Mosquito Nets for the Bedroom in Goa

Goan bedrooms have every kind of window: aluminium sliders in flats, wooden casements with grilles in older houses, louvred windows in some bungalows, and tall French doors to balconies. Each needs a different net.

For a slider, an extra mesh shutter in the same track system (or a new track beside it) is cleanest. For an outward-opening casement, a fixed or hinged net on the inside of the frame works; for a casement that opens inward, the net goes on the outside, often fixed to the grille. Doors usually get a pleated or a hinged mesh door.

Gaps, not holes. The common ones are the bottom of a sliding net that does not close fully, the meeting point of two sliding shutters, the space around an AC pipe through the wall, and an exhaust or vent opening in an attached bathroom.

On our visit we check the whole bedroom, including the attached bath, and suggest brush seals or small fixed panels where needed. A room with five excellent nets and one open vent still has mosquitoes.

Fibreglass and polyester meshes are the usual choices for bedrooms: fine enough to stop mosquitoes, light enough to keep the view. Stainless steel mesh is tougher where there are pets or monkeys, but it is more visible. Ask for a UV-stabilised mesh on a sunny window so it does not go brittle.

Plan the net and the curtain together. A pleated net on a balcony door needs a few centimetres of depth; a curtain track in front must clear it. Fit the net close to the glass and the curtain on the room side, and both will work every night.