Cleaning Garden Pots and Tools

The Importance of Garden Pot Cleaning
Soil builds up salt that can damage plants. These salts get deposited on the inside of planters. Any diseases your plants may have had last season can get transferred to your new plants. Clean used flower pots before using them again. Garden pot cleaning only takes a few minutes, ​but it can keep your plants healthy and productive.

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Natural ways to protect your garden & gardening tools with white distilled vinegar:

• Kill weeds and grass growing in unwanted places by pouring full-strength white distilled vinegar on them.
• This works especially well in crevices and cracks of walkways and drive ways.
• Stops ants from congregating by pouring white distilled vinegar on the area.
• Get rid of the water line in a flower vase by filling it with a solution of half water and half white vinegar.
• Clean out stains and white mineral crusts in clay, glazed and plastic pots by soaking them for an hour or longer in a sink filled with a solution of half water and half white distilled vinegar.
• Clean a birdbath by scrubbing it often with undiluted white distilled vinegar.
• Remove berry stains on your hands by rubbing them with white distilled vinegar.
• Clean a hummingbird feeder with white distilled vinegar.
• Clean tools: Soak tools in undiluted vinegar and they will be cleaned, degreased and shine brightly.
  

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Baking Soda
As a Garden Grime Buster: Rub baking soda on wet hands after gardening. Rinse well.
To Clean Bird Baths and Clay Pots:

• Use as an effective tool for cleaning a bird bath without toxic chemicals.
• After putting baking powder on it, use a damp cloth to get rid of dirt and then rinse with water.
• You can also use baking powder to clean clay flower pots completely and rinse well. No harmful residue will be absorbed by the clay.

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Cleaning Garden Tools
Before disinfection, tools should be free of dirt and debris.
Disinfecting solutions should not be allowed to contaminate the soil.

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The use of chlorine bleach is not recommended for disinfection use in the field for a variety of reasons:

• Bleach is an oxidizing agent, which means it is corrosive.
• Tool damage: prolonged contact with metal may cause pitting or discoloration.
• Clothing damage
• Human health damage: contact with bleach can irritate your skin, nose, throat and lungs if vapors are inhaled. Medical conditions such as asthma, chronic bronchitis, and obstructive lung disease are aggravated.
• Plant health damage: Bleach is extremely phytotoxic, more so than any of the other commonly used disinfectants.
• Any bleach left on your tools will damage the tissue of the next cut.

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Other disinfectant treatments have included:

• Alcohol dips (ethanol or isopropyl alcohol): Alcohols are readily available and, moderately safe and effective to use. They can be expensive to use.
• Household cleaners (Listerine, Lysol, Pine-Sol): Readily available, moderately safe, can be extremely effective.
• Lysol (the original, phenol-based material) in particular was found to be the least corrosive to pruning tools.
• Hydrogen peroxide is an environmentally safe alternative to chlorine-based bleaches as it breaks down into water and oxygen. Commercially available 3% hydrogen peroxide is considered a stable and effective disinfectant by the CDC when used on inanimate objects. Under normal conditions, hydrogen peroxide is extremely stable when properly stored, Be aware hydrogen peroxide is extremely light sensitive and potency is reduced over time when not stored in dark containers.

The Bottom Line

• Choose a disinfectant that is effective, readily available and affordable, relatively safe to handle, and won't harm your tools or clothing. Many household cleaners fit this description.
• Be sure to clean tools of dirt, debris, etc. before disinfecting
• Other options include keeping a small spray can of Lysol or a small bottle of rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide in your gardening bucket with some clean old rags.
• After dipping your pruning tools, be sure to wipe away excess disinfectant to avoid injuring the next plant.
• A longer soaking period may be needed for pruning surfaces that are not smooth.
• ​Never use disinfectants on pruning wounds; they are phytotoxic and cause more harm than good.