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How to tidy and clean your greenhouse
- BBC Gardeners' World Magazine
Published: Friday, 10 January 2025 at 12:00 pm
Find out how to clean and organise your greenhouse in winter, ready for the growing season ahead.
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Winter is a good time to clean, tidy and reorganise your greenhouse, while it is relatively empty and there are fewer jobs in the garden to take up your time. Cleaning the greenhouse will maximise light levels, clear blocked guttering, banish any pests and diseases. Tidying it will make sure that you have an ordered working environment in time for the growing season ahead.
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In the video above, Alan Titchmarsh offers advice on refreshing water butts and boosting available light levels for overwintering plants, so they don’t become tall and leggy. Then, Alan explains how to clean ventilators and clear dirt from the gaps between panes of glass. He outlines the benefits of clearing the guttering and how to prevent stored pots from harbouring pests and diseases.
Get our advice on the essential kit for your greenhouse.
Choose a mild day so that any overwintering plants can be safely placed outside for a while.
In this video, Monty Don shows how he cleans out one of his greenhouses at the end of the growing season, to prevent it harbouring pests and diseases over winter – with a little help from the dogs!
Find more tips on cleaning and organising your greenhouse, below.
Inspired to get started? Our experts have put the best pressure washers through their paces, so you can buy with confidence.
You Will Need
- Broom
- Bucket
- Disinfectant
- Glass cleaner
- Long handled sponge
- Scouring sponge
Total time: 1 day
Step 1
Brushing the greenhouse floor
If you're overwintering tender plants, choose a mild spell to empty your greenhouse completely. Cover plants or take them into the house, if necessary. Brush down framework and staging, then sweep the floor.
Step 2
Clearing the greenhouse
Once everything is outside promise yourself not to return anything that isn't absolutely essential.
Step 3
Sponging down the glass panes of the greenhouse
Both the inside and outside of your greenhouse panes will need cleaning. Take a bucket and sponge and long handled sponge, thoroughly wiping over every pane with a solution of glass cleaner to soak and scrub off dirt. Use a stable platform or stepladder to reach the glass in high ridges.
Step 4
Removing leaves from the greenhouse guttering
Check your gutters for collected leaves and debris, which could filter down into water butts. Brush out the rubbish before it flows into the downpipes. If the guttering needs replacing, read our guide to fixing guttering to a greenhouse.
Step 5
Emptying the water butt to clean it
Empty out water butts and clean out any accumulated dirt in the bottom, then put them back into place. Find out why you should empty your water butt from time to time in our Quick Tips guide. If you don't have a water butt, now is a good time to install one - it will mean that you have a handy water source on hot days.
Step 6
Washing plastic pots to reuse
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Wipe down surfaces with scouring sponge and wash flower pots and seed trays with disinfectant before thoroughly rinsing. Return everything outside to its proper place in the greenhouse.
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