Like you clean most things in your home, you’ll also need to clean your plants.
Plants, like anything stationary, accumulate dust & debris; so its important to give them a clean every once in a while.
If you’ve never thought of doing this, or aren’t sure how, don’t worry – I’ll explain below.
Why clean your plants?
Plants rely on light to create food, so a layer of dust will interfere with the amount of light the leaf/plant absorbs, and so reduces the rate of photosynthesis.
How often should I clean my plants?
How often you clean your plants is not something you need to schedule into your plant care routine, but as a general rule-of-thumb, check your plant every time you water them. If you see a visible layer of dust, or they feel dusty, it may be time to give them a gentle wipe. If you live in a dusty environment or leave your windows open, you may been to clean your plants more often.
How do I clean them?
This will depend on the plant and how dirty it is. Most cleaning can be done with a damp soft cloth (non-abrasive) – gently wiping the dust of the leaves. You can add a bit of soap to remove tougher dirt, if need be. This method is recommended for plants with smooth waxy leaves (Monstera, Pothos etc), but not soft fluffy leaves (Gloxinia, Begonia etc), which you should just dust off with a soft brush.
If you have several plants, and want to save time, put them in the shower and spray them down – avoid high pressure and cold water. Medium pressure with lukewarm water (rain temperature), is advisable.
What if my plant has pests?
In this case, clean these plants seperately – don’t use the same cloth or brush that you’ll use to clean your healthy plants. Its also important to isolate these plants until you get the infestation taken care of, to avoid the spread of pests and disease.
For pest control help – click here
The Houseplant Diaries 