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Schedule & How-To for Cleaning a Screened-In Porch.
Thanks to Dremel for sponsoring today’s post on cleaning, just in time for summer!
When Mickey and I moved into our third house (our current house), he said “As long as I don’t have to build another screened-in-porch, it’s perfect.” He said this because he had already built two screened-in-porches on our house and helped to build one on my brother’s house.
Fast forward about eight months…
That’s our house with the screened-in porch that he, my dad, and my brother built.
I love it and use it every single day, but my favorite part is the swing, where I spend many afternoons and evenings. I swing back and forth while I watch the kids play in the backyard.
It’s important to recognize that while the screened-in porch can quickly become the favorite ‘room’ in your home, it is also one of the rooms that will need the most care. In between your naps on the porch, your tea on the rocking chair and your house spent in the dark, gazing out at the stars… you’ll have to work to keep the pollen and dirt from building up. This is done with weekly light-cleaning and a seasonal deep-cleaning.
I find that they actually have to be cleaned more often than indoor areas because the dirt, pollen and debris can build up and make it harder to clean.
When to clean a screened-in Porch:
Weekly: Sweep the floors, vacuum any outdoor rugs, clean the window-sills, dust off the outdoor furniture and brush the dirt off of the ceiling fan.
Monthly: Clean the light switch plates that can collect bugs and clean any porch lamps or lights. Wash any fabric (seat cushions, pillows) that stays outdoors.
Seasonally: Scrub the floors with a mop and soapy water, spray the screens with a hose, check if any of the floors need to be repainted or restrained, and scrub the railings and walls.
How to clean a screened-in Porch:
That’s where the Dremel Versa comes into play… I used it to clean our porch railings.
The Dremel Versa is a handheld, cordless device that is designed for a variety of small areas which require deep-cleaning applications. It’s the fastest cleaning tool in the market that does the hard work (so you don’t have to.)
When you open your Dremel Versa, you’ll see that it has four interchangeable accessories.
They are all really easy to change. It is really powerful, so it eliminates the need for the manual effort that is typically required in heavy-duty cleaning.
We have the PC10-01 4V Max Dremel Versa Power Cleaner. You can find it at Home Depot, Lowes, or Amazon. It has 2,200 RPM of rechargeable lithium-ion battery power and it has a USB adapter that provides the fastest charge, so the tool is ready when you are. The ideal run time of a fully charged Versa is 15 to 20 minutes. Be sure to never use it while it’s plugged in.
I use it to clean the railings on our back porch…
I like to use the Blue Non-Scratch Pad for surfaces that need extra scrubbing, like the railings after a long season of not using the porch. It’s also great for cleaning inside the Oven and the exterior of the grill.
Look at the difference in the before & after of the railings:
I use the white Melamine Eraser Pad for gentle multi-purpose applications like cleaning shoes (our son cleaned his white tennis shoes- he then wanted to clean everyone’s shoes! hahaha!). It’s also great for cleaning shower glass doors and the bathtub.
The brown heavy-duty pad is great for grimy and stubborn stains, like outside patio furniture.
Lastly, the Bristle brush is great for getting into small and tight areas. I have used it on the shower Tile Grout and Sink Faucets. It also works well to clean the car wheel hub (look at the before/after on the wheel where I am cleaning):
You can use it just about anywhere: indoor or outdoor, wet or dry. The Dremel Versa can be purchased at your local Home Depot, Lowes, Menards or Amazon. You can learn more about it at Dremel.com
