How to Clean a Lawn Mower Deck

Keeping the underside of your Cub Cadet lawn mower clean plays a huge role in the performance of the machine. Grass clippings and other debris cling to the underside of the lawn mower each time you mow, affecting airflow under the deck. Clean your mower deck soon after you’re done mowing. Don’t wait until grass clippings dry and become difficult to remove. Here’s how to clean a lawn mower deck.

Before performing any maintenance on your Cub Cadet lawn mower, refer to your owner’s manual for maintenance instructions and safety information. Maintenance instructions vary by model, so depending on your lawn mower model our instructions may vary slightly.

Some Cub Cadet mowers have washout ports that make cleaning the bottom of the deck easy. If your mower has a washout port, park the machine on a flat, paved surface and lower the cutting height to the cutting setting. Remove the bag and attach a garden hose to the washout port.

Turn the hose on, start the lawn mower engine and stand behind the machine while you engage the mower blades. Run the mower until no more clippings come out from under the lawn mower deck. When the deck is completely clean, stop the lawn mower engine, shut off the garden hose, and disconnect it from the washout port.

Start the engine again, and stand behind the mower while engaging the mower blades. Engage the blades for a few minutes to dry off the underside of the mower.

If your mower does not have a washout port, you can still clean the mower deck. Park the machine on a flat surface, shut off the engine, and lower the cutting height. Use your garden hose and aim it in front of the right rear wheel, right in the pavement.

Wait a few seconds then top the hose and engage the mower blades. Run the machine until no more clippings disperse from underneath the mower. Once you’re completely done with the garden hose, run the mower again for a few minutes to dry the underside of the deck.

You can also clean the lawn mower deck by scraping the underside. To scrape the underside of your mower, use a scraper or putty knife.

Make sure the engine is off and all moving parts have stopped before you begin scraping the deck. When you tip the mower on its side to access the underside of the deck, make sure the air filter side is up. This will prevent oil from flowing into the air filter and carburetor, which will prevent your mower from running.

Note: never use a pressure washer to clean your lawn mower deck. The pressure washer can force water into important areas of the mower that should not get wet.