How to Clean an Electric Lawnmower and Other Useful Tips

Last Updated on January 10, 2023

Your electric mower is one of the most valuable tools you have for lawn maintenance. However, like most products in your life, it will work best when you look after them correctly. Learning how to clean and preserve your mower ensures that you can continue using it for years to come.

Today, we’re going to walk you through some of the steps you might need when learning how to clean an electric lawnmower and help you get it into perfect condition.

Remember, before you start doing anything with your electric lawnmower, it’s often a good idea to read its instruction manual first. Most brands will include some information on how to begin cleaning and maintenance correctly.

It would help if you also check whether any part of your mower might need replacing. Brands have spares available for the deck, blade, cord, and various other machine part elements.

What Do You Need to Clean a Lawn Mower?

As mentioned above, reading the instructions for cleaning your electric or petrol lawnmower from your user’s manual is an essential first step. You can also search for the brand’s name online to find more information about their products. After reading your user’s manual, here are the things you are going to need:

1. Make sure you have a bag or an area where you can put discarded grass from the mower. You might remove a lot of grass from the grass box, so having a bag on hand for collecting grass will be helpful. Put the grass box to the side before you turn the mower up to begin cleaning.
2. Check which mower manufacturer supports cleaning product brands if you want to use a bit of cleaning fluid.
3. You’ll also need a set of clothes and a can of compressed air for getting into the parts of the deck your brush can’t reach.
4. If you’re going to be replacing a part with spares, make sure you have that with you too.

Cleaning Your Electric Lawnmower: The Basics

Step1: Read the User’s Manual

The first step in cleaning your electric lawn mower is checking whether there are specific cleaning instructions for your mower. You should be able to find some maintenance tips on the manufacturer’s website or in the manual included with your machine.

If you don’t have a manual, you can usually assume that it’s a good idea to include the blade, mower deck, venting system, fasteners, wheels, and power system during the cleaning process.

If you need a little guidance, one good option is to check the brand’s online reviews for your machine. Reviews can give you an insight into the features of your equipment and cleaning strategies.

Step 2: Unplug Your Lawnmower

Make sure that you unplug your electric lawnmower from the power supply before you begin cleaning anything. The last thing you want is for the blades to turn on accidentally.

Remove the batteries if you have a cordless mower. There is a chance it is not fully drained, which could mean that your lawnmower can still startup.

Step 3: Check for Any Damages

When you clean the mower, check for any damage to the power source and the other machine parts. It’s an excellent time to see whether your equipment needs fixing in any way or if the blades are getting a little dull.

Completing the Cleaning Process

Once you are done cleaning your lawnmower, there are still a few things that you need to do.

Remove Any Grass or Debris Still Attached to the Mower

After removing the batteries, use a brush or a dry cloth to remove any grass or debris that might still be attached to the underside of your machine. An electric lawnmower often comes with vents that can easily clog up with grass or dirt. It may even happen with a petrol lawnmower too. You won’t be able to get your hands into the vents of an electric or petrol mower, so look into buying a can of compressed air.

Compressed air should help you care for the vents inside your machine without damaging the motor as you clean. Get rid of any grass cuttings you can see, and wipe down the blades. Remember to wear gloves to keep your hands protected. It’s essential to wear gloves at all times, as you can’t be sure how sharp your lawnmower’s blades are.

Check If the Blades Need Sharpening

If the blades don’t seem to be as sharp as they used to be, you may need to look into getting them sharpened professionally or working on sharpening them yourself. You can sharpen your worn lawnmower blades at home, but it does require some patience and skills.

Wipe Your Lawnmower

After you’ve finished wiping each part, including the blades and other components inside your lawnmower, you can wipe down the entire outer part of the machine with a damp cloth. Then, wipe it with a dry cloth. It will ensure that your mower has a cleaner and more pristine look. Ensure that the wet cloth doesn’t touch the motor part or any electric parts, like the battery, while you clean.

Is It Ok to Power Wash a Lawn Mower?

Are you concerned about the time it takes to clean an entire lawnmower from handle to wheels properly? You may want to consider using a power washer. The most common reason to use a power or pressure washer is to speed up the way you clean products you use outside. If you’re cleaning petrol mowers or electric mowers with a pressure washer, you will need to be extra careful.

You can use your pressure washer to clean certain things, like the wheels, the blades, and the side of the mowers. However, it would help if you do not direct water spray towards areas where there are essential electrical components. These primarily include the battery and motor. Doing so can cause significant damage to the inside of your electric mower.

Try to avoid getting rid of any oil inside of your petrol mower with water if you’re pressure washing too. It might be best to use pressurized air for any part you’re not sure about when you clean.

Please don’t wash your mowers straight after you’re done using them, as you need to wait for the motor to cool down first. Plus, make sure that you feel comfortable cleaning with a pressure washer before you start tackling the part on the underside and top of your mower.

Is It Ok to Tip a Lawn Mower on Its Side?

Whether you’re cleaning a petrol mower or an electric lawnmower, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the process. Both a petrol lawnmower and electric lawn mower will come with various components on the underside that can easily get clogged up with grass. However, it’s not always obvious whether you should tip a petrol lawnmower or electric lawnmower on their side while you clean.

Electric lawnmowers should be safe enough to tip on their side. However, make sure you read any lawn mower reviews for your model online or check your brands’ instructions just in case. Some electric mower brands might request that you turn the mower to a specific side for various reasons.

For instance, if you need to clean the mower’s underside areas and the blade, you may need to remove the grass box first and decide which way to tilt the mower. Usually, the best way to tilt your mower is to keep the handle area close to the ground. The carburettor side and air filter for your lawnmowers should be facing upwards.

If you’re uncertain about cleaning any part of your mower, you can always speak to a professional team or lawn care company to get them to do the mower care for you. It could save you some time if you are not confident with cleaning the motor and getting grass or debris out of the deck.

Care for Your Lawn like an Expert

Cleaning your electric lawn mowers requires a lot of your time and patience. However, it will pay in the long run. Properly maintaining your mower extends its lifespan and ensures it is always functioning optimally.

As you’re cleaning your mower, take the time to check each part of your product, from the motor to the oil or electricity supply. It is an important step, as there’s a wide variety of parts in your mower that may need care or attention. If one of these items isn’t working correctly, you can improve your motor’s life by looking for spares online.