How to Clean Live Plants

Introducing live house plants to your home is a great way to add beauty and clean air to your living space. Just as any object in your home, particles in the air such as oil, grease and dust can settle on the leaves of your live plants. The buildup caused by these particles can inhibit plants' ability to grow. Follow these steps to clean your live house plants.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Soft Sponge or Cloth
• Leaf Shining Product
• Plant
• Large Sink or Tub With Room Temperature Water and Spray Hose
• Mild Detergent Such as Baby Shampoo

1. Check the label for your plant, or contact a local garden center, to see if there are specific cleaning guidelines for your particular plant.
2. Place your dusty houseplant in a large sink or bathtub, preferably one with a spray hose.
3. Use a soft sponge or cloth to remove dust particles from the leaves of the plant. You should place one hand under the leaf while you use your other hand to gently brush the dust off the top of the leaf.
4. Wash each leaf with room temperature water. You should gently spray each leaf with a spray hose with low water pressure.
5. Add a mild detergent, like baby shampoo, to the water if there is a thick layer of buildup on the leaf. Rinse the detergent thoroughly from the leaves.
6. Allow the plant to drip dry before placing it back in the sunshine. You can dry each leaf by hand if desired.
7. Apply a leaf shining product to the plant if desired. There are aerosol products available at most local garden centers, or you can apply a thin layer of mayonnaise. These products should be used sparingly.

Tips & Warnings

• Live plants are breakable. You must use gentle products and a soft touch to clean live plants.
• Dusting plants once a month is a good rule of thumb to prevent buildup. The more often you dust, the less often you need to wash the plant.
• It is a good idea to perform other maintenance such as pruning and fertilizing your live plant along with this cleaning process.
• Do not overuse plant shining products as these can block the pores of the plant preventing it from completing its photosynthesis cycle.

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