“Forget duct tape — this clever mosquito screen fix costs almost nothing” 🛠️ When tape failed, one DIYer found a smarter, neater way to patch a torn net using everyday gauze. It’s cheap, fast, and keeps the air flowing. See the simple step-by-step in the article 👇
Not long ago, I had to fix a tear in our mosquito screen. I had tried the usual fix — sticking duct tape over the hole — but it just didn’t hold. The tape kept peeling off and didn’t let air flow through, which defeats the whole purpose of a mosquito net.
If the rip is too big, patching it this way won’t help much either, because the airflow will still be blocked and insects can easily sneak in. So, I had to remove the old patch, which wasn’t sticking anymore, and figure out a new way to cover the hole without blocking air.
Here’s the simple method I used, and it worked great — anyone can do it, and it costs next to nothing.
First, I trimmed off the frayed parts around the hole with small side cutters — they work better and faster than regular scissors.
Next, I cut a small rectangle from a piece of mesh to cover the opening. Instead of buying special replacement netting, I used medical gauze — the kind you can find in most hardware or home improvement stores. The best type is self-adhesive gauze, which already has a sticky layer, so you don’t need extra glue.
Make sure your patch is a bit bigger than the hole — around 10 to 15 millimeters larger on each side — so it sticks well.
For my screen, I only needed two strips of gauze. If your tear is small, one strip slightly overlapping another should be enough to cover it. My old net had already let in some larger bugs like wasps, so I wasn’t worried about using gauze with wider holes.
To secure it, I pressed the gauze firmly onto both sides of the screen, placing something solid underneath to help it stick. It looked much neater than the tape I’d used before — and it worked better, too.
Now the screen looks tidy, holds up well, and still lets in plenty of fresh air.
Sure, I could have bought a new screen, but this was quicker, cheaper, and saved me the hassle.
If you’ve got a better trick for patching up a screen, I’d love to hear it in the comments!
