I have read a lot about keeping an enclosure clean, both here and online. I have seen a lot of frog enclosures that are no fuss no mess enclosures with dirt, plants and many other things in them that is rarely actualy cleaned out. I realize a snake is messier but why couldn't it be done with a garter enclosure? Sterile soil that is only fertilized by the snakes droppings, safe live plants, live plants in the water area for taking up waste and other self maintaining techniques that basically eliminate the need to clean very many things short of the glass once in a while and maybe a major component clean up every couple years?

Is it more a worry of possible molds and bateria growing and such or is just a LOT of work to try and get it just right? Is there other major concerns over this that I am not thinking about?