In Florida, there is no better time than now to get outside and make the most of your screen enclosure. Along with all of your other outdoor accessories, your enclosure needs some TLC. Usually, your patio furniture, cushions, and umbrellas can be cleaned using a simple soap and water solution and a soft cloth. Saturate the furniture and pillows with the solution then rinse off using a garden hose. Check your manufacturer's instructions before using harsh chemicals and allow the afternoon sun to dry your furniture and keep it fresh for use.
Unlike your patio furniture, to clean mold growth from your screen enclosures, you'll need to go a little bit deeper. Mold spores are considered by the US Environmental Protection Agency to be a health hazard. They caution you to avoid coming into direct contact with or inhaling mold spores. Use a face mask to cover your nose and mouth, along with eye goggles and gloves. Scrape as much mold as you can from the screen with a wooden paint stirrer or something you can throw away. Put the residue and tool in a plastic bag and throw them away.
Then, combine water and bleach to an 80:20 ratio in a bucket. This mixture is considered a light solution for mild cases of mold growth. If the mold on your enclosure tends to grow back quickly, increase the proportion of bleach to 40, then 50 percent.
Next, use rubber gloves to protect the skin on your hands from potential bleach burns. Dip a soft-bristle brush into the bleach solution and scrub the screen enclosure up and down and from side to side. After scrubbing the inside, don't forget to clean the other side of the enclosure. Use a long-arm brush for tall or hard-to-reach areas of the screen. Leave pressure washing to a professional who knows how to clean your screen enclosure without causing damage to your screen.
Rinse off the bleach with a hose or pump sprayer and allow to dry.
Buy planters and flowers to add colors of the season to your screen enclosure's day time use and for the evening, consider adding a low burning fire pit. The rest of the country may be bundling up to head inside and get away from the cold, but in Florida ‘tis the season to get outside.
