Sliding screen doors are an incredible addition to any house as they have an energy-efficient and aesthetic appeal. They allow you to get a view of the beautiful scenery of the outdoors. However, compared to your entry door, sliding screen doors are more exposed to outside elements such as debris and dirt. This is because these doors are installed on the outside.
While sliding doors are extremely practical and aesthetically appealing, every homeowner with sliding doors installed knows just how annoying it is when their sliding screen door just won’t slide smoothly? That holds especially true when you know that you don’t even use your sliding screen door that much.
Well, if you want to avoid the frustration, you’ll need to clean your screen doors and the heavy duty sliding door rollers efficiently after every season. Most importantly, you have to make sure that they don’t get rusty or dirty as this can damage them and affect their appeal very negatively. Cleaning your dirty sliding screen doors once a week can help reduce the amount of built-up grime, debris, and dirt, and will make the door easier to slide and maintain.
Don’t know how you can clean your sliding screen doors without any help? Don’t worry, we got you covered. In this blog, you will get to know all the essential steps to clean your sliding doors and security door rollers efficiently and effectively.
Table of Contents
What You Will Need to Clean the Sliding Screen Door
Remember, before working on any DIY task, it is essential to gather all the materials required to perform the task in advance. This is because doing so saves your time and extra energy which may get wasted if you stop your work in the middle of the process for any reason. Therefore, it is better to make a list and gather all the materials before anything else.
Here are some of the things you’ll need to clean your sliding door:
- Screwdriver
- Broom
- Steel brush
- Microfiber cloth or sponge
- Water
- Towels
- A bucket
- Lubricant
- Vacuum
- Vinegar
- All-purpose cleaner
Steps for Cleaning a Sliding Screen Door
The following are the steps you need to follow in order to clean the dirt off your sliding screen door.
Step # 1:Remove the Screen Door from Its Track
The first step is to remove the screen door from its track. Removing the screen door is an easy process. You can normally pop it out by removing a couple of clips or screws. Some sliding screen doors have hardware that holds the door in one place. You can remove the hardware by taking off the attached screws on top of the sliding screen door using a screwdriver.
Moreover, if your sliding screen door doesn’t have a removable screen, then you must skip this step. If your sliding door is tightly fixed, you can still clean it thoroughly with the following other steps.
Step # 2: Vacuum the Sliding Screen Door
Whether you’ve removed the sliding screen door from its track or if it’s still there, is the next thing you need to do is vacuum the screen thoroughly. Although it may seem like an additional step, you’ll be astonished by how much dirt and debris the vacuum cleaner sucks out — especially the dirt that gets stuck in small and unreachable areas of your sliding door rollers.
If your sliding door has been removed from its track, lay your sliding door on a flat towel and then vacuum it properly by using an extendable attachment. Make sure to follow this step gently as you don’t want to damage the screen of your door and replace it with a new one since that will be a very costly process. Those who don’t have a retractable sliding screen door can run the vacuum along the screen on the door. With that said, however, it is important to be extremely careful while using the vacuum cleaner as a non-retractable door is more likely to get damaged this way.
After the whole process, clean the sliding door again with a broom to ensure that no extra dirt or debris is left on it.
Step # 3: Wash and Scrub the Screen with Water and Homemade Cleaning Agent
After cleaning your sliding door with a vacuum, the next step is to clean off the debris off your screen with water and homemade cleaning agent.
To make this cleaning agent, you’ll need:
- All-purpose cleaner
- Water
- A bucket
Take ¾ water and ¼ all-purpose cleaner in a bucket. Mix them well to form a mixture. Once the cleaning mixture is made, dip a sponge or a microfiber cloth in it and gently scrub the screen. Make sure to scrub both sides of the sides gently.
Step # 4: Rinse the Door Properly and Carefully
After scrubbing the screen with a homemade cleaning agent, you need to rinse it down with clean water. There are numerous ways to rinse the door; you can pour the water directly from the bucket, or you can hose it down with a medium stream of water.
Step # 5: Dry the Sliding Screen Door with a Microfiber Cloth
Once you have completely rinsed off the sliding screen, you need to dry it immediately. This is because if the screen is left wet, it can easily attract all the dirt and debris back through the air.
The simplest way to make sure you fully dry your screen is to do this on a bright- sunny day, where you can leave it in the sun for a little while. Moreover, if your sliding screen door is fixed, you can use a new microfiber cloth to dry it completely.
Step # 6: Fix the Sliding Screen Door
After completely drying off the screen, you are ready to put the sliding screen door back on to its original position.
The Endnote
Learning how to clean a sliding screen door isn’t a difficult process, but it’s important to follow all the steps mentioned above if you don’t want to see debris and dirt building up on your sliding door. Moreover, the buildup of dirt can damage your sliding screen door in multiple ways. That is why it is essential to maintain your sliding door and clean it regularly to keep any dirt and dust off of it.
By following these steps carefully, you can surely clean your dirty screen door in no time.
About Author:-
An industrial designer by trade, Daniel decided to follow his interest in design & manufacturing which has allowed him to travel around the world to lend his expertise within various industries. Currently, he works as a marketing consultant with Anthony Innovations – a leading supplier of sliding door wheels, window rollers, security door rollers etc. Daniel has a keen eye for innovation and enjoys thinking of ways to make things better
