You know your houseplants require a few fundamentals to remain healthy and flourish. Of course, they need regular watering and the right amount of light. However, did you know that houseplants also benefit from periodic, thorough cleaning? Dead leaves can make your plant look messy, and dust on the leaves can block sunlight. Also seriously harming the plant are insects. Insectivorous plants are best for indoor plants.
You might as well give your houseplants some extra care when you start cleaning the rest of your house. Cleaning your houseplants will not only keep them looking their best, but will also make you aware of any pests or other issues they may be having.
Houseplants need to be cleaned occasionally. They accumulate dust just like everything else in our home but spending a little time cleaning them every couple of months will help keep your plants healthy and looking great.
How To Clean The Leaves Of Houseplants
1. Use a Spray Bottle To Mist
A spray bottle is an excellent option for plants that are unable to withstand the force of a spray nozzle. Using a spray bottle to mist your succulents, cacti, and bonsais is the best way to clean them.
2. Clean The Leaves
You can simply remove the leaves from plants that are too large to move with a damp cloth. Plants with few leaves, such as young snake plants or banana plants can also be successfully treated using this strategy. When dusting your furniture or floors after the initial cleaning, you can help prevent dust from building up on the leaves by using a soft duster on them.
3. Aquatize The Plant
Holding the plant’s base at soil level, inverting it into a bucket of water, and swishing the leaves under the water can be used to clean smaller plants. When the pot is turned upside down, the soil won’t fall out if you water it first. To keep the soil contained while cleaning, you could also wrap plastic wrap around the base of the plant. Again, use only lukewarm water and allow the plants to drip dry before rearranging them.
4. Use a Gentle Brush
Some plants, like African violets, dislike getting their leaves wet, while others have sticky or fuzzy leaves that are difficult to clean. In these situations, you can gently remove the dust from the leaves by brushing them with a soft brush, like a mushroom brush.
5. Using a Spray Nozzle, Wash The Plant
Moving medium- to large-sized houseplants to the kitchen sink, shower, or outside and spraying them with a sprayer nozzle is the easiest way to clean them. Before spraying, test the water to ensure that it is lukewarm. Water that is either too hot or too cold can harm a plant’s leaves. Keep the water pressure low. As you spray, gently support the leaves or stems of the leaves with your hand.
How to Remove Insects from Indoor Plant leaves
Although hundreds of pests can affect your plants, climate, and environment, you’re most likely to come into five typical houseplant pests.
1. Aphids
Take out any of the plant’s heavily infested areas. Using a damp rag, remove insects from other areas or spray them with water in the bathtub. You can also use a cotton swab dipped in vegetable oil or rubbing alcohol to remove them, or you can spray them with insecticide soap. Every week, take them out until they are gone.
2. Fungus Gnats
Allowing the top two inches of soil to completely dry out between watering will dry out their habitat. After about an hour, remove the saucer from the plant and water it again. If you notice a resurgence, lightly apply insecticide soap to the soil.
3. Mealybugs
Using a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol or vegetable oil, remove the eggs and bugs from your plant.
4. Spider Mites
To prevent the mites from spreading, it is essential to isolate the infected plant. To get rid of the mites and webbing, you can spray the plant with water in your bathtub. Using a cloth, remove any bugs that are still there. The procedure should be repeated every few days until the infestation is gone. You might decide to use an insecticidal soap if they keep coming back.
5. Springtails
How to get rid of these bugs: Between watering, allow the top two inches of soil to completely dry out, and then water from the saucer, removing the water after about an hour. Clear the soil’s top surface of any plant matter.
