Flowerpot Clean-up Tips: What to Do With Your Flowerpots When Your Flowers Are Dead

by Ann at Go West Gardener | Updated: Sep 26, 2024

Flower pot clean-up tips: What to do with flower pots when flowers are dead - how to clean your flower pots

Friends, the end of the flowerpot season is like the end of a dinner party.

You’ve had an amazing evening of laughter, stories and delicious food. (“Oh my God, that was so good! I need that recipe!”) Your heart feels so full.

And then… you walk into your kitchen.

Sweet Mother of Lassie.

Your counters are lined with dirty dishes, empty wine glasses and serving utensils you didn’t even know you owned. You have caked-on pots and pans tucked into the stove, the refrigerator and other secret hidey-holes.

And ugh, your dishwasher only holds so much!!

I always have a similar feeling after a season of gardening.

After a summer of pretty flowers, there’s some flowerpot clean-up to do. And let’s be real, the clean-up isn’t going to be the highlight of your season.

“Wait, whaaat??? I need to clean my pots?”

Rest easy, you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do!

But a little clean-up can make a BIG difference for your flowers next season.

I didn’t used to clean my flowerpots, but I have become a believer after experiencing some issues. For example, salt residue can build up on the inside of your pots. It can create problems for your young plants next season. (Headaches, hassles and struggling plants!)

With just a little cleaning, you eliminate those issues.

Here’s what to do with your flowerpots when your flowers are dead.

First, here are supplies for cleaning your pots that are helpful to have handy.

Supplies needed to clean flowerpots when flowers are dead

1) Empty out the dead flowers, roots, and used potting soil.

I suggest you set up a garbage bag and a compost bag. Compost bags are often available in the fall at local hardware stores.

Throw diseased plants in the trash bag and plants for recycling in the brown paper bag

The trash bag is for dead plants that looked diseased. Throw away any plants that looked diseased at the end of the growing season, as well as all the potting soil from that flowerpot. (No judgment! These things happen.)
The compost bag is for dead flowers and roots that were healthy. They can get turned into “compost.” Compost is an awesome material we can add back into our garden soils to improve their quality. Pull the dead plants out of your flowerpots. Add all of your dead plants that were healthy at the end of the season to the compost bag. (You also can create your own compost pile, but that’s a topic for another time.)

Pulling a dead flower plant out of a flower pot when the flower has died

Flowers that are dead are placed in a brown, paper compost bag

Click here for options for what to do with old potting soil >>

2) Clean your flowerpots.

When your flowers are dead and you’ve emptied everything out of your pots:

Brush off any lingering dirt and white residue from the inside (and bottom) of your pots. I use a soft bristle brush from the hardware store. Avoid brushes that are too stiff because they can scratch your pots. If you can’t get the white residue off with a brush… You can try using a plastic puddy knife to scrape and get under the tough spots. It works pretty well, particularly on residue at the bottom of your pots. You also can try soaking your flowerpots in a mixture of vinegar and water. (If you’re wondering what the white residue on your flowerpots is, scroll down for quick explanation.)

Brush the insides of your flower pots with a soft brush

Rinse your flowerpot with water. I like to set the hose nozzle on the “jet” setting. It typically does a good job removing dirt.

Remove any roots that have grown into the holes at the bottom of your pot. You want to make sure the holes are free of any debris for the next growing season, so water can drain freely from your pots.

Remove any roots that have grown into the holes at the bottom of your pots

Repeat these steps for each pot.

How flower pots look after the flowers have died and they've been cleaned

“What IS that white stuff on my pots?”

Many of us have hard water. That white residue is likely a build-up of calcium and salts from watering and fertilizing.

It won’t be great for your plants’ roots next season.

I’ve found it’s easier to get the white residue off when it’s fresh in the fall, rather than waiting until the spring.

It’s kind of like the pan you cook lasagna in. That cheese residue will be much easier to get off before it fully hardens. Clean the residue while it’s still fresh, if you can.

But no worries if you decide to wait until spring!

3) Store your empty flowerpots for the winter.

To help keep your pots clean and protect them from cracking or breaking:

Store your empty flowerpots out of the elements, if possible. Ideally, you’d store them someplace that stays above freezing temps, like an attached garage. That way, pots that are vulnerable to freeze damage and breaking (like terracotta pots and ceramic pots) are less likely to crack and break. But if that isn’t an option, store your pots in a shed or on a covered porch.
If you leave your pots outside, you may want to turn your pots upside down or cover them to keep them clean and keep moisture out.

You may be wondering: “Do I have to protect my flowerpots?”

Nope, you don’t have to, and your flowerpots may be fine!

But just understand, freeze damage can happen, depending on your winter.

See the photo below of one of my neighbor’s flowerpots for an example. I have a bunch of cracked terracotta pots from one of my first winters in Colorado. Oops.

This is what freeze damage to flowerpots looks like. The side of this flowerpot fell off.

Most years, I stop here and call it good.

And if you’ve made it this far, awesome! You’re well on your way to getting next season’s flowers off to a great start.

But it’s worth noting…

The steps above haven’t sterilized our flowerpots.

You may be thinking: “Ummmm, there’s more??? Why do I need to sterilize my flowerpots?”

Plant diseases can carry over from year to year — and not just in the soil, but also on the pot itself. This means a disease you had this last season could ruin next season’s flowers.

So, it’s a good idea to sterilize your flowerpots if:

You had (or suspected you had) diseased plants.
You’ve purchased used pots. It’s best to clean them before you use them.
You want to grow flowers from seeds in your flowerpots. Seedlings need an environment that’s as clean as a bottle for a newborn baby.

If any of these apply to you and you’re willing to go a step further, here are tips to sterilize your flowerpots.

Do you have to empty and clean your flowerpots?

Nope, it’s gardening. You can do what you want!

But cleaning up your pots when your flowers are dead can:

Get your plants off to a healthy start in the spring.
Give you fewer chores at the start of next season. (Yesssss!)
Help your pots look good and last longer.

You’re cleaning up after this year’s flower party, so you’re ready for an amazing season next year.

Hey there, I'm Ann

I’m a professional garden writer, master gardener, blogger and Colorado girl. I help flower lovers in the intermountain west get more beauty with less effort. More about Ann >>