Cleaning terracotta pots for winter....

[nocluemum]

We are moving in the next month or so and I want to sort out all the summer pots ready to move and store for winter. Seem to remember that the sensible thing to do is to empty them all of plants soil etc and then clean them with some sort of bleach solution. Is this right? And if so what should I use.....

Bleach is really harsh and I am trying not to use it so often. Empty the pots and give them a good scrubbing with a brush and just water. Rinse, give them an airing and stack. Bear in mind that you cannot be sure that what goes into the pots when you are planting, is pest free. Once a pot is empty and scrubbed, pests have little to thrive on.

I use citrox natural disinfectant for cleaning my bird table. Apparently you can use it on pots too.