How To Clean Your Plant’s Leaves (and Reasons Why You Should!)

Everything You Need to Know About Cleaning Your Plant’s Leaves

Could your houseplant collection use a bit of a boost? This time of year, it’s especially important to clean your plant’s leaves! You will notice an immense difference in your plant’s overall health and growth habits, plus it will give your planty space that fresh, sparkling boost of green that you’ll love! 

Why it’s important to clean your plant’s leaves

1. It helps them grow!

Dust or other particles sitting on the tops of your leaves will block out the sunlight, which we know is crucial to a plant’s photosynthesis. If your plant appears to be unhappy, and you notice a bit of dust on the leaves, cleaning your plant’s leaves could be the way to perk it up a bit!

2. Cleaning your plant’s leaves prevents pests

Houseplant pests love to hide in dust and grime in your plant’s leaves and stems. Implementing a regular leaf-cleaning schedule will deter houseplant pests (particularly under the leaves and the stems). You can add some pest preventative solutions to your cleaning mixture, which we will discuss below, to really ward off those nasty houseplant pests!

3. It keeps your houseplants looking vibrant and beautiful

Having sparkling clean leaves will improve your planty jungle space, overall. Much like having a dusty household can cause stress and appear cluttered, having leaves that are dust-free and vibrant green will reduce stress, and give your home those green vibes you hope for! 

4. It can be therapeutic for you and your plants

It’s nice to slow down, and spend a bit of time doting on your plants. Taking some time to appreciate your plant can be calming, and therapeutic, and a nice way to wind down or unplug after a long day. You can learn more about your plant’s growth pattern, check in on how happy they are, and keep a closer eye for any changes or concerns. It helps you appreciate how cool houseplants really are! 

How often should you clean your plant’s leaves? 

At minimum, you should clean your leaves once per season, but you may want to clean your leaves more often depending on your environment. You may want to consider cleaning your leaves monthly or even weekly. A few reasons why you might need to clean your plants more often:

• You’ve recently had a pest outbreak
• Your space tends to collect dust fairly quickly (especially if you have pets!)
• Drier months like the winter season 
• If the A/C or furnace is running. 

How to Clean Your Plant’s Leaves:

• Before you begin, test any new cleaning ingredients on a single leaf

• OPTIONAL STEP: Spray the plant down in the shower or under a faucet. Time this step out with your watering routine so you don’t accidentally overwater your plants.

• Spray down your plant with your cleaning solution. You can purchase these solutions from your local greenhouse, or you can make your own! (See below for my DIY suggestions)

• Microfibre cloths tend to work best, especially on delicate leaves. Gently wipe down your plant’s leafs, and don’t forget the undersides and stems!

*If your leaves are very sensitive to moisture, you can always spray into the microfibre cloth and “polish” the leaves with it to prevent them from getting too wet. 

*Take care not to rip or tear any leaves! Time your time, and enjoy the process! 

What can you use to clean your leaves? 

• Gentle, diluted soap and water 

• Neem oil mixtures

• Store bought insecticidal soap

• Store bought houseplant cleaners

• DIY cleaning solutions (see below for recipes!)

DIY Cleaning Solutions

Mixture #1: Pest Prevention

This is my go-to plant cleaning solution that I use in my routine houseplant care. It is a gentle cleaning mixture, so it may not be as effective against a large pest infestation, but it is a great all-purpose pest preventative mix. 

Ingredients:

• 1 spray bottle
•  ½ tsp of Doctor Bronner’s Castile Soap
• 2-3 drops of mint essential oil
• Distilled water

Instructions:

• Add the soap, and mint to the spray bottle
• Fill the bottle with the distilled water
• Shake the solution to mix it
• Spray onto the houseplant and wipe with a gentle microfibre cloth

Mixture #2: Water Stains

This is a very effective cleaning solution for getting water stains off of your plant’s leaves. These water stains are a calcium build up and are generally found on plants that are sprayed with tap water, or sitting underneath hanging plants. You might even find them on new plants, fresh from the greenhouse! Some plants are more prone to these stains than other, such as hoyas. 

Ingredients:

• 1 spray bottle, bowl, or cup
•  1 tsp of lemon juice (or a splash!)
• A microfibre cloth
• Distilled water

Instructions:

• Add the lemon juice and water to your spray bottle, bowl or cup
• Spray the solution onto your plants and wipe with your microfibre cloth
• OR you can dip the microfibre cloth into the bowl or cup and “polish” your plant with the solution. 

*This mixture does not store very well, so it’s best to make only what you need and discard the rest

*There is no exact science to how much lemon is needed, as long as it is diluted

*Fresh lemon juice or concentrated lemon juice works equally as well. 

*This is only necessary for leaves with water stains or tops of leaves. 

*This solution does not prevent pests

Clean Your Plant’s Leaves With Confidence!

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