What are best solutions for cleaning tent / grow area?

Green_Alchemist

Green_Alchemist

Well-Known Member
Good day all;
I’m finally back at it and ready to start my new cycle, however, I ran into some issues with my last grow that I’d like to avoid.

My question is: What solutions would be best to clean the tent? I’ve heard bleach is good, but conflicting studies on if it’s ok to use on spores (had a PM issue last grow) so thinking of going hydrogen peroxide.
I’ve cleaned them before using hydrogen peroxide, but since I had PM in there last run, I want to make sure I don’t see any in future runs.

what’s worked best for you? Any mixture ratio I should shoot for?
Thanks for taking the time to read and for any info/knowledge!
-GA-
 
Jjgrow420

Jjgrow420

Well-Known Member
If I'm going deep clean I do bleach; wipe down let dry then hydrogen peroxide; wipe down. Then I run a UV/ozone bulb inside for an hour to sterilize anything left. There's some products out there that facilities use for cleaning/sterilizing bit they're fairly costly considering....
 
xtsho

xtsho

Well-Known Member
Green_Alchemist said:
Good to know! Is there a ratio you’d recommend? Or just straight vinegar?
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If you have visible mold you spray it on full strength and leave it for an hour. A 50/50 mix with water can be used for cleaning surfaces that might be harboring spores. As with anything it's best to test a small section of whatever you're spraying as different materials react differently.


rkymtnman said:
i've got balsamic, rice wine and malt. which one?
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I would think the rice wine vinegar would be the best out of those options. A gallon of 5% white vinegar is only a few bucks at the grocery store. That's what I use. It's also a great cleaner for other purposes like cleaning glass, shower doors, shower heads, and anything that builds up calcium deposits. It also can be used to remove rust. I've been using it for years as a cleaning agent.
 
harrychilds

harrychilds

Well-Known Member
All I use to clean my tent is about 200 baby wipes and I just keep going over it until the baby wipes don't remove no more dirt/bacteria. And then I wipe it down with a towel and clean again with more baby wipes. I always replace my carbon filter and ducting after every grow just to be sure that smell doesn't leak out. I give my vents a good clean also.
 
HibbityJibbity

HibbityJibbity

Member
The PM is in your home, nothing you can do about that really. Did your temps/humidity get a bit out of control in your last run? Were you running a strain prone to PM? You have these and mold spores all around you in your home all the time.

You can clean your tent until it's spotless inside without a trace of anything. The minute you start sucking air into the tent your sucking in mold, pollen, bacteria an spores of many kinds. It's what happens when it gets in your tent that matters. PM resistant strain, controlling temp/humidity, keeping outside plants outside rather than bringing them inside etc. and having a good PM plan helps immensely.

After a quick tent clean with peroxide/bleach I usually throw the ozone generator in the tent for a few hours just to make sure. That's just turning it on and letting it sit in the tent. That way the tent is clean at least. Whatever the tent sucks into it becomes your PM routine.
 
Rurumo

Rurumo

Well-Known Member
If you don't have issues with mold or PM, then vinegar or a citric acid solution is enough to create an inhospitable surface environment for spores. Bleach is good too, 200 ppms is used for sanitizing surfaces, but if you are taking in new clones you need a 10% bleach solution (5,000 ppms) to sterilize any tools you use on the new clones prior to having them tested for viroids. A hepa air filter for your lung room is one of the best investments you can make, to remove spores from the air column before they become an issue. Healthy plants are great at resisting mold spores-but any wound the plant suffers, whether it's from your snippers or light/wind damage, creates a site where infection can take hold. The best way to avoid infection is to keep a clean environment and to focus on growing healthy plants-don't push PPMs, just go for healthy leaves with no burned tips. A healthy rhizosphere stimulates SAR/ISR, as can substances like aspirin or products like Regalia, which are both good insurance.
 
HibbityJibbity

HibbityJibbity

Member
Rurumo said:
If you don't have issues with mold or PM, then vinegar or a citric acid solution is enough to create an inhospitable surface environment for spores. Bleach is good too, 200 ppms is used for sanitizing surfaces, but if you are taking in new clones you need a 10% bleach solution (5,000 ppms) to sterilize any tools you use on the new clones prior to having them tested for viroids. A hepa air filter for your lung room is one of the best investments you can make, to remove spores from the air column before they become an issue. Healthy plants are great at resisting mold spores-but any wound the plant suffers, whether it's from your snippers or light/wind damage, creates a site where infection can take hold. The best way to avoid infection is to keep a clean environment and to focus on growing healthy plants-don't push PPMs, just go for healthy leaves with no burned tips. A healthy rhizosphere stimulates SAR/ISR, as can substances like aspirin or products like Regalia, which are both good insurance.
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This reminds me though, I also use chitosan in all my grows as well as insect frass is a part of my fertilizer schedule.
 
hotrodharley

hotrodharley

Well-Known Member
“ Bleach kills virtually every species of indoor mold that it comes into contact with including mold spores which leaves a sanitized surface making it resistant to future mold growth. However, bleach is only effective if the mold is growing on non-porous materials such as tiles, bathrubs, glass and countertops.”
 
hotrodharley

hotrodharley

Well-Known Member
“ Hydrogen peroxide is the best mold cleaner for porous surfaces such as bathroom items, clothing, and others. Spray the moldy surface to saturation with 3% hydrogen peroxide then leave it for 15 minutes. Scrub the area with a stiff brush then wipe dry. Avoid rinsing since it encourages mold regrowth.”
 
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