Cleaning orchid soaking pots

[Cym Ladye]

Originally Posted by Joseia

I used to laboriously soak all my watering pots in bleach and then one day I thought - why not just run them through the dishwasher? It was a real time saver!

Water and the heat in the drying cycle are not hot enough in a dishwasher to kill virus. If you really want to kill virus, the best way is to use a 5% solution of bleach and soak pots, saucers and potting utensils for several hours.

Why not just use a shallow plastic saucer under each plant? Place both in the sink. Run water through the pots and let sit in the water in the saucers up to an hour. Then tip out any remaining water into the sink and place the plants back in their usual places. Many people use plastic saucers for house plants to protect the furniture.