Perhaps you also thought of your plants during the spring cleaning and gave them a thorough cleaning. If you have not done so, consider doing so in the future. Plants even benefit from being cleaned more often. Therefore, consider cleaning your houseplants at least once a season. Every few weeks would even be better in some cases. And for the following reasons:
Collecting dust
Houseplants have a static charge and therefore attract dust. As a result, they remove dust particles from the air. However, these dust particles end up on the surface of the plants and clog their pores. And when these become clogged, plants can no longer carry out essential gas exchanges. They can no longer let oxygen, carbon dioxide or water vapour through. This can cause the health of the plant to deteriorate.
Cleansing the air
Besides taking dust particles out of the air, plants also increase humidity. They also provide more oxygen because, among other things, they convert the CO2 they absorb into oxygen. This oxygen is then exhaled and released into the air. Furthermore, they break down harmful substances. Among other things, they reduce carbon dioxide and toxic substances found in cigarette smoke. All this even contributes to reducing the chance of catching a cold and a stuffy nose!For this to happen, however, it is necessary that the pores of your houseplants are not clogged.
Checking plants
When you clean your plant every few weeks, you can also make sure that any inconveniences to your plant are discovered sooner. When you look at your plant more often, you can spot and deal with signs of pests or other inconveniences sooner. Moreover, various studies have shown that taking care of plants can be experienced as a relaxing task.
Cleaning plants
Plants can be wiped clean with, for example, a duster or a damp cloth. However, if you want to be more thorough, each leaf can be cleaned separately. You can do this by supporting the underside of the leaf with one hand and wiping off the top of the leaf with the other hand. You can also clean the underside of the leaf separately. When doing so, always wipe gently in one movement away from the stem. You can also wipe small leaves with a paintbrush.
If you do not have much time, you can also carefully rinse the leaves under the sink or in the shower. Afterwards, you can carefully shake the plant to remove excess water. Be careful with this method, however, because a build-up of water can cause fungal infections. In addition, water droplets left on the leaf may cause burn marks.
Cleaning planters
When you see white deposits on your plant pot, these are often mineral deposits. You can usually remove these with a damp cloth. When this is not sufficient you can clean the pot, when it is empty, with for example a mixture of vinegar and water. However, the pot needs to be empty for this. It is best to do this when you repot the plant.
