Stylish and durable retractable screen doors can improve your home’s aesthetic appeal and property value. High-quality retractable screen doors for your backyard, deck, and patio can withstand a lot of external elements including strong winds, but they still require some level of maintenance and cleaning from time to time. Keep reading for some excellent tips on how to clean and maintain your retractable screen doors to extend their form and functionality for many years to come.
Maintenance Tips for Retractable Screen Doors
Maintaining and taking good care of your retractable screen door will help it last longer and operate more smoothly. Here are some important retractable screen door maintenance tips to follow.
Check Your Screen Door’s Operation
Keep an eye on your retractable screen door every time you open and close it to ensure that it’s always operating correctly. Make sure that the mesh portion is always secured in place and that it’s not moving outside of the track. This can cause it to tear, fray, bend, or snag on another component when opening and closing.
Be particularly mindful of severe or inclement weather conditions such as strong winds. Retract the screen back into the housing unit if the wind is pushing against it too hard.
Track Maintenance and Cleaning
Once a month, schedule some time to clean out the bottom and top tracks of your retractable screen doors to prevent dirt, mould, dust, and debris from obstructing its internal operating mechanisms. You should also clean out the tracks after a major storm to remove any debris and organic matter that may be trapped inside.
Start by rinsing out dirt from the tracks. Then, gently wipe the tracks down using a soft damp cloth and a non-abrasive cleaning agent. Avoid spraying the cleaning agent directly onto the tracks. Instead, spray it onto the cloth and then wipe the tracks with it. Let the tracks air out and dry for a few minutes before resuming use.
Wipe Down the Screen Mesh
Over time, miniscule dust particles and other debris will become trapped inside the tiny holes of your retractable screen door’s mesh. While the mesh screen is designed to filter out these harmful airborne pathogens and improve natural airflow in your living space, allowing them to accumulate can prevent the mesh from doing its job. Depending on the amount of dust, debris, and pollen particles in your area and how often you use your retractable screen door, you should take the time to clean the screen mesh once in a while.
Start by gently vacuuming both sides of the mesh with a soft-bristled upholstery attachment. Then wipe down both sides with a soft damp cloth and let it dry completely before retracting it back into the housing unit.
Schedule Annual Professional Maintenance Services
Retractable screen doors for your backyard and patio serve both a practical and aesthetic purpose. They’re a fairly big investment for many homeowners and can significantly increase the curb appeal and property value of your home. To maintain your investment and help keep it looking beautiful and functioning properly year after year, it makes sense to schedule a professional maintenance service when the screen is not retracting properly.
Just like your car, your retractable screen doors might need a little tune-up every once in a while. If you’re reticent to hire a technician for annual inspections and maintenance services due to the additional cost, then you can ask the person installing your device for some maintenance tips including how to lubricate retractable screen doors to improve their performance.
DIY Tips for Cleaning Retractable Screen Doors
To help you better maintain your investment without having to spend too much money, here are some useful DIY tips for cleaning your retractable screen doors and keeping them clean.
Clean the Housing Unit
Like the mesh screen and tracks, dirt and debris can also make their way into the housing unit of your retractable screen doors. The housing unit is like the mainframe of the entire structure. If it malfunctions for any reason, then this will prevent you from getting the full value out of having a retractable screen door for your home.
When cleaning the top tracks, make sure to wipe dirt and dust away from the opening of the housing unit. Then, carefully wipe the outside of the unit and handles with a clean microfiber damp cloth. Allow it to air dry thoroughly before using. If you need a deep clean for the aluminum, you can use methyl hydrate on a soft microfiber cloth and you screen will look like new. You can purchase methyl hydrate from most hardware stores.
Winterize Your Retractable Screens
Winter elements can be extremely harsh on your beautiful retractable screen doors, especially in Muskoka, Ontario where the temperatures drop to an average of -15 to -20 degrees Celsius on a good day. The frigid winter temperatures can cause your screens to stiffen up and crack. Throw in wind chills, snow, ice, and you’re looking at a lot of potential damage to your retractable screens.
To protect your investment and keep your retractable screens in tip-top shape throughout the winter months, we recommend that you take the following winterizing steps in the fall:
- Start by carefully cleaning the screens. Gently vacuum both sides of the screen and then wipe it down with a soft damp cloth to remove excess dirt, dust, and debris in hard-to-reach areas.
- Next, spray the screen and the tracks with a high-quality non-abrasive silicone spray to keep them lubricated. You should be spraying the screens at least once a month and the tracks every four months to maintain smooth operations anyway. This will keep the mechanisms from drying out during the cold winter season and make it easier to safely resume operations in the spring and summer.
- Lastly, you can simply keep the screen stored in the mechanism’s housing unit all winter long.
Where to Buy Retractable Screen Doors in Muskoka
Dreamscreens Canada Inc. retractable screen doors are built to last a long time. With proper care, you can significantly extend the lifespan of your retractable screens. We’re a proud family-owned and operated business and are happy to serve our local communities in Toronto and the GTA. Feel free to contact us today or visit our showroom in Oakville to learn more about our exclusive products or to place an order.
