Retractable screens aren’t just meant for keeping bugs out, they keep your home protected from UV damage. This means furniture, or areas of your home that can fade or deteriorate with time can be prevented for years to come.
Choose between a motorized screen or a traditional screen to prevent the damage. Either screen type will do what is needed to keep your home staying in the best condition possible.
UV Radiation & Its Effects
UV damage can occur when sun exposure penetrates skin or surfaces for too long. Long term UV exposure can cause damage to skin and furniture. For a home it can lead to discoloration of furniture, flooring or fading of artwork and deterioration of fabrics and woods. The constant sun exposure can cause a rise of indoor temperature and causes cooling systems to work harder and longer which can increase electricity bills. Controlling UV exposure is essential for protecting your home’s interior and your health.
How Retractable Screens Block UV Rays?
Retractable screens either a manual retractable screen or a motorized screen have mesh that blocks sun exposure. You can choose a sun control mesh and more opaque mesh with a motorized screen that works well at blocking UV rays.
A manual screen which typically has insect control mesh can also block UV rays but not at the same level as a sun control mesh. Retractable screens are easy to use and are installed quickly and professionally by a Mirage installer.
Some examples are patios with furniture that create an outdoor oasis. The motorized retractable screens are perfect for this layout. Screen on all sides of your patio to protect it from fading furniture, flooring and artwork. For an area that gets a lot of sun exposure you want to make sure you are protecting your home from extreme heat. Use them when you want to block the sun and retract them when you want some sun and heat.
Benefits Of Using Retractable Screens To Block UV Rays
Using retractable screens to block UV rays can be an effective way to keep damaging sunlight out of your home and to protect you and your house guests. Retractable screens can block UV rays from entering your home as the mesh they’re made of will not allow most of the light to pass through, specifically solar mesh. Blocking UV rays is important because excessive exposure poses significant health risks such as sunburns, skin aging, eye damage, and skin cancer. Keep reading below to learn about how retractable screens can block UV rays and keep you protected, while still allowing fresh air into your home.
UV Protection
Ensuring that you and your house guests are protected from UV rays is essential. Retractable screens are a great option to block UV rays from entering the area you have them installed on. Retractable screens can be made with several different types of UV-blocking mesh, such as solar mesh, privacy mesh, and blackout mesh materials. These types of mesh will block 90-99% of sunlight from passing through the mesh, which will help keep the area cool and you safe from the damaging UV rays. Retractable screens are a highly customizable product and can be tailored to fit your home’s needs.
Insect & Pest Control
Retractable screens with insect and pest control mesh can offer some UV blocking benefits, but they’re designed to keep bugs out while letting fresh air pass through the screen mesh. Insect and pest control mesh can block up to 65% of sunlight and UV rays from entering the space you installed them on. Solar mesh is a much more effective solution to block UV rays as it can block up to 95% of UV rays. We recommend that you consult with your local Mirage retractable screen specialist to find the best retractable screen solution for your home.
Natural Cooling
Retractable screens that block UV rays will provide some natural cooling functionality for your home, but there are a few alternatives that offer more cooling. The mesh that is designed to block UV rays is solar mesh, privacy mesh, and blackout mesh, which can block 90-99% of sunlight and UV rays from entering the space they’re installed on. Because the mesh weave is much tighter on these types of materials compared to insect mesh, they won’t allow as much fresh air to pass through the screen mesh. You will still get some cooling features from a 90-degree solar mesh, but if you opt for a 97% or 99% grade mesh, it can get stuffy inside the space the screens are installed on due to a lack of airflow. Retractable screens with insect mesh will offer much better air flow and will be the best option for natural cooling in your home.
Privacy
Retractable privacy screens for blocking UV rays are highly effective as they’re made with heavy duty mesh material that will block essentially all of the sunlight from entering your home. Privacy mesh is typically anything about a 95-grade mesh, which means it will block 95% of the light from entering, and will allow 5% to pass through. You can choose privacy mesh up to a 99-grade, which is considered blackout mesh and will allow virtually zero light to pass through. Due to the mesh weave being so tight on privacy mesh, it is the most effective way to block UV rays from entering your home, and will protect you and your house guests.
Customizable
Retractable screens are a highly customizable product that can be installed on a wide range of applications. Retractable screens are a custom product that can be installed on single-entry doors, French doors, patio doors, garage doors, outdoor patios, covered porches, gazebos, and more. Retractable screens come in a variety of standard colors, diamond series colors, and can also be custom colored if you want them to match a unique colorway of your home. For operation, you have several handle options, handheld remote options, and other smart home integrations that can be customized for your home’s needs. We recommend that you consult with your local Mirage retractable screens specialist, as they will diagnose your needs and offer the best solution possible for you.
Retractable Screen Options To Block UV Rays
There are various retractable screen options to block uv rays from entering the space you have them installed on. The 3500 large opening retractable screen and the 4500 motorized screen can be made with solar mesh, which will block uv rays. Retractable screens with solar mesh are highly effective at blocking UV rays and can block up to 95%.
Sun Shades
Sun shades are a great option to block UV rays from entering the area you have them installed on. Installing sun shades in your home will reduce heat, protect interiors, and improve comfort. These types of shades are made with tightly woven material that doesn’t allow most of the sunlight to pass through. Typically, sun shades are made using solar mesh material that will block up to 95% of UV rays.
Motorized Screens
Motorized screens are another great option to block UV rays, as they are designed to retract across the opening when you want to block sunlight, and then can retract back into their housing when you’re done using them. Motorized screens are retractable screen systems that can be installed on a wide range of applications, including outdoor patios, gazebos, garage doors, covered porches, and more. Motorized screens can be made with various mesh materials such as insect mesh, solar mesh, privacy mesh, blackout mesh, and vinyl material. The most common solar mesh for blocking UV rays is 90 or 95 grade, which will block most of the sunlight from going through the mesh.
Privacy Vinyl Screens
Installing privacy vinyl screens in your home to block UV rays can be a solid option, but it has some drawbacks. Vinyl screen material will completely block sunlight from passing through, but most of the time, vinyl screens are made with clear window panes that will allow light through. The problem with privacy vinyl screens is that they don’t allow adequate air flow into the area you installed them on, unlike retractable screens with insect or solar mesh. You will get adequate UV blockage from privacy vinyl screens, but at the cost of limited airflow. Privacy vinyl screens can be a good option, but we recommend having retractable screens installed with solar mesh for proper airflow and to block UV rays.
Magnetic Screens
Magnetic screens are popular for convenience and airflow, but when it comes to UV protection, there are better alternatives. The only way a magnetic screen could block UV rays is if they are specially made with solar mesh or privacy mesh material, which we haven’t seen on the market. The mesh that magnetic screens are made from will block 10-20% of UV rays, but that’s not close to the 90-95% that solar mesh can block.
Solar Screens
Solar screens in your home can be a great addition and will substantially block UV rays from entering the space they’re installed in. Solar screens are made with solar mesh which is a tightly woven mesh that can block up to 95% of sunlight from passing through. Solar screens are a great UV protection solution for your home, and will also keep the area where you installed them cool. Solar screens are a versatile product and can be installed on a wide range of applications. We recommend that you consult with your local Mirage retractable screen specialist, as they will offer the best retractable solar screen solution for you and your home’s needs.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
No, retractable screens will not significantly make your home darker, but you do have options for blocking the sun. In some models of retractable screens, you can have solar mesh or privacy/blackout mesh installed. Solar mesh can block up to 95% of uv rays, while privacy and blackout mesh can block up to 99% of uv rays from entering the space you install the retractable screens on.
The size and customization options depend on the model of retractable screen you decide to purchase. Retractable screens are a very versatile product and can be made for doors, windows, large openings, outdoor patios, and more. Retractable screens can be made up to 22 feet wide and 16 feet high and can be operated via handle, handheld remote, wall-switch, or integrated with your smart home system. Mirage retractable screens are offered in standard colors, diamond series colors, and can also be custom colored to any unique color.
Retractable screens with UV protection can vary in price, and you would need to get a quote from your local Mirage retractable screen specialist. The 3500 large opening retractable screen and the 4500 motorized screen can be made with solar mesh that will block harmful UV rays.
No, most traditional windows offer little or no UV protection. The only types of windows that offer UV protection are those with low-E coating, laminated glass, and windows with film or tint installed.
Solar mesh in your retractable screens will block harmful UV rays from entering the space you install them on. Solar mesh is designed specifically to block UV rays and sunlight as it’s a tight mesh weave that allows little light to pass through. There are different grades of solar mesh that can block from 65% to 95% of UV rays.
