How to Keep Mower Deck from Rusting | Only 3 DIY Steps

The mower deck is a protection against the blades’ debris and protects you not to get in touch with the engine. It works like a shell and plays a crucial role in covering the entire lawn mower motor, but you must take proper care of it. Otherwise, the mower deck will rust soon and be challenging to remove.

Many of my gardener friends ask me how to keep mower deck from rusting. They want to get some DIY tips since I always follow the three simple steps to keep my lawn mower deck free from rust. They seem the ultimate solution since I always prefer not to use chemicals or harmful elements.

Three DIY Steps

You might be excited to know the best three steps to keep your mower deck from rusting. Once your mower deck gets rusty, you can’t do anything but lose efficiency and shorten the lifespan of your mower deck. It will mostly come with aluminum or steel that could get rust quickly.

Let’s get my favorite three steps to save your mower deck from rusting and other damages. It will also help you to get additional protection on the lawn mower deck.

Step 1: Spray Coatings & Deck Paint

Spray coating & deck paint is my first DIY step to protect the mower deck from rusting. When you spray a coating over the mower deck, it will give a protected layer and don’t allow the dust and other debris to get through the mower deck skin. After applying the coat, you should cover that with deck paint to get the best-protected mower deck.

Only spraying a coat over the steel-made or aluminum-made strong mower deck is not enough to protect it from rusting. To make a protective layer, you must use perfect deck paint over the coating. This layer will help to avoid rust, damage, and scratch. Moreover, the paint will not allow dust and string stains on your mower deck.

Step 2: Regular Cleaning

Regular cleaning is the best DIY step or tip to keep your mower deck from rusting. It works for all metal-made surfaces. If you don’t clean them regularly, dust & debris will stick to the metal and rust in that area. In Particular, the mud and wet soil play a vital role in freeing you from rusting your mower deck.

Regular cleaning may include removing dust or vacuuming the entire mower deck. It’s not like you can rely on your mower deck materials and leave it with dirt. You must wash it regularly and don’t allow any dirt to be there since it will create rust on mower metal. You may also use the regular mower cleaner for the best cleaning experience.

Step 3: Dry & Remove Water

When you use your lawn mower, it will cut the grass and get some water from them. Your lawn mower will get water everywhere if your garden or field is significant. In that case, you must clean & dry the mower deck after mowing that area.

Don’t leave your mower deck with water since it will rust the entire mower deck and could be a serious problem. Sometimes, we forget to clean the mower deck after mowing or leave it after washing. But it’s not a good practice since the water will damage the metal & will ruin the finishing as we.

When you leave your house for a long time, leave the dry lawn mower. Rust can’t spread over the dry mower deck. So, my easiest tip to free your mower deck from rusting is dry & clean it regularly.

Tips for Cleaning and Maintaining the Mower Deck

Those three are the best DIY steps that you can follow to keep your mower deck from rusting. But you should follow other tips for cleaning and maintaining the mower deck since rusting is not the only problem you will deal with. Let’s have some other tips to lengthen your mower deck life.

1. Don’t allow the mud & soil to be on your mower deck because these two elements are enough to rust the entire metal-made mower deck. Soil & mud can stick to the mower deck & damage the entire mower deck in a week.
2. Regular cleaning means everyday cleaning. You must clean your mower deck after you use it for a while. Let’s see you use your lawn mower for one hour. Then, you need to mow the next day. Maybe you think of cleaning it after completing the job the next day. Never do this; clean your mower deck every time you use it.

The Importance of Keeping a Lawn Mower Deck from Rusting

The importance of keeping lawn mower decks from rusting is many. First off, you must keep your mower deck from rusting because of the damage. Your lawn mower deck will be damaged due to rust. Once it gets rusty, it will be unusable.

You don’t need to invest in the same thing again. Therefore, you must keep your lawn mower deck from rusting since you must purchase a new one if your existing deck is damaged or rusting.

When you fail to protect your mower deck from rusting, it will simultaneously hamper the lawn mower performance and create some problems. It will fail to cover the entire engine parts with its rusty metal. Your mower engine might get affected by the mower deck rust.

What’s the best way to protect my mower deck from rusting?

Coating and deck painting is the best way to protect your deck mower from rusting. You should not use your lawn mower without applying a coat over it. Also, the deck paint is crucial to avoid rust from your mower deck.

How to clean the lawn mower deck?

You can clean the mower deck with a regular cleaner or use a powerful vacuum cleaner to remove the dust & water. Manual cleaning is always appreciated to deep clean your lawn mower deck.

Closing Words

If you know the three DIY steps, you will know how to keep mower deck from rusting. These three tips or steps are always the most valuable and perfect cleaning method from my end. I follow these simple steps & keep my mower deck from rusting and other damages.