While water features can transform your outdoor space into a private oasis or the entertainment space you’ve always wanted, it does come with its own set of maintenance requirements to stay looking its best and functioning properly. One of the biggest things you can do to keep your water feature installation in top condition is to learn how to clean water feature rocks!
Today, we’re exploring different methods for how to clean water feature rocks from chemicals to home remedies and more. As long as you stay on top of regular water feature maintenance, these tasks won’t take much time at all and you can spend more time enjoying your beautiful yard!
Learning How to Clean Water Feature Rocks Easily
Whether you’ve got a backyard koi pond installation or a smaller pondless waterfall, chances are you’ll need to learn how to clean water feature rocks. Rock water features are some of the most popular types of water features available, but natural stones and pebbles you’ve added to the basin of any water features need to be looked after, as well. After all, you want people focusing on the elements of a Japanese garden water feature in your zen space, not the grime that comes from the water itself!
Learning how to clean water feature rocks really isn’t all that difficult. Depending on the kind of water feature you’ve chosen, you may not even need to do a deep clean super often. For example, you may choose to do a deep clean of a backyard fountain every few months. Since these fountains are typically a little smaller in scale, the task really won’t take all that long. Larger ponds, however, should be drained and deep cleaned every spring as part of your spring cleaning checklist. Choosing the right plants or having fish in a pond can help reduce the amount of algae buildup and upkeep required between deep cleans.
Let’s dive into learning how to clean water feature rocks! Some of the simplest methods are:
- Power washing landscape rocks in water features
- Scrubbing water feature rocks manually
- Making homemade water feature cleaner
- Using chemical cleaners for tough jobs
- Boiling and bleaching water feature rocks
Power Washing Landscape Rocks in Water Features
First up on our list of methods for how to clean water feature rocks is power washing. When you’re draining your backyard pond for a deep clean, some of the submerged water feature rocks may have developed thick layers of algae or sediment buildup that needs to be removed before you can fill it back up. The simplest way to spray the rocks clean: power washing!
Before power washing, be sure to drain the water feature completely and turn off the pumps. You can remove the rocks from the water feature installation entirely or leave them be to spray them. After you’ve sprayed them thoroughly, refill the water feature basin and skim off any lingering loose debris that floats to the surface.
Scrubbing Water Feature Rocks Manually
The most tedious of the methods for how to clean water feature rocks is scrubbing them manually. While it is the most labor-intensive, it’s also a very effective way to scrub them clean of algae, buildup, and hard water stains that may have occurred. Using a firm brush, remove the rocks from the water feature and give them a thorough scrubbing. You can also use a wire brush if you prefer, though they may scratch or otherwise damage some rocks.
After scrubbing the rocks manually, give them a rinse to clear them from any remaining grime and place them back in the basin.
Making Homemade Water Feature Cleaner
Continuing our exploration of how to clean water feature rocks, let’s talk about some home remedies you may consider. A gentler alternative to harsh chemicals, the most popular homemade water feature cleaner is very simple to put together. The only ingredients are:
- Baking soda
- White vinegar
- Dish soap
Combine 1 cup of baking soda, 1/4 cup of vinegar, and 1 tablespoon of dish soap until it forms a sort of paste (this can be doubled or tripled depending on your need). Dampen the rocks that need cleaning then spread the paste over their surface and let it sit for 30 minutes. The waiting period gives the solution time to start breaking down hard-water deposits and other buildup that may have happened.
This method for how to clean water feature rocks also uses scrubbing to loosen up the debris and buildup. After scrubbing the rocks down, a quick spray to clear them of the cleaning solution should suffice! If there’s still buildup left after the first round of cleaning with this solution, repeat the process a second time.
Using Powerful Chemical Cleaners for Tough Jobs
If you find yourself needing some heavy duty help while learning how to clean water feature rocks, you may need to turn to more potent commercial cleaners. These powerful chemical cleaners are typically very effective, but you need to be aware of the chemicals you’re adding to your water feature. This is especially important if you have fish or other living things that will be in the pond, as the chemicals could be harmful if not completely removed before reintroducing them into the environment.
Boiling and Bleaching Water Feature Rocks
Last up on our list of methods for how to clean water feature rocks is boiling and bleaching them. While this is often the most effective method for killing and removing algae buildup, it can also lead to lightening your rocks or harming fish or plants living in the water if done incorrectly.
Remove the grimey rocks and place them in boiling water for about 20 minutes. After that, scrub the surface with a firm brush or toothbrush similar to other methods we’ve discussed for how to clean water feature rocks. Once they’ve been brushed off properly, prepare and soak the rocks in a mixture of water and bleach (95% water and 5% bleach) for another 5 minutes. After this process, make sure you thoroughly rinse each stone off in both warm and cold water to get all the bleach off. Any lingering bleach could cause major harm to your water feature ecosystem.
As you have read, learning how to clean water feature rocks isn’t super difficult. While a deep clean each spring is highly recommended alongside consistently removing debris and other small maintenance tasks throughout the year, staying on top of these items makes them go by pretty quickly. Not feeling up to it or want it done without lifting a finger? You can also give a call to our water feature installation professionals in Albany, Saratoga, Schenectady, Colonie and surrounding areas to make sure your water feature is clean and ready to go!
Want some more inspiration for your backyard water features? Check out these additional resources:
