. From 2008 to 2018, John owned and operated local window cleaning franchise and has cleaned 10,000+ windows.
With his popular blog A Clear View Through Clean Windows, John shares his window cleaning expertise and uses window cleaning pictures, inspirations and stories about his business to demonstrate the fundamentals for building a strong, healthy, thriving business.
John lives & works with his wife Cynthia in Redondo Beach, CA
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Window screens and screen doors, and really, any screen product is an old invention that many of us take for granted. It’s easy to forget about something that is so incredibly effective, yet does so much for us without prompting or showiness. For example, our phones are capable of so much and we are very much aware of this fact Our window screens are, of course, less advanced technology. However, if we no longer had our smartphones, our lives without screens would be very different.
Today, our window screens can do so much for us than the first screens that came to be during the Civil War era. We now have solar screen, pet screen, no-see-um screen, copper screen, invisible screen, retractable screen, and more. Though our window screens are relatively low maintenance, occasionally, we do have to care for them to prolong their life and we even have to replace them.
The short answer to the posed questions is whenever your screen appears to be broken, you need better protection, or you are ready for an upgrade. However, today, we are going to begin by answering a related question, “What affects the longevity of my window screens?”
Ready to shop for replacement window screens? Shop Metro Screenworks! We offer custom window screen options and rolls of window screening material that can fit whatever need you have. To learn more about our products, shop Metro Screenworks’ online store today!
Not all window screens are created equal. The structure of your screens will affect their longevity and their effectiveness and it can be impacted by the quality of materials, the care that was taken to assemble the window screen, as well as if the screen was installed in the window correctly.
The materials that your window screen is constructed from will also affect its longevity. If your screen was built from high-quality materials, as assumed, it will probably last longer. Also, the longevity of your screen will be affected by how well your screen’s material matches the use and abuse that it must endure.
The longevity of your screen will be affected by its frame. Most window screen frames are made from steel or aluminum. If your window screen doesn’t see much use or abuse, it may be safe to install an aluminum one, but if your screen does get quite a bit of use and you may want to maximize it’s longevity, a steel frame may be what you want.
Corners are small but important elements of our window screens. They essentially keep our screens together and fit — you guessed it — in the corners of our screens. There are two types of corners: outside square corners and inside corners. Like not all window screens being created equal, not all corners are the same either. The type of material they are made from, such as if they are plastic or mitered, and the way in which they were installed will affect how long your window screens will last.
Read part two of our blog series to learn about the other factors that can affect the life of our window screens and if you are ready for replacement window screens, be sure to shop Metro Screenworks’ online screen store! We offer custom screen solutions that can provide you with window screens and window screening material that you can rely on and can do so much more than just keep the big pests out. Shop Metro Screenworks today.