Essential Fall Maintenance for Window and Door Screens

As summer fades into the cooler months of fall and winter, many may already have ideas of ways to winterize their homes – especially those in colder climates. Getting your window screens ready for a harsh winter can be crucial to preserving the life of those screens and keeping your home comfortably warm. 

Before winterizing, though, window screen maintenance should first start with steps to prepare for autumn. The sooner homeowners start on essential fall maintenance for window and door screens, the more protected those screens will be for winter. 

Here, Screenmobile will take a deeper dive into the screen maintenance tips every homeowner should take for fall to ensure the longevity of the screens that protect their windows, doors, and porches. 

Your Fall Window & Door Screen Maintenance Checklist 

Getting ready for fall? Use this fall window screen maintenance checklist to ensure that you’re prepared for the colder months: 

• Remove your screens and clean them using a mild soap and water 
• Inspect each screen for holes or damage
• Patch any minor holes, or call a repair service for more major issues 
• Store your frames, if you choose to, somewhere they can be kept straight and upright. 

Keep reading for a more in-depth look at our fall window and door screen maintenance tips. 

Window & Door Screen Maintenance for Fall 

Cleaning 

A summer of wind, rain, bugs, dirt and debris has undoubtedly taken a toll on the state of your screens. Step one of any good fall window screen maintenance routine should be to clean them. 

Remove the screens carefully and find a flat, clean surface to lay them out on – back porches and driveways are usually safe bets. Use water, a mild soap, and a soft brush to scrub each screen clean, taking care to reach the corners. Clean both sides, rinse, and allow time to air dry completely. 

Cleaning window screens doesn’t just keep them looking nice, though that is a nice bonus. Cleaning as a part of regular screen maintenance and preparing those screens for fall will make a huge difference in their longevity and durability. 

Throughout the year, naturally occurring salts and biological matter lodge themselves in the fine mesh of a window screen as they’re blown around by wind and rain. The natural acidity in those materials will begin to slowly erode and wear down even the toughest window screens if left to molder for too long. 

Cleaning as a part of fall window screen maintenance will also help to prevent moisture and bacteria from accumulating on top of a layer of existing dirt and harboring mold and mildew. 

Inspection 

Another part of fall door and window screen maintenance is inspecting for damage. When you remove your screens to clean them for fall, take the time to give them a thorough inspection. 

• Look in the corners to see if they’ve started to pull or peel away.
• Check for holes, rips, or tears. Some may be thin – use your hands to gently prod the screen and feel for gaps.  
• Find areas where the mesh might look thin, faded, or especially shiny even when it’s dry- this can signal that it’s starting to wear down. 
• Inspect the spline (the rubber piece holding the screen mesh in place) and frame to find corrosion or damage. 
• On doors, take special care to inspect near the bottom, where feet and pets are more likely to have caused wear and tear over time. 
• On doors, check for gaps or openings when the door is shut. If your door does not seal well in a certain spot, you can either adjust the hinges or add a bug sweep to keep things tight.
• Inspecting your doors and windows now, especially if you plan to store them for the colder months, is essential to your screen maintenance checklist. It’ll be easier to repair or replace them now rather than in the height of spring when bugs, allergens, and heat are all on the rise. 

Inspecting your door’s screen in the fall can also allow for preventative maintenance before the fall and winter holidays when the door will be opened and closed for everything from family visits to trick-or-treaters and package deliveries as holiday shopping ramps up. 

Repair 

After your inspection, it’s time to address any rips, tears, or signs of wear. Significant damage, like tears and holes from pets, especially on doors, will need a complete replacement. However, some minor flaws can be quickly patched as a temporary fix. 

Small tears and holes can be covered up with a simple, clear adhesive. Brush the adhesive directly over the tear on both sides of the screen. Allow this adhesive plenty of time to dry before replacing or storing the screen. You can also use a clear nail polish for this. 

If you have any scrap screen mesh, you can sew it over a slightly larger tear or hole, creating a patch. Using a thin, strong thread (like heavy-duty polyester tread), make your stitches as small as possible and sew around the hole. 

However, the best, most reliable way to repair or replace a damaged window screen is to call in a professional. 

Should You Store Your Window Screens in Fall and Winter? 

There’s much debate on whether you should store window screens in fall and winter. In truth, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer here. Whether or not you remove your window screens in fall and winter depends on the weather where you live. 

If you live somewhere especially cold and snowy, removing your window screens will prevent snow from becoming trapped between the screen and the glass. It’ll also allow in more natural light when it’s available. You may also consider swapping your screens for storm windows to protect them from harsh winter weather. 

If you live somewhere with less harsh winter months, storing your window screens is entirely up to you but not completely necessary. However, fall window maintenance should still include giving those screens a good cleaning, as dust from a hot or humid summer has likely accumulated on them. 

If you are storing your windows for fall, be sure to keep them somewhere where they’re upright and unbent. Bending or twisting the frames might cause them to warp over time. 

Pro tip: Before removing your screens for the winter, label the orientation and location of each screen with a small piece of masking or painter’s tape. Doing so helps cut down on the time (and headaches) of re-installing your screens come springtime.

Repair or Replace Your Window Screens with Screenmobile 

The best way to ensure that your window screens are prepared for fall or any season is to fit them with the durable, weather and pet-proof screen window options from Screenmobile. Reach out to the window and door screen experts at Screenmobile to see how we can help you have long-lasting, durable screens all year long.