What is the first step to clean general spray equipment?

The first step to clean general spray equipment is to drain the sprayer tank and lines. This is crucial because it removes any leftover herbicide or chemical residues from the system, which can contaminate future applications or interfere with the effectiveness of subsequent products. Thoroughly draining the tank and lines ensures that you start the cleaning process with a clean slate, preventing cross-contamination and ensuring that any subsequent cleaning steps can be more effective without the presence of residual chemicals.

Taking this initial step helps to avoid the risk of chemical reactions, dilution issues, and ensures that any cleaning agents used in later steps can work more effectively on a fully purged system. Once the tank and lines are drained, the next steps—such as filling the tank with clean water or circulating a cleaning solution—can be executed without residual contaminants affecting the efficacy of those cleaning agents.