How to Wash a Riding Lawn Mower? Complete Step by Step Guide

How to Wash a Riding Lawn Mower? Step-by-Step Pressure Washing Guide: A riding lawn mower is an excellent assistance to keep your lawn in great shape. However, to ensure it serves you for the maximum years, you should wash it properly after usage.  Because of the large size, many people get confused with how to wash a riding lawn mower thoroughly. Also, washing it without proper knowledge may cause damage to the machine. Hence, we have come up with a step-by-step guide to wash a riding lawn mower by yourself.

In this article, we’ll discuss how you can pressure wash a riding lawn mower, and take proper care of it. Pressure washing is the best method for cleaning a large lawnmower. However, as the process is a bit tricky, there are some risks associated with it as well. But don’t worry, in the next point, we’ll discuss how to clean the lawnmower avoiding all the risks.

Things You Should Know to Safely Washing Your Riding Lawn Mower

 

 

Before you start to pressure wash your riding lawn mower, you should be aware of safety measures to ensure that the mower doesn’t damage. Many people will suggest you not pressure wash your mower. That’s because it can damage the machine if it is not careful. But if you’re well aware of the situation, the risk is zero. Besides, pressure wash is the best way to clean a riding mower. So, follow the tips below to wash your riding lawn mower safely:

• Don’t Wet the Electrical Parts

 

 

Wetting electrical materials never brings good news. So, when you’re using a pressure hose, be careful not to splash water in the electrical parts. There’s a high chance they will get damaged if you sprinkle water on them.

• Avoid Watering Bearings

You also should avoid spraying on the bearings while pressure washing. That’s because here, the pressure is too much, and it washes away the grease too. As a result, the bearings will stop functioning smoothly. Hence, keep them dry during the washing.

• Choose a Sunny Day

Our suggestion to you is to wash your riding lawn mower on a sunny day. That’s because drying the mower properly is also important. So, if there’s enough sun, you can let it dry outside.

Read more about how to cut tall grass with a riding mower

In short, don’t spray water on electrical parts and bearings. Besides, try to wash on a sunny day. These will ensure that the work is done safely and your riding lawn mower has a long life.

How to Wash a Riding Lawn Mower with a Pressure Washer

So, once you know what not to do, let’s learn what to do to wash a riding lawnmower. We’ve explained the process step by step for your convenience. Follow them in the exact order to pressure wash the riding lawn mower:

Step 1: Precautions

Take the mower to a good place and turn off the engine. Remove the ignition key and also disconnect the wire in the spark plug. Do these to ensure that the mower doesn’t get started during washing. If that happens, it will cause an accident. So, take these safety measures.

Step 2: Raise the front with a Lift

Now you need to get access to the underneath of the deck. For that, you can use a lift. With the help of this tool, raise the front wheel of the riding lawnmower. However, the air filter should be higher than the engine. Or else you’ll create critical mechanical issues.

Step 3: Clean excess Dirt

Now, you will see some dirt and debris underneath the deck. A lot of grass, leaves, and plant roots will be there. Use a blunt to clean everything. Not to mention, the residue of grass gets strengthened over time. Therefore, you can use some water to soften them and then scrape them off.

Step 4: Apply Detergent

After you have removed the dirt, apply detergent underneath the deck. After that, let the detergent sit for five to ten minutes. After that, you can move on to washing.

Step 5: Power Wash

 

 

So, now, use a pressure washer to eliminate every last piece of dirt. If there’s any stubborn residue, again, use a kitchen scrub pad to wash them off—thoroughly water every area except the electrical materials and the bearings. We’ve discussed this in detail above. Read more about how to sharpen a lawn mower blade

Step 6: Rinse Everything

After cleaning the deck area, also clean the tires with detergent water. When everything seems clean, finally rinse with water. As this is the final time you’re spraying water, ensure you cover every area.

Step 7: Let the Mower Dry

Excellent! You’ve washed your riding lawn mower safely. Now let it dry under the sun. After a few hours, check if it dried completely, then connect the scrap plug and move it into the garage or wherever you keep it.

Frequently Answer Questions

Is it okay to Wash your Riding Lawn Mower?

Yes, it’s okay to wash a riding lawnmower. You should do this often for proper maintenance. A pressure wash is the best way to do this. However, you should not wet electrical parts to avoid damage. Also, learn more about How to start a riding lawn mower with a bad starter

Can you Pressure Wash a Riding Lawn Mower Engine?

Though pressure washing a riding lawn mower gives you the best results, you should avoid it for the engine. If you try to pressure wash the engine, it may cause damage to it.

Can a Lawnmower get Rained On?

Riding lawnmowers are made for outdoor usage. Therefore, it’s obvious that it can withstand a little rain. However, heavy rain may cause wetting of the electrical materials and bearings, which you wouldn’t want.

Learn more about how to test a voltage regulator on a lawn mower.

Conclusion: How to Wash a Riding Lawn Mower?

I hope our step-by-step guide on how to wash a riding lawn mower has been helpful to you. Besides washing it often, clean the dirt and debris after every time you mow the grass. Also, lubricate the spindles and pivot points once in a season to ensure smooth functioning. These maintenance tips will help you to keep the mower clean always. Let us know if you have more maintenance tips.