Lanai Screen Cleaning For Sparkling Views
With these simple instructions for eliminating dirt, dust, pollen, and mold, you can spruce up your pool cage screen.
How to clean your pool lanai screens with basic tools and home remedies
With a screened in pool, you can enjoy the outdoors without having to deal with the pesky insects, drizzling rain, or crunching leaves. Pool screens serve as a filter to keep insects, pollen, and lawn debris out but with time they can collect a lot of buildup. To get the most enjoyment out of your pool—and to avoid caked-on filth or mold that can be challenging to remove—screens must be kept clean. The first step in learning how to clean lanai screens is to use your vacuum, but if your screens are very grimy, you might also need to use the garden hose and some soapy water. Plan to thoroughly clean your pool cage screens at the start and end of the outdoor season (usually in the spring and fall), as well as when necessary. While you’re at it, you might as well clean the rest of your outside area.
Every time you clean your pool screens, you might not need to go through each step outlined in this article, depending on how dirty they are. Cleaning up dirt, dust, and other small particles with a vacuum should be sufficient, but cleaning pollen, mold, and other grime off porch screens is best done with soapy water and a brush.
Everything you require:
- vacuum accessories for crevice tools and upholstery brushes
- ladder or step stool
- lawn hose
- brush with a soft bristle
- a pail of hot water
- gentle dish soap
- alcohol-based white vinegar (optional)
- aerosol can (optional)
1. Vacum the screens
Start vacuuming from the outside of your pool screens if you can do so without risk. Otherwise, start at the top of your lanai screens and work your way down to remove debris using a vacuum with an upholstery brush attachment. To access the highest places, use a step stool or ladder if necessary. To vacuum the screens’ corners and edges, switch to the crevice tool attachment.
2. Use a hose to wet the screens
Move any furniture or rugs that you don’t want to get wet away from the screens before beginning this step. Use a hose to rinse dirt off each screen panel inside the porch. As you move across and down, aim the spray outward. However, be careful not to tear holes in the screen while using a pressure washer to clean a screen porch. To prevent damage, use the lowest pressure setting and step back from the screen by a few feet.
3. Use soapy water to scrub
After vacuuming and hosing down the screens, use soapy water to spot-clean any spots that are still dirty or stained, or to completely wipe the entire surface. Warm water should be added to a bucket along with a few drops of mild dish soap. Scrub the inside of the screen with a soft-bristled brush dipped in the solution.
4: Clean the porch screens of mold
Pool screens are prone to mold and mildew growth, which frequently takes the form of a green, powdery substance, in moist or shaded places. Use a spray bottle to combine equal parts of distilled white vinegar and water to remove mold from porch screens. Use a soft-bristled brush to gently scrub the screens after misting them with the solution.
5. Rinse the lanai screens
After cleaning the pool screens, use your hose to remove any remaining cleaning solution. Remain inside the lanai and spray outside once again. Prior to bringing back the furniture to your patio, let the screens dry.
Sometimes your screens need more than a little cleaning. If that is the case, contact the lanai experts at 3G Home Exterior today. We serve SW Florida including Naples, Bonita Springs, Marco Island, Ft Myers and all the surrounding areas.