Collection: Cleaning & Maintenance

Why Cleaning a Greenhouse Matters

Algae and grime build on glazing slowly enough that you stop noticing. By late winter a neglected house can be passing noticeably less light than a clean one, and that arrives precisely when daylight is shortest and plants need every hour they can get.

The same deposits shelter pests. Red spider mite, aphids and their eggs overwinter in the film on glass, in the gaps between overlapping panes and in the corners of the frame. A house cleaned between seasons starts the year with far less carried over.

Do Not Use Household Cleaners

Dish soap and domestic bleach are the usual improvisation, and both cause problems in a greenhouse. Detergents contain fragrances, surfactants and brighteners that leave residues on staging and soil. Bleach damages aluminium over time and harms anything growing where the runoff lands.

Products made for horticultural use are formulated to break down without leaving residues that plants take up. That is the difference that matters, rather than cleaning power.

What the Range Covers

• Algae removers loosen the green film on glass and polycarbonate without scouring.
• Glazing brushes with long handles reach the ridge from ground level.
• Thin blade tools clear the gap between overlapping panes, where most spores sit.
• Gutter tools clear the debris that causes overflow down the frame.

Take care with polycarbonate. Abrasive pads and solvents scratch and cloud the surface permanently, and a scratched panel transmits less light for the rest of its life.

When to Clean

Autumn is the important one. Clearing algae and pests before winter means the house goes into the dark months transmitting as much light as it can, with fewer overwintering insects inside. A second pass in early spring, before the house fills up, is easier than working around plants later.

Empty the house first if you can. Cleaning around occupied staging takes longer and does a worse job, and it exposes plants to whatever you are spraying.

Beyond the Glass

Frames need attention too. Check glazing clips after storms, since they work loose long before glass actually breaks. Clear guttering so water does not back up along the frame.

Where something has cracked, a replacement pane or a part from the spare parts range keeps the house weathertight. Identify the frame make and model first, as profiles differ between manufacturers.

Staging and benches collect compost and old root material, which is where fungus gnats breed. A wash down at the same time as the glazing takes little extra effort.