How To Clean Your Lawn Mower Deck With A Tool You Already Own

One of the best ways to keep your lawn mower deck from rusting is to clean it after each use. When you leave wet grass clippings stuck to the underside or top of the mower deck, they can hold moisture against the metal surface. If left in place until they dry, they might eventually cause rust. 

Grass blades release a sticky sap when you cut them, causing them to cling to surfaces and stick to one another. If the cut blades of grass remain in place until they dry, the sap allows them to clump into a hardened shell. You may need to deploy a manual scraping tool designed to remove grass and mud from the mower to reduce the risk of rust.

Instead, you should focus on removing these wet clippings as soon as you finish mowing, ensuring they won't have time to dry and clump on the deck. Fortunately, a tool you likely already own can help you do the job efficiently, without requiring a lot of physical labor. Fire up your gas- or battery-powered handheld or backpack leaf blower, and aim it across the surface of the lawn mower deck. Then safely tip the mower on its side, and use the blower on the underside, too, removing the cut grass from the mower blades, the edges of the deck, and the discharge chute. As an added advantage of using a leaf blower, you'll help to dry any excess moisture from the deck, which is another step in reducing the risk of rust.

To remove grass clippings from a walk-behind lawn mower deck, you should start by disconnecting the spark plug to ensure the blades won't start spinning while you work. Aim the leaf blower across the top of the deck, as well as around the engine block and near the spot where the wheels connect to the deck. Aim the airflow at tight and awkward spaces where cut grass blades may cling, such as near the engine fins. Most blowers should have enough power to remove any loose debris. Then tip the walk-behind mower to reach the underside of the deck with the leaf blower. Always tip the machine onto its side such that the air filter is higher than the muffler to prevent gas from leaking into the filter or engine oil from leaking into the carburetor. 

To clean grass clippings from a riding mower deck, follow the same initial steps, but don't try to tip this machine on its side. Instead, use ramps on the front wheels or a jack to safely lift the machine to gain access underneath the deck. Before using a jack, lock the parking break and put chucks behind the wheels. If those options won't work for you, you can usually remove the floating deck by taking out a few pins and bolts. Flip it over and blow away the cut grass before reattaching it. Some riding mowers have a flip-up deck design, giving you easy access to the underside.