Luckily, many states and brands provide no contact delivery to ensure safety during COVID times, but we often ignore the mailbox cleaning. Clean and empty mailboxes allow safe, no contact, and on-time delivery. The USPS encourages residents to have clean and dirt-free mailboxes to make the delivery easy and prevent mailboxes from getting damaged easily.
Cleaning mailboxes is essential for both the parties- the person who is delivering and the person to whom they are providing. Keep mailboxes clean to ensure safe and sound delivery and enhance your curb appeal. Read this blog to find Cleaning tips for mailbox of various types of material after snow plows and windstorms.
How To Clean Curbside Mailboxes?
Curbside mailboxes are usually single and double door mailboxes with one or more than one compartments. cleaning tips for mailbox is not a difficult task if you know what kind of materials to use. And, it doesn’t matter what type of material they are made from. You have to take care of a few things before getting started. They can be of wood, metal, and plastic. For instance, you cannot clean a wooden mailbox with soap and water as it will make the wood soft, which will lead to weakening and deterioration of the mailbox with time.
Similarly, cleaning metallic mailboxes with water will ultimately make them rustic and unattractive. So, how to clean your mailbox without affecting its tensile strength and quality? Read ahead to get the answer.
For cleaning mailboxes daily, you can clean the mailbox with a dry cloth and rub it off to get rid of the dirt.
However, the real question is how to clean a metal mailbox, do not worry because, by the end of reading this blog, you will know it too.
So, suppose a storm has recently hit your area, or your mailbox becomes a victim of a morning snowplow. So, now the things you will need for the cleaning tips for mailboxes are the following:
- Liquid dish soap
- Paint
- Paintbrush
- A cloth piece
- Water
- Garden hose
- Screwdriver
- Grease
Step 1: Remove Your Mailbox From The Post
The first step in cleaning mailboxes is to remove your mail, newspapers, magazines, and other essentials from the mailbox. Now remove the mailbox from the post for convenience.
Step 2: Spray Water With The Garden Hose
You should know what material your mailbox is made from and what would be ideal for cleaning mailboxes. If your mailbox is made from wood, wipe it with a clean, dry cloth and use a wood polish to make it glossy. Now for metallic cleaning mailboxes, you have to spray the mailbox with a garden hose and blast it from the inside out. This will remove all the mailbox debris, leaves, and dirt.
Step 3: Clean Mailboxes With Liquid Dish Soap And Water
We know that we told you not to use water and soap in cleaning mailboxes, but you won’t have to face any problems if you use these smart techniques. Get a warm bucket with liquid dish soap and a sponge. Wash and rinse off the mailbox quickly with it. Clean off all the parts precisely. If there’s still some stubborn mold or mildew on the mailbox, you would require some elbow grease to get rid of it. Rinse the mailbox and keep them in a sunny place to dry
Step 4: Dry-Wipe The Mailbox
The cleaning mailboxes part is done. Gently wipe off all the water from it and keep them in a windy and sunny spot. Now grab a cloth piece and dry-wipe the mailbox to finish your task.
Step 5: Finish Off With The Paint And Repairing
You can prevent your mailbox from rusting by applying a layer of paint to them. Painting mailboxes will not allow the metal to react with moisture, thus saving them from oxidation. Apply a layer of paint neatly and make necessary repairs by fixing loose screws and broken hinges. Polish it with some polish gel or spray and make them glossier.
Furthermore, enhance your curb appeal with some renovation. After cleaning mailboxes, you can plant some flowering plants around them, decorate them with pebbles or install scrolls and brackets to make them look attractive. Also, never keep them stuffed and check them daily. Just cleaning mailboxes isn’t enough. You should empty them regularly to ensure no contact delivery and the safety of the mails and parcels.
How To Clean Cluster Mailbox Units (CBUs)
United States Postal Services (USPS) encourages CBUs in a building or area of more than six homes. They are efficient and convenient for easy delivery but, for cleaning, they are not so easy to deal with. Therefore, the following tips will help you maintain and clean multiple compartments.
Step 1: Use Dish Soap, Water, And Vinegar
Cleaning mailboxes with multiple compartments is no different. You can wash them with standard dish soap and water, Or you can add vinegar to the solution for more substantial and cleaned mailboxes. Also, you can’t wash these huge mailboxes. It would be inconvenient and challenging. Take a cleaning sponge or cloth, dip it into the solution, let the excess water out, and clean it.
Also, do not use a wire brush and other abrasive cleaning pads for cleaning tips for mailbox. It can cause major damage and remove its powder-coated layering. You have to be extremely careful while doing so because CBU mailboxes are not personal property. A community owns them and if one damages them has to be accountable to the USPS and the community.
Step 2: Inspect For Damages And Give Final Touch
After cleaning mailboxes, you can inspect your CBUs for damage. If a particular mailbox is damaged, the residents will usually report the matter to the mail courier or the property holder. However, sometimes the damage can go unnoticed, so CBU owners should inspect their CBUs daily. It is a good time to start and fix basic damages yourself if you know basic repairing. If you find any part exposed to water or air and become a victim of rust, you can spray paint on your CBU to prevent further damage. Apply paint to the parts with stubborn mold or mildew or finish with grease.
Step 3: Clean And Renovate The Area
There isn’t much requirement for hard work in cleaning mailboxes, but after the process, when you renovate the area, it will make you do some extra work. For instance, check if there’s something that gets in the way of your mail delivery? Inspect and remove these obstacles.
Moreover, mailboxes should be precisely at a distance of 41″ to 45″ from the road surface to the bottom point of the mail entry. Position your mailbox 6″ to 8″ back from the curb area. Also, it would help if you have a raised curb for efficient delivery. If your CBU mailbox lacks the mentioned things, reach out to your local postmaster or USPS for correct guidance.
Another crucial thing is to write your apartment number or house number clearly on the mailbox. You can write it with clear white, gold, silver, or neon paint to make it easily visible to the mailman at night. You can install lights near your curb or decorate it with plants, pebbles, and pots to make it look attractive. Lastly, get rid of the excessive tree branches if they are covering your mailbox and protect it from falling on the mailbox.
Bonus Tip: Cleaning Mailboxes After Snowplows And Storms
Here are bonus cleaning tips for your mailbox in winter. Firstly, install convenient snow plow-proof mailboxes that do not get affected by the snowplows and storms. Secondly, all mailbox owners should keep a vacant space in front of their mailboxes during the winters by shoveling snow. Do not allow the snow to accumulate. It will make it difficult for you to check the mail. Also, the snow accumulation poses a safety hazard as the residents or mailman could slip and fall. These problems can be avoided by shoveling snow.
Final Words
Clean and repair your mailboxes precisely using suitable materials and prevent them from getting damaged easily. These were some useful hacks and tips for cleaning tips for mailbox. You should inspect and repaint your mailboxes every 6-8 months and get a professional mailbox repairer if the damage is beyond the treatment of DIY hacks.
You can buy safe and easy-to-clean snow plow-proof mailboxes from the Mailbox And Sign Solutions. Our mailboxes are make from high tensile strength and powder-coated aluminum finish, which stands firm against bad weather. Also, we have the best team to repair, replace and renovate your mailboxes, so let us do all the hassle for you. To know more about our mailboxes and mailbox-related services, visit our site.