How To Clean an AeroGarden with Plants in It?
It might feel like you’ve already done the hard work!
You’ve spent countless hours setting up the AeroGarden with veggies and herbs of your choice. You’ve taken care of each and everything to grow plants in it.
Now you’ve to go to the next crucial step: Cleaning the AeroGarden from residues!
In order to grow plants time and again in an AeroGarden, your best bet is to clean it.
With the right cleaning tactics, there is nothing stopping you from growing herbs and veggies of your choice.
No matter how advanced and high-tech your AeroGarden is, it will stop functioning correctly or fail to work at all if you skip or extend the cleaning process. Cleaning the AeroGarden from time to time reduces or even eliminates the chances of bacterial, fungal, and pathogen infection and their development. This method erases any cases of disease development and protects your plants and herbs from catching diseases.
To facilitate you with the cleaning process, in this blog, I’m going to share a step-by-step process about how to clean an AeroGarden with plants in it.
Without further ado, let’s begin!
Why Should You Clean Your AeroGarden?
As mentioned, cleaning your AeroGarden and its components from time to time is part and parcel of maintaining the system from any mishaps.
I know, in many ways, having an AeroGarden is like having a garden. It can be absolutely brilliant, but it won’t take off if it is not cleaned at the right call.
Cleaning the whole system thoroughly inhibits bacterial and fungal growth. It keeps your system alive and active by minimizing the chances of infectious diseases development inside grow bowl and adjacent places.
Bleach vs. white vinegar as a cleaning agent
Bleach
- Synthetic cleaning agent contains strong chemicals.
- Very strong and highly effective to clean the AeroGarden.
- Contains strong chemicals.
White Vinegar
- Natural cleaning agent, free from synthetic chemicals and agents
- Mild in action, safe for plants, and natural
- Highly recommended for cleaning the AeroGarden and its components
Tools and solutions needed to clean your AeroGarden
- White Vinegar: Once you’ve decided to clean your AeroGarden with plants in it, I would strongly recommend using white vinegar as a cleaning agent. Is there anything special about white vinegar? Yes, as mentioned, white vinegar is natural, mild in action, and organic. It is free from synthetic chemicals and helps you a lot to clean your system, even with plants in it, with complete confidence and peace of mind.
- Medium to large size plastic bowl and a spoon: Don’t skip using a bowl that can hold at least 01 gallons of water or more. It is used to prepare a cleaning solution to clean AeroGarden and its parts. With regard to the spoon, it is used to mix the vinegar well in water.
- Soft Towels: The soft towels are used to wipe off dust and other disease-causing agents from components of the AeroGarden that can’t be immersed in the solution, such as touch meter, light hood, etc. This tool allows you to make sure you’ve cleaned the sensitive parts of the AeroGarden as well.
- White Towles: White paper towels are crucial to clean unreachable areas of the AeroGarden, such as below the growing surface and around the seed pods.
A Complete Step-By-Step Guide to Clean the AeroGarden
Have you purchased the tools mentioned above and products from the market?
Congrats! As of now, you’ve got everything you need for the AeroGarden cleaning process.
So, let’s dive deep into the cleaning process itself.
Before anything else, let me remind you to read the AeroGarden user guide and double-check the labeled instructions to avoid any mishaps with or within the system.
Step 1 – Switch off the Aerogarden
Before you set off to clean your AeroGarden, your top priority must be to switch off the plug for a power source.
Step 2 – Strip off your AeroGarden
Now, by following the guidelines and main instructions printed on the user guide, disassemble your AeroGarden into smaller parts for cleaning.
- Wait until the water pump stops working and disconnect the cord.
- Lift the light hood and remove the water pot to lift the grow deck.
- Place the grow deck in the basin. Take care not to damage plant roots.
- Remove the AeroGarden bowl and drain all water.
- Remove pods from the grow deck. Caution: Gently squeeze the side of pods.
Finally, make sure you have disassembled leftover parts from the system before immersing them in the cleaning solution.
Step 3 – Prepare vinegar solution.
Both vinegar and bleach solutions are used to prepare cleaning solutions. Still, personally, I like vinegar because it’s the best organic option.
Take 01 gallons of warm filtered water and pour a cup of white vinegar into the water and mix thoroughly with the plastic spoon.
Both bleach and vinegar solutions are needed to clean all your disassembled parts.
Now dip all the disassembled AeroGarden components into white vinegar or bleach solution and leave them there immersed for about 25 to 30 minutes. This ensures that the solution kills every fungal, bacterial, and pathological infection.
Note: Use a plastic bowl or container that can hold at least 01-gallon water and all other disassembled components.
Step 4 – Sanitization of the bowl
The word “sanitize” means “make clean and hygienic; disinfect.”
The Bowl of the AeroGarden is an integral component of the system; therefore, it’s mandatory to clean it to ensure no bacteria or other disease-causing agent is present.
Due to the constant water flow in the bowl, some bacteria or fungal spores might develop on the inner side of the AeroGarden’s base.
To clean it, drain water from the bowl to the last drop. Next, add 3/4 full warm water mixed with 1/2 cup of white vinegar or bleach.
Now, switch on the motor, allow the vinegar or bleach solution to run for around 05 minutes, and turn it off.
Finally, par off all the solution from the AeroGarden base and cleanse it with filtered or running fresh water for a while.
Don’t forget to rinse the whole bowl before adding filtered or distilled water to the cleaned bowl.
Step 5 – Dust or wipe down the sensitive parts
The crucial fifth step is to wipe down or dust the sensitive parts, light hood, touch meter, etc., that can’t be immersed in the vinegar or bleach solution.
To do so, use soft towels, as mentioned, to clean the sensitive elements of the AeroGarden.
Take extra care while cleaning the light hood as it’s fragile and exposed to damages.
Be patient; let all sensitive parts dry.
Step 6 – Clean and rinse the pump filter.
Consider this, how to clean and rinse the pump filter?
No need to worry!
Here’s is how to clean the AeroGarden pump filter: First and foremost, detach the pump filter from the stand and cleanse it using a brush. This will allow you to unfasten and get rid of any roots present.
After you have cleaned the pump filter, use a soft towel to wipe the pump stand. Don’t skip eliminating roots utilizing the brush.
Step 7 – Isolating AeroGarden parts from the vinegar solution
After dipping AeroGarden pieces in the vinegar solution for about 20 to 25 minutes, it’s time for you to isolate the submerged parts from the prepared solution.
Next, it’s time to rinse the components with fresh running water to make sure you have removed the vinegar or bleach solution to the last drop.
Finally, place all the rinsed components on a clean towel and let them dry.
To make sure the components are dry, wipe them gently with a dry paper towel.
Step 8 – Reassembling the AeroGarden
Congrats! You’re done with the AeroGarden cleaning, rinsing, and cleaning process.
Now, it’s the perfect time to reassemble the disassembled parts.
Here’s how to reassemble the disassembled components:
- Use instructions manual or user guide to perfectly assemble the AeroGarden components.
- Follow the proper technique and don’t apply too much force or push onto any component.
Remember, if you’ve reassembled the components correctly, then your AeroGarden should run smoothly. Nevertheless, if it doesn’t start or fail to function correctly, check whether all the parts are packed perfectly and are in the right spot.
