You might not give much thought to the screens on your home, but you probably should. Those screens could be the cause of your allergy problems and dust buildup in your home. They could also be the reason why it looks dark outside in the middle of the day. If your screens are in disrepair, they could even be letting bugs get into your home. Take a good look at your screens. If they're dirty or damaged, you can follow the instructions below to clean and repair them.

A Clean Screen Is A Good Screen

The dirt that's blowing around your yard could be getting stuck on your window screens. In fact, the dust that's blowing from your heater vents could also be stuck on your screens. Rub your finger on your screens. If the screens feel greasy, or you have dust on your finger tip, it's time to wash them.

Supplies You'll Need:

• Garden hose
• Liquid dish soap
• Bucket
• Soft scrub brush

Directions:

1. Take the screens off your window and lay them on a flat surface in the yard.
2. Use your garden hose to rinse your screens off.
3. Fill a bucket with water and add about ¼ cup of dish soap.
4. Dip your scrub brush in the sudsy water.
5. Scrub each screen with the sudsy water.
6. Rinse the soap off with your garden hose and leave the screens to air dry.
7. Place them back on your windows.

Repair The Tears And Ban The Bugs

Those small tears in your metal screens could be allowing bugs to sneak into your home. You don't have to replace your screens. Most minor screen damage can be repaired in just a manner of minutes.

Sew Up The Slice

Small slices can be repaired with the use of a sewing needle, a few pieces of screen material from the edge of your screen, and a tube of silicon glue.

Directions:

1. Unravel a few threads of screen material from the bottom edge of your screen.
2. Thread your needle with the material.
3. Pull the two screen edges together and use your needle to sew up the slice.
4. Apply a thin layer of silicon glue to the repaired section to seal the damage and prevent frayed edges.

Patch Up The Hole

Larger holes are going to need a bit more than a needle and thread. The type of screens you have will determine how you'll patch them up.

Metal Screens

There are specific patch kits for metal screens. You can pick patch kits up at any DIY store.

Supplies You'll Need:

• Screen patch kit
• Scissors
• Gloves

Directions:

1. Remove the metal screen patch from the package.
2. Put your gloves on.
3. Use scissors a piece of patching material that is slightly larger than the hole.
4. Use the scissors to trim the frayed edges away from the damaged area of the screen.
5. Carefully unravel a few pieces of material from around the entire outer edge of the patch.
6. Fold the edges of the patch so they are pointing up.
7. Place the patch directly over the hole in your screen.
8. Be sure that the pieces that are bent are poking through the screen.
9. Carefully fold the pointed edges over onto the screen to secure the patch.
10. Your screen is now repaired and ready to keep the bugs out.

Fiberglass Screens

If you have holes in fiberglass screens, you can repair them in just a matter of minutes.

Supplies You'll Need:

• Fiberglass screen repair patch
• Silicone glue
• Scissors
• Gloves

Directions:

1. Put your gloves on.
2. Cut a piece of patch just slightly larger than the damaged area.
3. Apply a thin layer or silicone glue to the edges of the patch and around the hole.
4. Press the patch directly onto the screen and apply pressure for a few moments.
5. Allow the glue to air dry.

It's important to keep your window screens in good condition. Screens that are clean and in good condition will help keep the dirt and the bugs out of your home. Using these simple steps, you can keep your screens clean and free from damage. For professional help, contact a company like Northridge Screen to repair larger damages.