How to Clean a Grow Tent
Table of Contents
Introduction
Before you Start Cleaning
The Process for Cleaning your Grow Tent
Learning How to Clean a Grow Tent is Beneficial to your Crop
Introduction
Large or small , your grow tent will need occasional cleaning. After you have used it for a while, you may begin to see dust in your vents and the beginnings of mold or mildew on pots and other surfaces. How long is a while? Well, it could be two weeks or six, and many factors will determine when you need to clean your grow tent.
Before you Start Cleaning
Gather your supplies before you start, as this will make the whole project more manageable. You will need protective equipment. That includes goggles to protect your eyes and gloves to protect your hands. Considering that you may get into mold or mildew, a dust mask can offer protection and will keep splashes from your lower face while cleaning.
Now that you have what you need to protect yourself, gather a broom and dustpan, mop and bucket, a brush, soft cloth, bleach, a 35 percent hydrogen hydroxide solution, hot water, and plenty of time. Learning how to clean your grow tent is much like any new task you take on and knowing the process eases the work.
Grow Tent Cleaning Supplies
As mentioned in the before you start section, you need very few cleaning items, and tools, when cleaning a grow tent. Cleaning items, you will need:
- Rubber Gloves
- Goggles
- Mop
- Bucket
- Vacuum
- Broom
- Dustpan
- Sponges
- Stiff Brush
- Soft Cloth
- Mild Detergent
- Hot water
- Bleach
- 35 percent hydrogen peroxide
- Isopropyl alcohol
(Any of the last three items can be used to sanitize equipment after it has been washed in hot soapy water)
Empty Your Grow Room of Plants and Clean Everything
Remove all of your plants, pots, and any other moveable equipment before starting to clean, but leave the lights in place. Sweep up any dead leaves or other plant matter and remove them entirely from the grow tent. Dead leaves and stems can develop and maintain bacteria, allow mold to grow, and harbor insect eggs. So, be thorough when sweeping up.
Clean all of your pots, inside and out, removing any loose dirt, mold, or mildew, and wash them in hot soapy water. Let them air dry, and then wipe them with a mild bleach solution, peroxide, or isopropyl alcohol.
If you use a hydroponic system, you need to empty your reservoirs and clean them thoroughly inside and out. Some growers are passionate and will go to great lengths to keep their systems clean while preserving the water that fills their hydroponic systems' tanks.
We know this is a tedious process, but the results will get healthy, happy plants from your grow tent. A clean vessel and water are as key to a productive hydroponic system as they are to conventional growing methods.
How often should you clean your grow tent?
As a rule of thumb, you should know how to clean your grow tent after each growing cycle. If, however, you are besieged with a case of powdery mildew or a pest infestation, you may need to clean more often to keep these incidents from occurring. You will learn how to clean a grow tent that suits your growing cycle and needs after you have grown a crop or three.
The Process for Cleaning your Grow Tent
- Remove Everything — If it is not attached or nailed to the floor, remove it, clean it, dry it, sanitize it, and put it back.
- Clean Lights — they too can harbor bacteria, dust, and even mildew, so give them a good wipe down, including the bulbs, while cleaning your grow tent. Clean Pots/planters/hydroponic equipment – pots and planters should be cleaned with bleach, a 35 percent hydrogen peroxide solution, or isopropyl alcohol after being washed in hot soapy water and dried. Any of these three will kill bacteria, mold spores, mildew, and insect eggs.
- Clean Ventilation System – the vents of your grow tent can be cleaned with a vacuum cleaner and then sprayed with an anti-bacterial and anti-fungal cleaner. Your ventilation system is a defense line to keeping bacteria, mold spores, and other pathogens out of your grow tent. You can either clean the filter or replace it. Some ventilation systems use thermal controls and charcoal filters, which last longer than fiber-type air filters, but they will eventually require replacement.
- Check plant nutritional supplies to determine if any are out of date. Also, check your electrical connections on lighting, water pumps, and timers, as well as any water filters.
Eliminating Odors from a Grow Tent
Eliminating the odor of some plants will be almost impossible when using a grow tent. Tomatoes, marigolds, geraniums, marijuana, and culinary herbs are all odiferous. So, if eliminating odors is of the most important to you for using a grow tent, no amount of cleaning or air filtration will keep odors in the said tent's confines. Healthy, flowering plants are redolent with oil and fragrance that filters have a difficult time taming down.
Fighting Powdery Mildew
Many growers are concerned with powdery mildew, and these tips will help you fight this issue. The cleaning procedures that are given here are suitable for fighting powdery mildew. If you remove any affected plants, as you find them, you may be able to save your crop with proper cleaning of your grow tent and its equipment.
Learning is Beneficial to your Crop
When you clean a grow tent, it is essential to make the room and equipment as clean as possible. A deep cleaning every two weeks may be too often for some, but find a cleaning groove that works for both you and your plants. Cleaning at the end of your growing season is practical if all the plants you are growing are the same. If they are not, you can decide what is best for you when you learn how to clean a grow tent for healthier, happier plants.
