Thanks for the info! What do you consider better? Running it through the dishwasher or using bleach/vinegar.
If AeroGarden does sell this product, don't be afraid to try it! None of us have used it so we can't report back to say how effective it is.
I just meant that if you wanted to save yourself some time, the bleach/vinegar options are the quickest in comparison to the product you linked earlier. Dishwasher, though, is definitely great for the convenience and should be completely fine.
For your reference:
Dishwasher
AeroGarden advertises that you can put the deck and bowl of your unit on the top rack of the dishwasher. I've done done this and it works very well. But I do admit I usually hand wash any nutrient and algae build up before putting it in. I've also found that it very lightly warps the bowl/deck (at least, for a couple of my Harvest units), because they don't have a tight fit anymore.
Notes:
For the deck: You can split apart the deck of some smaller units like the Harvest. I definitely recommend doing this to clean the inside of the deck. If you aren't able to open the deck (e.g. the farm units make it impossible), then you definitely should run a cycle with vinegar or bleach+water (see next two sections).
- For the bowl: You can remove most of the parts in the bowl, including the motor/pump (with a screwdriver) if you want to handwash it separately.
Distilled White Vinegar
If you're not a fan of bleach, vinegar is a good alternative. I recommend hand washing your unit first, then filling it up with some vinegar (don't mix with water). Maybe about 5 cups of vinegar. Then run the unit's pump or aerator for 5-10 minutes. Afterwards you'll want to dump the vinegar, fill with water, run for 5 minutes, then dump the water again to remove any traces of the vinegar.
Bleach+water solution
AeroGarden recommends filling the bowl with water and putting about ¼ cup of chlorine bleach and then running the unit's pump or aerator for 5-10 minutes. Afterwards you'll want to dump the solution, fill with water, run for 5 minutes, then dump the water again to remove any traces of the bleach.
Info from AeroGarden on the above 3 methods:
Handwashing
Just because of how nutrients and algae build up and how roots can get tangled in certain places, it may be good to handwash the bowl and grow deck before doing any of the other methods. An old toothbrush can help get in the grooves.
But I do recommend using this method with another one such as a vinegar or bleach cycle, just because it's not always easy to get in all the grooves, especially for the grow deck.
