How can you clean screens on a storm door when the screen does not seem to be removable? Here are a couple of easy ideas.
How do I Clean Screens on My Storm Doors?
From: Linda T.
I have a question about Cleaning Screen on Storm Doors. They have glass on the front & neither the glass nor the screen is removable for cleaning. The screens get full of dust and dirt and if I spray anything on them to clean them, it spots up the glass on the inside where I can’t get to it to clean it off.
Has anyone else had this problem & how have you handled it? How to clean these screens and windows without leaving the glass a mess is a pet peeve of mine. Thank you sincerely for all of your information and ideas about living the good life for us all. -Linda
Linda, you might try our window washer recipe. It seems to work pretty well. -Tawra
Homemade Outdoor Window Washer Recipe
For a dry method, you might try getting a scrap piece of carpet and briskly running it over the screen to loosen the dust. For more heavy-duty use, you can use your vacuum cleaner with the upholstery brush on it. Cleaning screens on storm doors is a pet peeve of mine too and I hate doing it!
-Jill
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For what it is worth, I use a small rubber brush (the kind you can get at the pet store for brushing pet hair off of furniture) and brush GENTLY on the screen. Works great for me, I hope it helps.
As a child I loved the job of cleaning the screens…most of them are removable frame and all and are aluminum that does not rust.. Each spring as soon as it was warm enough, they were removed and laid out on concrete, sprayed with a hose and just a drizzle of dish liquid. Then we kids got to use the broom on them, and rinse them top to bottom, and sit in the sun to dry. This is best with old wire screening, but can be done GENTLY with the newer Nylon screens. Secondly in between spring cleanings vacuum them with a brush attachment.Just the method from the 50’s
I just did mine last week. Our storm doors are the heavy duty ones from Appleby, sturdy, but expensive and i was not gonna try to remove the screens and possibly damage them. I generously sprayed them inside and out, top to bottom with windex/generic window spray then immediately sprayed them with the stronger spray setting on the hose (kind of like power-washing). the window cleaner kept the glass from getting water spots and streaks. i moved the screens up and down a bit to get the dirt that accumulated to wash out.
I thought you had a recipe for killing fruit flies but I could not find it. Please send yours. Thank You
I have tried many methods but the fastest and easiest I have found is to just toss a piece of fruit in a baggie. Seal it closed and poke 3-4 small holes in it. Big enough for the fruit flies to go in but not so big they can come out. I usually use a banana peel or if I am eating a piece of fruit I will put a slice or two of it in there.
The riper the fruit the more they like it. Also put away in the fridge any ripe fruit you have so they will go to the bag and not the other fruit and make sure your counters are not sticky or have anything sweet on it because they will go for that too. In an hour you should have a bunch in the bag. If not your holes may be a little to small or you have something else sitting out they like better.
Then just toss the bag fruit flies and all.
I USE A WINE BOTTLE WITH A BIT OF WINE OR SUGAR WATER IN BOTTOM THEY FLY IN BUT NOT STRAIGHT UP TO GET OUT.
To get rid of fruit flies I use an old jar, like a gravey are, something I’m not gonna use to can with. Add about 1/2 Cup Cidar Vinegar and about 2 tablespoons dishsoap. Set the jar near your fruit or kitchen sink (if they’re coming from the garbage disposal). Within a couple hours, many of the flies are gone and within a day or so, all are gone. Learned this from a friend in the country. I put my concotion behind a picture of my Mom. Nobody see it, but those dang little pesty buggers find it every time!
One of the rites of spring was my Dad taking the screen out of the garage, washing them and putting them up. We have photos of him putting up the screens wearing a t shirt and shorts. Looking back it appears that a man in his under wear is trying to break into our house! Miss you dad! So sorry you and sis missed all these great grand kids!
haha! Your post made me chuckle thinking about your Dad (and mine) cleaning the screens. Old windows/screens seemed to take up a big chunk of time every spring, summer and fall for him, back in the day!
Do you have a recipe for homemade carpet cleaner? I have seen one that you put in soap dispenser of carpet cleaner -thank you
Here are a couple you could try.
Mix 2 1/2 Tablespoons of dish detergent, 1 teaspoon of vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon ammonia, 3/4 cup water. Mix together then put in a foam dispenser or if you don’t have one of those beat it or whisk until it is foamy then apply the foam to the carpet and rub with a damp sponge.
You could add 1-2 teaspoons ammonia a cup of water and sponge on to carpet. Then rinse with a little vinegar.
These measurements don’t have to be exact at all and as with anything be sure to of course test in a hidden spot. Also if you are dealing with stains then it may take several treatments and a little elbow grease.
Personally for just general dirt stains I keep things simple and just rub it with soapy water. It gets things out about 95% of the time. If there is an odor to the stain I still use soapy water then pour a little vinegar on it, let it set for a bit the soak it up. For stains like tea or coffee I will try peroxide – again testing first.
Great tips, when screen cleaning it is sometimes the best option to make use of a disposable toothbrush. This guarantees that even the smallest of dirt will be scrub off. Thank you for sharing this.
Great tip – thanks Jane