How to Clean Silk Trees
Is your bougainvillea looking a little gray around the edges? Does your silk hibiscus have a bad infestation of dust bunnies? Does your greenery look more "yuck" than yucca? The beauty of silk trees is that they are easy to care for--so easy that we often forget to do it. Going over your silk plants once a week with a feather duster is all it should take to keep them clean, but what if you've let them go too long? Don't worry. No matter how long you've neglected a silk tree, a little TLC will perk it right up. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Silk plant cleaner
- Blow-dryer or anti-static canned air
- Endust
- Feather duster
- Blush brush
Instructions
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1
Spray your tree with silk plant cleaner and let it dry. No wiping is required. Some people, however, find the fumes bothersome and prefer to spray their plants outside, or use an altogether different method.
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2
Turn your trusty blow-dryer to its coolest setting and blow the dust bunnies off your ficus. This strategy works particularly well for extremely dusty plants. You can also use the canned anti-static air that is usually used to clean electronics. Canned air is readily available in the electronics departments of most big retail stores.
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3
Spray a light coat of Endust directly onto a feather duster and ruffle the feathers with your hand to ensure an even coating. Give the tree a good once-over with the feather duster. The tree should come out dust-free, looking and smelling great.
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4
Give your tree a shower. Douse it in the bathtub and let it drip dry, or haul the plant outside and spray it down with a garden hose. Test one leaf first to make sure the water doesn't stain the silk. In most cases, it won't.
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5
Whip out your blush brush and give the tree a leaf-by-leaf makeover. This is not a time-effective strategy, but the tree will look fantastic. Just remember to wash the brush thoroughly when you're done, or you could wind up with a bad allergy attack the next time you're giving yourself the same treatment you gave the tree.
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Tips & Warnings
Dust the tree every week, and give it a more thorough cleaning four times a year.
Test cleaning products, including water, on one leaf first to make sure they will not stain the silk.
