When your potted plant has been looking tired for a while and it's not just a simple case of drought or over-watering then its time to plant something new. However if you plan to reuse the old pot then you should consider a bit of hygiene  . Without it you could transfer disease to the new plant.
The old plant and its medium
If possible wrap the old plant top-down in a plastic bag before you remove it from the pot and wear disposable plastic gloves. Remove the plant and the plant medium from the garden - don't put it in the compost.
Cleaning the pot
- Wash the pot thoroughly until there is no dirt left.
- Soak the pot in 10% household bleach solution for 30 minutes. In other words a solution of 1 part bleach to 9 parts water. The active ingredient in bleach is chlorine that kills fungi and some parasites.
- Rinse the pot with water.
How to reuse a plant pot.
Cleaning the tools
If you used a cutting tool to remove the old plant then you should apply the same treatment to the tool. To prevent metal corrosion rinse the tool and wipe with a rubbing oil afterward.
Too much sanitazion?
Do you think this approach is too much for a potted plan? Personally I think not - okay so I'm not running a nursery but I do spend a substantial amount of time caring for my plants and I hate to see them go under  .
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