Screenmobile Blog Official weblog of The Screenmobile Corporation

One thing that will always brighten your day—quite literally—is a window in your office or workspace. Being able to look outside and see sunshine, rain or even clouds, will do so much for your mood. Some windows even come with great views of nature, the ocean or a beautiful building.

Having a window in your office is always a perk. You get to see the outside world while you work. Even if I don’t have a view of the waves crashing at the ocean, it’s still a great pick-me-up. Try it. Just stare out the window for a few minutes.

You know that time of the day where you start looking at the clock to see if it’s quitting time, that’s when looking out the window can be the most refreshing little break. Just looking out a window for a few minutes before I go back to working on my computer is just the change of scenery, and mental energy, that I needed to pull me through the rest of the day.

Sometimes you can even get lucky and see something cool out your window. Maybe a beautiful bird will fly by or a person you know might be walking down the street. A few lucky people might even get to see dolphin jumping outside their window. You also never know what inspiration you might find by just looking out your window. Writers are always looking for inspiration.

Writer Tom Peters once said, “If a window of opportunity appears, don’t pull down the shade.” But if you do decide opportunity is shining too bright, don’t worry. Screenmobile has a sun shade to help you with that.

You know that summer is coming when people start wearing shorts and t-shirts instead of heavy sweaters, warm boots and long pants. We all love the time of year when we get to trade in our winter gear for swimsuits and flip flops so we can enjoy the summer sun and refreshing water.

If you don’t have your own pool, you can have some fun in the water at a local water park, community pool, river, lake or at the beach. However, the summer heat usually brings annoying bugs which are attracted to not only to your food, but also your warm skin that is fully exposed by shorts and bathing suits.

As if itching wasn’t enough and we still need another reason to avoid bugs, Insects can carry diseases in them which can enter your blood stream when they bite or sting you. It’s important to protect yourself and your family from more than just a simple bug bite. You’re also protecting them from strange diseases.

If you’re fortunate enough to have your own pool right outside your backdoor, you can enjoy taking a dip anytime. And to keep the insects away, you can install a pool screen enclosure. This will help you to keep bugs out and avoid being eaten alive by mosquitoes, gnats, no-see-ums, or other insects.

If you don’t have your own pool, but enjoy splashing around in the water at the beach, lake or community pool, we recommend that you invest in some good insect repellant to keep the bugs away.

Whether you have to travel long miles or mere feet to enjoy some fun in the water this summer, make sure you don’t invite the bugs to your party!

Summer is almost here, and that means warmer weather and barbeque season! It’s time to whip out your best barbeque recipes, clean out that grill, and start having friends and family over. Whether you’re having a big shindig on the Fourth of July or just a few guests over for a backyard BBQ, you want to make sure your barbeque goes on without any flaws.

First step

in hosting a great barbeque: making your grill BBQ ready. If you don’t have a grill and want to host the get-together, you might want to purchase one. If you plan on hosting more barbeque functions, buying a grill is a good investment.

Already have a grill? Before you host your party, make sure the grill is clean. A clean grill cooks better and doesn’t leave a bad taste on your perfectly good meat. Remove the cooking grates and soak them in warm soapy water for about 10 minutes. Give them a good scrub with a stiff wire brush and rinse. Clean out the ash around the burner, making sure you put the burner back in place when you’re done. Use the brush and some soapy water to gently scrub the inside surfaces of the grill and rinse. Give yourself extra cooking time the next time you use your grill to make sure any residue burns off.

Next step: get the supplies. Make sure you have the charcoal or gas that goes with the grill, the meat for the grilling, the paper products for putting the meat on, etc. It’s a good idea to make a list of all the things you need so you don’t forget anything and have to leave the party to make a store run. Decide if you want decorations, or if you just want to have the backyard and patio as your décor.

Another very important part in planning the best barbeque: figuring out seating. If you’re hosting the BBQ in your backyard, pull out the lawn furniture or put blankets out for people to enjoy your cooking outside. If you don’t have enough seating, see if you can borrow or rent tables and chairs. If you really want to, you could always purchase an extra card table and folding chairs that can be easily stored when you don’t need them.

The next step: sending out invitations. Decide when you want to host the BBQ and who you want to invite to your party. Do you want a lot of people? Do you want a more intimate gathering? Do you want adults only or can kids come too? Once you know what kind of get-together you want, invite your friends and family members.

The final step: start grilling! The big day is here! Fire up that grill and start grilling that meat. Enjoy spending time eating good food in good company.

Let’s face it. Our pets are like our children. They might do things we don’t like—they chew on things, break things, throw up on things, pee on things, scratch things, etc.—but that doesn’t mean we don’t like them personally. They’re our little babies!

In the same way you can baby-proof your house, you can also pet-proof your house. With sharp claws and curious personalities, your dogs and cats sometimes ruin things, like window screens, which can be costly to repair.

Cats will use screens to climb up or to try to sharpen their claws. Dogs tear at screens because they see something outside that they’re trying to get to. Both cats and dogs have sharp claws that can destroy your screens, even with trimmed nails. Why not replace it once and not have to worry about the screens again?

Screenmobile has a great selection of pet-durable screens to help pet-proof your home. Installing a pet-resistant screen can be more effective than trying to teach the animal not to tear at your existing screens.

It can be difficult to try to catch your pet destroying your screens so why not take preventative measures? We love to cuddle up with our animals and have fun with them. We don’t want to constantly discipline them. If you install a pet-durable screen from Screenmobile, you can spend more time cuddling with your pet than disciplining it since there won’t be any need for scolding.

Screenmobile’s pet-resistant screens are made of tougher materials so they do not tear as easily when they face the claws of your little buddy. A screen guard placed on the window screen or door can protect the screen even more. There are also options for installing a pet door in your screen door to further protect your screens. When your dog or cat wants to go outside, they will usually claw at the door.

Now you can have your door open with a screen door that keeps insects out and let a breeze in, all while allowing your pet easy in and out access. Stop worrying about your screens and spend more time with your favorite four-legged creature.

When the glass of your window gets dirty, you whip out the glass cleaner right away, spray it on and wipe it off. You try to get the perfect technique down so you don’t have any streaking or missed spots, but do you clean your window screens too? Truth is most people don’t really think about that part of their window.

If you want clean windows, why neglect the screens? It’s like cleaning the kitchen but leaving dirty dishes in the sink. The screens are the most exposed to wind, dirt, rain, etc., and can get very dirty. The dirt plugs up the screens, making it harder for a breeze to come in and not very appealing to look through.

You don’t just want to hose the screens down, though. It doesn’t work to clean dishes by rinsing them, so why would it work with just a hose? Take the time to really clean your window completely: glass, screens and all.

Cleaning window screens can seem like a daunting task, but it’s really not that difficult. It takes time to clean the screens, however, so make sure you have a good chunk of time to dedicate to cleaning. Make it a family project and have some good bonding time with your loved ones.

The first step in cleaning your window screens is to decide if you want to buy a cleaning solution or make your own. If you want to save money and make your own solution, mix 3 parts water with 1 part ammonia. Next you want to remove the screen frames. Lay them down on an old, but clean cloth or sheet. Dampen the screens with a hose before you apply the cleaning solution.

Take a nylon bristled scrub brush and dip it into your solution. Scrub the screens using a light scrubbing motion. Make sure you don’t scrub too hard or push the fabric since this can cause the screen to stretch or tear. Rinse the screens and gently tap them against the cloth to remove extra dirt. Repeat scrubbing if you missed a spot. Let the screens dry and then replace them as soon as they are dry.

Now that your window screens are clean and dry, open up those windows and let the breeze in! You can enjoy a nice summer breeze without having to look through an unattractive screen. Take care of your window screens and you can increase their shelf life.

Summer is right around the corner and with summer comes barbecue season. A time to invite friends over for a backyard cookout on your porch, complete with a new porch screen to keep the bugs out. You can enjoy good food and good company without getting eaten alive yourself.

Now is the time to experiment with your grilling skills, to get it just right. Get that grill heating up out on the porch and learn how to perfect grilling a steak. Be the person everyone says, “What’s that smell coming from next door? The neighbors are grilling steaks! Their steaks are absolutely perfect!”

So how do you get that perfection? There are different key aspects you need to look at if you want the crown of Master of the Grill: the meat, the grilling, the seasoning, the cooking and, of course, the eating.

The Meat
First you want to pick good meat. There are so many options out there for steaks: Filet Mignon, New York Strip, Rib-eye, etc. You want to pick meat that has strips of fat (marbled), but not huge chunks of it. While fat may scare people, it’s actually the fat interweaved in the muscle that gives it such a great taste. Thin meat (less than 3 inches thick) tends to taste better than a thicker slice.

The Grilling
The next step to grilling the perfect steak is to heat the grill. The grill needs to be at a high temperature to sear the meat and build a crust around its juiciness. If you’re cooking a thick steak, you want to be careful not to burn it while you finish cooking the meat. To do this, keep one side of the grill cooler than the other.

If you use wood chips, you can soak them in just about anything—hot water, beer, whiskey—to add flavor to your steaks. If you’re using a gas grill, you want a smoking box so ash doesn’t collect in the grill. You can fill the box with wood chips (without stuffing it), or you could just use aluminum foil.

The Seasoning
The most important part of seasoning the beef is to make sure you don’t mask the actual beef flavor. Do this by keeping the seasoning simple: coarse sea salt, freshly ground back pepper, garlic, herbs. Coat your steak evenly on both sides with the seasoning and let the steak sit about 20 minutes, or until it reaches room temperature.

The Cooking
Place your seasoned steak on the grill at a 45° angle to the bars and let it sear for 1.5 to 2 minutes. Turn the steaks 90°, without flipping them, to get a good crosshatch marking. Once you see juices forming little beads on top of the steak, it’s time to flip the steak. Use a spatula or tongs to flip the steak; stabbing at it will release the flavorful juices.

Make sure you don’t leave your spot at the grill while the steaks are on. It only takes a short time for the steaks to cook and if you leave, you could sacrifice the perfect steak.

Screenmobile welcomes its newest owners, Rolland, Debbie and Zach, to the Hilton Head area. Rolland and his wife, Debbie, owned their own business for 30 years before joining Screenmobile with their son, Zach, who also had been self-employed. The family wanted to join the Screenmobile franchise because they like the products Screenmobile has to offer and it allowed them to run the business as a family.

The family-owned

business believes they are able to offer great products, like retractable screen doors and great porch screenoptions, that are not readily available in the area. It gives them the opportunity to bring something new to Hilton Head and surrounding cities.

Under the leadership of Zach, Debbie and Rolland, Screenmobile of Hilton Head offers custom installation, fabrication and repair of window and door screening products. The mobile “Screen Store” trucks and trailers that come to your home or business, combined with professional expertise, give you the best screening experience.

With summer right around the corner, now is the time to put in that retractable screen door to let in the summer breeze. If you’ve been wanting to install a motorized roll down sun shade to keep you cool in the summer heat, call the owners at Screenmobile of Hilton Head before the heat kicks in. They’d be more than happy to help you with any screening questions.

Screenmobile of Hilton Head specializes in screened in porches, perfect for updating your porch for summer. The Hilton Head team can also discuss with you on how you can keep the summer heat out of your cool house with motorized sun screens and save on your energy bill!

Zach lives in the area with his wife, who’s family has been in Hilton Head for years (the bridge is even named after her family). By working with his parents in a family setting, they are able to meet the needs of their customers and give them the best service possible. The three owners take pride in giving quality service with a personal touch to their customers.

No matter what your screening needs are, Zach, Debbie and Rolland are here to help. With summer right around the corner, now is the time to update or repair your window screens, screen doors and screened in porches. The Hilton Head trio running the new Screenmobile franchise can answer any of your screening questions so call them today at 843-815-5580.

Screenmobile welcomes its newest owners, Jose and Felicia Montes, to the Stockton and Manteca areas. The husband and wife team owned a screen repair business for 5 years before deciding to purchase the local franchise. The decision came into place after talking to the previous owner and seeing the system Screenmobile had in place.

Have screens

that are worn out or in need of repair? Want to install sun screens to reduce your energy costs from running the air conditioning all day? Screenmobile of Stockton and Manteca is the best choice for all your screening needs.

Under the leadership of Jose and Felicia Montes, Screenmobile of Stockton and Manteca offers custom installation, fabrication and repair of window and door screening products. The mobile “Screen Store” trucks and trailers that come to your home or business, combined with professional expertise, give you the best screening experience.

With summer right around the corner, now is the time to put in that retractable screen door or sun control panel you’ve wanted to install. Screenmobile of Stockton and Manteca specialize in retractable screens and doors, as well as sun control panels and screens. Call the Montes team to discuss how you keep the summer heat out of your cool house and save on your energy bill!

Jose has lived in the area for 16 years and enjoys coaching soccer locally. The Montes pair takes pride in the local community and aspire to offer it the best customer service possible. No matter what your screening needs are, Jose and Felicia are here to help. The Montes duo can answer any of your screening questions so call them today at 209-825-6955. Se habla español.

Screenmobile is a mobile screen repair and replacement franchise and they recently announced that its newest franchise operation will serve Chattanooga and surrounding areas. David and Kelly LeCroy, both lifelong residents of Chattanooga, are now the happy owners of the latest franchise.

Screenmobile of Chattanooga serves Bradley, Hamilton and Catoosa counties including the areas of Apison, Chattanooga, Cleveland, McDonald, Ooltewah and Ringgold.

David spent 18 years serving the community as a police officer with the city of East Ridge. After that he made his living by driving trucks for 16 years and he was ready for a change. “I was ready to take the lessons I learned working for others and put them to use in running my own business,” he said.

When trying to decide what type of business to launch, LeCroy looked to his personal experience. Years ago when he hired a company to fix his screens, they removed the screens and frames from the windows, and sent them all off for repair. When his screens were returned, none of them fit the windows properly so his windows remained screenless. Therefore, LeCroy not only had first hand knowledge of how Chattanooga needed a quality screening service, he also knew that a mobile service would be the key to success. This is what led him to Screenmobile.

LeCroy’s conversations with Screenmobile’s CEO, Scott Walker, sealed the deal. “I found the Screenmobile franchise system to be a stable company with a big family feeling,” said LeCroy. “Feeling like one big family is exactly how I want my customers to feel – personal attention from me, the company owner, rather than sales person.”

“The LeCroys’ work experience will be an asset to their new business, and their professionalism and customer service standards match the Screenmobile philosophy and core beliefs,” said Mr. Walker. “We are pleased to welcome David and Kelly LeCroy to the Screenmobile family.”

David’s wife, Kelly, a bookkeeper for a local school district, will be assisting with the business. As a mobile business, they say they look forward to screening doors and windows of Chattanooga.

For more information about Screenmobile of Chattanooga, call (706) 965-7178 or (423) 752-5250.

The original article can be found at The Chattanoogan.

Blake and Cindy McGrath own Screenmobile of Delmarva, a screen repair and replacement business, have announced their new screen retention approach for seaside decks.

Their high-tension method is perfect for spindles within railings and they can install the system without getting in the way of beautiful waterfront or golf course views.

The McGraths recognized a need when they began seeing neighbors and seaside property owners replacing spindles with glass and fighting against Mother Nature in an effort to keep the glass clean.  McGrath’s experience with the many versatile uses of screening materials inspired him to develop a new method that incorporates high-tension couplings and heavy-duty screens to serve the needs of residents, but he can do it at a much lower price point. The system requires only a few minutes to maintain because and cleaning it only requires the occasional rinsing with a hose.

“Blake has always explored new uses for screening materials,” said Cindy McGrath. “People think of screen in the traditional sense and with the development of a new generation of products, the retaining system seemed like a perfect blend of form and function.”

“It pains me every time I see someone with rag and soapy water cleaning deck glass, especially since I know that there is a less expensive, more practical way,” said Blake. “No one wants, or should have, to work that hard in the laid-back seaside communities we serve.”

Another product offered in perfect harmony with the seaside lifestyle is a motorized garage door screen. This product utilizes the same heavy-duty screening material. “Motion Screens installed on a garage door is ideal for crab feasts, creating a workout area or even an occasional cigar,” said Blake. “With the push of a button, an additional screened-in room creates an area perfect for entertaining.”

Blake purchased a Screenmobile franchise and set up his mobile screening repair and replacement company based in Ocean City and Selbyville. As an entrepreneur, he saw that Screenmobile’s on-site services focus on customer satisfaction and they were desperately needed in the area. His company takes its Screenmobile trucks and fully self-contained trailers equipped with generators and on-board chop saws to a customer’s location and complete most jobs the same day.

To learn more visit Screenmobile of Ocean-City or call 410-520-0025.

Original article is located at capegazette.com.