Screen enclosures are cleanable by anyone with proper knowledge and tools. Cleaning a pool screen enclosure requires an 80/20 solution of water and sodium hypochlorite. Adding in a quality soap will help your solution “cling” which increases surface dwell time. Apply the solution with a soft bristle brush or pump up sprayer. This cleaning solution will ruin fabrics so wear your worst clothes. Make sure to wear eye protection and a quality respirator as the odor can be quite strong.
To clean faster utilize a pressure washer with a soap tank. Add your cleaning solution to the soap tank. Ensure that you only use the black “soap” tip for the venturi effect to function properly. Do not use high pressure on your screens or aluminum components. Don’t forget to use a leaf blower to knock off the heavy piles of leaves, sticks & pine straw. Wet leaves can quickly get heavy and further prolongs the cleaning process. Start in one corner and work your way around the enclosure. When you get back to the starting point disconnect the soap tank and throughly rinse everything again with the black tip.
Summary of important items when cleaning screens:
-knock off/remove as much leaves, sticks, and pine straw with a leaf blower or using your garden hose on stream setting before brushing.
-Use the black “soap” spray tip when using your pressure washer. The black tip is a low-pressure tip and is the only tip that will allow your machine to draw the bleach/water solution from your cleaning tank.
-Try not to the spray the bleach cleaning solution directly onto flowing plants as the flower petals will almost always fall off due to the bleach burning the petals. Relocate flowering plants before spraying your solution.
-Cleaning a pool screen enclosure should be performed at least once every 2 to 3 years.
Pro-Tip: When the time comes to replace your screens a 20/20 mesh screen will significantly reduce the amount of pine needles that get stuck in the mesh. Another benefit of using 20/20 mesh is that no-see-ums have a much harder time of getting thru the screens.