Most gray, hazy screens are dirty, not dead. A proper wash brings back the view and the airflow. Cleaning will not fix torn mesh, brittle fiberglass that crumbles when you press it, or a frame that has gone out of square. Here's how to tell which one you have before you spend money.
Screen mesh does not turn gray on its own. What you are looking at is a layer of fine dust bonded to the weave by moisture: field and construction dust off the Treasure Valley wind, pollen in spring, wood smoke and inversion soot in winter, and the white mineral crust left behind when sprinkler overspray dries on the wire. Aluminum mesh adds its own oxidation, a chalky film that transfers to your fingers when you touch it. Layered together, that coating cuts a real amount of light coming through the window and slows airflow when the window is open. Because it is a surface deposit and not a change to the mesh itself, most of it comes off with water, light agitation, and enough time to dry. That is the good news: the screen that looks ruined from inside the house is usually just filthy.
Take one screen out and do this on the lawn in about five minutes. First, the pinch test: squeeze the mesh between thumb and forefinger. Fiberglass that crackles or leaves broken strands is sun-rotted and past saving. Second, hold the screen up to the sky and look for pinholes, slits, and pet-claw ladders, because cleaning does nothing for a hole. Third, push a palm into the center. Mesh that stays bellied out has stretched, and it will keep sagging. Fourth, set the frame on flat concrete and check for rocking or gaps at the corners; a racked frame will not seat in the track no matter how clean it is. Pass all four and you have a dirty screen. Fail any one and you are looking at rescreening or a new frame, not a wash.
Done right, screen cleaning means the screens come out, get labeled by window so they go back where they came from, and get laid flat instead of scrubbed while hanging in the track. Both faces get worked with a soft brush to lift dust out of the weave, then rinsed and left to dry before reinstalling, because a wet screen put back against clean glass will streak it. Expect a real change in how much light comes through and a screen that no longer prints gray on your hand. What cleaning does not do: close pinholes, tighten stretched mesh, straighten a bent frame, restore brittle fiberglass, or lift hard water etching that has already set into the wire. If your screens are dirty and intact, cleaning is the whole fix. If they are dirty and damaged, cleaning mostly makes the damage easier to see.
Rescreening means pulling the old mesh and spline out of the frame and rolling in new. That is a repair to the frame, not a cleaning service. Reflekt cleans screens. We do not re-mesh frames, and we will say so on site when a screen is past cleaning rather than washing it and billing you for it. For a handful of screens, rescreening is a genuinely doable weekend job: a roll of mesh, new spline, and a spline roller from any hardware store, plus about fifteen minutes per screen once you have done the first one. For a whole house, bent frames, or an unusual factory track profile, take them to a local glass or screen shop that builds them. They will match the mesh type and rebuild a racked frame. Ask about pet-resistant or solar mesh while you are there if that is the problem you are actually solving.
Screens have to come off for a proper exterior wash anyway, so the sensible time to clean them is while the crew already has them off the house. At Reflekt, screen cleaning is a $50 add-on to a window cleaning job, and window cleaning starts at $199 priced by pane count. It is included free once a year on a Monthly or Quarterly membership, and memberships have no contract. Glass is washed with 100% pure deionized water and no soap, so there is no detergent residue left along the frame edges for fresh dust to stick to, and the RainShield finish is what keeps the glass clear afterward. Every job carries a 7-Day Rain Guarantee, and same-day or next-day slots are often open. If your screens fail the four checks above, tell us when you book and we will leave them off the invoice.
Judge any screen cleaner on four things. One, do they take screens off and clean them flat, or spray them while they hang on the house? Sprayed-in-place screens push dirt into the sill and dry with runs. Two, do they label screens by opening? Unlabeled screens come back mismatched and do not seat right. Three, is screens-in-or-out written on the quote? A quote that goes quiet on screens usually means they are extra. Four, can they produce current proof of insurance without being chased? Then be honest about fit. Reflekt started in April 2025 and sits at 4.9 stars across 115+ Google reviews, which is one year of work, not a decade of it. Long-established valley companies have more years and more total reviews than we do, and some re-mesh frames in house, which we do not. If you want one visit that both cleans and rebuilds your screens, hire one of them. That is the better job for you.
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Still wondering about something? Call or text us at (208) 453-6760.
Once a year covers most Treasure Valley homes, timed with an exterior window cleaning so the screens are already off. Twice a year makes sense if you are on a dirt road, near open field or active construction, or downwind of sprinklers throwing hard water across the house. Screens left up through winter collect inversion soot, so if you only clean them once, spring is the more useful time.
You can, and it helps, but a hose alone mostly moves dust around. The mesh holds dirt down in the weave, and it takes light agitation with a soft brush on both faces to release it. Never pressure wash a screen. At close range the mesh stretches or blows out of the spline. Lay screens flat, brush, rinse, and let them dry fully before putting them back against clean glass.
Cleaning restores light and airflow, not the mesh itself. A clean twelve-year-old fiberglass screen still reads slightly darker than a new one because the strands have faded and the weave has relaxed. If your screens pass the pinch and pinhole checks, expect an improvement you will notice from inside the house. If the mesh is brittle or bellied, cleaning buys you a season at best and new mesh is the honest answer.
No. Reflekt cleans screens. We do not re-mesh frames, cut new mesh, or build replacement screens. If a screen is torn, brittle, stretched, or the frame is bent, we point it out and leave it off the bill rather than washing something that needs replacing. Rescreening is a straightforward DIY job with a spline roller, or a local glass and screen shop can rebuild them for you.
At Reflekt it is $50 added to a window cleaning job, and window cleaning starts at $199 priced by pane count. Monthly and Quarterly members get one screen cleaning free each year with no contract to sign. If you want screens cleaned and no glass work at all, say so when you call. Depending on the screen count it may not be worth a trip, and we will tell you straight.
For exterior glass, yes. Washing through a screen leaves the frame perimeter dirty and traps water behind the mesh. Screens come out, the glass is washed with pure deionized water, and screens go back once they are dry. That is also why cleaning them at the same visit is less hassle than a separate trip. Call (208) 453-6760 or book online to have screens handled at the same appointment.
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