How to Clean an Apartment Balcony or Patio

That Cleaning Girl · Apartment Cleaning

A balcony or patio is a little piece of outdoor living, and in North Texas it gets a lot of weather. Dust, pollen, bird droppings, leaves and the occasional thunderstorm all land there. If you have been following along with A Simple Weekly Cleaning Schedule for Apartments, this is the one space that schedule only touches on. Here is how to clean it properly without upsetting the neighbors.

Check the rules first

Before you start, take a look at your lease or your building's rules. Many apartment communities do not allow hosing down a balcony, because the water runs straight onto the balcony or patio below. Some do not allow certain cleaners or anything hung over the railing. A quick check saves you an awkward conversation with the neighbor downstairs.

If hoses are off limits, you can still get a balcony very clean with a bucket, a brush and some towels.

Clear it off

Take everything off the balcony or move it to one side: chairs, a small table, plant pots, the grill if your community allows one, and any storage bins. This is a good time to toss dead plants, broken chairs and anything that has been sitting out there for a year without being used.

Lift plant pots and check underneath. Saucers of standing water stain concrete and give mosquitoes a place to breed in the warm months, so empty them and wipe the ring they leave behind. If you keep a storage bin out there, open it up. Bins on a balcony tend to collect dust, spiders and the odd leaf that blew in through a crack in the lid.

Sweep from the top down

Start high. Use a broom or a duster to knock down cobwebs and wasp nests from the ceiling and corners. Then brush off the railing and the top of the wall. Wasps love to build under balcony ceilings in the warm months, so look before you swing a broom, and if you find an active nest, it is a job for maintenance or pest control.

Sweep the floor last, from the back wall toward the door, and dust pan it up. Sweeping toward the railing sends dirt onto your neighbor.

Wash the floor

For concrete or tile, fill a bucket with warm water and a squirt of dish soap. Scrub with a stiff brush, working in small sections. For a no-hose balcony, wipe up the dirty water with an old towel or a squeegee and dustpan instead of rinsing it over the edge. Bird droppings come up best if you lay a wet paper towel over them for a few minutes first.

Wood decking does better with a gentle brush and less water. Let it dry fully before putting furniture back.

Railings, glass and furniture

Wipe metal railings with soapy water and dry them so they do not spot. Glass panels can be cleaned like a window: soapy water, then a squeegee or a lint-free cloth. Wipe down outdoor chairs and tables, and shake out or wash any cushions. Cushion covers that come off can usually go in the washer on a gentle cycle.

The sliding door and track

The sliding door track is one of the dirtiest spots in an apartment and one of the most ignored. It fills with dirt, leaves, hair and dead bugs, which makes the door stick.

• Vacuum the track with a crevice tool.
• Scrub the corners with an old toothbrush and soapy water.
• Wipe it out with a damp cloth and dry it.
• Clean both sides of the door glass, and wipe the handle.

A clean track makes the door slide easier and keeps all that grit from being tracked inside onto your floors.

Pollen season and hot weather

In spring, cedar and oak pollen coats every outdoor surface across Ellis County and the south DFW area in a yellow-green film. You will want to wipe the furniture and railing more often during those weeks. In summer, keep the cleaning to early morning or evening. Concrete balconies get very hot in the afternoon sun, and cleaning solution dries before you can wipe it.

How often to clean it

Sweep every week or two. Do a full wash each season, plus after pollen season and after any big storm that leaves debris. Keeping it clear of clutter is the biggest help, since fewer things on the balcony means fewer places for dust and bugs to settle.

If you are short on time, focus on three things: sweep the floor, wipe the railing and furniture, and clean the sliding door track. Those cover most of what you see and touch. Leave the deeper scrub of the floor and the cushions for the change of season. A tidy balcony also makes a small apartment feel bigger, since it extends the view from your living room instead of reminding you of one more chore every time you open the blinds.

You can see the rest of what we do on our apartment cleaning services page. Next up, we tackle a different kind of shared space: living with roommates.