Is It Okay To Hose Down A Lawn Mower?

It's a smart idea to take preparation steps before mowing your lawn in the spring to ensure the healthiest grass. However, after cutting the grass, it's also smart to take steps to care for the lawn mower. Cleaning the mower deck and removing stray grass after each session prevents old grass from accumulating that can lead to rust problems or could prevent the blades from spinning efficiently.

To clean your lawn mower the right way after using it, you may wonder whether you can wash the underside of the deck with a garden hose. After all, introducing moisture to the mower deck creates a situation in which rust will thrive. But, yes, you can use a garden hose to clean a lawn mower after cutting the grass; however, you have to be careful with the water spray.

For example, avoid spraying water across the top of the lawn mower, as some parts of the engine may not be protected from water that has some volume and pressure behind it, like a garden hose could produce through its natural flow rate.

Before attempting to wash the mower deck, allow the machine and engine to cool down. That said, don't wait too long — if you wait until the next day or longer, the cut grass blades could harden and become far more difficult to wash away.

Before working near the engine or underneath the deck, disconnect the battery, or for gas-powered mowers the rubber sleeve that contains a wire connector and pops over the end of the spark plug. This step protects against the machine accidentally starting while you're working on it. Use a brush, putty knife, or leaf blower to remove chunks of grass, dirt, and other debris near the engine area. Work carefully to avoid damaging any of the engine's components.

Tilt or jack the mower deck upward, making it easier to access the underside. When tipping a gas-powered mower, make sure the area near the spark plug is as high as possible to prevent oil or fuel from leaking into other areas of the engine. Then use the garden hose to wash away extra blades of grass or other debris from the underside of the mower deck.

After running the hose, you can use a scraper tool to keep your mower clean and free of grass. Rinse underneath the mower deck with the hose again to wash away any grass clippings you might have loosened with the scraper. Leave the deck in the sun for a while to ensure everything is dry before storing the machine. Use a cloth or leaf blower to speed up the drying process.

Some mowers have a hose port (also called a wash port), allowing you to connect a garden hose to the port to spray the underside of the deck. To do so, you'll have to add back the mower's battery or reconnect the spark plug cover; then start the machine. Spin the lawn mower blades with the hose running and attached to the port, which should loosen and remove any stubborn grass blades. Leave everything running until you no longer see grass clippings washing away. (Also, be prepared, as this process can be messy.)

Outside of using the hose port, if you choose to clean your lawn mower with a garden hose, control the spray as much as you can. Damaging the electrical components on a battery-powered machine with water or soaking the spark plug on a gas-powered unit may cause these types of machines to stop working altogether. A spray of water that's too powerful may wash away lubricants needed for the smooth operation of the mower.

If water gets into the carburetor or fuel tank during cleaning, the machine will need immediate maintenance. Any water hitting the air filter or oil filter could ruin these components. For these reasons, some people say washing a mower with a garden hose isn't worth the risk.