A good exterior screen asks for very little, but very little is not nothing. These are mechanical things that live outside in Texas sun, pollen and dust, and a small amount of care is the difference between a screen that runs cleanly for a decade and one that starts to drag and strain. The care is simple enough to do yourself, and there is a once-a-year service for the people who would rather we handle it. Here is what keeps screens running, what you can do between visits, and what the Spring Service covers.
The FabricA Gentle Wash
The fabric wants a gentle wash once or twice a year, and the method matters more than the frequency. Lower the screen, use mild soap and water with a soft brush or a low-pressure rinse, and let it dry completely before you raise it — rolling a damp screen into the housing traps moisture and grime against the roller. A low-pressure wash is exactly right, and it is what we use on the annual service; what you avoid is a high-pressure setting that can drive grit into the weave. Done this way, a wash keeps the fabric looking new and keeps dust from building into the kind of film that shortens its life.
The TracksKeep Them Clean and Lubricated
Grit in the side tracks is the enemy of a smooth screen, because the zipper has to run in those channels every time the screen moves. Keeping the tracks clear of leaves, pollen and dust, and lubricating the moving parts with the right product, is what keeps the screen gliding instead of grinding. This is the part most people skip and the part that does the most good, which is exactly why it is the heart of the annual service. A clean, lubricated track is a screen that stops level every time and a motor that is not working against friction. Run the screens up and down once or twice a week even when you do not need them, so they stay free in their tracks, and raise them when the wind gets above about 40 mph.
Limits DriftAn Adjustment, Not a Repair
If a screen starts stopping in a slightly different place than the others, do not assume the motor is failing — it usually is not. The motor’s limits, the points where it knows to stop at the top and bottom, can drift over time, and resetting them is a quick adjustment rather than a repair. It is a common call and an easy fix. What you should not do is keep running a screen that is binding or straining, because forcing it is how a simple adjustment turns into a real repair. If a screen has started to slow or strain, that is the moment to call.
The Spring ServiceOne Visit a Year
For the people who would rather not think about any of this, the Spring Service is $499.99 a year: one visit each spring where we clean every screen and lubricate the tracks and all the moving parts. The cleaning is the long part — several hours for a patio of screens, done properly — and the lubrication takes about thirty minutes, and together they are exactly what keeps the screens running for years. It is the same care we would tell you to do yourself, done thoroughly, on schedule, by the people who installed the screens and know them.
Why It’s Worth ItYears, Not Seasons
Screens that are washed and lubricated on a schedule simply last longer and run better than ones that are left alone until something drags. The fabric stays clean, the motors are not fighting grit, and small drifts get caught and reset before they become strain. For the cost of the service a year, you keep a significant investment performing the way it did the day it went in, and you have the firm that installed the screens laying eyes on them annually — which is how small things get noticed and handled before they are big things.
The Warranty Behind ItTen, Five, Life
The service sits on top of a real warranty. The manufacturer covers the screen fabric for ten years, the motor and remote for five, the powder-coated frame for life and clear vinyl for one year, and we guarantee our own workmanship for a year from installation — if anything we put in is not right, we come back and put it right. Keeping up the basic care is part of getting the full life the warranty implies; a screen that is maintained is a screen that reaches ten years in good shape rather than limping there. Care and coverage work together.
Call Us FirstBefore You Fix It
The last piece of advice is the simplest: if something seems off, call before you try to fix it. A screen that stops in the wrong place, hesitates, or sounds different is usually a quick adjustment, and the worst outcomes come from forcing a screen that is trying to tell you something. We installed it, we know it, and a phone call or a service visit is almost always faster and cheaper than whatever a stuck screen tempts you to try. Caring for screens is mostly a matter of gentle washing, clean tracks, and knowing when to pick up the phone.
Sources. outdoorshades.com (our own site) — October 2026.
