It is important to clean and maintain your screen doors and windows to keep them in good working condition.
Screen door mesh acts as a giant air filter & as air flows freely through the screen, it traps airborne contaminants onto the screen. Dirt & in particular salt will crystalise on the screen & immediately start to attack the powder-coating on the screen. If you clean your screen doors regularly, it will remove these airborne contaminants & will keep your screens looking & performing their best.
The black powder-coating on security screen mesh is the same process as paint on your car, but thicker (A cars paint is usually 95um thick whereas SecureView Eclipx is specified to 120um). Just like you need to wash your car the keep the paintwork looking its best; you also need to wash your security screens. If you were to leave your black car parked at the beach for six months and never washed it; you would quickly see the paintwork start to deteriorate (assuming there had been little rain). As the paintwork would be attacked by the salt and in time the car will rust.
If you live within 200 metres of a surf beach, you will be very familiar with the harsh corrosive effects of the salt air, even on household appliances such as TVs, and you will know that you need to clean everything weekly of this salt build up. Likewise, if you own a boat you will know to wash your boat and trailer immediately after being in salt water.
In Australia, there is a definite trend of less rain and in tropical areas, less afternoon storms. In days of the past, regular rainfall would have naturally washed the screens. Without this natural effect you must keep your screens free of dirt and salt to maintain their condition.
Good question! It depends on where you live; different environments have different climates and conditions that might cause dirt, grime, and other pollutants to accumulate on your screen door more quickly. If you live in a rural area with no red dirt and away from the coast; then you’ll only need to clean and maintain your screen doors once every three to six months. As long as you’re not close to industrial or heavy urban activity; the flow of pollutants into the screen door should be minimal.
If, however, you live in an urban area, the air will carry more smog and pollutants that will be caught by the screen door. In these environments, you’ll want to give the screen a clean every two to three months. And, if you live in a harsher environment (such as being close to an industrial factory, a tropical environment, or within 15km of the coast), you’ll need to clean your doors every two to four weeks.
It is important to note that contaminants like bird droppings or bat droppings should be washed off your screens immediately as they are very acidic and will permanently damage the powder coating.
Using mains water (not bore or tank water), hose the screens to wash salt, dirt and dust off. If using a water blaster it is best to use the car attachment or simply stand back with the nozzle at least a metre away so you do not strip the paint protection or powder-coating off the screen.
Wash the screens with a soft cloth and regular car wash and wax
Hose down to rinse the car wash and wax cleaning product off the screen
You can purchase an anti-corrosion lubricant such as CommandeX Protect (Please note that CommandeX Protect is a new product that will not be available for purchase until October 2020) to extend the life of your screens. Pour the lubricant onto a soft cloth and wipe onto the inside and outside of the screen.