How To Clean Your Window Screens

The weather has been great here lately. Instead of running the heat or A/C I have been able to open up the windows and let the fresh air in. It saves money and it feels great.

The downside is I recently noticed the window screens are really dirty. When I was outside with our dog she licked one of the screens. We actually had a clean spot where she licked. 🙁 I know, that’s really gross! The screens had dust and pollen stuck to them.

I try to take the screens down from the windows every year or two and give them a really good washing with the hose. But, I wanted something that was easier than that. I had seen a trick on Pinterest to use a lint remover. It did work to remove the pollen, but all the grime was still there. Instead, I decided to try wiping them down with a microfiber cloth. It ended up being really easy, quick and removed all the crud. If you are trying to figure out how to clean your window screens without removing them, check out this simple tip.

You will need to start with a damp microfiber cloth. I use these microfiber cloths and love them. You want to make sure you are using a microfiber cloth or else you might leave lint stuck all over the window screen. Then your window screens would look even worse. To start, make sure the microfiber cloth is rung out really well or else it gets messy.

First, start at the top of the screen and slowly wipe from side to side. Then, work your way down the screen gently rubbing the screen. You don’t want to press too hard or else you could tear the screen or pop it out.

The microfiber cloth small fibers do a great job of really getting in the small areas of the screen and picking up the dirt. I didn’t need to scrub or vacuum to get all of the dust and pollen.

Next, If your screen was very dirty you may want to go over the screen again with the cloth. I am amazed at how much dirt and grime I was able to remove from the window screen the first time. You can see below how dirty my cloth was.

Finally, as you go from window to window make sure you wash out the cleaning cloth really well. If not you will just be spreading around the mess. When you are done with all of the windows you can just throw your microfiber cloth in the washing machine and all your cleanup is done. It’s that easy!

Instead of spending the afternoon removing all of your window screens and cleaning them you can get them clean and free of pollen and grime in minutes. It took me about 20 minutes to do the whole house.