Dusty indoor plants not only look unattractive and hide the show of colorful foliage, but they also hinder the plant’s ability to photosynthesize. Here are some of the important Basic Tips to Clean Your Houseplants to ensure they look at their best and remain healthy all the time!
Learn How to Clean Garden Tools here
Basic Tips to Clean Your Houseplants
1. The Right Time
Houseplants accumulate dirt over leaves, especially if you have kept them by a window or a door. If you live in a polluted area, your plants suffer from frequent dusty covers.
You can track your houseplant’s dusting needs by rubbing your fingers on the plant foliage every 5-8 days to see whether they need cleaning or not. It is necessary if you want to improve the photosynthesis rate of your houseplants!
2. Spray with Water
The easiest way to clean houseplants like aloe and crown of thorns is to give them a shower bath. Keep a check on the water pressure as it can wash away the growing medium from the pot.
Also, do make sure that you are letting all the excess water flow away from the drainage hole at the bottom of the pot.
It will be a good idea to clean the plants’ leaves in the morning and then keep them in the direct morning sunlight for 3-4 hours.
3. Dust Leaves Using a Feather Duster
If you notice just a thin layer of dust on your houseplant, then you can use a feather duster to get rid of it. Doing this regularly, every 3-4 days, will prevent the dust from forming a thick layer on the foliage.
Ostrich feathers are the best as they can trap in the dust much better than any other similar product.
4. Use Pressure Air
Pressure air is a great way to keep the dust particles off from thick foliage plants like cacti and succulents. Use a can of compressed air, or you can also go for a camera sensor air cleaner. Watch this video to make an air compressor using a plastic bottle.
5. Dunk Plants in Water
This method only works for small plants that are slightly pot-bound or air plants. Hold the pot and dunk the foliage in a bucket of water. This will only make the leaves wet, saving the growing medium from getting overly wet.
Moist the soil a bit first to prevent the spilling of dry soil from the inverted container.
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6. Wiping the Leaves
Wiping the dust off the leaves is the best option for many common houseplants. Indoor plants with fewer and big leaves such as fiddle leaf fig, dieffenbachia, and snake plants can be cleaned using this method.
Take a damp soft cotton cloth and wipe individual leaves by supporting them from the bottom.
7. Use a Mild Soapy Mix if Your Plants are Too Dirty
If your plants look considerably soiled up or suffering from mites infestation. This is a great way–Spray diluted soap solution directly on the leaves and wipe them clean.
To prepare a soapy solution, add 1/4 teaspoon dish soap in 500 ml of RO water.
Do make sure that you are taking the soap solution completely off the leaves.
Bonus Points to Make Your Houseplants Look Clean and Tidy!
8. Prune Yellow and Brown Leaves
While cleaning your houseplants, get rid of the brown, yellow, dead, or loose leaves and stems. Use a pair of clean and sharp scissors to snip them away. This will make the plants look neat.
9. Clean Containers
While cleaning the plants, it will be a good idea to clean the pots too as a clean plant is not going to pair well with a dirty container!
Clean the pots using bleach and water in a 1:10 ratio. Use a brush to give a nice rub.
Tip: Wear good-quality gloves throughout the cleaning process.
10. Keep the Soil Clean
Remove any unwanted weeds from the soil surface and keep aerating the soil’s top layer by gently turning it once a while to promote air circulation and help your houseplant breathe.
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