To clean window screens, take them out of the window, vacuum off the loose dust, wash them with mild soap and water using a soft brush, rinse them gently and let them dry completely before they go back in. That's the method window makers give in their own care guides. Andersen says to wash the mesh and frame with mild soapy water and a soft-bristle brush, rinse with clean water and dry the frame with a soft cloth.
The steps below follow that order. Below them are the screens that won't come out, torn mesh, pet screens and a schedule.
What you need
A soft-bristle brush, such as a car-wash brush or a clean paintbrush
A vacuum with a brush attachment
Mild dish soap and a bucket of warm water
A hose with a gentle shower setting, or a second bucket of clean water and a sponge
Microfiber cloths or towels that don't shed lint
Painter's tape and a marker
An old blanket or tarp to lay the screens on
Leave the scrub pads under the sink. Milgard's care guide says to clean screens with only mild soap, water and a soft brush, and to keep away from anything that could puncture or tear the mesh.
Step 1: take the screens out and label them
Close the window first. You'll be working from inside the room, and a closed sash keeps bugs out while the screen is off.
Screens come out a few different ways: pull tabs along one edge, spring pins on the sides, or plungers you press in. If you can't see how yours releases, look up the removal or installation steps for your window brand before you pry on the frame. Andersen tells owners to remove screens carefully and points them to its installation guides for the how.
As each screen comes out, put a strip of tape on the frame and write where it goes: "kitchen left," "front bedroom." Two screens that look the same can still fit only one opening each, and the labels save you from test-fitting every screen in every window.
Lay the screens flat on the blanket or tarp. Milgard's guide says to set a removed screen on a clean, flat spot, and a gritty driveway grinds dirt into the frame.
Step 2: vacuum the dry dust first
Run the vacuum's brush attachment over both sides of the mesh with light pressure, top to bottom. Then do the frame, especially the corners and the groove where the mesh meets the frame, which is where dead bugs and spider webs collect.
Do this while the screen is dry. Dust and pollen lift off dry mesh easily. Wet them first and they turn to mud in the weave, which takes a lot more brushing to get out.
A sticky lint roller is worth having for the last bits. Milgard suggests rolling one gently across the mesh to pick up leftover dust or lint.
Step 3: wash with mild soap and a soft brush
Add a small squirt of dish soap to a bucket of warm water. Dip the brush, then work it over the mesh in gentle strokes, one side and then the other. Wash the frame the same way.
Let the brush do the work and keep your hand light. Andersen's storage guidance says pressure should not be put on the mesh or the frame, and pushing hard on wet mesh can stretch it.
Step 4: rinse gently, never with a pressure washer
Rinse until no suds are left in the mesh. Andersen says to rinse with clean water, and Marvin says to rinse screens gently with a hose. Use the shower or mist setting and stand back a few feet.
One maker is stricter. Milgard's care guide lists a garden hose, along with a power washer, among the tools not to use on its windows, screens, doors and hardware. If your windows are Milgard, rinse with a bucket of clean water and a sponge.
Keep the pressure washer out of it. Milgard names it on that list, and Marvin says pressure washers aren't recommended on window glass because the force can damage seals, glazing and frames.
Step 5: let them dry before they go back in
Shake off the water, then wipe the frame with a towel that doesn't shed lint. Milgard says to skip paper towels, which leave lint behind in the mesh. Stand the screens on edge, or lay them flat, and give them time.
Every maker quoted here says the same thing about this step. Andersen says to dry the frame completely, Marvin says to let screens dry fully before reinstalling, and Milgard says to put a screen back once it is completely dry. A damp screen drips into the track and picks up dust the minute it goes back in.
When they're dry, match each label to its window and set the screen back in. Check that it sits square, with no gap at the corners.
How to clean window screens without removing them
Some screens are hard to get out. Casement and awning windows crank outward, so their screens sit on the inside. Retractable screens on patio doors stay in their housing. Upper-floor screens can be out of reach from outside.
You can still get the dust off in place:
Lay a towel along the sill to catch drips and dust.
Vacuum the mesh with the brush attachment, both sides if you can reach them.
Wipe the mesh with a microfiber cloth dipped in mild soapy water and wrung out until it's barely damp.
Wipe again with a second cloth dampened in clean water.
Finish with a lint roller.
For retractable screens, Andersen says to wipe the mesh gently with a soft-bristle brush and clear the screen's tracks with a vacuum or a soft cloth.
In-place cleaning takes off dust and pollen. It won't wash out grime packed into the frame corners, so plan to take the screens out for a full wash at least once a year.
Torn mesh, loose edges and bent frames
With every screen out of the window, it's a good time to look each one over:
A small hole or puncture can take a patch from the hardware store.
Mesh pulling away from the edge means the rubber spline that holds it in the groove has slipped or dried out. New spline, or new mesh, fixes it.
A bent or bowed frame won't sit tight against the window. Replace the screen. Andersen recommends ordering a replacement over painting a screen frame, too.
Leave oil off the frame and the mesh. Andersen warns against oil-based cleaners or lubricants on its screens, because the film left behind collects dust.
Pet screens
Pet screens get nose prints, paw marks and hair worked into the mesh. Phifer's PetScreen uses vinyl-coated polyester, which the company describes as tear-resistant and puncture-resistant.
Clean them the same way, with more time on step 2. Vacuum the hair out while the screen is dry, go over it with a lint roller, and then wash, rinse and dry it. Nose prints come off in the soapy wash.
Patio door screens
Sliding screens on patio doors get their own routine in Andersen's guide. Close the door, slide the screen away from the panel that moves until you can see the lower track, and vacuum or wipe the track clean. Then wash the mesh and frame with mild soapy water, using a soft brush where debris is stuck, rinse off the soap and let the screen dry thoroughly before you slide it again.
A schedule for window screens
Andersen says to clean screen mesh and frames at least once a year, and every three months in coastal, industrial or farm areas with more dirt, smoke and salt in the air.
Around here, screens catch road salt film in winter, tree pollen in spring and sprinkler mist in summer, so twice a year suits them. Do them when you clean the windows, in spring and again in fall. Clean glass behind a grey screen still looks grey.
In winter, wash screens indoors in a tub or laundry sink, or wait. Detroit Metro averages a January high of 32.3 degrees in the National Weather Service's 1991–2020 normals, and a screen rinsed outdoors can freeze before it dries.
If you take screens down for the winter, clean them before they go into storage. Andersen says to store them flat or upright against a flat, sturdy backing, in a dry place with air moving through it, where nothing can fall on them.
Or let us wash them
Screens are part of every interior window cleaning we do. We take them out, wash them and put them back, and we vacuum the tracks and wipe the sills on the same visit. On the triple-track aluminum storm and screen units common on Livonia ranches and Plymouth Township houses, we brush the screen and vacuum the channels it slides in. On West Bloomfield lake houses, the screens on porches and three-season rooms come out and get brushed and rinsed too.
Everything that comes with a visit is on our residential window cleaning page. The towns we cover are on the window cleaning service areas page, and the inside half of the job gets its own post: interior window cleaning, screens, sills and tracks.
Questions people ask
Can I wash window screens in the bathtub?
Yes, if the screen fits. Lay an old towel in the tub so the frame doesn't scratch it, wash the screen with mild dish soap and a soft brush, and rinse it with the shower head on a gentle setting. Stand it on edge to drain and let it dry completely before reinstalling it.
Is vinegar safe for cleaning window screens?
Mild dish soap and water is the safer choice. Window makers name soap and water in their screen care guides, and Milgard warns that acidic cleaners can damage the finish on its window frames. Vinegar is an acid. If a screen still looks dirty after one wash, wash it again with soap and the soft brush.
Can I pressure wash my window screens?
No. Milgard's care guide lists a power washer among the tools not to use on its windows, screens and doors, and Marvin says the force can damage window seals, glazing and frames. A gentle stream from a hose, or a bucket of clean water and a sponge, rinses the soap out of the mesh.
How do I get dog hair out of a window screen?
Vacuum it with a brush attachment while the screen is dry, then go over it with a sticky lint roller. Hair that a nose or paw has pushed into the weave comes loose in a soapy wash with a soft brush. Rinse the screen and let it dry before it goes back in.
Get a quote
If you'd rather skip the tape, the tub and the drying time, every interior window cleaning we do includes the screens, the sills and the tracks. Send a rough window count through Get a Free Quote, and we'll price your house.
