Clean glass behind a dirty screen still looks dirty. That’s the whole reason this matters.
Screens hold a season’s worth of dust, pollen, cobweb, and road film. Light coming through them goes grey. People clean their windows, look at the result, and can’t figure out why it didn’t help.
How we do it
We take the screens out, clean them on site, and put each one back in the window it came out of.
On site matters. Nobody’s taking your screens away and bringing them back next week. They come out, they get cleaned in your driveway or side yard, and they go back the same visit.
Putting each one back where it came from matters more than people expect. Screens from the same house, in the same style, are rarely interchangeable. Frames flex, openings settle, and a screen that fit fine in the window it was built for will sit loose or won’t seat at all in the one next to it. We keep track.
Screen cleaning comes with most of our window cleanings rather than being a separate charge. Ask when you book.
We don’t repair or replace screens
If the mesh is torn, the spline has come out, or the frame is bent, that’s not a job we do. We’ll tell you what we’re seeing and point you toward a company that rescreens.
We’d rather say that plainly than take the work and figure it out on your house.
Solar screens are different
If you’ve got solar screens, the dark heavy mesh that cuts heat on west and south facing glass, those get handled differently. The material is more delicate than standard fiberglass mesh, and the frames on older solar screens can be brittle.
More on solar screen cleaning →
When to have screens done
Every time you have the windows cleaned is the honest answer, since clean glass behind a dirty screen defeats the point.
Around here the load builds fastest in spring, when everything is flowering, and again in late summer when the valley gets dusty and still. If you’re on a quarterly schedule you’ll never think about it.
Questions we get
Is screen cleaning included with window cleaning?
Usually yes. Confirm it when you book so we’re both clear.
Do you take the screens somewhere?
No, we clean them at your house and put them back the same visit.
Can you fix a torn screen while you’re here?
No. We don’t repair or replace screens. We’ll tell you what’s wrong and refer you to someone who does that work.
Will you put them back in the right windows?
Yes. That’s part of doing it properly.
My screens have never been cleaned. Is that a problem?
Not usually. Old buildup takes longer but it comes off. Brittle frames are the thing to watch on very old screens, and we’ll flag any we’re worried about before we pull them.
Do you clean solar screens?
Yes, and they’re handled differently. See the solar screen page.