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Though it may be one of the most annoying jobs for the homeowners out there, cleaning the underside of the lawn mower is a necessary thing that must be done in order to store it without making a mess.
We take a look at quick easy steps to make this job more pleasant so that you can get it done and over with. By following these simple steps, it might become a ritual you look forward to, to show off your lawn mower maintenance skills.
Stay with us to see how you can transform cleaning the underside of a lawn mower to make it look better into something enjoyable.
How To Clean The Underside
Let us first take a good look and see why you would want to clean the underside of your lawn mower on a regular basis. This cleaning ritual is not just so your lawn mower looks better, it is also so that it will not make a mess in the storage shed or the garage.
There is more to this menial job than you might imagine; it will let your lawn mower last longer. If you clean it regularly, there will be less grass and mud caked onto the blades, allowing them to operate more efficiently.
With dirt caked on the blades, it might also put more strain on the motor, which in turn can make it more susceptible to breaking. So, if you clean the underside of your lawn mower, you allow it to operate at top efficiency and do the job much easier.
Guide To Clean the Underside Of Your Lawn Mower
This guide will show you all of the steps necessary for thorough cleaning of the underside of your lawn mower.
Quick and Easy Method
For this method of cleaning, you will only need a few tools, which you might already have in your garage or tool shed.
Tools
- Water hose, preferably one with a pressure sprayer attached
- A scraping tool, a putty knife, or paint scraper will do
- An area where you can clean the lawn mower
Steps
- First, move the lawn mower to the cleaning area.
- Pull the hose to where you are working.
- Tilt the lawn mower on it side.
- Clean the underside of the lawn mower with water, removing all the dirt and grass.
- When the water cleaning job is done, scrape any dirt and grass that is stuck to the blades and underside off.
- Make sure everything is removed from the underside, then give it a final wash with the hose.
- Dry off as much of the water from the lawn mower as possible to prevent rust.
See this short YouTube video if you want to see how the above steps are done.
A More Thorough Method
Here is a method that will help to keep your lawn mower in peak condition, and will help it last longer and be more efficient. You can use the quick and easy method every time you cut the lawn, and this method can be done once a month or so.
Tools
- Garden hose with a sprayer attached
- Wire cleaning brush
- Rubber gloves and goggles
- Wrench to remove the blade
- A clean oil pan
- Lubricant oil
- A tarp or any large piece of canvas
- Scraping tool
Steps
- First, move the lawn mower to a flat and even surface.
- Spread the canvas or tarp on the ground and place the lawn mower on it.
- Unplug the spark plug of the lawn mower and remove it.
- Now, place the oil pan under the valve where you drain the fuel and remove the plug to make sure all the fuel is vacated.
- Turn the mower over on its side and remove the blade with the wrench, which should be the same size as the nut.
- Grass clippings and dirt can now be removed from the underside of the lawn mower with the wire brush.
- For the stubborn dirt, use a scraping tool.
- When all the dirt has been removed, use the hose and wash the underside off with water.
- It is good if you use the hose sprayer at the strongest setting to thoroughly remove all the dirt and grass from the underside.
- Wait until the mower is dry when you are done washing it with the garden hose.
- When it is completely dry, apply some lubricant oil to it to prevent rust.
- Replace the blade and the spark plug of the mower and refuel it.
- Now you can store it safely in a dry, low-humidity place, and your job is done!
These steps to clean the underside of your lawn mower can be applied to all types of push lawn cutting machines. Cleaning the underside of a riding lawn mower will require the same steps, but having a different access method to the underside.
Cleaning the Underside Of a Riding Lawn Mower
To get to the underside of a riding lawn mower will take some specialized tools, such as a hydraulic jack to lift it up. You only need to lift it to the required height where you will have easy access to the underside for cleaning purposes.
Steps
- Park the riding mower on an even and flat surface and secure it in place so it will not roll off on its own. Put something behind the wheels of the riding mower to prevent it from rolling in case the hand brake fails on you.
- Push the hydraulic jack under the front side of the deck so that you can lift it with the jack to the desired height for easy access. When you have the riding lawn mower in position, you can follow all the steps used for a push lawn to prepare and clean it.
- You do not need to remove the blade of the riding mower when you clean the underside of the deck. Make sure you use all the safety precautions necessary so that you do not hurt yourself while cleaning the underside of your riding lawn mower.
Summary
You can see that it is not that difficult to clean the underside of any lawn mower, and that the steps are simple and straightforward. Now that you know how to clean the underside of the lawn mower, you can show off your newly found skills to others.
