Figuring out the right way to clean your lawn mower isn’t as simple as you might think. If you use the wrong cleaning method, you and your mower could run into some trouble. So, can you wash an electric lawn mower? Well, let me go over the potential risks and what you want to avoid. Let’s take a closer look.
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Can You Wash an Electric Lawn Mower? (Overview)
Using running water when cleaning an electric lawn mower is not advised. This includes using power washers, garden hoses, or buckets of water. You shouldn’t clean an electric lawn mower with running water because water can corrode your lawn mower, short circuit electrical components, and conduct electricity to the operator.
Dangers of Washing a Battery Lawn Mower or Electric Lawn Mower
There are three main reasons why you should not clean your electric lawn mower using running water. Let’s take a look at each of them in more detail.
Risk of Electrocution
The primary reason not to wash a lawn mower with running water is because water conducts electricity. This means that the electricity passing through your lawn mower can enter unintended areas. For example, if water enters the power switch on the handlebars, then it has the chance to conduct a potentially fatal current to the connected metal structure. In other words, the metal parts of your handlebars could become electrified. If this happens and you take hold of the handlebars, you will ground the circuit and get a nasty shock, which could prove fatal. Now, this might sound extreme, but I 100% wouldn’t take the risk.
Potential Short Curcuit
Next on the list is the potential for short circuits. What is a short circuit? Well, a short circuit is when current travels down an unintended path within an electrical circuit. When this happens, there is a high increase in current, which leads to the circuit and the attached component heating excessively. Typically, if not always, a short circuit will fry that attached component and, in some cases, cause a fire or explosion. At a minimum, you’ll blow the fuses and breaker and see sparks fly. If you are in contact with your lawn mower when this happens, you also risk getting an electric shock.
On a basic level, a short circuit is the same as sticking your fingers in a power outlet. This is definitely not something you should try and is not a good idea. So, what has this got to do with washing your electric lawn mower with water? Well, water conducts electricity. Therefore, water will create the incorrect path for the electricity and create a short circuit.
Water Will Corrode Your Electric Lawn Mower
Corrosion on an electric lawn mower can cause two significant problems. First, the mower will rust, and second, it reduces the conductivity through the electrical circuits and components.
For example, if water enters the electric motor or a moving switch such as the power switch, it will likely rust. The result would be that these components would likely seize over time. So, the motor would struggle to turn, and the power switch would struggle to switch.
What about the reduction in the conductivity? Well, rust is the oxidation of iron content within metal and iron oxide production. Why is this a problem? Well, iron oxide, or rust, is a very poor conductor of electricity. So, having rust on electrical connections basically means the connections are no longer any good. Therefore, keeping water out of your electric lawn mower and away from the electrics is vital if you want your mower to work.
Do Manufacturers Recommend Washing Electric Lawn Mowers?
Regardless of which manufacturer you look up, they all state that you should not wash your lawn mower with running water. So, the simple answer is, no, do not wash your electric lawn mower.
Here’s what a few different manufacturers had to say:
- Husqvarna’s Recommendation: “CAUTION: Do not use water to clean the product. Water can enter the battery or the motor and cause a short-circuit or damage the product”.
- Ryobi’s Recommendation: “Tilt the lawn mower on its side and clean the deck with a brush or cloth. Do not use water on these products”.
- Flymo’s Recommendation: Using a damp (but not wet) cloth, gently clean the underside of the lawnmower to remove grass from the underside”.
So, as you can see, regardless of what anybody else tells you, don’t wash your electric mower.
Can You Use a Power Washer on a Lawn Mower?
You might think that washing your lawn mower with a power washer for just a couple of minutes won’t do too much harm. In fact, it’s probably the worst way to wash your lawn mower. A power washer might get your lawn mower clean, but it’s also going to blast water into every gap and space and definitely soak the electrical circuit and component. So, do not try washing your lawn mower with a power washer.
Problems Water Can Cause Electric Lawn Mower
What are the problems caused by washing an electric lawn mower? Well, here are a few examples of electrical components inside your electrical mower that could be affected, resulting in your electric lawn mower not starting:
- Corrosion and Shorting of the Power Source Connections
- Corrosion and Shorting of the Electrical Connections
- Corrosion and Shorting of the Thermal Cut-Off Switch
- Corrosion and Shorting of the Power Rectifier
- Corrosion and Shorting of the Motor Brushes
- Corrosion and Shorting of the Power Switch
What You Need to Clean An Electric Lawn Mower (The Tools)
When it comes time to give your electric lawn mower a good cleaning, you’ll need to gather a few tools. Here is everything I use when cleaning my mower.
- Shop Rags – A handful of clean shop rags can remove grass clipping and dirt from your lawn mower.
- Soft Brushes – A soft brush such as a paintbrush or car cleaning brush will help remove loose material and stubborn dirt.
- Air Compressor with Air Gun Attachment – If you have an air compressor with an air gun attachment, you’ll save yourself a lot of time and effort. These tools blast off most of the dirt in seconds—even the hard-to-reach dirt.
Best Time to Clean An Electric Lawn Mower
I find the best time to clean an electric lawn mower is straight after mowing. This is because the dirt and clippings are still fairly loose and easy to remove. If you store your lawn mower for a few days or weeks, then the dirt and clippings have a chance to really bake themselves onto the mower’s surfaces. So, if you want cleaning to be easy, then get cleaning straight away.
How To Clean An Electric Lawn Mower (My Process)
Here’s the process I use to clean my electric lawn mower that you can use at home. You can use this method for both electric corded lawn mowers and battery lawn mowers. Let’s take a look.
- The first thing you want to do is remove the power supply from your lawn mower. This would include either the power cord or the battery.
- Next, find a suitable location to clean your lawn mower. I typically clean my lawn mower down the side of my garage. The last thing I want to do is clean the dirt off my driveway after cleaning my mower.
- Then, if you have a compressor, blast the dirt off the top of your lawn mower while avoiding blasting the dirt into the air vent. You don’t want to restrict the airflow into the motor, as this can lead to other problems, such as the motor overheating.
Alternatively, if you don’t have an air compressor, you can use your brushes to remove the dirt from the top of your lawn mower.
- Next, flip your lawn mower onto its side and repeat the process using your compressor or brushes to remove the loose dirt.
- Now, take your shop rags and soak them in water. Then, ring your rags out to remove all the excess water. Remember, you don’t want wet rags, only damp rags.
- Take your damp shop rags and wipe down the underside of your lawn mower.
- Upright your lawn mower and give the topside of your lawn mower a good wipe-down.
- For stubborn dirt, switch between using a damp shop rag and brushes/compressor until your lawn mower is completely clean.
One Additional Electric Lawn Mower Cleaning Step
As I mentioned before, your lawn mower has air vents that allow airflow in and out of the electric motor. Unfortunately, it’s kind of impossible to avoid getting clippings into the vents, even with the best efforts. This is especially true when you’re out mowing since the airflow generated by the motor sucks grass clippings and dirt into the motor housing. So, I recommend removing the motor cover and cleaning the inside as part of your cleaning process. You don’t need to do this every time you mow, but cleaning it once a month can make a big difference. This extra step will help preserve the electric motor, the motor carbon brushes, and the power rectifier, plus you’ll prevent the thermal cut-off switch from kicking in so often.
