How to Clean the Tower Garden in 5 Easy Steps with 1 Magic Ingredient

We've been growing Tower Gardens since 2009, so we've done our fair share of scrubbing over the years. But there's a much easier way to remove mineral buildup and get your Tower Garden growing pots, net pots and reservoir clean again: citric acid.

After seeing other Tower Garden growers recommend this method, we tried it ourselves—and it worked incredibly well. Instead of spending hours scrubbing individual pieces, you can let the citric acid do much of the work for you.

How to Clean a Tower Garden With Citric Acid

1. Disassemble the Tower Garden and empty the reservoir.
   If you have plants you want to keep growing, place their roots in a tote with a few inches of water—just enough to cover the roots. There's no need to add Mineral Blend if they'll only be there for a few hours or overnight.

   Tip: Leave the bottom growing pot attached to the reservoir lid. It can be tricky to get it back on properly.

2. Place the growing pots, clips and net pots in the reservoir.
   This allows you to soak and clean the removable Tower Garden components at the same time.

3. Fill the reservoir with water and add 1 cup of citric acid.
   Let everything soak for at least one hour. If your Tower Garden hasn't been deep cleaned recently or you have significant mineral buildup from hard water, allow it to soak longer.

4. Rinse everything thoroughly.
   Remove each piece, empty the reservoir and rinse the reservoir, growing pots, net pots and other components well with clean water.

5. Reassemble your Tower Garden.
   Need a refresher? Watch our assembly videos for the Tower Garden FLEX or Tower Garden HOME.

Watch How to Clean a Tower Garden

Want to see the citric acid cleaning method in action? Watch our step-by-step Tower Garden cleaning video below.

How Often Should You Clean Your Tower Garden?

This citric acid method is especially useful for a periodic deep clean or when mineral deposits have built up on your Tower Garden. Routine maintenance between deep cleans can help keep the reservoir, pump and growing system working properly.

For the complete schedule of what to check and clean throughout the growing season, see our Tower Garden Cleaning & Maintenance Guide.