Spring Cleaning your Screens

The Ultimate Screen Porch Cleaning

4/1/2020

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So, here we are, five year later in the same space where we started! Five years ago we posted our first video on March 28, where we shared how to re-screen Steph's porch. This time around, we are cleaning those screens, which since it's been five years, are REALLY dirty!

Follow along as we share the simple method we used, as well as the star of this episode, our new multi-positional ladder!

Materials/ Tools:

Zwipes Microfiber Cleaning Cloths (24-Pack) (Amazon)
Mr. Clean Magic Eraser Original, Cleaning Pads (Amazon)
Swiffer Sweeper Dry and Wet Starter Kit (Amazon)
Cree Led 60W Replacement A19 Soft White (2700K) Dimmable Light Bulb (4-Pack) (Amazon)
SCREEN MOUSE ROLLER TOOL by PHIFER (Amazon)
Gorilla Ladders 23 ft. Reach MPX Aluminum Multi-Position Ladder with Project Top, 375 lbs. Load Capacity Type IAA Duty Rating (Home Depot)

Multi-positional ladder by Gorilla Ladders that we used on the porch.

When we re-screened the porch five years ago, we did not have a ladder tall enough to reach the very peaks of this space. We actually went and bought a new extension ladder to finish that middle screen on the left. It was awkward and not very safe feeling to use. This Gorilla Ladder is none of those! It worked in even the most awkward of spaces!

Two people can stand on the Gorilla Ladder.

The ladder is designed so that it can be used in this position by two people. It is amazing how sturdy it feels.

We used a wet microfiber cloth to clean.

So what magical cleaner are we using? We followed the advice of Leah at See Jane Drill and simply used a microfiber cloth dampened with water and lots of elbow grease! No mess, no extra water, no chemicals.

We used a magic eraser to help clean the fan blades.

This ceiling fan and light was particularly dirty. It was apparent it had not been cleaned in a long time! We added a magic eraser to help clean this up. We also removed the light globe and took that to the sink to clean with warm, soapy water making sure it was totally dry before putting it back.

Replacing the incandescent bulbs with LEDs by CREE.

This fixture still had old hot running incandescent light bulbs so we replaced them with LED. Many LED are not designed for enclosed spaces so we made sure to find bulbs that would work in the space.

Use a microfiber cloth on a Swiffer to reach higher areas of the screen.

Here's another way the ladder can be used. The ground here is not flat so being able to adjust the individual sides to compensate for the slope made it possible to get the ladder close to the screen where we needed it. We put a damp microfiber cloth on a Swiffer Duster to help clean the taller outside screen sections.

Here you can see the before and after of cleaning the screen.

Here you can see how dirty the screen is. We actually were very surprised how well this simple cleaning method worked!

Using a spline mouse to reattach some of the screening.

Here Steph is using a spline mouse to reattach where some of the screen came loose. (Full disclosure, I accidentally pushed it loose!)

The outdoor carpet was professionally cleaned.

We brought in a professional cleaning service to clean the carpet that probably has never been cleaned.

Here you can see what it looked like before.

...and now! It looks practically brand new.

Happy anniversary to Mother Daughter Projects, AKA, DIY For Homeowners! Thanks for being a part of our continuing journey.

As part of our celebration, we also posted a short video of us watching our very first video with running commentary. Take a look at that to see where it all started.

Please note: This is not a sponsored post.

FYI: We are not professionals, and we don't claim to be. This is what we found worked for our project. Yours may need a little different approach. Safety first!

FYI: Affiliate links are being used on this page. Purchasing via these links help support MDP!