I change my reservoir once a week and when i do i pump it out with a sump pump. so before a pump it all out i just hose down the inside of the reservoir to stir up any sediment and salts. i then flush my plants with regular water and when i empty the reservoir again i hose it down again. this gets it pretty well cleaned out. by doing this once a week i only actually need to clean my rez once at the end of each cycle. when i do actually break it all down and clean it, if you let the stuff soak in vinegar it will break any salts up that have hardened in there and make it a lot easier to clean.