Pool Cage, Lanai & Screen Enclosure Cleaning: What Sarasota Homeowners Should Know

Gorilla Kleen Exterior Cleaning · Sarasota & Manatee County, FL

Can You Pressure Wash a Pool Cage or Screen Enclosure?

You can only if the pressure washer is turned down to low pressure, fitted with a wide fan tip, and held well back from the screen. Standard high-pressure washing damages both the screen mesh and the frame’s painted finish.

Most homeowners’ pressure washers are set up for concrete. Pointed at a screen panel, the same narrow jet that strips a stained driveway can punch through the mesh in a second. A torn panel means a rescreening bill on top of the cleaning, and a small tear doesn’t stay small once afternoon storms start working at it.

On a screen enclosure, the cleaning solution should do the work. The water only rinses. That’s the core difference between pressure washing and soft washing, and it’s why pool cages sit on the same list as roofs and stucco in our guide to surfaces you shouldn’t pressure wash yourself.

Why Does High Pressure Damage Screens and Frames?

Pool cage screen is thin vinyl-coated fiberglass and the frame is painted aluminum, so a concentrated jet can tear the mesh and scour the paint. Each part of the enclosure fails in a different way.

The screen mesh

Most Florida pool enclosures use pool-and-patio grade screen, such as Phifer’s 18×14 vinyl-coated fiberglass, which is about 0.013 inch thick.¹ That’s roughly the thickness of three sheets of copy paper. It’s stronger than window screen and rated for salt air, but it’s still woven glass yarn under a vinyl coating, and a high-pressure stream hits it at a single point.

The aluminum frame

The American Architectural Manufacturers Association (AAMA) publishes the industry’s cleaning guide for painted and anodized aluminum. It starts with a plain water rinse at moderate pressure, moves to a mild detergent applied with a soft brush or sponge only if dirt remains, and ends with a full rinse. It warns against aggressive acid or alkaline cleaners and abrasive scrubbing, which damage painted finishes.² Painted-aluminum supplier Wrisco advises against high-pressure washing on the same grounds: it can mar the finish.³

AAMA also advises against cleaning aluminum while it’s hot from direct sun, because cleaning chemicals react faster and leave streaks. On a west-facing lanai at 3 p.m. in July, that rules out a lot of the day, so we schedule enclosure work around it.

The pool and deck below

Anything sprayed on the cage can end up in the pool. Cleaner Times, a trade magazine for the pressure-washing industry, notes that cleaning solution seeping into pool water throws off its pH and has to be corrected afterward.⁴ A careful crew aims spray away from the water, rinses thoroughly, and checks the pool when the job is done.

How Do Professionals Clean a Screen Enclosure?

Professionals soft wash a screen enclosure: they apply a cleaning solution at low pressure, give it time to work, brush stubborn spots by hand, and rinse the screens, frame, and deck at low pressure. Here is how Gorilla Kleen runs a pool cage job.

1. Walk the enclosure firstWe note torn panels, loose screen, and faded or chalky frame paint before any water goes on, so you know what was already there.
2. Protect the pool and plantsFurniture comes off the deck, nearby plants get wetted down, and spray is directed away from the pool.
3. Clear loose debrisCobwebs, leaves, and pollen come off with a blower or soft brush so the solution reaches the surface underneath.
4. Apply the soft-wash solutionA mild cleaning solution goes on at low pressure across the screens and frame, working both sides of each panel.
5. Let it work, then hand-brushAfter a short dwell time, stubborn spots on the frame and kick plates get a soft brush, never an abrasive pad.
6. Rinse top to bottomRoof screens first, then walls, frame, and door, with the deck rinsed last so it carries everything off.
7. Check the pool and the finishWe check the water and walk the enclosure again with you before we leave.

Gorilla Kleen is certified in the Soft Wash system, and screen cages are one of the surfaces it was built for. Where runoff is a concern, our equipment collects, filters, and recycles the wash water. If you manage several homes in a community, see our pool cage and lanai cleaning for Sarasota communities.

How Often Should a Pool Cage Be Cleaned in Florida?

Most Sarasota and Manatee County pool cages need cleaning once or twice a year. Enclosures in heavy shade, under trees, or close to the Gulf or the bay usually need it every six months.

Rain and humidity

NOAA’s 1991–2020 climate normals put Sarasota-Bradenton’s average rainfall at 49.05 inches a year, and about 29.5 inches of that falls from June through September.⁵ That’s 60% of the year’s rain in four months. A screen enclosure holds moisture in the mesh and along the frame long after the storm passes, and mildew and algae follow.

Source: NOAA 1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, Sarasota-Bradenton.

That’s why many homeowners book one cleaning in late fall, after the rainy season, and a second in spring before the pool gets heavy use.

Salt air on the coast

AAMA’s aluminum guide singles out coastal areas, where repeated cycles of condensation and drying leave a layer of salt and dirt that sticks hard to the frame. It also notes that sheltered spots get dirtier because rain never rinses them.² On a lanai, those sheltered spots are the underside of the roof screens and the frame members along the house wall. Homes on Longboat Key, along the bay in Bradenton, and on the water in Venice see that buildup faster.

Shade, trees, and north-facing walls

Screens that never get direct sun stay damp longest, and oaks and pines drop pollen, sap, and needles that feed growth. The same conditions drive the black streaks on Sarasota roofs; we cover why mold and algae come back so fast in Sarasota in a separate guide.

What’s Included in Lanai and Pool Deck Cleaning?

A full lanai service covers the screen panels, the aluminum frame, the screen door, the pool deck, and the furniture area, with the deck done last so the rinse water carries debris off.

The order matters: top to bottom, frame and screens before the deck.

Signs Your Screen Enclosure Needs Cleaning

Your enclosure is due if you see green or black film on the screens, a dull film on the frame, buildup in the corners, or a hazy view through the screen.

• Green or black film on the lower panels and the shaded side, where screens stay wet longest.
• A dull, spotty film on the frame that comes off on your finger. If it doesn’t wipe off, the paint itself may be aging.
• Cobwebs, pollen, and nests packed into corners and roof seams.
• A gray, hazy view through screens that used to look nearly invisible.
• A slick or stained deck along the base of the screen walls, where runoff from the cage lands.
• Yellow or brown streaks running down from the roof screens after rain.

How Much Does Pool Cage Cleaning Cost in Sarasota?

Pool cage cleaning is priced by the enclosure, and three things set the number: the size of the cage, how tall the screen walls are, and how much growth has built up since the last cleaning.

For a broader look at exterior pricing, see what drives exterior cleaning prices. For your enclosure specifically, a free on-site quote is the fastest way to a real number.

Frequently Asked Questions