Discover why it’s a good idea to clean your houseplants on a regular basis. How to clean your houseplants. What to use to clean your houseplants. Cleaning your houseplants keeps their foliage clean so they can better clean your indoor air. Keeping houseplant leaves clean also helps prevent pests and diseases.
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Hello and welcome to HealthyHouseplants.com, where we teach you all about gardening in the great indoors. Today’s video is sponsored by our Amazon affiliate link, which you’ll see in the comment section below. You’ll also see in the description below any links to videos I mentioned in this video.
Okay, so today I’m going to talk to you about bathing your plants and keeping your plants clean. It’s really important to keep your plants clean. One of the main reasons to keep the foliage clean, besides the fact that it looks a lot better when it’s not all dusty and dirty, is that it also allows the plants to clean your air much more efficiently. There are stomata in the leaves, and stomata on the bottom leaves; however, there are stomata on the top leaves as well, depending on the plant. They use those stomata to clean the air for you. When they clean the air, they also feed themselves by pulling toxins out of the air and converting them into food. So, it’s really important in general to keep your houseplants clean.
Another really good reason to keep them clean is that you ward off pests and diseases. When you do that, pests and diseases will tend to go toward foliage that isn’t as clean, sometimes because they get other things from whatever’s caked on the leaves. When you clean them on a regular basis, you will tend to get rid of any eggs or anything or any pests and diseases that are hanging out there and keep anything like that under control as well.
This is Henry. He is a part of my series; we’ll have a playlist on him. He’s doing really well and growing bigger and bigger every day. One of the things I like to do with him is to keep him clean, like I mentioned. You can use insecticidal soap; Safer Brand has a good insecticidal soap that you can find online. I also like to use Castile soap, which has some cool ingredients, like mint and jojoba oil. I’ve been experimenting with this for a while and finding that it does do a good job cleaning leaves as well. Those are two good options for this.
In terms of regular dish detergent, I would probably aim for the safer stuff, as I mentioned, or something mild. There are some harsh things depending on what you’re using that could damage the natural sheen on the houseplant leaves. As you see, Henry has a very nice sheen on his leaves, so keep that in mind as well.
Okay, so I’ve already put some of this soap into the water, so I’m just going to show you the method here that I use. You can do this in the bathtub. If you have a big tall plant, get in the bathtub to do this. I encourage giving your plants showers when you can. For the bigger ones, if you’re going to do the smaller ones, use a handheld wand and spray it gently. Even with the bigger plants, you don’t want it on full blast like they’re in a torrential rainstorm. You want to do a nice gentle rinsing and let it go for a while. Do cover the bottom of the pot when you’re showering so that the soil doesn’t come out.
I have two sponges here, as you’ll notice, and the reason I do that is that I save time that way. What I do is use one hand to brush the leaf, and I have a sponge on each side to get things cleaned off. Now, there will be a little residual from the Castile soap on here, and with the Safer soap, you can actually leave it on. If you’ve only done a little bit, you can also, if you prefer—and a lot of times I do prefer this—do this method with the whole plant, then give the plant a little showering off after the soap mixture sits on here for a little while. It’s actually a better idea because, even with the safer soap, you’re going to get a residual sticky kind of thing going on, which can clog the pores as well.
It’s better to do this, let it sit; you can let it sit for an hour or so. You can even let it sit for a day or so. So, say you’ve been having some problems with something like mealybugs, and you want to make sure that this will suffocate them. You can leave it on and then make sure that things are dead, and then you would rinse it off.
Like I said, I would cover the bottom. You can do something like bubble wrap or a plastic bag. Tip him over and gently spray the leaves to get off any residual soap. You can do it in the sink as well with the smaller plants, keeping them nice and spiffy and happy and clean for you. They clean your indoor air, and they look really pretty as well, and they stay nice and healthy.
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Frequently Asked Questions About Plant Care
Why is it important to keep my houseplants clean?
Keeping your plants clean is essential because it not only enhances their appearance but also allows them to clean your air more efficiently. Clean foliage helps plants use their stomata to filter toxins from the air while feeding themselves.
How does cleaning my plants help with pests and diseases?
Regular cleaning of your houseplants can help ward off pests and diseases. Pests are often attracted to dirty foliage where they can find food. By keeping your plants clean, you reduce the likelihood of pests and their eggs taking hold.
What products can I use to clean my houseplants?
You can use insecticidal soap, such as the Safer Brand soap, or Castile soap, which contains beneficial ingredients like mint and jojoba oil. These soaps are effective for cleaning leaves while being gentle on the plants.
What should I consider when choosing a soap for cleaning plants?
When selecting a soap, it’s important to choose something mild and safe. Regular dish detergent may be too harsh and could damage the natural sheen of your plants’ leaves. Look for products specifically designed for plant care.
What is the best method for bathing my plants?
You can bath your plants in the bathtub or shower them gently using a handheld sprayer. It’s best to avoid a strong spray and cover the bottom of the pot to prevent soil from falling out. For larger plants, giving them a shower is beneficial, while smaller ones can be cleaned in the sink.
How long should I leave the soap on my plants?
After applying the soap mixture, it’s recommended to let it sit for at least an hour, or up to a day if you’re dealing with pests like mealybugs. This allows the soap to work effectively to suffocate any pests before rinsing it off.
Can I use any material to cover the pot while cleaning?
Yes, you can use bubble wrap or a plastic bag to cover the bottom of the pot. This helps keep the soil contained while you gently spray the leaves to remove any residual soap.
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