I don’t know about you but my plants’ leaves can get quite dusty. I think it is because I am near a main road so perhaps causes an accumulation of build up from exhaust pipes etc. Anyway dusty leaves are not good for your plant. Basically think about it like the skin on your face and what would happen if you never washed your face – you’d get product build up, dirt and all that other not so good stuff accumulating on your face. And that’s the same (kinda) with plants.
In plain terms, dusty leaves mean that sunlight won’t penetrate through to the leaves and they won’t effectively undertake photosynthesis (I am not a scientist so I may not be using the right terminology! This will lead to your plant complaining by withering leaves, dropping leaves or the ultimate fail, dying.
So how do you keep your plants’ leaves clean?
What do you use?
- I use a regular feather duster to dust off the surface level build up. Just gently rub it against each leaf to remove the dust.
- Use a paper towel or clean cloth and dampen it with water and some organic washing up liquid and gently rub each leaf to wipe off the remaining dirt.
- I then use a clean damp paper towel to rinse off.
How often do you clean the leaves?
- It will vary depending on your home and how dusty it gets. As I said above, my plants seem to get dusty easily so I clean the leaves roughly every 1 to 2 weeks. Someone may rarely need to clean the leaves if they live in a dust free house (lucky them).
How long does it take to clean leaves?
- That will depend on how big your plant family is! It can take a while because obviously some plants have many leaves but it is worth it in the long run. If you leave it a few weeks it won’t be the end of the world but the more regularly you do it, the better. Also I only focus on my plants with wide open leaves as the smaller, curled up ones don’t collect as much dirt.
It can be a little tedious but use it as an opportunity to fully inspect your plant and notice things you may not see when you’re just doing your regular watering. Check for any signs of dryness or any bugs and you may actually be able to save a dying plant!
Good luck 🙂
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- Aglaonema
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- Lockdown
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- Schefflera
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- Unfurling
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