Please note: We no longer recommend placing any Gardyn component in the dishwasher, and instead recommend washing all parts by hand.
Sometimes, regularly refreshing your tank and quarterly light sterilization cleanings don't quite reach deep enough if you end up with a severe pest infestation, or if stray roots or other plant matter gets stuck inside your columns. If your plants are suffering due to your Gardyn's unclean internal environment, it may be time to do a deep cleaning of your Gardyn device.
(Did you know you can skip the quarterly Light Cleaning and reduce the need for Deep Cleaning if you regularly add our plant-based water treatment solution, HydroBoost, to your Gardyn? Learn more here!)
Deep Cleaning Steps:
1. Empty your Gardyn's Columns to Clean yPods & Pod Caps
- Following the same preparation steps as if you were doing a tank refresh, power off your device and detach and empty your water tank.
- Harvest all mature plants that are ready to eat on your Gardyn. While optional, this helps lessen your workload of moving around lots of yCubes and large plants, so we recommend it!
- Get rid of any yCubes that have severe disease or mold infections, especially if they've been resistant to topical hydrogen peroxide treatments.
TIP: A deep clean is the perfect time to start germinating replacement plants.
You may even consider starting fresh with all new plants - find our tips on that here!
- Remove the plants you want to keep (still in their yPods) and store the yCubes in your silicone ySleeves or in a tray. It takes roots a few hours to dry out, so don't worry if water spills out of the yPods as you handle them.
- Wipe down the outside of the yPods on the plants you're keeping with a 50/50 mix of white vinegar and water.
- Remove any remaining yPods and Pod Caps from your Gardyn and soak in a 50/50 mix of white vinegar and water to remove any biofilm or algae.
TIP: If the growth on your yPods/Pod Caps is stubborn and won't immediately come off, use a bottle brush to help remove the residue after soaking. Just remember, it's okay if not all the growth comes off!
Your Gardyn's columns should now be empty.
2. Disassemble the Columns
- Remove the screws from the top backside of each column. Store the screws and crossbar in a safe place.
- Twist the top modules counterclockwise to loosen and remove.
- Twist the bottom column module counterclockwise to loosen the entire column from the base.
- Once detached, tilt the column back to expose the black irrigation hoses.
- Disconnect the hoses at the elbow piece to free the column completely. If you have trouble disconnecting the black tubing and it won't wiggle loose, try pouring hot water over the joint to soften the tubing.
- One by one, twist each column counterclockwise to loosen and allow the column to be flexible. The modules should all be strung together by the black tube.
3. Clean the Columns
- Submerge each column, including top modules, into a 50/50 mix of white vinegar and water just as you did with the yPods. To completely submerge, use a large, clean basin or bathtub. Otherwise, keep the solution nearby in a smaller bucket and be prepared for some dripping between your bucket and the columns.
- Whether your columns are submerged or you're keeping your solution in a bucket nearby, use a bottle brush to scrub the solution inside your columns.
- If some residual biofilm remains after cleaning the system, that’s okay! It's more important that you cover the columns' entire surface, inside and out, with the solution to sterilize them.
4. Clean your Tank & Irrigation Hoses
- Clean your tank thoroughly with dish soap and water.
- If you completely submerged your columns in the vinegar/water solution in Step 3, you can now skip to Step 5!
- Otherwise, follow the same steps as a Light Cleaning to sterilize your irrigation hoses:
- Add 2 cups of 3% Hydrogen Peroxide and 4 gallons of water.
- Reattach your tank to your Gardyn. In your app, tap the water tile to run a watering cycle for 10 minutes. Tap again after 10 minutes to turn off.
- Empty the tank again, add 3 gallons of water to your tank, then reattach it to your Gardyn. Run another 10-minute watering cycle. Empty and rinse your tank for the last time.
5. Clean the Lid's Top & Bottom
- Use a 50/50 water and white vinegar solution to wipe down the wood, including both sides of the removable wood cap. You can also hand wash the cap briefly in warm water with soap. Dry all wood immediately.
- While your lid is tilted from the hose inspection, gently wipe off the water level sensor, shown below, with water only, then dry.
Lids vary slightly depending on Gardyn model.
3. Use the 50/50 water and white vinegar solution to wipe off everything else underneath the lid, including the funnels (no need to detach anything!).
6. Reassemble your Gardyn
- If you're preparing to start fresh with a new generation of plants on your Gardyn and discarding all of your existing plants, fill your tank with 5 gallons of water only (no plant food). If you're returning mature plants to your Gardyn, add 5 gallons of water with 1/2 teaspoon of dissolved plant food per gallon.
- Reattach your lid to your tank and lock into place. Lower the water pump.
- Reattach the top modules to your columns, then gently pull on the irrigation hoses from the bottom of each column to ensure the tubing is straight.
- One at a time, reattach your columns' irrigation hoses to the elbow connectors in the lid. Connect and twist each column into place. When assembled correctly, all slots should face the lights, and the black arrows at the base of your columns will no longer align.
- Insert the metal crossbar, upper blades, and screws.
- Add all yPods to your columns, and return the plants you kept (if any) to your Gardyn. Be sure to cover any empty yPods with Pod Caps to prevent anything unwanted from entering or growing inside your device.
7. Bring your Gardyn back online
- Reconnect your Gardyn to power and turn it on when you're done. Let your Gardyn wake up, which may take ~5 minutes. Do not touch the silver button - your Gardyn will come back online shortly, and the lights will turn on as scheduled.
- You can test that you reattached your irrigation hoses and columns correctly by tapping the Water tile in your app to manually activate the pump. If you hear the pump engaging and water flowing through your columns, you're good to go!
- Don’t forget to log your completed cleaning as a tank refresh in the app when you’re done!
Your plants should thrive in your newly cleaned Gardyn. To help keep your device shining from the inside out and prevent new growth, we recommend adding our plant-based water treatment solution, HydroBoost, to your Gardyn, so you can skip Light Cleaning altogether and reduce the need for a Deep Clean in the future! Learn more about HydroBoost here.
Questions? Reach us at support@mygardyn.com, or chat with us. We're here to help!