How to Clean Your House Plants
If you asked yourself recently, do I need to clean my plant leaves? The answer is yes, just like watering, your plants should be cleaned and cared for by keeping them dust and dirt free.
Dust on the leaves will block sunlight and reduce the plant’s ability to photosynthesize. Photosynthesis is how the plant feeds itself. Here’s how to safely clean for your houseplants.
Duster or Damp Cloth
Be gentle. Using a dry duster or a lukewarm damp cloth, gently hold the leaf in on hand while cleaning the top moving away from the stem, repeat this process on the bottom.
Spray or Shower
For the even more delicate houseplants — clean them by spraying or showering. Move your plant to the kitchen sink or shower, using a spray bottle spray your leaves with lukewarm water. When showering, keep an eye on the water temperature and pressure. There is no need to keep them in the shower for long, as you do not want the soil to go down your drain.
“If your plants have some build-up that won’t easily wipe away, don’t fear, you have options to help. ”
Dilute Soapy Water
Mix about 1/4 tablespoon dish soap per one quart of water in your spray bottle or a bowl and wipe the leaves down.
Vinegar or Lemon Juice & Water
If you have stubborn plants that need additional love, using a mixture of vinegar and water or lemon juice and water will help. This mixture is not necessary every time you clean your plants. To help prevent pests or pets who cannot keep away. Use one teaspoon of (white) vinegar with a gallon of water, or half of a lemon and a pint of water — lightly spray and or wipe the leaves down, being sure to get under the leave where pest problems can occur.
“Leave the shine products at the store. Plants leaves have tiny holes found in the underside of leaves called stomata. They control water loss and gas exchange by opening and closing, and you do not want to block these with a shine product. ”
While you are cleaning your leaves, this is a perfect time to trim and remove any dead blossoms and check your planter.
Only trim the brown, yellowing, or dead leaves off your plant. You never want to pull—remove leaves only by hand if they are loose. Use scissors to prune away just the browned leaf tips from plants that were left too dry.
While cleaning the planter is not always necessary—if there is a white layer around your planter’s rim, remove the plant from the pot and wash it thoroughly.
Caring for houseplants should not be an impossible task. So throw on your favorite tunes, sing, dance, and clean. Research shows plants respond to noise, why not make it positive?