Cleaning Houseplants

Does anyone have an effective recipe for a soap concoction to clean houseplants? Mine have some dust, which comes off with a hosedown normally, but some seem to be a bit tacky, and it isn't washing off with water alone.

I'm wanting to make my own versus buying a soap solution at the store for $7.

I could just wing it and see what happens, but figured I'd ask, since there might be more to it that soaping them up and hosing them down (specific soap??? plant sensitivity???).

Anthony

A couple of drops of Ivory dish soap in a quart of water should help (not the anti-bacterial kind).
I've also taken straight rubbing alcohol to clean grime and grease first. Then a good tepid shower.
You can combine both in some water as well.
Use a soft cloth (old t-shirts work great) and gently wipe the leaves from the point of attachment outward. Do not scrub-just wipe.

You might try the mild soap concoction in a spray bottle.......

Place your plants in the bathtub, get as many in as you safely can, spray them with the mild soapy mix, let them sit a couple minutes then give them a good luke warm shower. I use the bathroom with the shower massage on the end of the hose....I can really give them a good watering that way. I use this time to flush out the pots too. Then I close the bathroom door and let them sit in the misty bathroom for a few hours. They all look GREAT when they've drip-dried and are placed back in their places!
(naturally this is for non-fuzzy-leaved plants only)

Karen

Thanks caron and Kachinagirl! I'll give these a shot. I hadn't thought of rubbing alcohol for the stickiness. I'll try both and see what works best.

Anthony

MAR9999,

.If your plants feel "tacky", you may have an infestation of one of the sucking pests like Mealy Bugs, Scale, Aphids, or Spider Mites. Sticky leaves is a dead givaway! Check carefully all leaves, undersides, stems and such and treat accordingly.

The sticky stuff is the "excreta" of sucking insects/pests as thery cannot digest all the sugars in the plants' juices--so they excrete them. it is also known as "Honeydew" sometimes. It will drip on your floor and carpeting around thee plant as well. Be a;ert to these kind of "signs".

The soap and lukewarm shower is an excellent idea to keeping plants clean and pest-free. All plants love that!

Gitagal

I just read this thread, and I think I'd like to try cleaning my plants in the shower this way, but was wondering about over watering. Do I need to wait until a plant is dry to do this?

It depends on the type of plant, of course, but any plant WITHOUT fuzzy leaves loves this treatment. It washes away the built up fertilizers and minerals. Just make sure they drain completely. To do this I sometimes place a small pebble or something under one edge of the pot. This lifts the pot slightly so the water can drain away quickly. Leaving them for several hours like this in the tub allows even more water to drip from the pot. Then when you put them back in their place they look great and won't need to be watered for a while.

K

When I was in High School, one of my summertime 'jobs' at my Grandmother's house, was to clean the leaves of her Umbrella plant. We would mix TSP (not much) in a bucket with hot water, and I'd clean the top and bottoms of the leaves with a clean sponge.

I'm fairly certain that this is not the best way to go about cleaning plants, but it never hurt the Umbrella.

Lori

TSP! Wow! That's what I use to prepare my walls for painting! LOL. I'm sure it was a weak solution. Maybe your Grandmother knew something we don't!
K

Jdee, I wait until my plants are dry before showering. I usually give all(hairfree plants) of them a shower about once per month. The plants love it and some of them perk up noticeably. Aroids seem to do best( I have a lot of those) with the showering. It's a natural way to clean your plants leaves and at the same time, give it a drink. As some have mentioned already, it's a great way to prevent pests too.

GH