Hydrogen Peroxide – Green Garden Tribe

A grow room needs to be extremely clean to be an ideal environment to grow healthy plants. Not all household cleaners can do an excellent job at cleaning your grow room. Cleaning a glowing room with hydrogen peroxide has been found to be the most effective. A grow room is a controlled environment for growing plants. You can use either a grow tent or a room. A grow room typically includes: • Power Supply • Pant containers • LED grow lights • Oscillating / rotating fans • Carbon Filter • Humidifier • PH Meter • Ducting and Inline Fan • Thermo-Hygrometer • Bud Trimming Machine • Timer • Watering Can • Spray Bottles • Pruners Why would you like to have a grow room? A grow room allows you to harvest produce all-year-round because you are creating a suitable environment for your garden. Having a grow room is not only being able to grow plants in a controlled environment but also an alternative to having an indoor garden. Similar to an outdoor garden, keeping a grow room (indoor garden) clear and clean can make your plants grow healthy and strong or kill them. Reasons to Clean a Grow Room? Despite its importance, cleaning a grow room is often an overlooked task. Many people ask, why should you clean a green room? • An indoor garden comes with many problems and maintaining a clean green room often combats these problems. • Equipment and surfaces in the green room should be kept clean to prevent pests and diseases that can affect your plants. Diseases affect the growth quality of the plants and can even cause death. • A clean and sanitized grow room keeps viruses, bacteria, and fungi away. Dirty spaces breed bacteria, fungi, and plant diseases. • Plants with diseases attract insects that can impact the productivity of your plants. They can also completely destroy your plants. • A clean grow room improves your plants’ health. Healthy plants produce higher yields. • A clean grow room keeps you safe. You can trip or clean on dirty floors. When you do not clean your grow room, you do not have the opportunity to check on the equipment's stability. How to Clean your Grow Room? Cleaning a grow room is not similar to cleaning a garage or a standard room. Cleaning a grow room entails sanitizing, disinfecting, and sterilizing the room. Please do not confuse these terms because they do not mean the same things. Sanitizing means reducing harmful pathogens to a safe level, often close to zero. When pathogens are on a safe level, your plants are most unlikely to have diseases. Disinfecting your grow room means killing viruses, bacteria, and fungi. Sterilizing, on the other hand, is more extreme than sanitizing and means killing all life forms. Cleaning means sanitizing your grow room. When you properly sanitize your grow room, you keep all harmful microbes away from your plants. If you do not want viruses, fungi, and bacteria from getting to your plants, you need to clean your grow room. Pathogens will enter your grow room, whether you like it or not. They may make their way through dirty containers, new plants, or even through your body or clothes. Regardless of how these pathogens entered your grow room, you will need to kill them; otherwise, they will multiply and make your plants sick. You have many options on how to clean(sanitize) your grow room. Cleaning a grow room with hydrogen peroxide is one of the most popular options. There are hydrogen peroxide products explicitly designed for grow rooms. Why use Hydrogen Peroxide? Hydrogen peroxide is a colorless chemical with a sharp smell and looks similar to water. It is typically used in homes for cleaning and disinfection. It is also used to remove scum and algae from home aquariums and also to kill mites. You may have also heard of hydrogen peroxide as a medication used to disinfect wounds or minor cuts and for treating acne and boils. Hydrogen peroxide comes commonly mixed with water and has 6% HO and 94% ordinary water. This type of hydrogen peroxide cannot be used for grow rooms. Grow rooms need hydrogen peroxide that is about 100 times stronger than regular hydrogen peroxide you would typically find in a drugstore. Hydrogen peroxide for grow rooms should come with a 30% concentration. To clean your grow room, mix 3 ml of hydrogen peroxide with one gallon of water. Never use undiluted hydrogen peroxide because it can be very strong. Make sure to also wear eye protection and gloves when using hydrogen peroxide to clean your grow room. Cleaning Grow Room with Hydrogen Peroxide Soil, heat, moisture, and nutrients can bring bacteria, fungi, and plant diseases inside your grow room and turn it into a mess. Cleanliness will stop these elements from invading your grow room. You should clean your grow room before planting, during the growing time, and after harvesting. • Before Planting Whether you are using new or existing supplies and equipment, they should be thoroughly cleaned. Tolls, tubes, and pots should be without dust and dirt because microbes thrive on them. Residual organic matter found in soil can also be a breeding ground for fungi. You can sterilize soil in the oven for about 30 minutes at 1800F. Quarantine plants for about ten days if they are coming from other growers. Watch out for any signs of pests and other diseases and treat them before moving the plants to your grow room. • During Grow Time The nutrient solutions fed to your plants can be a breeding ground for fungi. Make sure to wipe all even small spills because spores can move in and spread from there. The humid air inside the grow room is also ideal for algae, mold, and mildew formation. Use a sulfur-based fungicide specifically for grow rooms to get rid of mold and mildew. Plants in your grow room need outside air. Unfortunately, outside air carries spores, disease organisms, and dirt. Your ventilator’s High-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters can take care of that problem. • After Harvest You should be giving you're grow room a deep clean at the end of the growing cycle. You should clear all residual bits of dried nutrients and plant matter because they are breeding grounds for fungi and pathogens. All surfaces and supplies should also have a deep clean. Clean the entire grow room and everything inside with hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Hydrogen peroxide can effectively clean all surfaces without leaving any residue because the solution breaks down into water and oxygen. What you will need: • Mop and bucket; broom, brush, and dustpan • Soft cloths and sponges • Hydrogen Peroxide • Vacuum Cleaner • Reverse Osmosis Water or Distilled Water • Duct Tape • Protective Goggles • Gloves 1. Before cleaning your grow room, make sure to switch off all equipment, except the extraction fan. The fab will get rid of the toxic fumes of hydrogen peroxide. It is also best to bring down the hanging lights to make them easier to clean. 2. Remove all containers and pots, and other room components to make cleaning the entire room easier and quicker. 3. Sweep the floor to remove dirt and debris. These are common breeding grounds for pathogens and pests. 4. Sterilize your growing equipment with a hydrogen peroxide solution. • Before handling hydrogen peroxide, wear protective goggles and gloves. • Mix 1 part (30%) hydrogen peroxide and 2 parts water in a spray bottle or bucket. If possible, choose food-grade hydrogen peroxide. This solution is powerful enough to sterilize your grow room and kill all pathogens and pests. However, you will still need to scrub the really dirty parts and stains with a sponge or brush. • Spray all surfaces from the ceiling and floor. Be careful not to spray the hydrogen peroxide solution on the lights any on yourself. You can also prepare the solution in a bucket and use a sponge or cloth to wipe the surfaces. • Disable your equipment and clean all filters, tubing, and trays. Check for any damaged drip lines and tubing. • Allow the surfaces to dry. 5. Clean the pots very well if you intend to use them for a few more growing cycles. Spray the hydrogen peroxide solution on each pot and rinse with water. 6. Clean, sanitize, and sterilize the irrigation system before starting a new growing cycle to eliminate grime build-up. Empty the buckets or trays and reservoir and wipe them inside out with the hydrogen peroxide solution and allow them to air dry. Other Areas to Clean Cleaning, sanitizing, and sterilizing everything inside your grow room may be useless if you do not clean the ventilating system. • Turn off all power in the grow room. •Wipe the dust off the ducting system and the exterior of the fans. •Remove all filters from the air extraction outlet. •Check the seals and ducting for any damage. Reseal loose joints or holes with duct tape. • Replace the carbon filters to ensure their efficiency in getting rid of the odors in the air. While you are at it, check the electrical connections as well. Make sure the cables to the extractor fan, ballast, lamps, etc… are tightly screwed. When you are done with all the cleaning and checking, put everything back in place. Switch on the power and check that everything is perfectly working. Now, your grow room is clean and ready for the next growing cycle. Safety Tips when Cleaning with Hydrogen Peroxide Hydrogen peroxide should always be used as a diluted solution. When used as a pure chemical, hydrogen peroxide can pose serious safety and health hazards; thus, you should always dilute it with water. It should also be handled, stored, or disposed of with care. • Hydrogen peroxide can be corrosive to the eyes, respiratory system, and skin. It can cause damage to the tissues of the eyes and can burn your skin. Make sure to wear protective goggles and gloves when handling hydrogen peroxide. • Make sure to have an eyewash station, shower, or a bucket of clean water nearby just in case hydrogen peroxide splashes on your eyes. • When cleaning your green room with hydrogen peroxide, start from the ceiling and work to the floor. Focus on the corners and the area around the vent openings. • Place rugs on the floor to prevent having a slippery floor when working on the ceiling and walls. It is basically safe to clean your grow room with hydrogen peroxide. It is crucial, though, that you be careful with what you mix hydrogen peroxide with. • Never mix hydrogen peroxide, bleach, and white vinegar in one container. The chemical reaction this mixture may create can cause adverse effects. Instead, you can use vinegar only and follow up with hydrogen peroxide for added disinfecting action. Here are some first-aid guides in any event that you get exposed to hydrogen peroxide: • Skin Contact. Remove your contaminated clothes. Flush your skin with plenty of water. Use an emollient to cover your irritated skin. You can also use an anti-bacterial cream and disinfectant soap. In severe cases, seek medical attention. • Eye Contact. Remove your contact lenses if you wear them. Flush your eyes with plenty of water. Do this for about 15 minutes. In severe cases, seek medical attention. • Get out to seek some fresh air. If you have difficulty in breathing, you should be given oxygen. • If you swallowed some hydrogen peroxide, never force yourself to vomit. Immediately seek medical attention. After cleaning your green room with hydrogen peroxide, properly store or dispose of the solution. Store hydrogen peroxide in a tightly closed jar or container and keep it in a cool and dry place. The area should be away from sources of moisture, heat, and ignition. It is also best not to store hydrogen peroxide near incompatible materials, including alkalis, acids, organic materials, oxidizing agents, and combustible materials. Make sure to dispose of hydrogen peroxide by following local environment control, state and federal regulations. Final Thoughts Cleaning a grow room with hydrogen peroxide provides a lot of benefits. It is a non-toxic substance; thus, it is generally safe to use. It is a strong disinfectant, yet it will not cause pollution or any damage to the environment. After every harvest (before starting a new growing cycle), make sure to clean your grow room with a hydrogen peroxide solution even if there are no issues with diseases or pests. A clean and sanitized grow room is one of the assurances your indoor plants will grow healthy and strong. It will also ensure a good harvest. Jenny M Tribal Writer Edited by Patricia Godwin