When should I check, clean and test my shutters?
Say where the house is and what it has. The schedule puts each job in the right months, with the ones to book with an installer marked, and prints on a page.
Your schedule
Accordion shutter maintenance schedule
Within a few miles of the ocean or Intracoastal · onecallaccordionshutters.com
January to March
Dry season: the easy time to get repairs done- Close and lock EVERY shutter, then open and stack it. Note any that stick, do not meet, or will not lock.Installer job
- Look along each track for loose anchors, cracked stucco at the fixings, and bent or dented sections. Photograph anything that moves.Installer job
- Find every shutter key, check each lock turns, and put the keys on one ring. Missing or stiff? Book a cylinder swap.Installer job
April to May
Before June 1- Rinse every bottom track with fresh water and brush out sand and salt; clear the drainage slots.
- A dry silicone or PTFE spray on the hinges, pins and lock cylinders. Never oil or grease in the track.
- Book the yearly tune-up with an installer so every shutter is tested, cleaned and lubricated before June 1.Installer job
- Clear patio furniture, planters and grills from in front of each stack so the blades can travel.
June to November
Hurricane season- After any named storm, open each shutter slowly, photograph damage before touching it, and book repairs for anything bent or loose.Installer job
- Rinse the tracks monthly: salt builds fast through the wet season.
- Keep the keys on their ring by the door all season.
December
After the season- Open and stack every shutter that stayed closed; rinse and lubricate the ones that did.
- Make a note of what was hard to close this year: that is the January repair list.Installer job
Leave to the installer
- Re-anchoring a track or replacing a section: the fixings follow the product's approval.
- Second-floor shutters that need a ladder over a screen enclosure or a pool deck.
- Any lock that needs drilling: a cylinder can be swapped without damaging the shutter.
Want it all done in one visit before June 1? Book the yearly tune-up. The estimate is free.
How this works
Accordion shutters fail for dull reasons: sand and salt in the bottom track, dry hinges, a lock that seized over a summer, an anchor working loose in old stucco. Each has a season when it is easiest to catch, and the schedule puts them there, finishing with everything tested before June 1.
Lines marked 'installer job' are the ones worth booking rather than doing from a ladder: re-anchoring, track sections, cylinder swaps, second-floor shutters, and the yearly tune-up that covers the whole house in one visit.
It runs in your browser and nothing you enter is sent anywhere. It is a guide, not a quote or a professional assessment — products, openings and walls differ, so follow the maker's instructions where they disagree, and the installer confirms what the job needs when they measure it.
Questions people ask
- How often should accordion shutters be maintained?
- A full test-close, a track rinse and a dry lubricant once a year before June 1, plus a rinse after yard work or a storm. Homes near the ocean benefit from rinsing the tracks more often through the wet season.
- What lubricant is right for accordion shutters?
- A dry silicone or PTFE spray on hinges, pins and lock cylinders. Not oil, grease or penetrating oil in the tracks: they hold sand and make the shutter drag.
- Why test-close every shutter?
- A shutter that sits open for a year can seize, lose a pin or stop meeting in the middle, and the week a storm is named is the wrong time to find out. Closing and locking each one once a year finds the problems while there is time to fix them.
- Can I clean the tracks myself?
- Yes, if the shutter still moves: brush and vacuum the bottom track, rinse it and clear the drainage slots. If the blades are stuck solid, leave it for the installer so nothing gets bent.
- What does the yearly tune-up include?
- Every shutter closed, locked and reopened, tracks cleaned, hinges and locks lubricated, loose anchors and bent blades noted and small things fixed on the spot, with a list of anything that needs a separate repair.
Other free tools
Rather have someone look at it?
Phones answered around the clock. Free estimate — the price is agreed before work starts.