Easy Fixes for a Sliding Screen Door
Sliding screen doors are wonderful during the summer months and can greatly help keep the temperature down while the bugs stay out. However, with much use, comes much abuse. These quick fixes can greatly improve the lifetime and livability of your screen door. They are quick and manageable and often require few odd tools.
Ripped Screen
In a busy household, normal wear and tear can do a number on your sliding screen door. The most normal of events being the screen becomes ripped, tattered, or gets a small hole. Fixing the hole does not need to mean replacing the entire screening, though that is an option. Using monofilament from either a craft/beading store or fishing line you can reweave the screen together or as a patch if the hole is large. Be sure to tie the line in and leave a significant tail to reweave back through. This will anchor the knot so it doesn't come out right away. The same is true for the end of filament when the patch is complete.
Sticky Track
Screen doors are often put up with significant abuse and all the weather of the elements. Neglecting to clean the debris out of the track of a screen door is also very common because as priorities go, it isn't a high one. However, if the door becomes sticky or hard to close cleaning the track is an incredibly easy fix. Take the screen door off by loosening the rollers from the sash so it can be pushed upwards and released from the bottom track. Assistance removing the door and replacing it can make this process much less frustrated and more manageable depending on the door size. Slowly pop it out making sure not to bend the door frame. Use a vacuum or shop vac to remove dust and other debris from the track. With an old toothbrush and some soapy water, scrub the track and the rollers. If necessary, rinse clean with a garden hose. Pop the door back into the track and it should flow smoothly. If it still seems to be a bit hard to close, you can use an old candle or two to wax the track, as well. Also, check to make sure it isn't bent slightly somewhere causing resistance.
Bent Screen
Many times with kids or pets, the screen on the door can get badly bent from being run into. This does not have to mean the end of the screen door or an expensive replacement. On most doors, the track isn't as tightly fitting as a glass sliding door. If the frame can be calmly bent back into its original shape, the screen will still work. Lay the screen door down on a flat surface. Eyeball where the bend is and how extreme it appears. Hold one side of the bend in place and slowly, but firmly, bend the other end back into correct alignment. It is always better to go too slowly than too quickly because if the frame snaps, the door will need to be replaced. Using pliers to help straighten tight kinks can also be helpful.
