How to Clean Houseplants

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

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

• 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