How to Clean the Tower Garden in 5 Easy Steps with 1 Magic Ingredient
This article covers deep-cleaning your Tower Garden with citric acid. For routine reservoir checks, pump cleaning and ongoing care, visit our complete maintenance guide.
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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.
Quick answer: To deep clean your Tower Garden, unplug the pump, disassemble the Tower and place the growing pots, clips and net pots inside the reservoir. Fill the reservoir with water and add 1 cup of citric acid. Let everything soak for at least one hour, then rinse thoroughly and reassemble your Tower.
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How to Clean a Tower Garden With Citric Acid
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Unplug the pump, 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.
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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. -
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. -
Rinse everything thoroughly.
Remove each piece, empty the reservoir and rinse the reservoir, growing pots, net pots and other components well with clean water. -
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.
Don't forget the pump between deep cleans. Our pump-cleaning guide walks you through removing roots and debris from the intake.
Where to Find Citric Acid
Need citric acid? You can find the citric acid we use on Amazon.
Continue Learning
Keep your Tower Garden running smoothly with these guides to maintenance, pump cleaning and reservoir care.
🔧 Cleaning & Maintenance
Learn when to check the reservoir, clean the pump, refresh your water and thoroughly clean your Tower.
Read the Maintenance Guide →🧽 Cleaning Your Pump
Clear roots and debris from the pump intake and check that water is reaching your plants.
Read the Pump-Cleaning Guide →💧 Tower Garden Water Guide
Learn how your water source, mineral content and reservoir care affect plant health.
Read the Water Guide →
