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Is it alright to clean the dust that may be on a movie screen, by using a blower. The same kind you put on your back to blow away leaves? If not, what is a better way, thanks.

There was a whole discussion of this in a thread about a year ago; look through the archived comments and the FAQs. As I recall, using a blower was only a good way to redistribute the dust, but the pros here did make many good suggestions in those previous discussions.

You'll find that thread here:
http://www.bigscreenbiz.com/ubb/Forum39/HTML/000104.html

As Jimor says, cleaning a screen is not for the faint of heart. Before you attempt it, be prepared for the cost of replacing the screen. That way, if you do get lucky, you'll have the money saved up for a nice dinner out for you and your friends.

Other than lightly brushing dust off with various soft appliances, there are few stories in the discussion boards where people have been really happy with the results of their work. To start with, you have to do a very even job over the entire surface or it will show... Added to that, there's the very likely possibility that any dirt on the other side of the screen will leach through the perforations and foil your best efforts.

Believe it or not, there are even stories out there about people spray-painting their screens. In situations where you're flat broke, that can be done... but even if you do manage to do an even job of painting it, you'll do a nice job of coating everything behind the screen, too.

New screens aren't really that expensive. If yours isn't extremely large, there are plenty of people who can give you advice on how to hang a new one. Frequently, that turns out to be a far better way to go than trying to clean an old one.

We were going to attempt to have our screen cleaned by a professional. However, the price of a new screen was not that much more than the pro's fee. Plus, we have a small one inch tear that is visible. Never hung a screen, but I can't imagine it being to difficult. Hope to install a new screen at the end of summer, when time permits.

Say you have a 17' by 40' screen. That's 680 sq. feet. The lowest I've ever been quoted for a brand new screen is $25.00 per sq. ft. That's $17,000!

Have I been talking to con artists? I couldn't imagine it costing just under 17k to clean a screen.

Where have you gone and what are your quotes?

[This message has been edited by Andrew McCrea (edited June 06, 2005).]

Umm ... I bought a 13x30 screen NEW for about $800.00. $25/square foot is very high.

Think the decimal point is in the wrong place.

17X40 SCREEN WHAT SHOULD THAT COST NEW (ABOUT)

our 18'x24' screen ran $300-400 I believe. That runs to less than a dollar per square foot. For a 17x40 I would expect to pay in the $700-800 range I think?

-Rance

Well, based on the numbers floating about here, around $1,500, more or less. You should check with 2 or 3 suppliers though, because as they say, your prices may vary, and it looks like people here have seen quite a range. Your proximity to the manufacturing plant, wherever that might be, would probably have a bearing on shipping costs, too.

In any case, considering how often some people change their screens, it can be a bigger pain in the neck to get everything else set up to do the job (ladders, scaffolding, moving seats if necessary) than the cost of the material itself.

I know someone who has had his screen up for over 30 years (yikes!). However, even if you changed yours on a 10 year cycle, a $1,500 screen would only represent $12.50 per month (plus any shipping & installation).

Oh... I can also vouch for John's earlier comment about not using blowers. Kicking up all the dust every day... from the floor, walls and unused seats... the screen's a great place for that stuff to settle. Worse... I saw one place where a contract cleaner used 2-cycle engine-powered blowers. Aside from the stink, the oily exhaust mixed with the dust in the air & made the mixture stick to the screen like glue... not to mention more frequent projection port cleaning. Pretty nasty!

[This message has been edited by rodeojack (edited June 08, 2005).]

Thanks for the reality check. I have the quote here (and they company will remain nameless), but it says $25.00 per square foot per screen.

Sure seems they must have moved the decimal over a notch... unless that's for the gold-plated 4-D Mondo-Digital screen.

What about getting out mustard stains?
Some jerk threw a hot dog at a screen during Dogtown this week.

Ouch... got me on that one.
Sounds like you've got a catch-22 there. How old (dirty) is the screen now (pre-hotdog)?

If "all hope is lost" and the screen will be replaced anyway, perhaps a "last resort" for organic stains like ketchup or mustard would be to lightly spray a dilute hypochlorite laundry bleach solution ("Clorox") on the stain, which will oxidize and decolorize the stain. Do NOT wipe it, but you may try to rinse it off with a light spray of water. Most vinyls should be unaffected by the dilute bleach, but it is likely that some stain or change in reflectance will remain afterward. This treatment works on mold or mildew deposits too.

I've often saved a white shirt that got ketchup or mustard on it by pre-treating with dilute laundry bleach.

Again, do this at your own risk. Your results may vary.

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John P. Pytlak, Senior Technical Specialist
Customer Technical Services
Entertainment Imaging
Research Labs, Building 69, Room 7525A
Eastman Kodak Company
Rochester, NY 14650-1922
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Website: http://www.kodak.com/go/motion