How to Clean the Aerogarden Having Plants all Around

Have you set up an aerogarden?

Kudos and Congrats on your hard work. You are not only able to keep an eye on the crops but living in a green environment is just awesome.

Whatever form of gardening you do, cleaning and maintenance are vital for the healthy growth of the crops.

The plants in your aerogarden are at a higher risk of infection due to bacteria and pathogens developing inside the grow bowl and adjacent places. There is no need to do any special plant treatment if you keep the bowl and the nearby areas clean.

In this article, we have provided information on:

  • Things required to clean the Aerogarden
  • Step-by-step guide on how to clean the Aerogarden

What do you need to clean the Aerogarden?

  • A Large Plastic Bowl and Spoon- used to bath soak aerogarden plastic parts in cleaning agent (should have a capacity of 1 gallon or higher)
  • a

  • Bleach/White Vinegar- to be used as a cleaning agent in water solution
  • Soft Towels- needed to wipe off the parts (touch screen, light hood, etc.) not suitable for cleaning with a liquid solution
  • Paper Towels- useful for cleaning the spaces around the vegetation, wipe off the delicate plant parts without the risk of tearing or pulling off

Bleach or White Vinegar: What is best for Cleaning Aerogarden with Plants?

Bleach is very strong and has a lot of harsh chemical components. These ingredients work best for cleaning aerogarden bowls with too many bacterial deposits. However, if there are plants in the bowl, using bleach can harm your crops.

White vinegar is a mild and natural cleaning ingredient without any harsh chemicals. You can use vinegar to clean the plant parts with complete peace of mind. The odor of vinegar is often a concern for users. Don’t worry. The stinky feel from the bowl and other surfaces will wane off upon drying.

Step-by-step Guide to Clean Aerogarden

Once you have gathered the abovementioned items, its turn to get started with the cleaning process.

Step 1- Read the Aerogarden Manual

If you have not yet read the aerogarden manual carefully, we suggest you go through the details carefully multiple times. There should be complete instructions on how to disassemble and reassemble the equipment and other essential parts.aerogarden user guide

Step 2- Disassemble the Aerogarden Parts

For a thorough cleaning session, it is recommended to disassemble the parts and immerse them in bleach or vinegar solution for a soak bath. Separate the aerogarden bowl from the base and disconnect the light hood entirely.

Step 3- Prepare the Soak Bath Solution

Depending on the type of cleaning session you need, prepare a solution of bleach or vinegar in warm water in the large plastic bowl. Put a cup of bleach or vinegar in the cleaning bowl and fill the rest part with warm water. Mix properly using a plastic spoon. The small parts will submerge fully in a gallon of solution. Only the growl bowl and the light hood are large in dimension so, it is not possible to soak them in the cleaning mixture.

Step 4- Soak Wash the Aerogarden Parts

Submerge the small parts in the soak bath solution. Use the plastic spoon to stir the mixture firmly to ensure it reaches all corners of the aerogarden parts. Allow the parts to soak into the solution for 30 minutes to ensure it kills all the germs and bacterial growth.

Step 5- Sanitize the Aerogarden Bowl

The grow bowl is at a higher risk of developing bacterial, molds, and pathogens, especially at the base. The water runs into the base of the bowl when the motor is running. Even if there are plants or seedlings inside the bowl, the following steps should make your task effortless:

  • Remove all the water from the bowl
  • Pour some cleaning solution (warm water and vinegar mix) at the base of the bowl
  • Turn on the motor to allow the cleaning solution to run for at least 5 minutes
  • Now shut off the motor
  • Allow the solution to pass away into the sink completely
  • Hold the grow bowl under running water to clean it thoroughly
  • After cleaning the bowl thoroughly, pour distilled water for cleaning the existing plants and seedlings

Note: The bacterial growth can occur at the base of the existing plants or seedlings (near the roots and between the stems). Soak a paper towel in warm water and vinegar solution and use it to clean the plant parts gently to avoid tearing.

Step 6- Wash the Submerged Parts

After 30 minutes of soak bath, it’s time to remove and cleanse the small aerogarden parts. Make sure to put a stopper on the sink outlet to prevent the smaller parts from running into the drainage pipe. Hold each of the parts under running water and rinse thoroughly.

Step 7- Wipe Down and Dry the Aerogarden Parts

After you are done with the cleaning, sanitizing, and washing job, it is the turn to remove the water from all the parts. You may give a small jerk to the equipment parts to remove the excess of water remaining in the smaller nooks. Use the paper towel to wipe all the surfaces and the nooks properly to remove even the minute traces of water.

Allow the bowl and the parts to dry in the natural air or place them on the soft towels.

Caution: Before you reassemble the parts, make sure that all of them are completely dry. The aerogarden system works under electricity and may pose risks if water enters into the electric system.

Check each part for moisture remains or water spills. Wipe them with paper towels to remove all the moisture and allow some resting time for the moisture to evaporate naturally.

Step 8- Reassemble the Aerogarden Parts

Your equipment manual guide should provide all the information on how to reassemble the aerogarden parts. It is easier as you have already seen a demonstration at the time of setting up your garden. It’s just the same every time.

After you have assembled all the parts, turn on the power, and start the motor to see if everything is functioning properly. If there is a problem, see the manual again to find all the parts are hooked up in the right order. Watch out if something is loosely connected. You need to ensure everything is fixed properly.

Once you are done with the reassembling part, the system is again ready for new and existing plants.

Conclusion

As a novice but proud Aero Gardener, you may feel the task to be a daunting one. But once you do it quite a few times, getting used to the process will seem easy.

I hope the above guide has simplified the procedure for you especially if you still have grown plants in the bowl.

Happy Aero Gardening!

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