• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

How To Clean Stuff.net

  • Automotive
  • Fabrics
  • Floors
  • House
  • Kitchen & Bath
  • Misc
  • Outdoors
  • People & Pets
  • Stains
  • Blog
  • Ask a Question
Home » Cleaning Guides » Things You Own » Everything Else » How to Clean Houseplants

How to Clean Houseplants

Table of Contents:
  1. General Cleaning
  2. Adding Shine
  3. Additional Tips and Advice
  4. Sources

Dirt and dust can clog the pores of houseplants, making it difficult for them to grow as well as to look nice. Keep your plants healthy with regular cleanings.

General Cleaning

Use the following methods to clean your plants with ease.

You Will Need:

  • A spray bottle
  • Water
  • Dish soap
  • Shampoo
  • An umbrella
  • Lint-free cloth

Steps to Clean the Plants:

  1. Fill a spray bottle with water.
  2. For a more thorough cleaning or to remove any small bugs,¹ add several drops of dish soap² or shampoo³ to the bottle.
  3. Hold an open umbrella between the plants and the wall to prevent water from splashing onto the wall.³
  4. Spray the plants thoroughly with the plain water or soapy solution.
  5. If using soap, rinse the leaves with plain water to remove the soap residue. No need to worry about the detergent on the stems or roots; the detergent will be a mild fertilizer for the plant.²
  6. Wrap your fingers with a lint-free cloth and wipe any remaining dust or dirt from the plant leaves.
  7. Use a different cloth for each plant to avoid spreading any diseases between the plants.²

Adding Shine

If your plants look a little lack-luster, use one of the solutions below to simultaneously dust and shine the leaves.

You Will Need:

  • A banana
  • Hair conditioner
  • Mayonnaise

Steps to Shine the Plants:

  1. Peel a banana and wipe each leaf of the plant with the inside of the peel to remove dust and shine each leaf.³
  2. Place a drop of conditioner on a cloth and rub each leaf with the cloth.³
  3. Dip a paper towel or soft cloth into some mayonnaise and rub each leaf. Use a dry cloth to remove the mayonnaise (along with the dust) and polish each leaf.⁴

Additional Tips and Advice

  • For a fast cleaning of both the tops and bottoms of the leaves, put on a cloth garden glove; you can rub your fingers over both sides of the leaf simultaneously.⁴
  • Sturdy plants can be placed in the shower for a rinse with cool water.⁵
  • If your houseplants are dirty with white mealybugs, cleaning the leaves with rubbing alcohol on a cotton swab will remove the bugs.⁴

Sources

  1. Vinegar, Duct Tape, Milk Jugs & More by Earl Proulx
  2. The Cleaning Encyclopedia by Don Aslett
  3. Extraordinary Uses For Ordinary Things by Reader’s Digest
  4. 99 Cent Solutions by Reader’s Digest
  5. Haley’s Cleaning Hints by Graham and Rosemary Haley

Filed Under: Cleaning Guides, Everything Else Tagged With: plants

Was This Guide Helpful?

+2
0
Rating: +2. From 2 votes.
Please wait...
  • If you would like a response from us, please leave your question in the comment area at the bottom of this page instead of here.

Reader Interactions

Related Posts

How to Clean a Retainer
How to Organize Instruction Manuals
How to Clean a Granite Headstone/Tombstone
How to Remove Ink Stains from Plastic

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Featured Guides

Fresh Strawberries

How to Wash Strawberries

How to Properly Clean and Protect Hands from Coronavirus

How to Clean Hair and Dust from a Bathroom Floor

How to Clean Your Toothbrush

Related Posts

How to Clean a Retainer
How to Organize Instruction Manuals
How to Clean a Granite Headstone/Tombstone
How to Remove Ink Stains from Plastic

Footer

Cleaning Index

  • Cleaning Blog
  • Automotive
  • Clothing & Fabrics
  • Floor & Carpet
  • House
  • Kitchen & Bath
  • Outdoors
  • People & Pets
  • Things You Own

Site Search

About Us

  • About Us
  • Guest Post Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Accessibility Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Ask a Question
  • Contact Us
  • Site Map

© Copyright 2022 HowToCleanStuff.net · All Rights Reserved ·