Torn Window Screens

A damaged screen dirties the glass beneath it

Loose mesh flexes in wind and abrades against the frame, shedding fine debris that lands on the glass below. Torn edges also trap leaves, seed and cottonwood, which then sit against the pane holding moisture. A window under a failed screen genuinely needs cleaning more often than one under an intact screen.

Judging the frame, not the mesh

Mesh is cheap and replaceable. What determines whether a screen is worth saving is the frame: if the corners are still square and the spline channel is intact, rescreening is straightforward and far cheaper than a new unit. If the frame is bowed, corroded, or the corner keys have failed, a new screen is the better spend.

Pet mesh is a real product

Standard fibreglass mesh tears easily under claws. Heavier pet-resistant mesh exists and costs more, and for a household where the same screen is destroyed annually it pays for itself quickly. Fitting standard mesh again in that situation is a decision to repeat the problem.

Where cleaning fits

Reflekt cleans screens at $50 added to a window service, and it is included free annually on any membership. We will tell you when a screen is beyond cleaning and needs rescreening rather than washing something that is going to fail anyway.