Laminated Dirt

Even without colas, Gummy Bears, spitballs, popcorn, and everything else that the viewing public has been known to throw, theatre screens simply attract dirt. And here’s how.

Older theatre designs place the return air vent for the air-handling unit behind the screen. Think of how many cubic feet of air passes through the screen each day. That air may contain dust, dirt, pollution and smoke. The theatre screen acts as an imperfect air filter for these contaminates.

Matters are made worse when the air filters are not changed in a timely manner. Excess pollutants circulate through the auditorium. Dirt clings to every surface. If the drapery, air vents, and masking are dirty, then imagine the condition of the screen.

Add to that the static electric field created by the speakers. This field attracts dirt too. Like iron filings showing the magnetic field of a bar magnet, an outline of the speaker cone may appear on the screen due to this field.

Unfortunately, this layering of dirt is not the only problem. Moisture plays a role as well. Every night when the air conditioning or heating is turned off, the humidity rises and/or the dew point is reached. The screen becomes damp, and in the morning the air condition or heat is turned back on, and the screen dries. When it dries the dirt adheres to the screen.

Over time this build up of dirt can’t be removed with a screen brush. It can’t be dusted the way you dust furniture. It must be professionally cleaned off using our proven five-step cleaning process.