Timely tips for cleaning window screens

Window screens can get filthy, which is not surprising considering they keep dust, pollen, insects and other airborne detritus outside. Here are some handy spring cleaning tips for your window screens, which is preferably done when the weather warms up.

• To clean window screens, move them to a flat surface, being careful not to place them where underlying objects can damage them.
• If you lay them in your garden, remove rocks or other sharp objects underneath. Placing them on top of a large drop sheet or old shower curtain is a good idea, or just lay them on a paved driveway.

• In a large bucket, mix 3 parts warm water with 1 part ammonia and 30 ml (2 tbls) each of dishwashing liquid and borax. (Or purchase an all-purpose cleaner from a hardware store.)
• Wearing rubber gloves, pour the mixture into a trigger spray bottle.
• Wet the screens thoroughly with a garden hose.
• Spray the cleaner onto the screens, front and back, being careful not to miss those grimy corners.
• Allow the cleaning solution to sit on the screens for at least five minutes, to better penetrate the mesh and do the dirty work for you. The less scrubbing you do on screens the better, as they get brittle and often loosen with age.
• Scrub both sides gently with a soft-bristled brush, using an old toothbrush to get into grimy corners.

• Rinse the brushes as you work so that you don't end up smearing around more grime than you remove.
• Rinse the screens thoroughly with a hose and then air-dry them in the sun, propped up against the house or bushes.

• Number your screens, so that you can tell which one goes where.
• Or, put a number on each window frame, in a hidden spot, and then write or scratch the corresponding number on its screen frame.