Lanai & Pool Cage Cleaning
Countryside

Countryside Golf & Country Club is a bundled-golf community of about 1,100 residences off Countryside Drive in Naples, opened in the late 1980s around an Arthur Hills course. Its homes come in three main forms: one-story single-family homes around the course, many with screened pool cages; veranda-style villas with garages and screened lanais; and condominium buildings whose units look over fairways or water. Listings we have reviewed date most homes to about 1988 to 1990, so a lot of the enclosures here are among the oldest we clean in central Naples.

Rust on the deck is the Countryside problem. Listings in this community show a mix of reclaimed, municipal and well water for irrigation. Well water in Southwest Florida often carries dissolved iron, and reclaimed water can leave similar mineral marks. When sprinklers spray across a pool deck or the base of the cage, the iron oxidizes and leaves orange blotches on pavers, travertine, concrete and even the lower frame. Bleach-based cleaners do nothing to it. Rust needs its own chemistry, applied separately, and it is worth asking whether your sprinkler heads can be adjusted so the problem does not come straight back.

Old frames, chalky to the touch. Aluminum cage frames are protected by a factory coating that slowly breaks down in the sun. After three decades, many Countryside frames have worn through to bare metal in places, which oxidizes into a white powder. You see it as pale streaks on the screens after rain and feel it as chalk on your hand. A wash alone does not remove it; an oxidation treatment does. We tell you whether your frame needs it during the walkthrough, before any work starts.

Screens may be original or replaced. If your cage has been rescreened in recent years, the mesh is likely in good shape. If it is older, it may be brittle, and the spline holding it could have hardened and shrunk. Either way, we never use a pressure washer on the screens. A gentle solution, a soft brush and a low-pressure rinse remove dirt and mildew without stretching the mesh or popping panels loose. Any tears already present are photographed and shown to you first. Torn panels and loose splines on older screens are pointed out first.

Villas and condo lanais. Countryside’s villas typically have screened lanais rather than full pool cages, and condominium units often have screened porches or balconies. These are smaller jobs but come with their own considerations: shared walls, neighbors close by, and in condos, exterior elements that may belong to the association. Cleaning your own lanai is usually an owner item; repairs to screens or structure may need approval. If you are not sure, ask your manager before we book.

Shade, leaves and the course. The trees planted when the community was built are now mature, so many cages sit under heavy canopy. Leaves pile up on the screen roof and in the corners, and shaded panels grow mildew. Cages on the course pick up grass clippings and spray from course irrigation. Each of those affects how long we let the cleaner work and where we spend extra time with the brush.

How often. Once a year is right for most Countryside cages, often in the fall before the community fills up for the season. Heavily shaded cages, and decks that get hit by well-water sprinklers, may need attention more often. A quick rinse of the deck between professional cleanings slows the buildup.

Thirty-plus years of small repairs. Older enclosures in Countryside often show a history of patches: a rescreened panel here, a replaced door closer there, a kick plate that does not quite match. That is normal, and it does not change how we clean, but it does mean every cage is a little different. Patched panels can be weaker at the edges, so we keep the brush light around them. Door closers and latches that have rusted are noted in the report, because a screen door that does not close properly lets in leaves, frogs and insects and undoes a fresh cleaning quickly.

Costs. Pricing begins at $249 for the smaller screened lanais found on villas and condos, those under 800 square feet. Single-family pool cages of standard size begin at $299, while the larger enclosures of 1,500 to 2,500 square feet begin at $399. Oxidized frames add $75 to $150. Combining the cage with its deck floor begins at $399 as a package. Rust removal is quoted after we see the extent of the staining, since it ranges from a few spots near a sprinkler head to an entire deck.

What to ask a cleaner. Will they treat rust, or only wash? What pressure will touch your screens? How do they keep chemicals out of the pool? Will they brush the frames by hand? Will you receive photos before and after?

Getting ready. Bring in cushions and electronics, move potted plants away from the screens, and switch off sprinklers that reach the cage. Keep the pool pump running. Unlock the screen door and tell us about pets or any panel you already know is loose.