Pool Cage and Lanai Screen Cleaning in Florida

Search “how to clean lanai screens” and almost every search comes from Florida: about 110 of the 140 US searches a month (Google Keyword Planner, October 2026). It is a very Florida problem. A screen enclosure catches pollen in spring, dust and grime year round, and mildew wherever the frame and screen stay shaded and damp.

Left alone, a dirty cage makes the whole patio look gray and dim, and the grime washes down onto the deck every time it rains.

What you are cleaning

A pool cage has two parts that need different care.

• The screen. Most pool and patio screen is a woven mesh. Phifer, one of the big screen makers, sells its pool and patio screening in fiberglass, polyester and vinyl-coated fiberglass. Mesh is light and flexible, so it needs a gentler touch than the frame.
• The frame. The posts, beams and rails are aluminum. Dirt and mildew collect on the tops of horizontal rails and in the corners.

The deck and the pool are part of the job too, because everything you rinse off the cage lands on them.

How to clean screens without damaging them

We could not find a pool screen care sheet from a screen maker. The closest manufacturer guidance is Phifer’s cleaning sheet for SheerWeave, a related Phifer outdoor fabric: it says a mild soap and water solution is safe for routine cleaning, to test any stronger cleaner in an inconspicuous area first, and to rinse thoroughly. For the frame and the deck, the EPA’s advice for mold and mildew on hard surfaces is to scrub with detergent and water and dry completely.

Put together, the gentle way to clean a cage:

1. Rinse first to knock off loose pollen and dust.
2. Wash with mild soap and water and a soft brush, working from the top down.
3. Pay attention to the rails and corners, where mildew starts.
4. Rinse thoroughly so no soap film is left to catch the next round of pollen.
5. Keep cleaners out of the pool, and rinse the deck last.

Two cautions: screen mesh is thin, so treat it gently, and test anything stronger than soap and water on a hidden spot first.

The hurricane rule most owners never hear about

Some Florida screen enclosures are built under an alternative design method in the Florida Building Commission’s rule 61G20-1.002. On those enclosures, certain screen panels are meant to come out in a storm. The rule says:

• Screen “designated in the design to be cut shall be completely cut when wind speeds are forecast to exceed 75 mph.” Removable or retractable panels are removed or retracted.
• Those panels “shall be clearly identified on adjacent structural members with highly visible permanent labels.”
• Where the enclosure serves as a required pool barrier, the minimum barrier height must still be kept when panels are cut or removed.
• The contractor gives the owner written notice of these obligations.

So walk your cage and look for labels on the frame. If you find them, keep the contractor’s notice with your hurricane plan. If there are no labels, ask the contractor who built it which design it follows.

How often

Clean when you can see the film on the screen or the green on the rails. A cage cleaned before guests, a listing photo or a repaint of the house makes the biggest difference.

Done with the rest of the lanai

Two of our Google reviews mention the pool cage: one customer had it washed along with the house, another had the pool cage and lanai washed and the windows cleaned. If the lanai ceiling is peeling or spotted, see painting a lanai ceiling. If the deck is faded or peeling, see painting a pool deck. For the glass, our window cleaning covers lanai and pool-cage glass inside and out.

Washing the cage, the deck and the lanai is part of our pressure washing work across Sarasota neighborhoods and Manatee County, with free estimates.