Mosquito Nets for Kitchens in Goa

Kitchen windows are awkward to screen: there is a counter and often a tap between you and the glass, the window may open outwards, and there is usually a grille. A fixed net would trap you — you couldn't reach the latch or clean the pane. A sliding net in its own aluminium channel solves this; you slide it aside, open or close the window, and slide it back.

We measure each kitchen window for the frame type, which way the sashes open, the grille and the depth available. Old Goan houses often have wooden frames and uneven reveals, which the net frame has to be packed and squared to — gaps of even a few millimetres are where mosquitoes get in.

In many Goan homes the kitchen door to the yard is the most-used opening in the house: out to the well, the bins, the drying line, the chickens or the garden tap. It is also the opening most often left wide open, because closing a door every time you step out is a nuisance.

A pleated net is the usual answer. It folds into a slim side frame, opens with a light push, and its threshold is low enough not to catch a foot or a bucket. Where the doorway is uneven or very wide, a sliding mesh door or a hinged screen door may suit better — we look at the opening before recommending one.

A net next to the hob picks up oil like a filter, and greasy mesh blocks air and holds dust. Choose a fibreglass or polyester mesh that can be wiped with soapy water and a soft brush, and avoid fitting a net directly in the path of the exhaust fan, which blows grease straight into it.

Every few months, slide or fold the nets open and brush both sides, then rinse with a damp cloth. Check the brushes and seals along the edges — they wear first, and a worn seal is the gap mosquitoes find.

Screening the windows does not stop a kitchen from needing extraction. If the room has an exhaust fan in a wall opening, that opening needs its own mesh or cowl, otherwise insects simply use it instead. A chimney hood that ducts outside should have a back-draught flap at the wall.

With nets on, the kitchen draws air through the mesh rather than an open window, so a fan or chimney works a little harder. Keeping the mesh clean keeps that airflow up.