Every summer, the same problem. The kitchen gets warm, I want to open the back door for airflow, and within ten minutes there are flies in the kitchen. I close the door. The kitchen gets warm again. I open the door. More flies. This cycle — door open, flies in, door closed, too hot, repeat — ran for three summers before I did something about it.
The something I did was install the VerRich Aluminium Chain Door Fly Screen. It took fifteen minutes. The back door has been open every warm day since, and I haven't had a fly problem once.
Three Summers of the Wrong Solutions
I'd tried things. A fabric fly curtain that tangled constantly and looked terrible. An adhesive mesh screen that didn't stick properly to our door frame and fell down twice. A plug-in fly repellent that made the kitchen smell strange and didn't actually repel anything. Each solution addressed part of the problem and created a different one.
What I needed was something that allowed free movement through the doorway — I go in and out of the back door constantly when I'm cooking, carrying things to the garden, letting the dog out — while actually keeping flies out. The chain curtain design is the answer to that specific requirement: you walk through it, it falls back into place, flies don't follow because the chains are a barrier they won't navigate.
Why I Chose the VerRich Aluminium Chain Screen
The VerRich Aluminium Chain Door Fly Screen solved every problem I'd had with previous solutions. The aluminium chain links are anti-corrosion and colourfast — they won't rust in a doorway that gets rained on, and the silver finish won't fade or discolour. The tangle-free design — the weighted chain construction — means the curtain falls back into place after you walk through it rather than knotting up, which was the failure mode of the fabric curtain I'd tried before.
The adjustable length was the practical detail that confirmed it. The 54 chain links can be removed individually to shorten the curtain to fit the doorway exactly. Our back door frame is slightly shorter than standard, and I was able to remove a few links from each chain to get a perfect fit without any cutting or tools. The two-screw installation means the top panel goes up in minutes and comes down just as easily for cleaning or storage.
Installation
I installed it on a Saturday morning. Two screws into the door frame above the opening, top panel hung, done. The whole process took fifteen minutes including finding the right screwdriver. I adjusted the length by removing three links from each chain to fit our door frame, which took another five minutes and required no tools beyond my hands.
The first time I walked through it I understood immediately why the chain design works: the chains part as you push through, fall back into place behind you, and the whole thing settles within a second. No tangling, no bunching, no gap left open. The dog figured it out within about three attempts and now walks through it without breaking stride.
One Full Summer
The screen went up in May and came down in October. Six months of the back door being open whenever the weather allowed. In that time I had one fly in the kitchen — one, that I can remember — which came in through the front door when I was bringing in shopping. The chain screen did its job completely.
The aluminium held up to six months of daily use without any corrosion or colour change. The chains didn't tangle once. The two-screw mounting held securely through wind and rain. When I took it down in October I wiped it clean, folded it, and put it away for next year. It came out this May looking exactly as it went in.
The Difference It Made
The kitchen was cooler last summer. That's the practical difference. The less practical difference is that I stopped having the door-open-door-closed argument with myself every warm morning, which is a small but genuine improvement in daily life. The decision was made once, in May, when I installed the screen. After that, the door stayed open and I stopped thinking about it.
That's what a good practical solution does: it removes a recurring decision by solving the underlying problem. The fly screen solved the fly problem. The door stayed open. The kitchen stayed cool. Summer was better.
Who I'd Recommend This To
Anyone who has been choosing between fresh air and flies in a doorway that gets regular use. Anyone who has tried fabric fly curtains and found them tangling and looking terrible. Anyone who wants a fly screen that looks decent rather than purely functional — the silver aluminium is considerably more attractive than mesh or fabric alternatives. And anyone who needs an adjustable fit for a non-standard doorway size.
The 70x200cm size fits most standard doorways, and the adjustable chain length means it can be shortened for smaller frames. The two-screw installation means it can be moved between doorways if needed — I've used it on the back door in summer and the garage door in autumn when the wasps were a problem.
You can find the VerRich Aluminium Chain Door Fly Screen in our store. It also sits within our Window Screens, Window Treatments, Decor, and Home & Garden collections if you'd like to explore more.
Install it once. Open the door. Enjoy the summer.
— Sandra Kowalski, Norwich
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