While your terracotta garden pots may look fresh, clean and full of life during the spring and summer months, by the time fall comes around, they are beginning to look a little dull and dirty. While there may not be much going on in the way of flowers in the pots during the fall and winter, you still don’t want them to be dirty and look awful in your garden. With that in mind, read on for a few of the top tips for cleaning your clay pots.
An antique Italian terracotta garden pot that has accumulated plant growth & grim over the years. This aged aesthetic is considered desirable by some.
This is what a clean terracotta garden pot looks like. This aesthetic can be maintained simply by regularly cleaning the pot (see below for details).
Remove the Soil
The first step in cleaning your terracotta garden pots is easy. Simply remove the plant itself and empty out the soil that is remaining in the clay pot. One thing to note; it’s easier to remove soil from the clay pot if you let it dry out first. If you start to clean it while it’s wet, it will end up being a muddy mess and removing the soil is longer be a simple process.
Scrub the Dirt Away
Once the soil is removed from the pot, it’s time to get down to the dried on dirt that remains. It’s best to scrub this away with a stiff scrubbing brush. Wash both with water, not soap, because soap can leave behind a residue you’ll have a difficult time getting rid of. Once, the inside of the clay pot is free of dried dirt, use the same scrubbing brush to free the dirt from the outside of the pot as well.
For more tips on how to clean your terracotta garden pots the right way, contact us for help.