Give Your Screen Another Go
If replacing yours this summer left you with extra fiberglass material, don’t just scrap it. Instead, tailor it to these new purposes.
1. Protect Newly Seeded Grass
Stop hungry birds from devouring the seeds you planted in a bare spot of lawn by covering it with a patch of screen. Tack it in place with a few long nails; remove them once the blades sprout.
2. Prevent Drain Clogs
Wad up some screen scraps and tuck them into a utility sink’s drain to keep debris from slipping through.
3. Scrub Your Skin Clean
Gently rub a length of mesh over hands to scrape away dried-on paint.
4. Sift Unmixed Grout
Use a piece of screen as a sieve to uncake powdered grout and remove any lumps before mixing with water.
5. Dry Herbs
Staple mesh to a wood frame to make a platform for drying fresh sprigs. Place the frame wood-side down so air flows beneath the mesh.
6. Keep Critters Out
Think like an insect, then stuff strips of screen into narrow crevices in your home—like those around pipe entries under sinks—to foil pests.
7. Make Compost Tea
Bundle a half pound of compost in a 1-foot square of mesh, and cinch with twine to make a tea bag. Soak the bag in a 5-gallon bucket of water for a week or so, stirring daily. Fertilize a veggie patch with the brew.
8. Give a Sponge Scour Power
Cover a plain household sponge with a piece of screen, and tie with string at both ends to prep it for heavy scrubbing jobs.
9. Strain Old Paint
Pour paint through a piece of screening to filter out debris from an otherwise still-good batch.
10. Keep Soil Inside a Flowerpot
Line the bottom with a patch of screen before filling it, to stop dirt from washing out through the drain hole.