With another season of strong crop values expected in 2026, protecting every hectare has never been more important. One of the simplest ways to avoid unnecessary losses is by ensuring your boom sprayer is thoroughly cleaned between applications.
Image showing crop damage (at front) that occurred due to a dirty sprayer
Even trace amounts of herbicide residue can have costly consequences, including:
- crop damage, delayed maturity and yield loss
- maximum Residue Limit (MRL) breaches
- blocked filters, nozzles and spray lines
- equipment corrosion
- reduced spraying efficiency and uneven application.
Despite advances in spray technology, poor boom sprayer hygiene continues to be a preventable cause of crop damage and financial loss. A thorough clean should include the entire spray system—not just the main tank, but also filters, hoses and boom lines where residues can accumulate.
The right tank cleaner for the job
Using the right tank cleaner makes the job easy and means the job is done right.
Rather than keeping multiple cleaning products on hand for the removal of different crop protection chemicals, growers can simplify the process with All Clear DS. Designed to clean a broad range of herbicide and pesticide residues, All Clear DS delivers consistent performance across many of the products used in Australian farming.
Independent laboratory testing has shown All Clear DS performs as well as, and in many cases better than, the cleaning agents recommended on individual product labels.
For example, when tested against residues of a butafenacil/triasulfuron product, a water rinse alone removed around 60 per cent of the residue. Following the label recommendation of household bleach containing 4 per cent chlorine improved the clean-up to just 69 per cent.
By comparison, a water rinse followed by All Clear DS achieved an impressive 97 per cent clean.
Before and after filter cleaned using All Clear DS
The results were equally convincing with other herbicides. Testing found All Clear DS removed 22 per cent more Hammer and Roundup residue than the detergent cleaner recommended on those product labels.
Excellent cleaning results have also been demonstrated on products including Spinnaker, Sakura, Boxer Gold, 2,4-D Ester 800, Lontrel, Broadstrike and Valor.
Across AgNova's testing program, All Clear DS has consistently delivered equal or superior cleaning performance compared with other commercial tank cleaners, regardless of the herbicide chemistry involved.
One of its biggest advantages is its versatility. Tank mixes can create a challenge when one product recommends a chlorine-based cleaner while another specifies an alkaline cleaner—two cleaning agents that should not be mixed. All Clear DS removes the uncertainty by providing an effective single-product solution.
For growers and rural retailers alike, All Clear DS offers a practical, convenient and reliable option. It's easy to use, has excellent shelf stability, remains effective from season to season, and eliminates the need to stock multiple cleaning products.
As spraying programs continue throughout 2026, don't let residues from the last job compromise the next one. Make boom hygiene part of every spray routine and keep All Clear DS on hand whenever you're replenishing your crop protection products.
Keep it simple and stick with All Clear DS - because little else does!
This article was written by Andrew Glover, AgNova Technologies Business Manager for Seasons.
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