How to Clean Water Troughs and Make a Scrubby
I only have my horse at home during the warmer months mainly due to my water situation. Hoses run from my house back to the horse and goat’s paddock; I do not have pipes back there yet. It’s on the wish list!
Water troughs are a constant battle between algae and leaves for me. Normally I clean the troughs once weekly and refill one other time for the week. Between cleanings, depending on the time of year, leaves will quickly collect in troughs and seem to increase the algae growth!
I used to pull out leaves between cleanings with my hands. Their cold and slimy textures did not make for happy mornings during chores and before the drive to work. I needed something to make my morning a little less cold and wet. A Net! I stumbled across an old goldfish pond net in my shed. Now it hangs near my water troughs and keeps me dry during my daily chores.
For my weekly clean out, I use bleach or vinegar. Bleach is best for the thick algae or if anything got really grimy in the week. Vinegar is great for hard water build up and staying a bit “greener” in my cleaning.
I used to use a stiff bristle brush, but my darling dogs really like to steal them. So, I switched to a homemade scrubby! If you have horses and goats, you probably have rope from your hay. Well, all you need to do is take some of it and tie knots of different sizes and different sections of the rope until you form it to a hand sized scrubby of your liking. They take a little more elbow grease than your normal bristle scrubber, but when the dogs take off with it, I’m not mad.
What are your water trough cleaning practices? Are your animals thieves also?
Our animals are thieves. Their entire lives are devoted to thievery.