How to Maintain Your Door Bug Screen and Keep Pests Out

Bug screens are commonplace for most homes, but they also tend to be neglected, because people don’t tend to know that they require a bit of maintenance.

As the weaker part of a door, it also tends to lead to premature problems, such as tears in the screen and similar problems that let bugs in.

But the built-in bug screens provide numerous benefits, and today, we’re going to go over some tips on how to maintain your door bug screen and keep your home comfortable.

Cleaning the Bug Screen Properly

One of the main things you can do to maintain your door bug screen is simply wash it. It’s an often-neglected task, but regular cleaning goes a long way toward keeping it in good shape and preventing it from attracting insects.

This isn’t overly complicated, but we’ll outline each step to make sure you do it as effectively as possible.

Failing to clean your screen properly can lead to the material degrading faster than it should. This is especially important in historic homes, where original materials can be delicate and benefit from proactive care.

If the doors are exposed to things that attract insects, such as your child touching them with sugary sweets on their hands and leaving behind residue, it can attract the bugs it’s designed to keep out.

1. Remove the Screen

It might be inconvenient, but it’s best to remove the door bug screen for maintenance. Most screens can be easily pulled in and out.

This will make it far easier for you to clean it thoroughly, and it will keep you from getting everything else in your entryway wet or soapy.

Removing the screen is also a good chance to check how it fits with features like sidelights, which can complicate removal but add charm and ventilation to your entryway.

If you have a screen that can’t be easily removed, get creative to contain the mess and have the best access to the screen that you can get without removing it.

2. Warm Water, Soap, and a Scrubber

Make sure you have warm water, a gentle soap, and something to scrub the screen with. Start by washing the screen just like you would anything else, but ensure that you use your scrubber to knock out dirt and debris from all of the fine holes and crevices.

It’s easy to miss stuff because of how tightly woven the mesh is, but you want to clear all of it to ensure you protect the entire mesh.

When you’re done, rinse the screen off. This is a little more difficult if it’s still in the door, but it’s best to use something with a bit of force behind it, such as a hose or a hand-pumped spray bottle.

The extra force behind it will blow out any caked-on debris with ease. Just make sure you don’t use anything too powerful. You don’t want to damage the mesh while you rinse it.

3. Gently Wipe Dry and Reinstall

Once you’ve gotten all the debris and dirt off the screen, just wipe it as dry as you can and reinstall it. It's important to get as much water off as possible.

While the door bug screens are always exposed to the weather and are resilient to water, you still want to avoid letting water sit on them if you can.

If it’s a good day out with plenty of sun, you can also let it air dry. Maintaining a clean, well-fitted screen also helps keep your home safe from pests without having to sacrifice fashion for security.

Avoid Abusing the Door Bug Screen

Your bug screen should do a great job of keeping bugs out as long as it stays shut and it’s in good condition. However, if you let it get damaged, you can quickly end up dealing with plenty of bugs flying in without a problem.

Bug screens might be made out of a thin mesh, but they’re still exceptionally durable. Some are made of thin metal wire mesh, and some, less common options, use other materials, but in any case, you should put extra care into avoiding abuse.

While they’re durable, bug screens are more prone to damage than the other doors in your home. A flailing chair leg while you’re moving in new furniture, kids pushing on the screen, or less predictable situations, such as flying debris in a storm, can all punch holes in the screen.

This is especially true if your beautiful entryway design includes more decorative or delicate elements.

Some of those things are unavoidable parts of life, but most of the sources of damage can easily be avoided with a little bit of caution.

Consider Turning Your Bug Screen into a Bug Deterrent

So, right out of the gate, your bug screen is going to keep bugs from coming into your home as long as the door is shut, but you eventually have to open and close it to get in and out of your house.

We all know how quickly a stray fly or wasp gets in and just how annoying that can be. What if you could minimize that chance a lot without doing anything drastic or buying anything fancy?

Well, during peak bug season, you can turn your bug screen into a deterrent.

Beyond cleaning the screen to get rid of anything that can attract them to your door, you can also use natural anti-bug sprays on your screen to keep them from coming near it.

Cedar oil, mint spray, and other natural oils are often used for camping or around areas where you don’t want to spray toxic chemicals. If you spray one of those options on your bug screen, it can help prevent bugs from entering the entire entryway to your home.

This simple trick can dramatically boost your curb appeal during spring and summer, when guests are more likely to notice and appreciate a clean, bug-free entry.

Start with a Great Bug Screen in the First Place

Finally, the best way to maintain your door bug screen throughout the season for years to come is to start with a high-quality screen. No matter how much you baby a cheap bug screen, it’s still cheap and prone to failure.

At Luxe Iron Doors, we offer a range of exquisitely crafted doors - including elegant single iron doors and striking iron double doors - all designed to combine lasting performance with timeless style.