Memorial Day weekend approaches and you are preparing for having your peeps over for some outdoor food and fun. With checklist in hand, you are on a mission. Wait, who put “fix the rips on the porch screens”?? There is also a notation that this will keep the bugs from entering the porch especially at night. Well, your checklist just became a bit heavy. How do you fix rips on the screens or do you just call someone to repair or replace them? It’s Friday and that is probably not going to happen before the weekend! So, you “google” how to repair torn screens. Voile’! Happily you find out that if the tear is small, it can be easily fixed! First,  you have to determine whether the torn screen is made of metal or fiberglass. Grab the torn area and feel it. Metal screening feels like metal and the loose strands are wire. Fiberglass screening feels smoother, more flexible and similar to plastic; it doesn’t feel metallic at all. Measure the rip or hole in the existing screen using a tape measure.Find or buy a larger replacement screen piece that matches the composition of the current screen, such as fiberglass replacement screen if the ripped screen is fiberglass. Be sure to match the color as closely as possible as well, since screen materials can vary from metallic silver to green. Cut a rectangular or square piece of screening at least 1 to 2 inches larger on all sides than the damaged screen area. The larger the damaged area, the larger the overlap area needs to be on the fresh piece you use as a patch. Unravel and pull several strands off all sides of the perimeter of the patch; pull horizontal strands off the top and bottom and vertical strands off the sides. Bend the remaining strands at a right angle, facing the screen to be patched. Still with me? Now, press the angled strands of the patch into place over the torn area, then bend them flat onto the reverse side of the porch screen to secure the patch onto the existing screen. If the patch is made of fiberglass and doesn’t stay put well on its own, apply a small amount of clear household cement to the strand edges after the patch is in place. Easy peasy right? ;(

OR…..you can grab a can of soda and find a bottle of clear nail polish…..most everyone has this if there is a female living in the house. Apply the clear nail polish on both sides of the torn area on the screen. Slather it on so it builds up a nice barrier. Watch it dry transparently as you enjoy your soda! 😉