Learn how to clean houseplants

Cleaning your houseplants may not be something you consider doing when you first get into indoor gardening but it’s an essential part in keeping your plants happy and healthy.

Why do you clean houseplants?

Over time, dust particles and houseplant pests may gather on your plant leaves.

Let’s explore the dust first…

Dust particles that gather on your plants can block the sunlight that your plant takes in which prevents your plant’s ability to photosynthesize (in simple terms, feed itself). If your plant can’t feed itself through photosynthesis it won’t get the necessary energy to grow and it could ultimately die.

Let’s explore houseplant pests…

Houseplants can attract pests such as fungus gnats, thrips, mealybugs and many more and each of these can damage your plants in different ways. The most frequent pest that I’ve experienced on my plants is thrips and they survive on your plants by sapping all the goodness out of the leaves, leaving your plants with discoloured, damaged leaves.

What do you need to clean houseplants?

You really don’t need much to clean your plants. I always recommend using water and a damp cloth such as kitchen towel or a microfiber cloth to wipe your leaves with.

Commercial houseplant cleaning products could sometimes be harsh on your plants and it may clog the pores on the leaves if you use too much of it.

How often do you clean houseplants?

If you have the time, your plants will thank you if you clean them every week or two.

For regular upkeep without any pests and excessive dust, every two weeks will suffice.

If you have a pest infestation, your plants should be cleaned weekly with regular checks every few days to make sure pests aren’t gathering before you can remove them.

How do you clean houseplants?

To protect your surface from water spillage, lay a sheet or cloth down before starting.

Fill a bowl with water, soak your cloth and remove excess water but make sure that your cloth is damp enough.

Gently wipe the top and bottom part of all leaves, including the stem with your cloth to remove any dust or pests that may be settling.

Got any questions?

Hope you found this article helpful. If you have any questions about cleaning your houseplants or general plant care, I’m always happy to chat. Feel free to get in touch on hello@growmywellbeing.co.uk or via my Facebook or Instagram pages.

Happy planting!

Chantal