Water features can make for a beautiful, tranquil setting. It can turn your backyard into an oasis. However, like most things outside, your water features will need a good clean to keep working correctly and looking their absolute best. From ornate, unique designs to simple fountains you will need to keep everything clean to maintain its working order.

Cleaning a fountain or other water feature may seem daunting, but it doesn’t have to be, especially if done regularly.

WHY DOES MY WATER FEATURE NEED A DEEP CLEAN?

With flowing water, you may think there is not a lot of build-up or dirt, debris and algae, but that is not true. Things can easily get clogged and look dreary. You should be cleaning your water fountain every one to two months to keep it running and looking great.

Smaller fountains will need to be cleaned more often while large fountains can usually be done every other month. This is because smaller fountains have less water to dilute algae and therefore build-up is greater.

WHAT YOU NEED

• Non-abrasive scouring pad
• Bucket of water
• Mild soap or cleaning solution
• Water clarifier or algae preventative
• Clean rag
• An old toothbrush
• Water feature cleaning solutions

There are plenty of water fountain cleaning solutions on the market. Here are some of the most popular:

Aquapro Bionatural Feature Clean – Bionatural is true to its name as a natural solution for your water feature. It has natural plant extract and unique bacteria strain that is harmless to wildlife that prevents the growth of algae, white scale, surface staining and water discolouration.

Clearpond Feature Clean – This is a great product for fountains but not for any other water feature that may have fish in it as it can be harmful. It will help prevent algae and is good as a treatment after a heavy cleaning.

 HOW TO CLEAN WATER FEATURES

There are a few different aspects of water features, and each will need their own type of care.

For the fountain itself, turn it off and take out anything within the fountain like stones and clean them individually to ensure there are no lingering algae on them.

Remove the pump. Empty all the water from the fountain. Some large fountains can be emptied with a shop vac.

Use your non-abrasive sponge to clean the inside of the basin/pan using your choice of cleaning solution and bucket of water to rinse. Scrub away until you have gotten rid of all the algae and white scale build-up. Once cleaned, rinse off with a water rag to wipe off all the soap.

For the pump, take it to a sink for an easy clean. You should be able to remove the backing and see the propeller. Use a toothbrush to get into the crevices to wipe away grime gently. Put it under running water to help flush it all out. If you can remove the tubing easily, then do so and rinse with warm running water.

When done, you can put it back together and back onto your clean fountain. You may want to use a solution in the water to help prevent any white scale or algae build-up.

If you don’t have a fountain yet because you’re worried about the maintenance, as you can see, it can be relatively easy and will provide you with something very special added to your garden.

Create ambience with a water feature from Rameshwaram Marble.