How to easily wash flowerpots?

During planting season, it is important to prepare your flower pots with soap to give your plants a good start and prevent the spread of pests. Recycling is essential, and even plastic pots can be reused after cleaning. Here are our tips for washing your pots and giving them a fresh start before planting.

Last edited on 8 May 2024

Washing flower pots

During planting season, we recommend washing or cleaning your flower pots with soap. Soapa is mild, natural, and replenishes oils while also killing most pests, such as bacteria, fungi, and viruses, that could otherwise spread to this year's new, healthy plants.

Give your plants a good start. Recycling is our guiding principle, so our advice is to recycle all pots until they no longer hold together. Plastic pots, including the thin little planting pots that summer flowers come in, can also be washed and reused for purposes such as sowing seeds.

When they have served their purpose, sort them as rigid plastic for recycling. 

Here's how:

Knock out as much soil as possible and brush away any dry soil stuck along the sides of the pot. If you have had problems with pests, it is a good idea to let the pots soak in water with a generous squeeze of soap for a while before washing them.

We used a stiff scrubbing brush from Soapa. It effectively removes dried-on soil. We then used a softer dish brush with soft horsehair bristles on the outside, as we also want to take care of the beautiful patina that old pots have.

Then leave the pots to dry until they are completely dry before it is time to plant again—we'll get back to that!

And don't forget to clean the sink, brushes, countertop, and floor.

Countertops, especially stainless-steel ones, look very nice when cleaned with soap. Everything that does not come off when you simply wipe them lightly with dish soap and a cloth disappears instantly with a little soap.

If the countertop or sink is very heavily soiled, as can happen in garages and laundry rooms, for example, we recommend this sponge together with solid Soapa.

Now we are simply waiting for spring so that the growing season can really get underway.

_________________________________________________________________________

 Questions and Answers

- Why is it important to wash flower pots with soap before planting?
Cleaning flower pots with soap helps create a clean, pest-free environment for the plants while replenishing the pots' oils and giving them a fresh start.

- What steps are recommended for washing flower pots thoroughly?
First, knock out as much soil as possible and brush away any dry soil along the sides of the pot. Then let the pots soak in water with a generous squeeze of soap to loosen any pests. Use a stiff scrubbing brush to effectively remove dried-on soil, and finish with a softer dish brush for the outside.

- Which other surfaces are recommended for cleaning with soap before planting?
In addition to the flower pots, the sink, brushes, countertop, and floor can also be cleaned with soap to create a clean, fresh environment for the growing season. Stainless-steel countertops look especially good with soap and can be cleaned effectively with this natural product.