If, despite your monthly care routine, your Everleaf Garden becomes dirty over time or root residue accumulates in the columns, it's time for a thorough cleaning. The formation of germs and bacteria in your indoor garden can attract pests over time and harm your plants. Therefore, it is crucial to properly clean your Everleaf Garden at regular intervals.
What you need for cleaning your Everleaf Garden:
- Bottle brushes in various sizes (Available on Amazon)
- Citric acid
The Soft Reset
Duration: 40-60 minutes | Intervals: Every 3-6 months (Best when your Everleaf Garden is completely harvested and 24 new plants are to be inserted)
- Clean the empty plant pots by soaking them in a water bath with a little citric acid for at least 15 minutes or overnight.
- For cleaning the plant columns, mix 3-5 tablespoons of citric acid and water in a 1:2 ratio and pour it into the still dirty water in the water tank. If the inside of the plant columns is particularly dirty, you can also fill a spray bottle with the same mixture and spray the inside of the columns.
- Let the pump run for about 5-10 minutes, then turn it off.
- Use the small straw brush to clean the water outlets and the large brush to clean the inside of the plant containers.
- Prepare a bowl or bucket of water with a little citric acid to regularly clean the brushes and ensure no large root residues remain in the containers.
- Let the pump run again for at least 5-10 minutes to rinse thoroughly.
- If individual plant containers are still very dirty or have root residues, you can use the brush to assist while the pump is running.
- While the pump is running, use a sponge and the citric acid-water solution to clean the openings of the plant columns and, if necessary, the exterior. Stubborn stains are best removed with the rough side of the sponge.
- Finally, wipe the columns with a clean sponge and clear water. Dry them with a clean cloth.
- Now turn off the pump and empty the water tank.
- Lay the garden flat on a towel and wipe the underside of the base plate.
- Fill the water tank with 5 liters of fresh water and let the pump run again for 5-10 minutes to rinse the columns one last time.
- Empty the water tank one last time and refill it with 10 liters of fresh water, as in the first setup.
- After you have washed the plant pots, you can start planting new plants. From here, follow the instructions for a perfect start again.
Tip: A few small spots often remain visible, which is normal and does not affect function. The important thing is that you have completed the cleaning step.
We recommend the Hard Reset to clean hard-to-reach areas that may be neglected during the Soft Reset. To ensure your plants continue to grow successfully in the coming years, it is advisable to perform a thorough deep cleaning with a Hard Reset approximately once a year. This will leave your Everleaf Garden sparkling clean and completely free of pests, germs, and bacteria.
The Hard Reset
Duration: 1-2 hours | Intervals: Once a year
- Unplug the power supply and place the top part of the Everleaf Garden on a towel to access the water tank.
- Empty the water tank and clean it with citric acid mixed with water in a 1:2 ratio.
- Disassemble the columns as you assembled them and place the column segments in a water bath with citric acid (3-5 tablespoons are sufficient) for at least one hour or overnight. The LED strip can remain screwed to the base plate.
- Thoroughly clean the underside of the base plate, along with the cables and hoses, with some water from the water bath. Use a bottle brush to get into all corners. Optionally, use a spray bottle with the same liquid to remove particularly stubborn stains and let them soak for at least 15 minutes before wiping them off.
- Wipe the top of the base plate with a damp cloth.
- Wash all individual parts thoroughly in the water bath. Use bottle brushes to reach difficult-to-access angles.
- Let everything dry well and reassemble everything according to the assembly instructions. If you performed a hard reset after a severe pest infestation, wait 3-4 weeks before starting with new plants to ensure that the pests cannot multiply further.
- From this point, you can start with your Everleaf Garden as if it were the first day.
If the Hard Reset is easier for you, you can safely skip the Soft Reset and perform a thorough Hard Reset every 3-6 months instead.
Tip: Even with the Hard Reset, a few small spots often remain visible; this is normal and does not affect the function. The important thing is that you have completed the cleaning step.
