Lanai & Pool Cage Cleaning
Naples Reserve

Naples Reserve covers 688 gated acres off US 41 in South Naples, about two miles southeast of Collier Boulevard. iStar Land & Development planned it around roughly 245 acres of freshwater lakes, 22 of them linked together, with the 125-acre Eagle Lake at the center. Next door is the 76,000-acre Picayune Strand State Forest, so many homes back onto water on one side and wild land on the other.

Lake-facing screens catch morning moisture and pollen, and algae grows on the shaded frame members. The lower panels and kick plates turn green first.

Homes went up from about 2015 onward, built by D.R. Horton, Ashton Woods, Stock Signature Homes and several custom builders. Sizes run from about 1,500 to 3,500 square feet, in one- and two-story designs plus attached villas at Coral Harbor and custom estates at Parrot Cay. Almost every enclosure is under ten years old, which means most need regular care rather than a rescue.

Where iron staining does show up on light pool deck pavers, it usually comes from irrigation water that sprinklers throw onto the deck. It turns orange as it dries and does not respond to plain pressure washing. We treat it with a rust remover made for pavers, then suggest turning the nearest heads away from the deck.

Even on newer homes, aluminum frames start to oxidize in South Naples humidity. Treating them with a brightener every visit stops the chalky stage from setting in.

Lake humidity is the main reason enclosures here get dirty fast. Morning dew settles on screens facing the water and stays there until the sun reaches it, which on the shaded side may be late in the day. Pollen and dust stick to that dampness. Within a year a lake-facing screen can look cloudy, while the street side of the same cage still looks fine.

Pool decks inside the cage stay shaded and damp, and algae makes them slick. A deck clean with the cage keeps the whole outdoor area safe and bright.

Wildlife is a bigger factor here than in most Naples communities. With lakes, preserve and the state forest close by, birds perch on cage tops, and droppings collect on the roof panels and gutters. Spiders thrive in the corners of lakefront screens. We clean droppings off the top panels at low pressure, clear webs from corners and rinse gutters so water can drain properly in summer storms.

Naples Reserve’s resort amenity village means many owners entertain at home, and enclosures often wrap a pool, spa and outdoor kitchen. We cover grills, TVs and speakers before any solution goes on and degrease near the cooking area by hand.

A typical example is a 2016 Ashton Woods home in Sparrow Cay: lakefront, about 3,500 square feet, with a screened lanai holding a built-in grill and outdoor kitchen. Enclosures like that combine grease on the cooking side with lake film on the screens. We degrease the kitchen area by hand first, then wash the frames and screens, so nothing greasy is spread across clean mesh.

Many owners use the water as much as the clubhouse. The Island Club has a resort pool with lap lanes and a splash pool, there is a one-mile rowing course, and some homes have floating docks on Eagle Lake. Kayaks, paddleboards and fishing gear often live on the lanai or just outside it, and we move them clear before we start and put them back afterward.

Builder warranties and new-home habits can lead owners to assume a young enclosure needs nothing. In practice the screens on a three-year-old lakefront cage can carry as much film as an older one inland. The difference is that a young cage cleans up completely, with no staining left behind, because the growth has not had time to etch into the frame coating or settle deep into the mesh.

Two-story homes need a little more planning. Their cages are taller, and the top screen panels and roof gutters are out of reach from the deck. We use extension poles and low-pressure tips rather than ladders on the screen frame, and we never lean equipment against the mesh. Where a cage roof needs a closer look, we check it from outside so nothing is stressed.

Newer cages are easy to keep looking new and hard to bring back once neglected. A yearly visit, or every eight to ten months for lakefront homes, usually stops algae before it stains. A brightener on the frames during each visit keeps chalky oxidation from forming. Each job ends with photos and a written record, useful for owners who are away for part of the year.

Shaded pool decks inside the cage are another weak spot. Pavers under the roof panel dry slowly after rain, and a thin layer of algae can make them slippery long before it is easy to see. We surface-clean the whole deck and pay extra attention near steps, drains and the spa edge, where people step most often with wet feet.