Do you have a greenhouse that needs cleaned? When you are growing anything from plants to vegetables, you need to ensure that your greenhouse is kept sanitised. This means removing any spilled soil and plant debris inside, as well as cleaning the exterior of the greenhouse. In particular, you want to keep the windows and roof panels clean to allow maximum light into the greenhouse during the winter months. But, there are a lot of issues out there with commercial cleaners and products you can buy in gardening centers. Let’s take a look at why you will benefit from a do it yourself greenhouse cleaner and how you can make a plant-friendly and natural one.
Why Create a Do It Yourself Greenhouse Cleaner?
If you go to your local gardening store, you are going to find several products that you can use to clean your greenhouse. So, why should you create a do it yourself greenhouse cleaner? Well, there are quite a few good reasons for this. So, let’s check them out.
Chemicals Can Affect Plants
When you have a greenhouse, you want to keep it clean and tidy. In particular, this means that you want to clean the inside and outside of the structure so that it is ready for the winter. Indeed, during the warm months of the year, it is easy for microbes and to grow. In addition, the wet fall months can mean that fungus and algae are present on your greenhouse too.
So, you are going to have dedicate time to cleaning your greenhouse to ensure that your plants, vegetables or herbs have clean surroundings. Yet, the problem with a lot of products you find in stores is that they contain a lot of chemicals. These substances have the potential to harm and damage plants you are growing. What’s more, if you are growing fruit, vegetables and herbs for the family, the last thing you want to do is have strong chemicals around them.
Harsh Ingredients Can Damage Your Greenhouse
Using harsh cleaners can actually do more damage than good. This is particularly true if you have a modern greenhouse that is not made from traditional materials. You can end up using the wrong cleaners and causing damage to its structure.
For example, greenhouses that are made from acrylic sheets are becoming very popular. They are more affordable to purchase and they have a long-lasting decide. In addition, they are often a lightweight material that is chosen for flat-pack designs that you can build yourself.
But acrylic might be a durable material when it comes to building a greenhouse, but it delicate when it comes to certain chemicals. The problem with a lot of greenhouse products is they use strong cleaning agents so that you can get rid of moss, dirt and debris. But, a lot of these chemicals should not actually be used on acrylic. Not only can this do a bad cleaning job, but it can also eat away at this material. This jeopardizes the structure of your greenhouse.
You Can Create a Natural Cleaner
A lot of people want to stop using so many chemicals in their everyday lives. In particular, they do not want to have them near to fruits and vegetables their family might be consuming. So, if you want to keep things more natural in your home, you might want to make your own greenhouse cleaner. When you do this and you are choosing all of the ingredients, you can ensure that it is natural and safe for your family to be around. Do you want to create your own greenhouse? Check out this link.
You Are Able to Save Money
Let’s not forget that one of the best reasons to consider a do it yourself greenhouse cleaner is because you can save money. A lot of cleaners you can get in your local garden store are overpriced. Plus, you have to purchase them a lot and when you want to clean. The good thing about making your own is that you can often make it from ingredients that you have lying around the house. This means that you do not have to spend a lot of money making a cleaner. Even if you do have to go out and purchase a few ingredients, it is going to be a lot cheaper to do this.
Do It Yourself Greenhouse Cleaner Using Vinegar
So, do you want to create a do it yourself greenhouse cleaner for the glass panels? This is something that is pretty simple. First of all, find a big bucket to mix all of the ingredients into. You can apply this to the glass with a microfiber cloth. Alternatively, you can use a spray bottle and clean this way too.
One of the reasons why you want to ensure you clean the glass on your greenhouse is to ensure that there is maximum sunlight coming in during the day. Your plants, fruit and vegetables are going to need this. This is particularly true during the winter months when there is going to be less daylight. Every moment is precious to ensure that your plants are in the best condition they can be ahead of spring.
First of all, you want to add two cups of distilled water. The reason you want to use distilled water for this do it yourself greenhouse cleaner is because it is going to be purer. Often, you can find chemicals in tap water, which might have an effect on your greenhouse. For example, it could leave stains and marks that you will not realize are there until it is all dried. So, distilled water is going to have all of these impurities removed and you are going to be left with clean water to use.
Next, you want to use ½ cup of vinegar. Preferably, this should be white vinegar. Vinegar is going to be an amazing cleaning agent when it comes to glass. It will be able to sanitize windows, as well as wipe any residue and dirt. Another reason why vinegar is great to use is because it can be safe for a lot of plants. In particular, if you accidentally spray those plants that like acidic soil with vinegar, they will like it.
But, this is a substance that should not be used on acrylic. Vinegar is acidic and when it has this composition, it has the potential to eat into acrylic and permanently damage it. So, this is a cleaner that is only going to be suitable for glass panels on a greenhouse.
Glass Cleaner with Lemon Juice
Did you know that lemon juice can be a fantastic cleaner you can use for your greenhouse? In particular, it is going to be safe to use on glass. What we love about lemon juice is that it is going to create an antibacterial and antiseptic solution. This means you can complete more than a surface clean of your greenhouse. The lemon juice is going to help sanitise the area too. What’s more, the lemon scent is going to be refreshing and it will make the place smell clean.
So, for this do it yourself greenhouse cleaner, you are going to need to use 1 quarter water. You can pour this into a big tub to mix with all of the ingredients. Again, distilled water is going to be best to use to avoid contaminants and substances that can create marks and stains. Then, you should mix in two tablespoons of pure lemon juice.
A lot of people find it easier to put this mixture into a spray bottle. This makes it simple to spray onto the panels and you can use it whenever you need to. For example, a squeegee is going to ensure that no streaks appear on the glass after cleaning
It is important to remember that lemon juice is acidic. This means it should be kept away from porous surfaces, as well as granite, slate and marble. But, what a lot of gardeners like about using lemon juice is that it is not going to be harmful to acidic-loving plants.
Do It Yourself Greenhouse Cleaner for Acrylic
If you have acrylic panels on your greenhouse, you are going to be looking for a simple cleaner that is going to be safe to use on this material. Well, the best and easiest thing to do is use a combination of dishwashing liquid and water. This is going to be the safest way to clean the acrylic or plexiglass. This will avoid using harsh chemicals and ingredients that can damage its surface and permanently damage your greenhouse.
Thus, make sure that you have hot water. Then, you want to add in a few drops of dishwashing liquid. Make sure that it is not too soap and does not have a lot of bubbles. Then, you can simply take a microfiber cloth and clean the panels. It is important to use a microfiber cloth as this is going to ensure no scratching to the panel occurs. Using a squeegee will remove excess water and leave a streak-free finish.
