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I love everything about spring…the flowers, the warmer weather, the cool evenings…except for that yellow pine pollen! Every spring, a thick layer of yellow pollen blankets everything outside. It makes me sneeze just thinking about it.
For the first time in my life, I have a screened porch. So, for the first time in my life, I had to figure out how to clean the pollen off of it.
As you can see, here’s what’s on the porch – and all of it needed cleaning (including the dog, although that’s not covered in this post!):
- Sectional with cushions and pillows. We have the Arholma sectional from IKEA. The covers of the cushions are washable (although you cannot put them in the dryer).
- Small fridge (out of picture)
- Coffee table
- Dining table and chairs (all wood)
- Indoor/outdoor rug from World Market
- Air hockey table (from Target)
Here’s what supplies you’ll need to clean your screened porch:
- Hose
- Sprayer or pressure washer – I used a sprayer like this garden hose sprayer
. You can rent or buy a pressure washer (which my neighbors did – I heard their pressure washer going at the same time I was hosing away!), but a hose sprayer with a jet or spray setting will work fine.
- Fence or some other way to hang up an indoor/outdoor rug, if you have one.
- Shop-Vac or other vacuum with a HEPA filter
- Mild spray cleaner
- Rags
- Old beach or bath towels
- Broom
Also, make sure you are wearing clothes you do not mind getting dirty and wet! I wore my grubby clothes and rain boots for this!
How to Clean a Screened Porch in Five Steps:
This is how it looked when we bought the house. I did NOT empty it to clean it!
1. Prep
As with most projects, preparation is key. Here’s what you need to do for the prep stage.
First, vacuum the rug. Did I do this? No, I didn’t. But, in retrospect, it would have been a good thing to do before moving the rug off the porch.
Use a shop vac for this if you have one, just so you don’t get your regular indoor vacuum polleny (yes, I just made up that word). If you don’t have a shop vac, use your regular vacuum, but then make sure to clean it well after you’re finished de-pollening (another word I just made up). This vacuuming is not going to get the rug completely pollen-free; in fact, far from it. But it will make it bearable to move!
As I said, I didn’t do this. I tried to hose the rug down with the rest of the porch. DO NOT do that! Trust me. Hosing it down doesn’t clean the rug; the yellow, pollen-filled water just ended up pooling on the rug. And then I had to move the rug, which is MUCH heavier when wet!
Trust me. Give it a good vacuum and then roll it up and move it off the porch. Drape it over a fence or something else that can hold its weight. This is an easier task with two people if your rug is large.
Second, dust the ceiling fan. Do this as part of your prep because the pollen from the fan will fall down onto whatever is below it. So cleaning the fan first means that you’ve gotten that out of the way and can clean up whatever falls! To clean the fan, you can use a fancy duster, or just fasten a damp rag to a broom (with rubber bands) and wipe the blades down.
Third, move all soft surfaces off the porch. This means moving pillows, cushions, and, yes, the rug. If you have a clean, non-polleny surface, you can go ahead and take the covers off the cushions and wash them. I didn’t, so I just laid them on the walkway by the porch and did this later.
2. Hose
Get the hose and sprayer ready! Start with the screens. Using the “jet” or “spray” setting, start at the TOP of the screens and spray them – use a back-and-forth motion and make sure you get the whole screen area. You want to clean these screens so that the pollen doesn’t just blow off them, back onto the porch.
A clean screen is a happy screen!
For particularly stubborn dirt on the screens (pollen, leaves, etc.), use a wire brush dipped in mild soap. Then rinse with the sprayer.
If your screens are in bad shape and you’re worried about spraying them, just use a softer setting on the sprayer, like “mist.” The key is to rinse them off. You don’t have to blow them away!
Once you’ve finished the screens, it’s time to hose off the furniture. Again, use the “jet” or “spray” setting and power-wash all that yellow stuff off! Do this to all the furniture and hard surfaces EXCEPT anything plugged-in or electric (boogie woogie woogie).
Once you’ve hosed it all down, you should now have a lot of yellow-tinged water on your porch floor. Take the sprayer on “jet” or other strong setting and spray that water off the porch. Direct the water outside. If the sprayer isn’t strong enough to do this, you can also do it with a broom. Just sweep all that water and pollen off the porch!
3. Wipe Down.
Take the old bath or beach towel and wipe down all the surfaces you just hosed, because there will still be some pollen still on them, and they will be wet. Start high and move to the floor: wipe down the furniture first, then put the towel on the floor and (I used my feet for this) wipe down the floor. This will get the rest of the pollen out.
Next it’s time to clean the electronic/plugged-in stuff: for me, that’s the fridge and the air hockey table. I took a mild spray cleaner – I used Method all-purpose spray cleaner – and wiped these pieces down with the rags. It took two passes to fully clean them.
4. Wash the Cushions
If you haven’t already done so, remove the covers from the pillows and cushions and throw them in the washer (or sink, if you can’t machine-wash them). I did this as the fourth step because I could put the cushions (the insides) on the sectional once it was clean.
Make sure you read the manufacturer’s instructions before washing the cushion and pillow covers. The IKEA cushion covers we have can be washed in the machine, but cannot go in the dryer. I would not have wanted the covers to shrink!
Once the covers are dry, put them back on the cushions and pillows. I then spray them with Rust-Oleum NeverWet Outdoor Fabric Spray, Clear Finish
(Disclosure: Rust-Oleum sent me this NeverWet product, but not in exchange for this post or any other promotion. I am only including it here because I think it’s a great product.)
5. The Rug
Once the rug is draped over a fence, hose it down. Having it draped over something will make it easier (1) to get all the dirt off of it and (2) for the rug to dry. Once dry, beat the rug, old-school style, with a broom to get the rest of the pollen and dirt off of it.
Put it back on the porch and then vacuum it once more, just for good measure.
And, with that, your porch is clean! Now all you have to do is shower so that you’re clean, too! (This is a DIRTY project. I was filthy and wet after!)
Have you tried cleaning pollen off a porch before? What are your secrets? I’d love for you to share them in the comments!
Now grab a sweet tea and sit a spell! You’ve earned it! Have a great weekend, y’all!
A "recovering lawyer," I turned in my power suits for power tools and a life of DIY. I believe in merging old and new to make a house a home.
Power washing your screen doors on your porch is a more effective way to get it clean than using a regular hose. The tip about rising top to bottom will also help make sure that whatever you clean out of the screen doesn’t drip back down into it after you’ve cleaned it. By using a power washer, the water is better able to get between the cracks of the screen to remove pollen and other debris that may be trapped there.
Thanks for the tip!
You’re so welcome! I hope it helps.
As tough of a project as this probably was… it actually sounds like fun. I can just imagine rocking out with a pressure washer and dancing while I clean a fan. Haha! Looks great when it’s done!
Thanks! It was fun – dancing while cleaning is a must!!
I agree that using a vacuum is a great way to clean a screened porch. Growing up, we didn’t have a screened porch but if we did we probably would have tried to spray it off. As a result, we probably would have gotten the screen all wet. Looking back, using a vacuum would be the most effective.
I use a blower first to blow as much pollen as possible off of rugs and floor, tables and other surfaces, the mantle, and furniture and then out the two doors, and then blow each of the screens (so, I guess, the reverse of vacuuming and easier for me since it is a large room with vaulted ceiling). The rest of my process is much the same as above except that I find I can drape the area rug over the wicker sofa (all the cushions removed first) and power wash it and let it drip dry. I let it all dry overnight and then spot rinse any pooled yellow areas the next day. The other helpful thing I’ve done is cover the TV with a thick vinyl cover (it’s meant to cover an outdoor coffee table) during the winter and spring.
I like the blower idea, although I’m so allergic that I’d be worried about it flying all over. Do you wear a mask? I like the idea of draping the rug over the sofa – that is much easier! I’ll try that this year – cleaning the rug first, then the sectional. Thank you for the tips!
I recently got my patio power washed and I’m really happy with the results.Its very crucial to clean dirt and dust.From now on I will get it done every month and will keep these things in mind what you’ve shared.Thank you for sharing. 🙂
Is there a way to keep the screen porch cleaner to behin with? Every day I come out to enjoy the view of the lake, but everything is coated in dust and or pollen. I have to bang the cushions together and damp cloth the tables before sitting down.
I’m wondering if there is some sort of micro screen available that will keep more dust out to begin with?
It would make life more enjoyable if so. Anyone have any ideas on this?
Thanks
Brad – that is a great question! I wonder if anyone has any ideas about this? I don’t know of anything. You could hang canvas curtains around the screened-in area and just pull them back when you want to see out, but I’m not sure if that would block all of the dust and pollen. Great question!!
Lowes sells a tighter new screen system on a track. Friends told us about it yesterday. Home Depot doesn’t sell it. Haven’t been to check it out.
Thank you, Brittaney!
If you don’t have one already, buy a shop vac. They’re more powerful than the best indoor vacuum cleaner and they also have attachments.
Agreed! I love my shop-vac!!
Using a putty knife along the bottom edge of the screens will loosen up all the caked on dirt and pet fur that accumulates over time. Fasten the putty knife to a long pole and you can scrape away while standing. Then hose everything off the porch.
That’s a great tip! Thank you!!
Great information. Lucky me I found your blog by chance (stumbleupon).
I have saved as a favorite for later!
Awesome! Thank you!! Please let me know if you have questions or are looking for a particular project!
I would love to have a screened in porch like yours. What great tips for those that do have one.
We have a compate stereo & freezer. I use old shower curtains over them. Under fans in & out of house. Works great!!!
“boogie woogie woogie” Hahahaha! Love it!
I have just moved into a house with a screened porch and when I went underneath the porch (which is higher due to the grade of the lot) I found lots of debris trapped in the bottom screen; bits of paper, leaves, bug remains, and other things that could have slipped through the floor boards to the screen below. I was surprised at the amount of stuff collected in the floor screen. How can I remove this debris? I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a vacuum crevice attachment as narrow as would be needed to get between the floor boards.
Thanks.
James
Hi James,
I’m honestly not sure! I’ve never heard of a bottom screen on a porch – I wonder why there’s one there? I mean, wouldn’t the idea be that the debris would go through the floorboards to the ground underneath? Is there a way to remove all or part (like one side) of the screen and vacuum it from that side? -kbc
Hi, we have screen under our deck to keep bugs out of the screened in area. I try and be careful and only shop vac the deck rather than use a broom as I would be just pushing debris between gaps where it would stay. Great tips, thanks!!
That makes sense – thanks!
We have decking for our screened porch flooring. The screen under the floor is to keep the insects out, which is the whole purpose of the other screens as well… mosquitos, ants, spiders… etc…
A big One We live in a very hard water area and I used the spray techniaue one year and after the screens dried… we had a coating of lime on all the screens…almost as bad as the pollen. Drying the screens with a towel might work.
Oh no! You could also use a pressure washer with a non-toxic cleaner or other water in it. I’m sorry that happened!
Great article, I love it when someone spends time to actually outline their project! I will definitely be using your tips!
You definitely motivated me to clean my screened porch. 🙂 Great job, thanks for sharing.
Thanks for this post! To clean my screens, I use a mixture of vinegar and warm water and wash them with yellow sponge mops from the dollar store. You need about one mop per screen because they get SO dirty. But that’s ok cause they’re only $1!
Nice! That’s a great idea!
I washed the vinyl siding on my house,screened
porch and outdoor furniture with a product bought
from one of the big stores. I am still seeing streaks
on the screen and will try using dishwasher
soap with a sponge. Since there will be much
water on the porch I will use my shop vac
to get the water up. I tried using a push
broom but the water kept flowing back to the
lowest spot on the porch.
Good luck! A good shop vac comes in handy a lot!
I never thought to find such elaborate steps how to clean a screened porch. We have a similar porch
at our newly renovated home and I just usually clean the entire place from one side to another. I dont know if I’m doing it right.
( lol. )
Thanks for the information Karen! I just realized I have missed something. Thanks for sharing.
I’m so glad this was helpful!
Hi, just came across this post, also in need to see how others do this. I’m curious, have you had an issue with the water damaging your wood floor, or with mold? I live in a high-humidity environment, and our screened room floors are wood boards with space between them, maybe 1/8″ apart. Under the boards is a flat floor that’s been tarred, so I guess it’s like a floating wood floor. Anyway, I’m hesitant to use much water to clean because I’m concerned it’ll get trapped under the boards. But of course we do have a lot of dust and pollen, so not sure what’s best. It’s a fairly large room. Thanks!
Our porch is outdoors, and I don’t use a lot of water to clean them. Generally water and wood are not a good match. Try to use as little as possible, and vacuum it first with a shop vac or other vacuum. Hope that helps!
My brother uses the cheap, plastic painter’s tarps & staples them to the wood frame at the top & bottom. This keeps almost all the pollen out of the screened porch. We just moved to a house with a screened porch & I sure wish we would have taken his advice, because we have mounds of pollen in there already! Luckily we have covers over our furniture, so that should be protected. But, everything else…YUCK! Unfortunately, we still have several weeks of pollen, so we won’t clean it yet. But, I will be putting your tips into practice when we do!
I’m getting ready to do a mini- clean offmy screened in porch and one other suggestion I have is to use a squeegee after washing off the decking instead of towels. It eliminates all the puddles of water where the pollen accumulates.
Yes! Great idea!