Five steps to a clean greenhouse

If you predominantly use your greenhouse for spring and summer propagation and potting on, winter is the best time for a deep clean. Set aside a few hours on a sunny winter’s day and your plants will prosper. Here’s why: 

• Clean panes allow more sunlight to reach your plants, supporting their strength, growth and vitality.

• Removing moss, algae, grime and pests helps to prevent disease from spreading. So your plants have a healthier environment to flourish in.

• Remove all plants, tools and watering cans from your greenhouse.

• Place plants in a sheltered area and use fleece to protect any that are tender. This will help to shield them from the cold while you’re cleaning

• Put on rubber gloves and run your hand along the guttering. Remove any debris you find there, such as leaves, and add this to the compost heap. 

• Check that the fall pipe is free from blockages by running water down it. If you encounter a blockage, a wire coat hanger is a great tool for removing stuck detritus.

• Remove dirt and debris from the frame, floor and staging with a brush or vacuum cleaner with a brush attachment.

• Pay particular attention to corners and crevices as dirt tends to accumulate in narrow areas.

• Wash all structural parts with warm water and disinfectant, detergent or a specialist greenhouse cleaner.

• Ease out any grime trapped between panes with a flexible scraper. A plastic plant label can double-up as a handy scraper for this. 

• Wash all glazing on the inside and outside, so the maximum amount of sunlight can get through. 

• For plastic panes – test a small, discreet area of plastic first to ensure your cleaning product doesn't damage the material.

• For glass panes – take care not to apply too much pressure as you clean.

• Wash the floor. A pressure washer is ideal if you have one. Alternatively, you can use a garden hose, or a mop and bucket filled with warm water and detergent.

• Safely wedge the door open to ventilate the greenhouse as it dries.

• As soon as everything is dry, bring your plants back in to enjoy their sparkling, disease-free home.