How to clean your garden pots, containers and ornaments

Concrete, stone, clay, terracotta and glazed lovelies still outclass plastic and resins. But, like everything else, they need a little maintenance

For all their charming authentic honesty, pots and statues need just a little maintenance. Picture:iStock

Vintage or antique-inspired objects in the garden are a calming vernacular whether you live in a cottage or a rangy semi-D. We all love a bit of pretty or posh in the petunias. Containers and ornamental features can anchor any area, whether you like a cocked super-scaled broken bust, a rural stone trough, or a neo-classical urn. Concrete, stone, clay, terracotta and glazed lovelies still outclass plastic and resins. For all their charming authentic honesty, they do, like everything else, need just a little maintenance.

Starting with un-glazed, clay and terracotta. Completely disinfecting plant pots with a bleach solution is usually not necessary. Most cross-contaminants and horticultural diseases are carried in the soil, not on the surface of a clean pot. Never put bleach or vinegar onto metal containers as it can stain them forever. If the clay pots are seriously green, empty them out to give them a proper inside and outside wash. Fill a plastic bucket or washing-up bowl with warm water and throw in a handful of baking soda. 20 minutes in here will lift the slime. Use some neat baking soda on your gloved fingers to give them a light scrub into any detail. Clean larger pieces that cannot easily be moved with your solution on a soft-loaded sponge. Rinse and air dry before re-planting.