Last updated on October 11th, 2021
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You can open all the entrances to your home all the warm months – and avoid flies – as long as you’ve installed fly screens and curtains. In this review, we look at the best mesh screens for windows and doors. We also have a review on the best metal chain link fly curtains. We identify the pros and cons of each window or door screen we review, along with our recommendation. The Buyer’s Guide proves how easy it is to install these summer-saving screens by giving step-by-step instructions; we also identify the most common problems with these screens and let you into how to solve them.
Best Pick – Window Fly Screen
Best Pick – Door Fly Screen
Fly Screens for Windows
1. NeatiEase Adjustable DIY Magnetic Fly Screen Window,100cm x 130cm
Best Pick – Window Fly Screen
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The NeatiEase Adjustable DIY Magnetic Fly Screen is the right size for most standard windows. Its grey fibreglass mess is fire retardant and not pretty invisible against the light. This fly screen fits on window frames made of metal as you’re supplied with an extra-strong magnetic strip to put around the frame and a bendable plastic strip for a border around the mesh.
If you don’t find the size screen you need in NeatiEase’s selection of three sizes, consider buying a larger size than you want and cutting it down yourself. This screen is usable on both the inside of the window frame (in the room) and on the outside of the window frame (outdoors). It’s easy to clean the mesh – weekly just vacuum it or wipe with a wet cloth to remove the everyday dust. Before you put the screen away for the winter, give the screen a good rinse in the sink after you take it down. Allow the mesh to air dry fully before storing it for the winter.
Pros
- Window screen made of fire-retardant fibreglass mesh in a grey colour.
- Comes as one piece of mesh (in the size ordered) plus magnetic strip, plastic strip and accessories.
- Usable either indoors or outdoors.
- Screen is washable, daily and seasonally, and replaceable.
- Attaches to most types and widths of window frame.
- Extra-strong magnetic strip.
- Warranty is for one year.
- Comes in a selection of three sizes: 100cm by 110cm (but price looks incorrect as at Oct 2021); 100cm by 130cm; and 130cm by 150cm.
Cons
- Plastic strip doesn’t always stick well to mesh.
Our recommendation
The NeatiEase Adjustable DIY Magnetic Fly Screen is our Best Pick for Fly Screens for Windows. It’s well-reviewed in its own right although we didn’t find many good fly screens for windows. We like the extra strength of the magnetic strip to put around the window, and this strip fits on window frames as narrow as 1.25cm. This screen is also easy to take on and off the frame in case you need to do this to open and close your window.
2. MOEGFY Window Screen Mosquito Netting, 3 Pack, 130cm x 150cm each
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If you’re looking for a fly screen for a window that’s not the standard shape or size, the MOEGFY Window Screen Mosquito Netting, 3 Pack, is a good choice. You receive three white net screens each measuring 130cm by 150cm and three rolls of self-adhesive hook-and-loop tape to install your screens.
Installation is just a matter of unrolling the sticky tape around the window frame, covering the window with the mesh and pressing it down on the tape and then cutting the mesh to the size and shape of the window. Alternatively, cut the screen to shape and size before you put it up – this works well if the window is a regular shape. Whichever way you choose, take your time cutting the mesh as online reviewers report that it’s a bit stretchy and quite difficult to cut neatly.
The seller recommends that you install this fly screen on a dry, low humidity day as the tape will stick better in those conditions. Also, leave the window closed for 24 hours after installing the screen to give the tape adhesive a good chance to dry and fully adhere.
With an opening in the mesh grid of less than 1.3mm, most flies and other insects won’t make their way into your home. You can clean any dust or dead flies from the mesh just by wiping with a wet cloth when needed.
Pros
- DIY window fly screen comes with three white mesh nets and installation tape.
- Easily cleaned daily or more thoroughly in the spring.
- Attach to window frame with the (included) self-adhesive tape.
- Suitable for all types of windows and window frames.
- Mesh net cuts easily to fit awkward size and shape windows.
- Mesh grid opening is less than 1.3mm.
- Each net screen large enough to fit over a door.
- Dimensions: 130cm by 150cm; also 150cm by 180cm (you receive two nets each this size)
Cons
- Tape not very sticky.
- Difficult to cut neatly.
Our recommendation
Even if you’re not very DIY-focussed, the MOEGFY Window Screen Mosquito Netting, 3 Pack, is easy to install. It’s a great choice if you have windows of non-standard sizes or shapes. You just need to take it slow cutting the mesh to obtain a neat finish. The small mesh openings keep out all but the tiniest flies. Each mesh screen is also large enough to use over a standard single door. We also like that the magnetic closures are almost all throughout the centre seam.
Fly Screens for Doors
3. MYCARBON Fly Screen Door, 90 x 210cm
Best Pick – Door Fly Screen
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The MYCARBON Fly Screen Door, 90cm by 210cm, fits over a standard single door with a few centimetres to spare. This means that you can raise the curtain a bit above the door frame if you want to. This is a black mesh fly screen made of durable 55 g/? Dacron polyester fabric that’s also tear resistant. It’s actually a curtain that’s in two parts and closes together down the centre seam. Magnets in the seam keep the curtain sides together and so keep insects out of your home.
With 14 magnetic strips in the centre seams along with 6 magnets, this curtain has enough magnetic attraction to close automatically after someone (or a pet) walks through. But the magnets are also of the right strength to let you go through the curtain without having to pull the sides apart.
Installation of this mesh fly curtain is easy. Put the (included) Velcro tape around the door frame (inside or outside your home) and then press the edges of the curtain on to it. The mesh holes are less than 1mm wide so even the smallest black flies have a hard time finding a way in.
Don’t worry if your door is not the standard size. These MYCARBON Fly Screen Doors come in ten sizes and there’s even a handy chart on the sales page that helps you find the right size screen for your doors.
And there’s also the choice of the same screen but in a pattern with mesh squares instead of stripes but in a limited range of sizes.
Pros
- Black mesh fly screen with a centre opening that has magnetic closures.
- Mesh made of 55 g/? Dacron fabric.
- Heavier black stripes in the mesh make sure people see it when they walk up to it.
- Magnetic strips (14) and magnets (6) in the centre seams to automatically close the curtain and keep it shut.
- Magnets strong enough to close the screen automatically after someone goes through.
- Install screen on your door frame with the (included) Velcro.
- Handy chart on sales site to figure out what size screen you need.
- Dimensions: Ten sizes available from 70cm by 200cm to 120cm by 240cm.
Cons
- No tie backs included.
Our recommendation
The MYCARBON Fly Screen Door is our Best Pick for Fly Screens for Doors. We like the heaviness and durability of the mesh fabric and the small openings in the mesh. The mesh is woven with heavier black stripes every so often so that people can see the curtain when they approach it. Otherwise the mesh may be too fine to see depending on your lighting conditions. With 11 sizes in all to choose from, even narrow or double doors can be screened.
4. Apalus Magnetic Screen Door, 90 x 200cm
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The Apalus Magnetic Screen Door, 90x200cm, is similar to our Best Pick – Door Fly Screen and also has an impressive number of positive reviews online. This is a black mesh curtain, again in two parts, with 26 magnets in the centre seam to keep the curtain closed and the flies out. This fly curtain comes with two convenient tie backs so you can secure the curtain to the sides of the door opening when you need to go in and out to the BBQ.
Installation is the usual process – put the 2cm wide Velcro strip around the door frame. If your door frame is uneven, perhaps it’s wood, then use the (included) nails to tack up the tape. Then all you do is press the Velcro strips on the sides and top of the curtain onto the tape on the door frame.
The Apalus Magnetic Screen Door has the black vertical stripes for safety and visual interest. It’s easy to clean; you can wash it in the washing machine at 30°C.
The manufacturer states that this screen door is not suitable for metal door frames. Perhaps the magnets in the curtain are strong enough to stick to the frame? Anyway, you have a choice of eight sizes of these door screens from a narrow door all the way up to a double door size.
Pros
- Mesh fly curtain in black with vertical lines and border for safety and visual interest.
- Magnets (26 of them) in the centre seams seal the curtain and close it after someone goes through.
- Two tie backs included to hook the fly curtain out of the way to the side of the door frame.
- Fly curtain is machine washable at 30°C.
- Tools not required for the easy and fast installation process.
- Eight sizes available from 80cm by 200cm to 140cm by 240cm.
Cons
- Doesn’t work if your door has a metal frame.
- Magnets known to misalign and so repel each other instead of attract and close the curtain.
Our recommendation
There’s not a lot to choose between The Apalus Magnetic Screen Door and our Best Pick – Door Screen (the MYCARBON Fly Screen Door), beyond the weight of the mesh here and whether you have a metal door frame. Being able to wash this screen in your washing machine is a plus as are the tie backs. Online reviewers report that the magnets in this Apaplus fly screen sometimes turn in the seams and misalign, but that’s easily fixed by just turning them back again.
5. EXTSUD Magnetic Fly Screen Door, 90cm x 210cm
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The EXTSUD Magnetic Fly Screen Door at first looks like the other two door fly screens in our review. The polyester black mesh curtain has vertical black stripes to help with structure and visibility. But look closely at the sales photo and you see a wide band of decorative lace across the top of the curtain. This adds a (welcome or not) design element to your décor.
Magnetic strips and magnetic tabs (seven pairs and six pairs respectively) in the centre seams ensure that the curtain closes by itself behind anyone walking through it. However, some online reviewers state that the magnets are spaced out too much and leave gaps in the closed curtain seam for flies to come in.
Installation is, as usual, by outlining your door frame in Velcro tape and then pressing the matching hooks/loops on the tape on the sides of the screen curtain into that. Online reports state that the hook-and-loop part of the tape sometimes comes off its sticky backing, so be prepared to check your curtain occasionally for this flaw.
You have seven size choices, from a narrow door size to one that fits a double door. And there’s a choice of this same fly screen in white if you prefer but with more limited size selections.
Pros
- Black mesh fly curtain with the usual black vertical stripes for safe visibility.
- Curtain made of tightly woven polyester fibre.
- Magnetic closure in the centre seam; six pairs of magnetic strips and seven pairs of magnetic pieces.
- Curtain automatically closes after someone walks through.
- Install by putting Velcro (included) on your door frame or use the (included) thumb tacks.
- Dimensions: seven size selections from 80cm by 200cm to 140cm by 240cm.
Cons
- Gaps between the magnets on the centre opening.
- Velcro hooks/loops come off their base.
- Thick lace band across the top of the curtain (but may be a Pro to some people).
Our recommendations
The EXTSUD Magnetic Fly Screen Door, in black or white, offers an additional design element to your décor that the other door fly curtains in our review don’t. The EXTSUD model has a wide band of lace across the top of the curtain that softens the somewhat utilitarian look of the fly curtain. Beyond that, this model is much the same as the others we review, except that there are some online reports that the magnets don’t fully close the centre seam. This is a good door fly screen that looks more like a pair of regular curtains.
Buyer’s Guide
The mesh door and window screens in our review really are as easy to install as they seem. To prove it, our Buyer’s Guide gives you the general installation instructions and then identifies and solves the most common problems that users of these handy fly barriers report.
How to install door mesh fly curtains?
Here are the step by step instructions that work most of the time:
- Clean your door frame with soapy water, rinse it and let it dry.
- Measure around your door frame and cut out three (top and two sides) pieces of Velcro from the roll provided with your purchase.
- Stick Velcro on the top piece of the door frame first. Then stick on the two side pieces. Have someone help you with this to ensure that you’re putting the Velcro on straight. Peel off the protective backing form the first few centimetres of Velcro and stick it on the frame. Gradually unroll the rest of the strip – your helper, who’s standing back a bit, can tell you if it’s straight. Stick down the Velcro bit by bit after getting the go-ahead from your friend.
- OR use small nails to attach the Velcro to uneven wood frames.
- Take the door fly curtain, again it’s good to have help, and press the top part against the top Velcro strip on the frame to connect the two. The curtain already has the matching Velcro strip sewn on to it. Press the two Velcro sides together firmly.
- Do the same to connect the two sides of the curtain to the sides of the door frame.
It may be easier to do this with the centre of the curtain open, but then it may not close up properly when the curtain is installed. You may need to adjust a bit as you go along.
How to install window mesh fly screens?
This is also as straightforward. Here’s how to do it:
- Clean your door frame with soapy water, rinse it and let it dry.
- Measure around your door frame and cut out four (top, bottom and two sides) pieces of the self-adhesive tape from the roll provided with your purchase.
- Stick the pieces of adhesive tape around your window frame.
- Place the window screen carefully on the sticky tape on the window frame.
If your mesh screen is too big for your window, you can cut it to size before you put it up or put up the big piece and cut it down after it’s installed.
Common problems when installing fly mesh screens, and their solutions
The door fly curtain doesn’t close properly in the middle.
- You may need to leave some slack in the mesh for the middle seams to meet.
- You may have too much mesh net one side of the door frame and not enough of the other side.
- Take the screen down and reposition paying attention to centring the screen on the top of the door frame.
- Your fly curtain may be too long and drag on the floor. Manufacturers recommend that you roll up the bottom of the curtain to the right length and hem it. They advise against cutting off the excess length.
Some of the magnets aren’t sticking together and there’s space where the middle of the curtain meets.
- The magnets may have become turned around in the middle seams and are now repelling each other. Rotate one of the magnets in the seam until it’s flat again and the curtain should stay closed – the magnets now attract each other.
The tape fell off.
- Make sure that the door or window frame is clean and dry before you reattach the tape.
- Your mesh net may be too tight and pulling off the tape. Reposition the screen so the mesh sits a bit looser.
- If your screen is outside your frame, the tape has been in sunlight, rain and whatever else the climate throws at it. It’s probably worn out. Replace the tape or use small nails to secure the tape to the frame.
Final conclusion
There’s really no need to sit in a hot home in the summer with all the doors and windows closed to keep the flies and other bugs out. The mesh fly screens in our review are all inexpensive and easy to install. Most of them come in a wide variety of sizes and we’ve included a DIY window screen that you cut to any size for those awkwardly shaped windows. Pets and kids can easily move through the door screens, but the screens shut automatically behind them so you don’t have to keep chasing after them to close this fly barrier.
Our Best Pick – Door Fly Screen is the MYCARBON Fly Screen Door. Available in 11 sizes in all, this mesh screen is made of densely woven (55g/m2) Dracon, a hypoallergenic and mildew-resistant polyester from DuPont.
NeatiEase Adjustable DIY Magnetic Fly Screen Window is our choice for Best Pick – Window Fly Screen. This grey fibreglass mesh screen is fire retardant and has a strong magnetic strip that attaches to most window frames.
See How do you stop flies coming into the house and conservatory? for a variety of simple solutions to catch and kill the few flies and other insects that might make it through into your home. And for sitting comfortably outside in the garden without too much interest from flies, our recommendations in the 5 Best Electric Fly Killers – For Indoor & Outdoor review are spot-on.
Last update on 2024-04-11 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
