HOUSTON – For two or three months out of the year, the weather in Houston is nice enough to open your windows and doors and let in some fresh air. However, we still have to worry about the state bird -- the mosquito -- flying into our homes.
Magic Mesh claims to give consumers an easy way to keep the bugs out while letting in the fresh air.
The commercial shows people walking through the screen with platters of food, never having to open or close the screen.
"The new type of screen door that opens easily and then magically closes behind you," the announcer said in the ad.
The commercial claims the product is a snap to install.
"Magic Mesh is perfect for single doors, a must have for homes with sliding doors," the announcer said.
KPRC 2 associate producer Stacy Hood signed up for the challenge, unboxing and unfurling the mesh curtain and carefully sticking it to the frame of her sliding glass door.
"Clearly, it didn't go up in seconds, as the commercial claimed ... but it was a pretty fast set-up," Hood said.
She said it took about five minutes. For that, we'll give Magic Mesh a pass. We wanted to test the main claim -- magnets that instantly snap back together.
"I tried it about five (or) six times, it closed in total twice right behind me," Hood said. "Eventually, it does find its way back. It's just not as fast as you want it to be."
When her 50-pound Lab finally figured out how to go through the screen, he did it easily, but the mesh was ill-fitting, and left large spots of her doorway uncovered.
"It didn't quite fit a sliding door, so it wouldn't actually keep bugs out because it wasn't totally fitting on the door," Hood said.
Magic Mesh cost $19.99, but it seemed more of a major mess.
"The product itself did not do what it said it would do, so for me, I would not purchase it if it was $5 or $20. So for me, I don't think it's worth it," said Hood.