How to Clean Houseplants Easily

2 Materials
5 Minutes
Easy

Houseplants are great at cleaning your indoor air from toxins, mold and bacteria. But if they're dirty, they can't do their job very well. Here's how to properly clean your plants.

Take a look at your houseplants. Do you see a hazy layer of dust? That's not good for your plants. In fact, a layer of dust or dirt can actually harm your plant because the leaves can't breathe as well.

Cobwebs can also develop on plant's leaves, too.

Hosing off a plant with a shower spray or kitchen faucet is always possible.


For big plants that can't be moved to a kitchen sink or into a shower, you'll want to wipe down the plant's leaves individually. 



  • Wipe down the leaves with a wet rag. It can be a disposable paper towel or a reusable cloth. You could also use a  dusting glove so that you can grip each plant leaf with ease.
  • Hold the leaf in one hand for support, and wipe down the leaf with your other hand.
  • If you want to spray the plant first with a light mist of water, then that will speed up the process. Then go through with a rag and wipe them down.
  • For extra cleaning power, spray your plants with a mixture of water and just one or two drops of dish soap. However, you need to make sure to remove all of the water from the plant's leaves, so that there is no lingering soap residue.

For sticky or fuzzy leaves, such as an African violet, you'll want to gently brush off the dust and debris. 



  • Using a small paintbrush, gently dust off the particles on each plant's leaves. Yes, it can be tedious and time consuming. But your plant will love you for it!
  • cotton swab does a great job at gently removing dust and dirt, too. Especially in-between leaves of any type of houseplant. Cotton swabs are great for cleaning delicate little leaves, such as those on a succulent.
  • For plants with leaves that are hard to clean - such as cacti - consider using a can of compressed air. A strong blast of air can dislodge the dust from prickly plants easily without hurting you!

See how well these houseplant cleaning tips work. You'll never believe how dirty my plants were before I decided to clean them!

Cleaning your houseplants makes sure that they can absorb as many toxins in the air as possible.


Some plants clean your air better than others. Check out my free course, Best Houseplants to Detox Your Home, to discover the three best plants to put in your home (and they're super hard to kill, too!).

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Kimberly Button
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