how to clean greenhouse walls

[brit6v]

double panel acrylic

What material is your greenhouse made of? The advice would vary depending on it.

[brit6v]

Good ideas!
Thank for your advice, Martha.
Vicki

If it's glass and there's algae on it then you're going to want to scrub with soap and water, use a brush on a pole. Then rinse with a mild solution of bleach and water, 1/4 cup bleach to a gallon of water, ALWAYS use safety glasses, rubber gloves with bleach. Rinse off with a hose.

With acrylic you have to much more careful since it scratches so easily, you can wash with soap and water and a sponge and you can use the bleach solution on algae but if you want a nice clean, clear finish you have to use rubbing alcohol and a very soft, lint free cloth to dry it. There are special acrylic cleaners, you can usually buy them at framing stores. A lot of framed pictures use a high end clear acrylic instead of glass. If you're really ambitious you can polish your acrylic with car wax on a shady day! - martha

[brit6v]

Bruce, you're funny.

The dust and algae accumulation needs to be removed in my case because I'm afraid that it's interferring with the light. I need more light than shade. My greenhouse sits near the edge of a wooded area, so it gets plenty of shade, especially in the back nearest the woods. My phals like it in the back because of the dappled sunlight through the trees but my catts and dens up front are screaming "more sun!".

If my situation was similar to yours, I wouldn't have quite as much work ahead of me.

How much bleach per gallon of water would you suggest? I have plenty of air circulation, so I wouldn't expect the fumes to be too bad maybe.

Thanks for your reply and advice,
Vicki

People clean the algae off of the greenhouse walls?? WHAT? hahaha.. Just kidding. We have lexan panels on our greenhouse and I give the walls a high pressure rinse every now and again to break down the algae. I never really remove all of it as it adds some shade. Bleach water will both kill and help remove the stuff if you want it gone. Keep the fans going though as the bleach gets to be overwhelming after a bit- at least to me.

cheers,
BD

[brit6v]

Hi John
I need to remove the dust and algae accumulation. More dusty crud than algae.

I don't think just blasting the walls with a hose would do the trick in my case. I tried that on a small place in a corner and the stuff barely budged.

I'm glad you mentioned the possibility of scratching. I'll keep that in mind and be careful.

Thanks for your help,
Vicki

What are you trying to clean off of the greenhouse walls?
If it is just dust/dirt/mud that has collected on the walls just blast it with a garden hose.
If it is algae you can spray it with a product like Physan-20 first, let the algae die off and then they will flake off when you blast them with a garden hose a week later.

When I had a greenhouse, I did not scrub the sides because they were poly/resin panels and would have been scratched even by sponges.

[Gurj]

double panel acrylic

Please be careful with what you use, acrylic can go cloudy with harsh chemicals! A lint cloth and a weak soap solution should be good to work with.

[brit6v]

Thank you! I'm glad you mentioned this. It hasn't crossed my mind.

I've decided to use a very soft cloth and a mild soap and water solution and then go back over the areas with a pressure washer.

I always welcome any advice, so thank you again for your help,
Vicki

Please be careful with what you use, acrylic can go cloudy with harsh chemicals! A lint cloth and a weak soap solution should be good to work with.

[Teena]

Always test in a inconspicuous corner before commiting to the whole greenhouse - martha

[brit6v]

Good idea! Thank you, Martha...
Vicki

Always test in a inconspicuous corner before commiting to the whole greenhouse - martha