Life Before Window Screens

Once upon a time, before the invention of window screens, cheesecloth was not only used to make cheese but were also used on windows to keep pests out of the home. Cheesecloth allowed air to circulate like a window screen but it wasn’t the most efficient window screen because it tore easily, soiled quickly, and it would limit visibility from the inside.

Wire window screens were advertised around the 1820s to 1830s, but didn’t take off in the United States until 1860s during the civil war. Gilbert and Bennett is a Connecticut-based company that has been traditionally credited with the invention of the window screen.

The Invention of Window Screens

Gilbert and Bennett was a company that specialized in making sieves, but they were struggling to stay in business due to the Civil War. One of their employees had decided to paint their wire cloth to protect it from rusting and sold it as a window screen. This idea took off and homeowners bought this wire to nail on to the wooden windows in their homes.

The invention of the window screen allowed homes to have improved circulation, increased visibility, and enhanced protection against pests. Did you know that window screens also helped with the eradication of parasitic diseases in the United States? The invention of window screens helped to reduce the spread of diseases like malaria and West Nile Virus throughout the United States.

Today’s Window Screens

Since its early invention, window screens have impacted the lives of many by creating comfortable and healthy homes through its filtering properties. Today, window screens are designed with high-grade materials that are built to last you years and can withstand daily wear and tear. At Doctor Screen, we use top-of-the-line window screens made by industry-leading North American manufacturers to guarantee that your window screens are built to last.

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Doctor Screen’s mobile screen installation and repair is here for you and your screens! With our mobile service, we can customize hard-to-fit screens on-site. All your screens are guaranteed to be secured nicely!