Windows

By letting you enjoy the fresh breeze without the bugs, your window screens make warm weather a lot more pleasant. Because they stand in the path of insects, dust, pollen, leaves, and other airborne debris, though, window screens can get grimy fast.

Debris on your window screens is more than just unsightly. It can also weaken your screens and cause them to develop tears and holes faster. Clean window screens give you a better view and last longer, and they’re not hard to achieve.

Routine Touch-Ups

Regular quick cleaning reduces the amount of grime that builds up on your screens, so they stay looking good for longer in between deep cleanings. Once a week, go over the screens with a microfiber cloth or duster.

For stuck-on debris, use a lint roller or strip of masking tape to gently pull off the debris without damaging the screen.

Vacuuming your screens is another option. Put on your vacuum’s brush attachment and test clean a corner of the screen. You should be able to move the brush attachment around freely over the screen’s surface.

If the suction pulls at the screen and makes the hose difficult to move, either reduce the vacuum’s suction or skip vacuuming to avoid stretching or otherwise damaging the screen. If the suction isn’t excessive, run the vacuum lightly over the whole screen without pressing.

Annual Deep Cleaning

To keep your window screens in top shape, give them a thorough cleaning once a year. Mid-spring is an ideal time for this.

Start by removing your screens from the windows. Place the screws and other hardware for each screen in separate sandwich bags. For screens on second-story windows, have a helper who can stabilize your ladder and assist in case of an accident.

Label each window frame, screen, and hardware bag as you go to make re-installation fast and easy. This way you’ll know screen 1 goes on window 1 using the hardware in bag 1 and so on.

Lay a tarp over the area where you’ll be cleaning the screens and lay the screens flat on the tarp. If you don’t have space outdoors to clean your window screens, use your bathtub.

Prepare the cleaning solution of your choice. While you can find commercial window screen cleaning products, there are also several easy DIY options:

• Moderately dirty screens – Mix 1 tbsp liquid dish soap in a 1/2 gallon of water. If you want a somewhat stronger formula, mix 3 parts water and 1 part vinegar, then add 1 tbsp liquid dish soap per cup of water/vinegar mixture.
• Very dirty screens – Mix 1 part ammonia in 3 parts water. For a little extra cleaning power, add 1 tbsp dish washing liquid per cup. Don’t use this cleaner on aluminum screens because ammonia can cause discoloration. Instead, stick with water and dish soap.

Pour the cleaner into a spray bottle. Spray down the screens with water from a garden hose or your bathtub tap. Spray cleaner onto both sides of the screen and let the cleaner soak in for five to 10 minutes.

Using a soft-bristled brush, such as an old tooth brush or child’s hairbrush, gently scrub the screen using minimal pressure. Try not to press or bend the screen. Wipe off the loosened grime and cleaner with a sponge. Pay particular attention to the corners and frame. Rinse the screen with your garden hose or bathtub tap.

Check for any dirt you missed and clean those spots again. Once your satisfied, thoroughly rinse the screen. Leftover residue will attract dust and other debris, causing the screen to get dirty faster and make it harder to clean.

Pick up each screen and gently shake it to remove any remaining water. Lean the screens against an upright object, such as the side of your house, to allow them to dry thoroughly. When they’re completely dry, they’re ready to be re-installed.

Deep Cleaning Fixed Screens

Sometimes it’s more practical to wash a screen while it’s still in place. This is often the case with sliding glass door screens, screens on upper story windows, and screens installed too tightly to be removed without damaging them.

For window screens that don’t have stuck-on debris, a thorough yet gentle vacuuming using your vacuum’s brush attachment might be enough. Alternatively, gently scrub the screen with a soft-bristled brush, then use a damp paper towel to sponge off the loosened debris.

For very dirty screens, spray the inside and outside of the screen with enough of your chosen cleaner to completely soak the screen. Use a large sponge or microfiber cloth to gently scrub both sides of the screen using minimal pressure.

Fold a bath towel in half, grab one end, and use the towel to lightly yet firmly smack the window screen working from the top down. This helps knock excess water off. Finally, use a clean microfiber towel to dry both sides of the screen. The downside of this method is that you’ll need to clean your windows afterward.

When you know how to clean your window screens efficiently, you’ll be more likely to get the job done when it’s needed. As long as you provide at least some regular maintenance, your annual deep cleaning will be fast and easy.

Nothing ruins a beautiful view like patches of mold all over the window. If mold and mildew are plaguing your windows, getting rid of it will take some effort, but you can do it without specialized cleaning products. Once your windows are sparkling again, correcting the conditions that allowed the mold to form will ensure it won’t come back.

Cleaning Your Windows

To remove mold from window glass, all you’ll need are some basic household cleaners. Because glass isn’t particularly porous, the roots of mold don’t penetrate it deeply, making the mold easy to scrub off.

Fill a gallon bucket with hot water and add 1 cup bleach or 1 cup hydrogen peroxide. If you don’t have either, you can use 1/2 cup powdered dishwashing detergent and 1/2 cup borax.

Open the windows in the room to provide good ventilation while you work. If you’re sensitive to molds or you have allergies or asthma, it’s helpful to wear a dust mask and gloves even for small mold cleaning jobs.

Apply the solution to the glass using a spray bottle, sponge, or cloth. Gently scrub the glass to remove the mold. Rinse the window only if you think your kids or pets might come in contact with the glass and get the cleaning solution into their mouths. Leaving a little solution on the window inhibits future mold growth.

Chances are if there’s mold on the glass, there’s also mold on the window frame, especially if it’s wood. Even if you haven’t seen any mold there, you should inspect the frame closely. Any mold left lingering will spread back to the glass and, even worse, the rest of the house.

Bleach won’t work well here because it can’t penetrate wood well enough to reach the mold’s roots. A better option is the same solution of 1/2 cup powdered dishwashing detergent and 1/2 cup borax in 1 gallon of water that works well on glass.

Distilled vinegar is another effective solution. Either spray it onto the wood or pour some into a bucket and apply it to the wood with a spray bottle or sponge. Then use a soft scrub brush to scrub the moldy areas gently but firmly. For unfinished, unpainted wood, you can use denatured alcohol in the same way.

Alternatively, pour 3 percent hydrogen peroxide into a spray bottle, spray it onto the moldy wood, and let it sit for 10 minutes. Then scrub the area with a soft brush.

Commercial mold removal products (fungicides) are also an option. If you decide to use one, make sure to follow the product’s instructions exactly.

Exposure to large amounts of mold can cause nose and throat irritation, coughing, skin rashes, and eye irritation. If any part of the window is covered with thick mold growth, wear rubber gloves and a dust mask or respirator to minimize your contact with the mold.

Start cleaning by using a vacuum equipped with a HEPA filter to remove as much of the mold as you can. This cuts down on the spores floating around. Once most of the loose mold is gone, use your homemade or commercial cleaner of choice to remove the remaining mold.

A mold problem that’s spread throughout the house is best left to a mold remediation specialist. These professionals have the knowledge and equipment necessary to remove the mold safely and permanently.

Stopping the Mold from Coming Back

When mold takes root in your home, it’s because your indoor air quality and humidity levels provided the conditions it needed to grow. Excess indoor humidity is the biggest contributing factor in indoor mold problems.

High humidity shows up as frequent condensation on the windows, water stains on the walls, and a chilly, clammy feeling during cold weather, even with the heat turned up. For a more accurate assessment of your humidity, hang a hygrometer on your wall.

Ideally, it should give you a relative indoor humidity reading of between 40 to 55 percent. Anything higher than this will contribute to the growth of mold, dust mites, and bacteria.

To get your humidity under control, start with basic steps such as running your vent fans for 10 to 15 minutes after you’re done cooking and showering, keeping lids on your pots while cooking, repairing leaky faucets and pipes, and restricting most of your house plants to one room. Taking shorter, cooler showers helps, too.

If you’ve done everything you can think of to bring your indoor humidity into a healthy range, but you still have damp air, the problem is most likely poor ventilation. In this case, running the air conditioner on the “fan only” setting for an hour or so a day will often help remove excess moisture from the air and filter out mold spores.

For a more effective solution, consider having a whole-house ventilation system installed. These systems either vent out stale indoor air, bring in fresh, filtered outdoor air or both.

Keeping mold spores out of your home also reduces the risk you’ll end up with mold on your windows or elsewhere. Mold spore counts are highest in fall and spores are released at night and very early in the morning. Before and after rain storms are also peak times for mold spores. As much as possible, keep your windows closed at these times.

Mold spores and other air contaminants can also come in through tiny cracks around your windows, doors, baseboards, vent fans, pipe and wiring entry points, and many other places. Use caulk and weatherstripping as appropriate to seal these cracks.

A little mold around your windows is easy to get rid of with household cleaners such as bleach or vinegar. Mold spreads quickly, though, so before you start cleaning, inspect the area around the window for mold growth. If you find your mold problem is widespread, contact a mold remediation specialist to avoid risking your health.

Once the mold is gone, the only way to keep it from returning is to correct the humidity and air quality conditions that allowed it to take hold in the first place. Do this, and you can enjoy a healthy, mold-free home for as long as you live there.

The right window treatment not only improves the appearance of your home, but it also makes your home a more comfortable and energy-efficient place to live. Like other window treatments, both blinds and shades have their advantages and disadvantages.

The Difference Between Blinds and Shades

Although the terms blinds and shades are often used interchangeably, the two are distinctly different.

Blinds have slats, also called louvers, which can be turned to change their angle. This lets you control exactly how much light comes in and how much visibility you have. Partly closing the blinds provides you some privacy without totally blocking the light or airflow. As the sun moves throughout the day, you can adjust the louvers to keep the light out of your eyes yet not block it completely.

A shade is a single, continuous sheet of fabric, woven wood or other material that you can raise and lower. Partly lowering the shades blocks light and visibility from the covered part of the window, leaving the part below the shade completely open. Some shades can be opened from the top, bottom or both ends to give you more control over your light and privacy.

Choosing the Right Design for You

When choosing between blinds and shades, there are a number of factors you’ll want to consider.

Light requirements – If you want to give the room a light and airy look, blinds will achieve this more effectively than shades. On the other hand, shades will do a better job of limiting light coming through windows in direct line of the sun. If you need complete darkness during the day, blackout shades are your best option.

Privacy requirements – Both blinds and shades made of thick material offer equal amounts of privacy when fully closed. Shades made of sheer material obscure the view, but still allow silhouettes and movement to be clearly seen through them.

Energy efficiency – Because blinds let you reduce the light without blocking airflow, they’re perfect if you like to leave your windows open to keep your rooms ventilated. Shades, on the other hand, provide better insulation than blinds precisely because they don’t have slats that let air flow through them.

Price – There are blinds and shades to suit every budget. The price differences are due largely to the materials used as well as the design. Natural materials such as wood and linen tend to carry a higher price than plastic and polyester.

That said, aluminum blinds and bamboo shades are possible budget-friendly alternatives using natural materials. To keep costs down, consider investing in more deluxe window treatments for your main rooms, but sticking with lower-cost options for rooms that are used less often.

Design – Consider how well the window treatment will fit with the decor in the rest of the room. Woven wood or bamboo shades add texture to a room, but will look out of place in a modern or industrial decor scheme. Similarly, aluminum won’t be a good fit for a traditional decor scheme that’s rich in wood. If you already have or plan to add curtains or drapes, keep their design in mind when you look for additional window treatments.

Maintenance – While most blinds don’t require professional cleaning, they’re magnets for dust and the individual slats need frequent dusting. Textured shades hide dust better and can be cleaned by vacuuming or with professional cleaning.

Safety – Cords pose a danger to young children and pets. If you have either, cordless designs or those with short cords are the safest options.

Finding the Right Type of Blinds or Shades

Once you’ve decided whether blinds or shades are a better choice for your windows, you’ll need to choose from among the various types of blinds and shades available.

Venetian blinds – Also called Persian or slat blinds, these consist of horizontal slats made of metal, vinyl, wood or another stiff material. The slats are connected by a string or strip of cloth tape that, when pulled, rotates all the slats simultaneously. This lets you make minor adjustments to the angle of the slats depending on how much light and visibility you want. The blinds can also be drawn up or down. Venetians are the most common type of blinds.

Mini blinds – These blinds are designed the same way as Venetian blinds, but have slats less than half the width of those found in standard Venetian blinds.

Vertical blinds – As the name implies, vertical blinds consist of a slats hung vertically from a track that attaches to the ceiling near the top of the window. The slats are typically made of stiff fabric, plastic or, less commonly, metal. Like the slats in Venetian blinds, these slats can be turned to control light and visibility. They can also be drawn aside. Vertical blinds block light more effectively when closed and collect less dust than Venetian or mini blinds.

Roller shades – The standard shade design is a single sheet of material, such as fabric, woven bamboo or woven wood that runs the entire width of the window. The shade can be raised or lowered using a pull cord. When raised, it rolls up into a compact tube shape at the top of the window. Although not technically blinds, these are often referred to as roller blinds.

Roman shades – Typically made from fabric, roman blinds are more decorative than most types of blinds or shades. These shades come in two main design types.

• Flat roman shades – When fully lowered, these shades lie flat against the window. They offer a clean, simple profile that won’t make your window treatment look overly busy.
• Hobbled roman shades – Looped, teardrop, and waterfall are alternative names for these shades. When lowered, they form a series of overlapping folds that cascade down the window. Their free-flowing appearance adds depth and a romantic touch to a room.

While roman shades work well as blackout shades, they provide relatively little help with temperature control. When raised, Roman shades create an accordion-like stack at the top of the window. This isn’t usually an issue on tall windows, but on smaller windows, it can cause an unacceptable loss of visibility and light.

Cellular shades – Also called honeycomb shades, these are made from stiff fabric or paper formed into a row of horizontally lying honeycomb-shaped cells.

These cells trap air to form a barrier between the room and the window, which improves temperature control in the room. They’re especially effective at reducing heat gain, so they keep the room cooler in summer. Cellular shades are available in single-, double- and triple-cell models, meaning a single, double or triple row of cells. The more cells, the greater the insulating ability.

Rather than rolling up when raised, these shades fold up into a more compact form.

With so many varieties available, it’s worth taking some time to consider not only whether you prefer blinds or shades, but also which style of blinds or shades best meets your needs. Find the right one, and it will give you a more beautiful and more comfortable home for years to come.

High-quality windows beautifully frame the view from your home and add to the overall ambiance of your living space. While the right windows can last decades, not all windows are ideal for all situations. Knowing the pros and cons of the most common types of windows will help you choose the ones that are best for your needs.

The Pros and Cons of Wood Windows

Wood windows are produced from either hardwoods such as oak, chestnut and sapele or softwoods such as European redwood and Douglas fir or from a combination of hard- and softwoods. Hardwoods are often used as veneers on softwood frames.

Pros

Wood is a classic choice for a number of good reasons. The look of wood can fit into nearly any home design, but it’s especially well suited to older, traditional homes. Natural wood adds a touch of luxury to modern designs, too. It’s hard to match the versatility of wood, which you can paint or stain any color you choose and change that color whenever you like.

On the practical side, wood frames are the optimal choice for energy efficiency. They insulate 400 times better than steel and 1,800 times better than aluminum, helping to keep your home warm in winter and cool in summer. In addition, they provide a better sound barrier than almost any other type of frame.

Because wood windows are easily installed with basic tools and carpentry skills, they’re a perfect choice for the do-it-yourselfer.

Cons

The main disadvantage of wood is the high level of maintenance it requires. Wood windows can last decades, but they need consistent and correct care. You’ll need to treat and paint them to prevent rot, warping, and swelling. Neglect this job and your window frames can become deformed, preventing you from opening and closing your windows.

Moist, salty ocean air is rough on wood windows, so wood frames aren’t the best choice if you live anywhere near the beach. You can still use them, but they’ll require more maintenance than they would in other climates.

Cost is another downside. The purchase price of wood windows is typically higher than that of other frames. Because wood has such a long lifespan, though, your investment will pay off over time.

The Pros and Cons of Vinyl Windows

Vinyl windows are made of PVC, the same material often used to make pipes. One type of vinyl window contains hollow chambers that reduce their weight, help them insulate more effectively, and reduce condensation. Another type is made from cellular PVC, which has a sponge-like structure that produces a stronger frame.

Pros

Low maintenance requirements are the biggest benefit of these window frames. Vinyl won’t rot or warp like wood or corrode like aluminum or steel, so it needs little care to stay in shape.

Although white is the most common color for these frames, they’re available in a wide variety of colors. Unlike wood frames, they never have to be painted. The colors are designed to resist fading and because the color is infused throughout the material, scratches and scuffs are hardly noticeable.

If you’re looking for something energy efficient, vinyl is a reasonable choice. This material conducts heat less readily than aluminum, so it won’t heat up your home in summer. It’s also better at blocking outside noise than aluminum.

Because vinyl windows can mass produced in factories using low-cost, readily available materials, they’re among the most budget-friendly window options.

Cons

Vinyl windows aren’t quite as impact-resistant as metal window frames. If you live in a mild climate where energy-efficiency isn’t a top priority, yet you see frequent high winds or hail, metal frames are likely to be a better option.

Because vinyl can’t be painted like wood, you won’t have the option to change the color to match any home remodeling you might do. Extreme heat can cause these windows to fade or discolor, and once this happens, there’s no way to restore the color.

The manufacturing process used for vinyl windows makes them cheap to mass produce, but costly to customize. So if you plan on having custom windows in your home, vinyl windows might not be the most cost-effective way to go.

While durable and recyclable, vinyl isn’t biodegradable and therefore isn’t as eco-friendly as wood.

The Pros and Cons of Composite

Composite windows are made from a combination of materials, such as wood, metal, and vinyl or another plastic. Some designs are made with wood on the interior side for aesthetic appeal and vinyl on the exterior for ease of maintenance.

Others consist of wood with aluminum or vinyl cladding.  Composite windows are gaining popularity for their ability to combine the best aspects of several different materials.

Pros

Composite window frames combine the strength and stability of wood with the rot-resistance and low maintenance requirements of vinyl and aluminum. These windows are also impact resistant, so they’re less likely to suffer damage from high winds and hail.

The energy efficiency of composite windows depends on the materials used and the design, but well-made composite can be highly energy efficient. Composite windows made with wood have the same thermal properties as wood windows, making them an energy efficient choice for your home.

Like vinyl windows, composite windows come in a variety of colors and styles. They’re a reasonably green option, too. Some composite windows are manufactured using recycled materials and the components are easily recycled, so there’s no need for your old windows to end up in a landfill.

Cons

While composite windows cost more than vinyl, they’re only somewhat less expensive than wood window frames. Composite windows have advantages wood windows don’t, but if you strongly prefer the traditional nature of hardwood windows, the cost savings of composite models might not be worth it to you.

Appearance is another factor. Windows that contain vinyl or metal work best with modern designs, but can look a little out of place on a traditional home with wood features.

Because there’s more than one type of composite window, you’ll need to invest some time in finding a design that provides the benefits you’re looking for.

What’s more, not all manufacturers produce equally reliable products, so it’s worth doing some research if you’re considering a product from a manufacture that doesn’t already have a solid reputation.

Wood, vinyl, and composite windows all have their inherent strengths and weaknesses as well as advantages and disadvantages that depend on your personal preferences. Wood is a smart choice for versatility and durability, especially if you’re interested in ordering a custom-made design. Vinyl windows are often the most practical, affordable choice for milder climates. If there are aspects of several materials that appeal to you, consider composite windows.