How To Clean A Riding Lawn Mower Deck? Separate Methods for With or Without…

How To Clean A Riding Lawn Mower Deck? Separate Methods for With or Without Washing Port

Riding Lawn Mowers resemble large tractors used for large lawns. Although a riding lawn mower is initially a pricey investment, this type allows users to cover an extensive amount of land quickly. However, if you own a riding lawn mower, ensuring your lawn mower’s deck remains clean is an absolute challenge.

Removing the built-up grass is an integral part of the maintenance of your riding lawn mower. Most people need help understanding the procedure that should be adopted to clean a riding lawn mower deck. Several ways may be used to clean a riding lawn mower deck. Within this article, I break down the process of cleaning a riding lawn mower deck to help you ensure that your riding lawn mower can last a long time.

How Should You Clean A Riding Lawn Mower Deck?

Although a riding lawn mower is an excellent investment, the only downside to purchasing this type of mower is cleaning the mower’s deck. The most challenging aspect of cleaning the riding lawn mower is removing the grass that builds up in the underside of the deck.

The method you use to clean your mower is bound to vary from individual to individual and depends on numerous factors. Based on my experience, I have narrowed down the most common ways of cleaning a riding lawn mower deck.

If Your Riding Lawn Mower Has A Washing Port

The cleaning method you adopt depends on whether your Riding Lawn Mower has a washing port. The majority of Lawn Mowers come with a wash port that may be located at the top of the deck. The wash port of a lawn mower allows you to clean the underside of a lawn mower using a water hose.

It is ideal to do this procedure as soon as possible after you mow your lawn since the clippings are still moist. If you have intense water pressure, simply purchase a lawn sprinkler and let the water pressure remove all the built-up grass and dirt. Here are the steps you must follow to simplify this process.

Initialize Your Deck To The Lowest Level

Before you proceed, setting your lawn mower’s deck to the lowest possible level is essential.

Attach The Mulch Plug

The mulch plug helps keep the water within the deck of the mower. However, the mulch plug can not be found in all lawnmowers. Therefore, if you can find it in your mower, you must ensure to attach the mulch plug!

Connect The Garden Hose To The Water Port

This step of the procedure is self-explanatory. Hook the garden hose to the water port of your lawn mower and turn the water tap to its maximum. You can now relax and let the water hose do its job!

To ensure that all the built-up grass and dirt are removed completely, make sure you repeatedly move the blades of the mower while the water is still washing away. Let the procedure carry on for five minutes.

If Your Lawn Mower Does Not Have A Wash-Out Port

Things can get complicated when your lawn mower needs a wash-out port. Before you carry out this method, you must ensure to take some safety measures.

You must keep safety goggles and gloves to protect yourself from sharp blades. I have mentioned the steps you should take to clean your mower’s deck if it does not have a wash-out port.

Empty The Gas From The Gas Tank

You have two options here. Either use the lawn mower until the gas tank is empty or simply empty the gas tank manually. This step is essential as it stops water and gas from inter-mixing, which might lead to various issues.

Remove The Spark Plug

Removing the spark plug is another precaution taken for safety purposes.

Place The Lawn Mower On A Flat Surface

If your lawn mower is void of a wash-out port and attempting to clean the mower’s deck, you must place the lawn mower on a flat surface. This step is particularly important as it helps avoid unfortunate accidents.

If you use a gas mower, you must ensure that the air filter and carburetor face up when you lay it on its side. This helps stop oil from entering the fuel system. You must place something that would prevent the mower from slipping. At this stage, most people prefer to use wooden blocks.

Use A Hydraulic Jack To Lift The Lawn Mower

Once you finish the previous steps, you must use a hydraulic jack. Simply place the Hydraulic Jack below the lawn mower’s wheels and pump it to maximum capacity.

Begin The Washing Procedure

Begin by grabbing the water hose and cleaning the mower’s bottom. Now, use the socket wrench and safety gloves to remove the blades. Remove the blades of the mower and keep them aside.

Use a scraper to remove all the accumulated debris and dirt. At this stage, it’s wise to give the entire deck another wash to ensure no spot is left un-washed. Make sure you wash the blades you removed earlier as well.

Grease And Reassemble

Since you used a lot of water, the probability of the metal rusting is high. Therefore, it’s best to avoid taking any chances and greasing the bottom of the deck. All you need to do is reassemble the lawn mower.

Conclusion

Maintaining your lawn mower and keeping it clean is the best way to ensure it lasts for a long time. When you have to clean a riding lawn mower’s deck, there is no doubt that you will require more than a piece of cloth. The cleaning method you should adopt depends on your personal preference and whether your lawn mower has a washing port.

Ian Richardson is a passionate lover of plants, flowers, and gardening. He finds solace and tranquility in the beauty and diversity of plants and flowers. His love for nature and gardening has motivated him to learn more about the different plant species, their habitats, and how to cultivate them. His knowledge and expertise in gardening have also made him a go-to person for gardening advice and tips, thus the reason he create BeloGarden. Ian continues to explore and appreciate the beauty of nature and hopes to inspire others to do the same.

How To Clean a Lawn Mower Deck the Right Way

How to Clean the Underside Deck of Your Lawn Mower

David Beaulieu is a landscaping expert and plant photographer, with 20 years of experience.

It’s no surprise that there are many opinions on how often a lawn mower should be cleaned. This is largely a matter of personal preference—just as some people sweep and wash a kitchen floor daily, others may only do it weekly or even just monthly. The same holds true for outdoor lawn and garden tools. Some people with a robust neatness gene may prefer to clean lawn mowers and other garden tools thoroughly after every use, while others find no need to be quite so meticulous.

Even for people who routinely wipe down and brush off the top surfaces of a lawn mower, not everybody will turn the machine upside down and carefully clean off grass clippings and grime from the underside of the mower—the area known as the deck. Among those given to debating the issue, the question has three parts:

• Is it necessary to clean the mower deck? If so, why?
• If it is necessary, how often should I clean the mower deck?
• And how exactly should I do it?

A related but different question has to do with what TLC you should give the lawn mower when you are ready to put it away for another year.

Yes, the Lawn Mower Deck Should Be Cleaned

The reason for cleaning the deck—the enclosed housing beneath the mower, where the blade spins— has nothing to do with being neat (unless you are the type who takes pride in showing guests your power equipment). Cleaning will actually help lawn mower performance by allowing the blades of grass to stand fully upright as the blade spins to trim them. A lawn mower deck heavily encrusted with dried grass clippings may deflect the grass blades so they can’t be cut efficiently, and in worse-case scenarios, the dried grass buildup can even hinder the rotation of the blade itself.

Keeping the bottom deck clean also helps minimize the spread of lawn diseases. Remember, when you cut blades of grass, you are essentially opening up wounds that make the grass susceptible to problems such as fungal disease, which may be lurking in the grass buildup on the bottom of the mower.

Do It at Least Twice Each Mowing Season

There is no rule about how often to clean your mower deck, but it really should be done at least twice each mowing season. You may need to do it more often if you’re forced to mow very long grass or if you have to mow it while it is wet.

It’s also wise to clean the deck of your mower at the end of the season, before putting the mower away for the winter. It’s unpleasant to leave grasses to rot and mold on the bottom of the mower over winter, especially if you are storing your mower in an attached garage or basement. Left to harden over winter, your spring cleaning chores will be all the harder.

How to Clean the Deck on a Lawn Mower

To clean the deck of a lawn mower, follow these steps:

• Empty the gas tank (or run the mower until the tank is empty), then disconnect the spark plug wire.
• Stand the mower up on its side.
• Take a garden hose and spray the deck at full blast. This will loosen some of the dirt and caked-on grass clippings.
• Scrub off the rest of the soil, using a brush, soap, and hot water.
• Rinse, then dry the metal deck of your mower.

Tip: To reduce future incidences of grass clippings sticking to the lawn mower’s underside, lightly spray some vegetable oil onto the deck after cleaning it.

End-of-Season Maintenance

When the mowing season is over in the fall, empty the gas tank by allowing the lawnmower to run until its gas tank is empty. Leave the lawn mower’s tank empty until spring comes, if possible. When old gas lies around in the lawn mower all winter, it becomes gummy and may foul the engine. If you must leave the tank full of gas, add a can of fuel stabilizer to the mower tank, then run the engine for a few minutes to distribute the stabilizer through the fuel lines and engine cylinder before putting the mower away.

After dealing with the gas, drain the oil crankcase and refill it with fresh oil.

These steps should make your lawn mower ready to go when you pull it out of the garage or shed next spring. But if you do end up having trouble starting your lawn mower, it may be because you need to tune up your machine, which is a fairly easy DIY task.

How to use a water hose attachment on a lawnmower, step by step

A lawnmower keeps your garden beautiful and presentable. It is responsible for cutting tall grass, unnecessary weeds, and rough-looking patches. Proper maintenance is crucial in keeping the lawnmower working efficiently. One has to take care of the cleanliness of different parts too. Cleaning the mower’s blades and the deck is part of the maintenance you have to perform after finishing mowing. The advantage of using a hose attachment on a lawnmower is that you only clean the underside thoroughly, and the engine and other parts keep relatively dry. This blog post will take you through the steps to attach a water hose to your lawnmower. With it, you can clean your mower easily in a couple of minutes.

How to use a water hose attachment on a lawnmower, step by step:

• Step 1: Prepare the mower
• Step 2: Lower the mower deck
• Step 3: Screw the hose attachment to your mower
• Step 4: Let the engine run for a short while
• Step 5: Disconnect the hose attachment and dry the deck
• Step 6: If there is no hose attachment, how to clean the deck

Attaching the water hose itself is relatively simple. It only needs a few basic steps. But you have to be careful as you are exposing a mechanical device to water.

You might have noticed that many new lawnmower decks have a new hose connection point on them. For example, a Craftsman lawnmower’s hose attachment is part of the mower’s deck wash system. The benefits of cleaning the deck start as soon as you finish mowing. You might wonder how to use them, or they are effective, or what precautions you have to take when using them? This blog post tries to answer these questions.

General Guide:

While mowing, your mower blades get dirty. If the grass is slightly damp, clippings of grass get stuck together on the mower blades and underside. These clippings increase the chance of rusting, so it is better to clean them after mowing each time. A water hose attachment is the fastest way to solve the issue.

Step 1: Prepare the mower

Place the lawnmower on a smooth and level surface close to a water source with a hose. Leave transmission in gear and set the lawnmower to the parking brake so that it does not start rolling. Ensure that there is enough gas in the tank as you will have to turn the mower while the water is running. Make sure that all the moving parts have stopped when you start to work.

Step 2: Lower the mower deck

The next step is to find the water hose port on your lawnmower. It will most likely be present on top of the mower deck that contains the blades underneath. It is present in both push mowers and riding mowers. Now, lower the cutting deck to the lowest level. This step is needed for riding mowers. Push mowers have a fixed deck and need to reduce the cutting height to the lowest level.

Step 3: Screw the hose attachment to your mower

First, remove the grass bag if your mower has one. Now, inspect the water hose port you found earlier on the mower’s deck. Check the kind of connection you require, a push-in connector or a twisting type. For some models, you have to screw the attachment on the lawnmower deck. Check that the hose has the same connector that your mower requires. Attach the nozzle adapter on the deck washout port. Generally, it is better to use a lock collar to fix the adapter with the mower’s deck attachment. The lock collar releases the water flow when turned clockwise and stops the flow when turned the other way.

Now, open the tap and release the lock collar, letting the water flow. The nozzle connection should be tight. Always double-check the connection because it may come off and wet other parts if it is not tight enough. Especially, the mower’s engine, the battery, and some other electrical parts do not like water, so be careful.

Step 4: Let the engine run for a short while

After the water starts flowing through, you have to clean the blades thoroughly. To do this, start the engine and let it warm up. Then, engage the mower’s blades and let it run for at least two minutes. As the blades turn, they swirl the water in the deck gushing out the clippings and wiping the blades properly. If you have a riding mower, sit on the seat and move the throttle to the fast position. Run the engine until no more clippings flow down with the water from your mower’s deck.

Step 5: Disconnect the hose attachment and dry the deck

Now, stop the engine and turn off the water supply. Disconnect the hose attachment from your mower. Start your engine again and run it for a while to dry off the underside of the deck. Another way is to let your mower dry outside.

If you want to clean the top of your mower, you may use a leaf blower once your engine is cooled down but never use water from the hose to clean it.

Step 6: If there is no hose attachment, how to clean the deck?

The whole procedure is similar. Turn the faucet on and hold the other side of the water pipe opening in your hand. Aim from low to the ground up to the underside of the mower’s deck. That way, the water will hit the blades from the front or rear wheels. Keep a safe distance and spray the water in as the blades spin. This should do the job. You probably need two persons to do this, and the one that holds the hose will probably get quite wet.

Additional concerns:

Use of Pressure washer: Be careful using a pressure washer for cleaning the mower deck because it can force the water into your mower’s critical and sensitive parts. The engine, battery, and other electrical parts do not like water. Also, be careful not to wash away lubrication on various parts

Read the manufacturer’s manual: Always read your operator manual. If it says never use water to clean the deck, don’t try to use it even if you have the hose attachment. It is probably better to use an air pump for the same purpose.

Scrapping technique: Scrapping under the mower deck is another way of keeping things clean in the mower deck’s underside. You should also check the clippings cluster before you use the water. If you find any uncommon clogging or stuck branches, remove them before the operation.

Let the deck dry: Allow the underside of the mower deck to dry properly. You can use an air pump that circulates the air to let it dry faster. Also, never use a mower that has been recently washed to cut grass. Wet blades and deck will stick grass much more easily, and you will end up with the same dirty machine.

Frequently asked questions:

Why is there a hose attachment on my lawnmower?

If your lawnmower has a hose attachment, it is there as part of a deck wash system. It helps easily remove grass clippings, dirt, and other debris from under the mowing deck. It will help keep your mower’s components from clogging or jamming and ensure that the machine produces the best possible grass trim. You can clean sharp blades with zero physical contact with them.

Is it ok to wash the mower blades with water?

It is completely fine to use the hose attachment. Spraying the water beneath the mower’s deck comes as an additional feature. The mower blades can withstand moisture, branches, and dirt. So, it is perfectly ok to clean them with water. Avoid spraying water on other parts of the mower. And be very careful with using a pressure washer to clean your mower, as it can force the water into unwanted parts. It increases the chance of rusting, seizing, jamming, or problems with the battery or other electrical system parts.

What can I do if the water hose attachment is damaged?

If the water hose attachment is damaged, you can always get it repaired at your local dealer. You can also try to fix the broken tip at home with some adhesive or another method. If you use glue, ensure that you do not glue any other parts accidentally. If fixing is not possible, and as a final resort, you can hold the hose over the attachment hole as it is only a 2-minutes job. Also, look into the last step of the blog for an alternative method.

Final remarks:

Cleaning the underside of the deck is a job you should do after each mowing session. Regular cleaning of blades and cutting deck makes your machine last longer. Using a water hose attachment makes the job super-fast and easy. There are only a few additional precautions one should take. In this blog post, we have explained how to use the water hose attachment. Ensure you keep the water away from the engine and electrical components. Please do not use a pressure washer, as it often hurts more than it gives. In the last step, we have provided some directions on how to clean without a hose attachment.

How To Wash Your Mower Deck (and Why)

Perhaps you’re not the type to keep your equipment spotlessly clean. However, washing your mower deck is important to protect the condition of your equipment and maintain your lawn’s health.

Why Should I Clean My Mower Deck?

You’re probably more likely to make the effort of cleaning your mower deck if you know why you’re doing it, so let’s review how this practice affects your mower and your lawn. First, you know those annoying grass clippings that tend to stick to the wheels and deck? Well, they look unsightly on your equipment, but they’re a problem beyond that. If enough grass clippings accumulate, the buildup can prevent your grass from standing upright, and you won’t get a clean cut. 1

If your mower blades can’t cleanly slice the grass, they’ll shred it instead, damaging your lawn.

When your lawn isn’t completely dry, it’s even worse. Damp grass easily forms clumps that will build up quickly underneath your deck. When that happens, your deck will retain moisture, creating the ideal environment for rust to form.

Additionally, the act of mowing essentially slices open your grass blades. This can make them vulnerable to things like fungus, and if the clippings underneath your deck are carrying that fungus, you can spread it out to the rest of your lawn. 1

This information should convince you of the importance of keeping your mower deck clean. But now another question arises. How often do you clean it?

How Frequently Should I Clean My Deck?

The answer to how often you should wash your deck can depend on your specific situation. Generally, you shouldn’t need to clean the deck more frequently than two to three times in one mowing season. However, if you have a larger yard or if your yard is in a wet or low spot, you’ll want to clean at least four times a season.

Plus, if you ever mow when your grass is wet or if you mow very long grass, you may want to wash your deck each time you use your mower.

Ultimately, use your best judgment and be flexible. Depending on how dry or how large your lawn is, you can increase or decrease the number of times you’ll need to wash your deck during the mowing season.

How Do I Wash My Lawnmower Deck?

Some mowers have a built-in washing feature that makes cleaning their decks easy. We recommend doing this immediately after you get done mowing so that the clippings won’t have time to harden. Put your mower on a clean, non-grassy surface, adjust the deck to its lowest height, connect the hose, turn on the water, and engage the blades.

If you’re working with a push mower without a built-in washing feature, begin here:

• Remove the gas in your tank or run the mower dry of fuel.
• Take out your mower’s spark plug.
• Put your mower on its side with the air filter and carburetor pointing up.

If you have a riding mower, do this instead:

• Engage the parking brake on your mower and put chucks behind the back tires.
• Lift the front end of your mower with a lawnmower jack.
• Once your mower is tilted high enough that you can clean it, secure the jack position to keep it there.

With those steps complete, it’s time to clean.

• Use a garden hose or a pressure washer to loosen grass clumps on your deck’s underside.
• If there’s debris that can’t be removed with water, use plastic tools, like a brush or ice scraper, to scrub it away.
• Give your deck a final rinse. Then be sure to dry it completely so that rust doesn’t form.

Check Your Mower Blades

Since your mower deck is accessible right now, it’s a great time to check your mower blades. You want to keep them sharp enough to slice your grass cleanly but not so sharp that they can cut your hand. (Ironically, over-sharpened blades dull quickly.)

If your blade is dull but appears to be in good shape otherwise, you should be able to sharpen it yourself, or you can have one of the pros at Outdoor Concepts do it. However, if you see any rust spots or large chips or dents, you’ll want to replace it.

Keeping your deck clean going forward

If you want to make future cleanings easier, you can spray a light coating of silicone lubricant—or even vegetable oil—inside your mower deck.

Additionally, at the end of mowing season, give your deck one last cleaning so that grass buildup, rust, and mold won’t be sitting on it throughout the winter.

Following these steps will increase your mower’s longevity while also benefiting your lawn. Got questions? Drop by our Bluffton or our Muncie location to chat with a member of our team.

What is the best way to clean a lawn mower deck?

Especially when it comes to removing the caked-up grass from the underside of the deck.

So, what is the best way to remove caked-on grass from your mower deck?

Is there a product or method that works best to get rid of the grass?

That’s exactly what we are going to get into today.

After all, removing caked-on grass from your lawn mowers deck is part of regular lawn mower maintenance.

Below you will find the INSIDER methods lawn care pros use to clean their mower decks.

Clean your lawn mower deck. It will last a long time. (John Deere D110 100 series. Craftsman MTD)

How do you clean a lawn mower deck?

Well, a good place to start is using the leaf blower to remove the grass off of the top of the deck at the end of each day.

But that will only get you so far.

And if you want to prevent your lawn mower’s deck from rusting out or failing prematurely. You really need to remove the caked-on stuff on the bottom of the deck.

Getting to Your Mower Deck’s Underside

The first step to cleaning your lawn mower’s deck is to get access to it.

If you have a common residential riding mower, you can pull the deck off in about 10 minutes once you get the hang of it.

And if you have a flip-up deck, you don’t have much to figure out.

On the other hand, if you are trying to clean a commercial mower. Getting to the underside of your deck SAFELY can be a challenge, and may require a bit of innovation.

You could build a ramp like the one pictured above, or you could purchase a jack to help you get to the underside of your deck.

Using a Scraper to Clean Your Mower Deck

Here’s the deal, when it comes to the underside, most lawn care professionals simply scrape their mower decks.

That’s it, that’s the BIG SECRET.

And they typically don’t use any product when it comes to removing caked-on grass from the underside of the deck.

So when it comes to cleaning the underside of your lawn mower deck, you may just have to get your hands dirty.

You can use several tools to scrape your mower deck including a:

However, it may be a good idea to treat the deck after you clean it to prevent grass from caking on the next time. To learn more on that keep reading.

What is the best product to clean a mower deck with?

When it comes to cleaning the rest of the mower. Including the top of the deck, what product should you use?

According to our research, the resounding answer for the best product to clean your mower deck with is Purple Power. Which is a commonly available degreaser.

41% of lawn care pros reported purple power as being their favorite deck cleaning product.

Further, we found that Simple Green was a close second taking in 31% of the vote.

Finally, the 3rd product recommended by lawn care professionals when it comes to cleaning a lawn mower deck was Ballard’s Mower Magic which snatched up 7% of the vote.

Ballard’s products are not as commonly available as its competitors are, so they can be harder to get a hold of. And many lawn care pros simply have not gotten to try the product, but they work great.

Good news! If you want to give it a try we have partnered with Ballard to get you exclusive deals. Not only do they sell great mower cleaning products, but they also offer a great lawn mower deck scraper.

One of the many benefits of being a GreenPal Vendor is access to exclusive deals!

“Just use a pressure washer”

20% of the lawn care pros that responded to our poll suggested that they don’t use ANY cleaning product. But simply use a pressure washer to clean their lawn mower.

While others reported using one of the products mentioned above along with a pressure washer.

Either way, a pressure washer is a much better way to clean your mower and mower deck than a garden hose.

Whether or not you use a product.

How often should I clean my lawn mower deck?

This is crazy but some lawn care pros find they NEVER have an issue with caked-on grass.

While others need to clean their lawn mower decks 2-3 times a week.

So really, how often you clean your lawn mower deck will depend on how often the need arises.

For example, lawn care pros that cut lawns in sandy areas find that the deck tends to clean itself.

The most common answer lawn care pros give is that they scrape the deck each time they sharpen their lawn mower blades.

And as we have covered in other articles, 75% of lawn care pros sharpen their blades at least once a week.

Ideally, you want to scrape your lawn mower deck before any caked-on grass has time to dry.

Due to the varying conditions you may experience, the answer to how often you need to clean your lawn mower deck can vary from after every lawn, to never.

Treating your Mower Deck After Scraping

Once you have scraped your lawn mower’s underside, some suggest that it’s a good idea to treat the deck with a product to prevent caking next time.

Simply using a product like WD-40, or even Pam can prevent grass from caking on your lawn mower deck in between cleaning.

That’s really all there is to it, scrape your deck, and wash with a product if you choose to.

And once the deck is dry, treat the underside with a quick spray to prevent buildup down the road.

Cleaning Your Lawn Mower’s Deck at the End of the Day

When it comes to cleaning the top of your lawn mower’s deck and underside. You will need more than a little bit of toilet paper.

Here’s the secret, most lawn care pros find that simply scraping the deck is more than enough to maintain their lawn care equipment.

But when you do wash the rest of your mower you may want to consider a product like Simple Green, Ballards, or Purple Power to really make your equipment shine.

Finally, don’t forget to post-treat the deck with a product like WD-40 to prevent build-up on the underside down the road.

Looking for more to read? Check out our guide to starting a lawn care company.