Caring For Your Screen Enclosure

Are you sick of staring at yucky green screens? If you have a screen enclosure for your pool, patio, or porch, you probably have to contend with all the nasty debris your screens catch, too. Just as you take care to keep the exterior of your house clean, you should also spruce up your screens when they start to get nasty. So how do we recommend homeowners go about their screen enclosure cleaning?

The Old Spray-and-Scrub Method

Some homeowners choose to do their screen enclosure cleaning by hand. If you're the type that's up for a bit of a DIY project, you can try this yourself. Take a bucket and mix warm water with some dish soap (you can also use an eco-friendly all-purpose cleaner like Simple Green). We recommend spraying down the screens first with a garden house set on a spray setting to get out as much of the debris as you can beforehand. Once you've done as much as you can with the hose, use a soft-bristled brush and your bucket of soapy water to gently scrub away at your screens and rid them of any remaining mess. You may need a brush extender to reach the top of your enclosure if you can't reach it yourself- just take care while scrubbing. Once that's done, give it another once-over with the hose to rinse out the suds, and let it air-dry. Done!

Tackling Mold And Algae

The above method is great for general screen cleaning. However, if you've got a lot of algae or mold stains on your screen, you may need to do a little more. First, spray down any surrounding landscaping with water and try to cover it with tarps if possible. To get rid of mold or algae, you'll need some stronger stuff. Bleach is great for getting the job done, but it can cause discoloration and be very caustic to use, so use carefully, wear protective gear, and dilute it with water. If you're not comfortable using bleach, a 50:50 warm water to white vinegar mix is also effective. It stinks while you're working, but the smell doesn't stick around. Like before, scrub the problem areas with your cleaning solution of choice, then rinse well.

The Pressure Washing Way

Pressure washing can be a great way to clean screens fast. Pressure washers can blast debris out of your screens fast while showering them with cleaning solutions that kill mold, algae, and other nasty stuff. Trouble is, pressure washing is a very powerful cleaning method, and ideally should be done on the lowest possible pressure setting. Too much pressure can easily tear through screens in an instant, ruining your enclosure!

If you don't have the time or energy to scrub your screens and aren't comfortable with DIY pressure washing, don't worry. Ace Pressure Washing Services employs seasoned pros who are experts in careful and effective screen enclosure cleaning. We'll transform your dirty screens into the relaxing outdoor sanctuary your home deserves. If you need our expert screen enclosure cleaning, give us a call and get your free estimate at 407-873-3936.