Before you open your house up for fresh air, wash and patch window screens.

• Remove the screens and clean them in a bathtub or on a lawn. Use a soft brush or a sponge and warm, soapy water. Rinse with clean water, allow to dry, then reinstall.
• If you spot small holes in the screens, get patch material that you can stick on by blasting it with hot air from a hair dryer for one minute, such as Screenmend’s charcoal screen repair patch. If you need a bigger patch, make one from screen material about a half-inch oversize in all directions. Sew it on with a needle and either standard thread or fishing line. If it’s a big rip, get the screen replaced, either by a hardware store or a window or screen shop.