Lanai & Pool Cage Cleaning
Pelican Sound

Pelican Sound Golf & River Club is a gated WCI community at Corkscrew Road and U.S. 41 in Estero, with about 1,300 residences spread across roughly a dozen subdivisions. Homes range from estate and executive single-family houses to coach homes, carriage homes and condominiums. That spread means we clean everything from a full pool cage to a small screened porch on an upper floor.

Enclosures built around 1999 to 2002 have seen a lot of sun and humidity. Aluminum that age commonly oxidizes to a chalky white or yellow film, and a brightener — not pressure — is what restores it.

Cages near trees or water collect algae on shaded frame members and dull the screens. The river club setting adds humidity, which keeps that growth going.

The River Club side of life here is unusual for an inland golf community. Residents launch kayaks and canoes on the Estero River, which is part of the Calusa Blueway paddling trail, and a members-only boat ramp leads out to the Gulf. Homes nearer the river and the community’s lakes sit in damper air, and their screens hold a film of moisture and pollen longer after each shower.

Orange or brown marks on lower screen panels, kick plates and lanai floors are common in Estero, and they usually come from minerals in irrigation spray. Pressure alone will not move them. We treat them with rust-removal chemistry that is safe on aluminum, pavers and tile, then suggest turning the nearest sprinkler heads so the spray stops hitting the cage.

The golf course is an Audubon-certified sanctuary, and the 27 holes are lined with trees and water. Birds, insects and wildlife are part of the deal. Cages along the fairways collect droppings on the roof panels, webs in the upper corners and mowing dust on the lower rails. We brush out the corners first, then wash, so the debris goes out with the rinse rather than smearing across the mesh.

Single-family pool homes are owner-maintained here, so the decision and the timing are yours. Those cages are priced by size: $299 for a standard enclosure and $399 for a large one of 1,500 to 2,500 square feet. If the frames have gone chalky, a brightener adds $75 to $150, and we will show you the difference on a test section before committing to it.

Coach homes and condos are different. Their screened lanais are usually small, often on a second floor, and the buildings themselves are typically looked after by an association. Owners can book their own lanai, starting at $249 for spaces under 800 square feet. We keep water off the unit below with a light rinse, towels at the floor edge and a squeegee toward the drain.

When an association wants every lanai in a building cleaned, we can quote the building as a single job and work through it unit by unit with the manager. Each owner gets notice of the day, and we keep a short list of any torn screens or damaged hardware found along the way, so the board can decide on repairs.

Twenty-plus years of sun also affects the screen mesh itself. Older fiberglass screen becomes brittle, and a panel that looks fine can split if it is pushed. That is one reason we never point a pressure washer at the mesh. Where a panel is obviously at the end of its life, we tell you before we wash it, so a rescreen can be planned rather than forced on you.

Many owners here are seasonal, and some homes are rented while they are away. A lanai left shut for the summer comes back with mildew on the ceiling, black spots on cushions and a slick floor. A cleaning before you return, or between renters, gets the space ready without you having to deal with it. Our gate registration is checked ahead of each appointment, so the crew is not held up at the entrance.

Pool decks under these cages are mostly pavers, and two decades of shade and splash leave a dark, slick film near the steps, the spa and the drains. We run a surface cleaner over the whole deck so it dries one even color, then hand-treat the steps and coping. If joints have lost sand, we mention it; resanding and sealing are booked as a separate visit.

With 11 community pools and a busy club calendar, plenty of residents spend more time at the club than on their own lanai. That is fine, but an unused enclosure still needs attention. For most homes here, a cleaning once a year is enough; homes under heavy tree cover or close to water often look better on a ten-month cycle. Every visit ends with photos and a written record.