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Cleaning your Tank Lid & Clearing the Floor (Part 2 of 3)

Part 2 of 3: How to clean the Tank Lid, sweep the plant matter, and split compost from trash

After Cleaning your Panel Wall After Harvest (Part 1 of 3), you can begin on your Tank Lid and the floor under your Flex Acre. Neither job needs a drained Tank, which is why both sit in your between-crop reset instead of the 6 month deep clean. Work the Tank Lid first and the floor second, as the plant matter that comes off your Tank Lid is what the broom is for. Follow the steps in Keeping your Flex Acre Clean before you begin.

Gather Tools:

  • 3% Hydrogen Peroxide
  • Clean Towels
  • Scrub Pads
  • Push Broom
  • Broom and Dustpan
  • Compost Bin
  • Garbage Bin

Step 1: Wash your Lid Plugs

  1. Remove the Lid Plugs from your Tank Lid.
  2. Carry the Lid Plugs to the sink.
  3. Wash each Lid Plug.
  4. Set the Lid Plugs out to air dry.

NOTE: YOUR FLEX ACRE CARRIES 6 LID PLUGS. THE ONE WITH THE DRILLED HOLE BELONGS BACK OVER PIPE "A".

Step 2: Clean your Tank Lid

  1. Spray your Tank Lid with 3% hydrogen peroxide.
  2. Wipe the Tank Lid with a clean towel.
  3. Work a scrub pad over any mark the rag does not lift.
  4. Clean where your Panels meet the Tank Lid.
  5. Wipe the cleaned parts with a different clean towel.

That junction is the most common algal growth spot on your Flex Acre, so give it a second pass before you move on. Your Tank Lid also sits directly under the lowest row of Light Bars on each door, which is close enough that where you point the sprayer matters.

CAUTION: KEEP YOUR SPRAY OFF YOUR LIGHT BARS. THE LIGHT BARS ARE NOT WATERPROOF.

Step 3: Replace your Lid Plugs & Sanitize

  1. Confirm each Lid Plug is dry.
  2. Set the Lid Plug with the drilled hole over pipe "A".
  3. Set the remaining 5 Lid Plugs into the open holes in your Tank Lid.
  4. Spray the whole Tank Lid with 3% hydrogen peroxide a second time.

A 3% hydrogen peroxide solution can be bought at most drug or grocery stores, and 3% is the strength to use on every surface of your Flex Acre.

Step 4: Sweep the Floor

  1. Confirm your Tank Lid is clean and all plant matter is on the floor.
  2. Sweep the plant matter into piles with a push broom.
  3. Sweep up each pile with a smaller broom and dustpan.
  4. Carry the full dustpan to your bins.

Everything that comes off your wall and off your Tank Lid lands on the floor, so sweep once your Tank Lid is clean and not before.

Step 5: Sort your Waste

  1. Transfer plant matter, stems and roots into your compost bin.
  2. Dispose of used rockwool cubes in the garbage.

Used rockwool cubes are typically not compostable, which is why they go in your garbage bin rather than your compost bin. Check with your compost company before you change that split, as what a hauler accepts varies. Sorting at the bin is what keeps your compost stream clean, and it takes far less time than pulling cubes back out of a full bin later.

Your Tank Lid is clean and your floor is clear—well done!

Next: Setting your Doors & Panel Plugs for the Next Crop (Part 3 of 3)