# Sanitation

> Cleaning and disinfecting rooms, tools, containers, irrigation and people's clothing so that pests and pathogens are not carried from plant to plant or crop to crop.

- Canonical: https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/sanitation.html
- Also written: hygiene, grow room hygiene, room sanitation, tool sterilisation, tool sterilization, disinfection
- Glossary category: Pests and diseases · Evidence: Established
- Status: Draft: awaiting expert review · Updated: 2026-10-31
- Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/), attribute "GenetixBay cannabis glossary"

Sanitation is the set of hygiene practices that removes or kills pests and pathogens on surfaces, tools, equipment, water and people. It is the cheapest and most effective part of [IPM](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/ipm.md), because it stops problems before they start rather than fighting them later.

## In practice

Core habits: clean and disinfect rooms, walls, floors, trays, pots and irrigation lines between runs; clear plant debris and dead leaves; change or wash clothes before entering the grow, and visit the cleanest room first and quarantine last; sterilise cutting tools between plants when [taking clones](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/cloning.md), using a disinfectant with documented [efficacy](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/photon-efficacy.md) against [viroids](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/viroid.md), since alcohol alone is not reliable against [HLVd](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/hop-latent-viroid.md). Dirty surfaces must be cleaned before disinfecting, because organic matter neutralises many disinfectants. Never mix bleach with acids or ammonia-based cleaners: toxic gases form. Follow each disinfectant's label for dilution and contact time.

## Don't confuse with

- **Sterilisation**: killing all microbes; most grow-room sanitation is disinfection, not true sterilisation.
- **Quarantine**: controls what plants come in; sanitation controls what surfaces and people carry.
- **Sterile reservoir**: a hydroponic strategy, one specific use of sanitation.

## Related terms

[Quarantine](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/quarantine.md), [IPM](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/ipm.md), [Hop latent viroid](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/hop-latent-viroid.md), [Biofilm](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/biofilm.md), [Cultural control](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/cultural-control.md)

## Read more

- [Sanitation and disease prevention for cannabis grows](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/diseases/sanitation-and-prevention.md)

## Sources

1. Punja ZK et al., 2025. Hop latent viroid transmission, spread and longevity in cannabis; meristem tip culture. Plants 14(5):830. https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/14/5/830
2. BC Ministry of Agriculture. Diseases of cannabis in British Columbia (factsheet). https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/farming-natural-resources-and-industry/agriculture-and-seafood/animal-and-crops/plant-health/disease-factsheets/specialty-crops/diseases_of_cannabis_in_british_columbia.pdf