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Cleaning your house plants regularly will help to keep them healthy and growing. Dirty house plants are incapable of photosynthesis, the process that enables a plant to absorb sunlight and make its food. When a plant’s stoma (openings where they inhale carbon dioxide and exhale oxygen) is covered with dust and residue it makes the plant have to work harder to complete this usually simple process. Dirty house plants become not only unattractive but sickly and can attract more pests and bugs as well.
Plants that live outdoors receive regular baths from nature whenever it rains. They are dusted by the wind when it blows. Indoor plants need us to do these things for them.
House plants need to be cleaned approximately every month or two, depending on how dusty your home is. You can best clean your firm leaf plants with a soft cellulose sponge or a cotton cloth dampened with tepid water. The use of cleansers or oils is not a good idea as these solvents can further clog the plant’s stomata. If your plant is exceptionally dirty, you can use a drop of a gentle dishwashing liquid in the water.
Clean the house plant by wiping down each leaf individually. Clean the leaves from top to bottom to avoid missing any. Support the leaf with one hand and gently run the dampened sponge or cloth over it, top and bottom. Be careful not to rip or crush the leaves as you wash them.
Do not use this method for plants with hair-covered leaves, such as African violets. When cleaning this type of plant, it is recommended to use a feather duster or a baby’s hairbrush.
Misting your plants is also a good idea. It helps to keep the leaves from drying out and it prevents the dust from settling in. To do this you need a spray bottle and tepid water. Purchase a new spray bottle from your local gardening center as opposed to using an old empty one that may contain harmful solvents from its previous contents. Plants like to be misted every three or four days.
Some plants will benefit further from showering them often. Thoroughly wetting the plant and soil ensures that your plant is getting enough water to its roots and removes all dust and particles from its leaves. Showering your house plant also flushes out impurities and bugs that may have gotten into the soil.
Bring the plants into the bathroom. Depending on the size of your plant, you can use either the sink or tub for showering your plants. Before starting, make sure the shower head is adjusted to a gentle flow so as not to damage the plant. Set your plants into the shower area and using tepid water (never hot or cold) spray them down. Rotate the plant halfway through to ensure the entire plant gets the benefits of this.
Do not remove the plants from the shower area for at least an hour or two to let them drip-dry and remember that they will be heavier after showering than they were before.
Caution, do not shower succulent plants, such as cactuses or the hairy leafed varieties as it can cause spotting on the plant.
The last step to cleaning your house plant is to remove any spent flowers or brown/yellowing and dried up leaves. Use a sharp pair of scissors to remove these without damaging the rest of the plant. Never leave fallen leaves or flowers in the plant’s container as this can lead to disease.
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