22 February 2020
For those keen gardeners, a bright, dry day is the perfect excuse to get out and deep clean the greenhouse. Over the year a lot of dirt and grime can collect in and on your greenhouse, sometimes it can go unnoticed. This is why, although regular cleaning is good and necessary, a deep clean is always advised every so often. To help you clean your greenhouse, here are some of our top tips.
One of the first steps to cleaning a greenhouse is knowing when to clean. You want to ensure you don’t disturb anything that you’re growing whilst you pursue the deep clean so planning in exactly when you are going to do it is essential when working out your gardening calendar.
When prepping for the start of the summer crops in March/April time, as the winter crops will have been cleared, within that timeframe is a suitable period to thoroughly get your greenhouse cleaned.
If you are growing plants all year round, then allowing time during mild spells in autumn will be the most appropriate time to clean your greenhouse. However, if you’re planting crops periodically then it is best to clean your greenhouse between crops, so either in autumn or spring.
When cleaning you will need to gather a range of cleaning equipment to cater for your greenhouse, such as the following:
When it comes down to what cleaning product to use, disinfectant is usually the best choice to use once the debris, weeds and soil has been removed, however the soil and organic residues from growing crops can reduce how effective the disinfectant is. There are specially catered cleaners that are for greenhouses that can be bought, as they contain sulfuric acid, which will help remove the dirt and algae that can be particularly noticeable on uPVC greenhouses. Another option is using a high-pressure power washer; by using water and soap and with the impact from the washer will help remove any stubborn dirt stuck to the building and floor.
To get started, you need to make sure you remove everything out the greenhouse, leaving as little in there as possible. This will ensure that you don’t miss any spots that need to be cleaned. Once all has been removed, give the floor a thorough brush to allow you to then use the detergent on all structural areas of the greenhouse. Use scrapers to get dirt that has been trapped in between panes.
While cleaning your greenhouse, it also allows you a good opportunity to clean out the gutters. They can easily get blocked so make sure you that you check and scoop out anything that is in the way. This could involve old leaves, debris or moss. Using a hosepipe will help wash all the dirt that has stuck to the gutter.
Posted by Matt Jordan
