If you’re interested in knowing the right way to clean your mower, this quick guide will get you there. Of course, you could always just have John’s Home and Yard Service mow for you and avoid the whole mess! But if you like to DIY, here you go!

1. To properly clean your lawn mower, park your it on a flat paved surface.  Turn off the lawn mower and make sure all parts have stopped moving.

2. Next, you want to lower to blades or the deck to the lowest setting and you will need to remove the clippings bag if you are using one. If your mower has a hose port, attach the hose to the port and turn the water on.

If you do not have a hose port spray water using a hose with a spray nozzle in front of the back-right wheel. Be sure to avoid spraying the engine.

If you do not have a hose port, you can purchase a kit to install one!


4. Once the water is going, turn the engine on and engage the blades. Let run until you no longer see grass clippings running out with the water. Once the water is running clear, turn the engine off and then turn the water off.

5. After the water is turned off, come back to the mower, and start the engine and engage the blades again to aid in drying.

6. You want to scrape out as much grass as possible first, before rinsing with water, that is also an option.  Make sure the engine is off and all parts have stopped moving before tipping the mower up and scrapping the grass clippings out. If you are going to tip your mower on its side,  make sure the carburetor is on the top side.

Grass Buster Deck Scraper
A great tool for scraping the grass off of the mowing deck is a Grass Buster Deck Scraper.

7. Blow off the top of the mower with a leaf blower or compressed air.  Make sure the engine is cooled off before completing this step.

That’s it! Clean your mower after every use. Cleaning in as soon as you are done will save you a lot of work scraping dried encrusted grass clippings and leaving that grass on there will eat your metal components.

***Never use a power washer to clean your mower.  It can force water into parts of the mower that should not get wet. ***