How to do a Deep Cleaning of your Gardyn

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 get 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!)

• 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 them on 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 solution of 2 Tablespoons of citric acid mixed in 2 cups of water.

• Using the same solution, remove any remaining yPods and Gardyn Caps from your Gardyn and soak them for 15 minutes, or leave overnight. Not only does this sterilize the pieces, but it will help remove any biofilm or algae. Your Gardyn's columns should now be empty. 

  TIP: If the biofilm or algae on your yPods/Gardyn Caps is stubborn and doesn't come off after the soak, you can use a bottle brush to scrub them after soaking. Just remember, it's okay if not all the growth comes off!

• Check your app to make sure you have at least 3 (Gardyn Home) or 2 (Gardyn Studio) gallons of water in your tank before beginning, and add water if needed.

• Pour 1 cup (Gardyn Home) or 3/4 cup (Gardyn Studio) of citric acid into 2 cups of water and mix well to dissolve, then pour the dissolved mixture directly into your tank's dirty water through the watering compartment. In your app, manually activate a watering cycle by tapping the water level tile and toggling the cycle to on (green).

• While the water cycle is running, spray the inside of your columns through every open slot using the same citric acid-water solution from above.  Let the water cycle automatically end after 15 minutes.

• Once the water cycle ends, scrub inside each open slot of the colunn with a bottle brush.

• When done scrubbing, run another water cycle from the app to wash any debris from your scrubbing down the columns.

• While this second water cycle is running, wipe down the exterior of your columns with the same citric acid-water solution from above.

• Now that the columns are clean, empty the tank of the citric acid solution and add 3 (Gardyn Home) or 2 (Gardyn Studio) gallons of fresh water. In your app, run another watering cycle to rinse the clean water throughout your columns. The water cycle will automatically turn off after 15 minutes.

• When the watering cycle is complete, detach and wash your tank with dish soap and water, ensuring you rinse it well.

• Using a damp rag, wipe down the metal light bar and plastic cover of your LED lights.

• First you need to gain access to the underside of your lid by tilting the upper half of your Gardyn down (no screwdriver needed!):

• Once you can access the underside of your Gardyn's lid, gently wipe off the water level sensor, shown below, with water only, then dry.

Lids vary slightly depending on Gardyn type and model: Gardyn Home (above) and Gardyn Studio (below) lid undersides

• Use the same citric acid-water solution from earlier to wipe down everything else underneath the lid, including the funnels, irrigation hoses & pump holder (no need to detach anything!) along with the lid's upper wood and all sides of the wood cap. Dry all wood immediately when done.

• If you need to let your Gardyn sit empty after cleaning because you're starting fresh after a pest problem, your deep cleaning is now complete! Allow your Gardyn to dry out and sit empty for 3-4 weeks.

• Let your Gardyn reboot, which can take ~5 minutes. Your light and water schedules will pick up where they left off, so you're good to grow! Don’t forget to log your completed cleaning as a tank refresh in the app when you’re done.

• 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 3 gallons of water only (no plant food, same for Gardyn Home and Gardyn Studio) and reset your SOW Date in the app. If you're returning mature plants to your Gardyn, dissolve 1/2 teaspoon of plant food per gallon of water to fill your tank (5 gallons for Gardyn Home, 4 gallons for Gardyn Studio).

• Add all yPods to your columns, and return the plants you kept (if any) to your Gardyn. Be sure to cover any empty slots with Gardyn Caps (no yPod needed!) to prevent anything unwanted from entering or growing inside your device.

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!