Lanai, Cage & Balcony Cleaning
The Colony Golf & Bay Club

Salt from Estero Bay and the Gulf coats screens, frames and glass. Screens look hazy, aluminum turns chalky, and pool decks pick up a slick film near the edges.

Tower residents see it on balcony glass and rails. Salt dried onto glass will start to etch it over time, and it pits metal rail finishes; that damage doesn’t wash off later.

Estate lanais facing the golf course also catch irrigation spray and clippings, and shaded ceilings grow mildew. Summer kitchens add grease.

Regular cleaning and a fresh-water final rinse keep the salt from building up, and brightening the aluminum during routine visits prevents expensive recoating.

Just over 800 homes, several kinds of outdoor space. The Colony covers about 809 acres along Estero Bay, with custom estate homes, villas and luxury towers. That means three different jobs. Estate homes may have a full cage or a screened lanai beside an open pool. Villas usually have a smaller screened lanai. Tower residences have covered terraces with glass, rails and, in the newer buildings, full outdoor kitchens. We ask which you have when you call, so the crew arrives with the right tools.

Screened lanai, open pool. Not every estate here has a cage over the pool. One Tuscany Isle home, for example, pairs a screened lanai behind a 10-foot sliding glass wall with an open-air infinity-edge pool. On a layout like that, the screens take the bay breeze and lake mist, and the big glass wall behind them collects spots every time the sprinklers run. We clean the screens from the inside first, then wash and dry the glass wall last so nothing drips on it afterward.

Electric hurricane shutters. Some lanais here are fitted with electric roll-down shutters. The side tracks gather sand, leaves and dead insects, and the housing at the top collects salt. We brush out the tracks and rinse the housing lightly from below, keeping water off motors and switches, and we tell you if a shutter binds while we are there. A shutter that runs smoothly in October is much easier to trust when a storm is coming.

Outdoor kitchens. Listings in the new Infinity tower describe fully equipped outdoor kitchens with gas grills on covered terraces, and estate lanais can have marine-grade kitchens of their own. Grease settles on the ceiling above the grill and on stone counters and backsplashes. We degrease by hand with a cleaner suited to the stone, cover burners and knobs first, and rinse with as little water as possible so nothing runs onto the terrace below.

Floor-to-ceiling glass in the towers. Newer tower residences have floor-to-ceiling impact glass that faces the Gulf, the course or the preserve. West-facing glass takes the afternoon sun, and salt spray dries on it fast. We clean the terrace side from inside the residence, finish the glass with pure water and a squeegee, and never lean over a rail or hang anything off the edge. Elevator use, hours and parking are confirmed with building staff before the visit.

Brick streets and golf course edges. The Colony’s Jerry Pate course winds past homes along brick-paved streets. Fairway-side lanais pick up clippings, fertilizer dust and stray golf balls on the lower screens, and course irrigation can spot the glass. Those lower panels get extra hand brushing, and we flag any tears or loose spline before rinsing.

Near the bay, use less. Estero Bay is a protected aquatic preserve. We use biodegradable cleaners, protect pools and keep runoff to a minimum, especially on bay-front lots and tower terraces where water can travel a long way.

Boat days and beach days. Residents ride a boat shuttle out to the community’s 34-acre private island beach park, and many keep kayaks or paddleboards for the bay. Wet gear, beach chairs and sandy towels end up on the lanai or terrace, and the sand works into slider tracks and floor grout. We vacuum tracks and sweep sand before water goes down, because wet sand smeared across a porcelain or stone floor scratches it and clogs the drains.

Seasonal timing. Many owners spend the summer up north. A screened lanai that sits closed from May to October in Bonita Springs heat and humidity often comes back with green frames, gray screens and mildew on the ceiling. The easiest fix is a visit in late October or early November, before you arrive, so the lanai is ready the day you open the house. We send photos so you can see it from wherever you are.

Associations and boards. Villas and towers each answer to their own association. Exterior walls and shared pool decks belong to the board, while lanais and terraces are usually the owner’s, but your documents decide.

Pricing. Villa lanais under 800 square feet start from $249. Standard pool cages start from $299 and larger enclosures of 1,500 to 2,500 square feet from $399. Salt-chalked frames can take a heavy oxidation treatment for an added $75 to $150, and tower terraces are quoted per residence.