Houseplants look best when their leaves are clean and shiny, but did you know that clean leaves are also crucial for a plant’s health? It’s true!
Dust or mineral buildup on a houseplant’s leaves can clog the leaves’ pores. (Yes, leaves have pores, just like your skin!) The problem with clogged pores is that plants take in most of the carbon dioxide they need through the leaves. Leaves are also responsible for carrying out photosynthesis, the process by which plants make energy from sunlight. Think of leaves as your plant’s lungs and solar panels in one!
To make a long story short, gunky buildup and clogged pores can essentially cause your plant to starve AND suffocate. Not good!
In this article, we’ll show you how to properly clean your plant’s leaves and how to make plant leaves shiny and glossy with Leaf Shine, our gentle, easy-to-use cleansing and fortifying spray.
Growing a healthy, beautiful plant has never been easier!
Table of Contents
Should I Clean Houseplant Leaves?
The short answer: yes, you should absolutely clean your plant’s leaves to keep them beautiful and free of damaging buildup, pathogens, and insects that can suck the juices out of your poor plant’s leaves.
The problem is, many cleaning tips you’ll find are actually damaging to your plants!
Over-scrubbing your plant’s leaves can scratch up the surface or even completely remove the top layer of tissue, which can make the leaves appear even duller or completely kill them.
Using harsh cleaning chemicals can burn your leaves, which can completely dry them out, cause dry spots to form, or just give them a lackluster appearance that won’t heal.
It’s also a bad idea to use fats like coconut oil or mayonnaise to shine your leaves. These solutions will give you shiny leaves temporarily, but they can clog your plant’s pores just like dust and hard-water deposits!
It’s best to keep your plant nice and clean and take excellent care of it so the leaves shine naturally. This means proper lighting, watering, humidity, and fertilizing so your plant can grow healthy leaves in the first place.
To clean houseplant leaves, gather some purified or distilled water, a little detergent-free soap, and a microfiber cloth.
Spray down the leaves with the distilled water and let sit for about 5 minutes. This will loosen up any debris or buildup on the leaves.
Add a teaspoon of detergent-free soap (we like Dr. Bronner’s pure organic castile soap) to a half-gallon of distilled water and use it to soak your microfiber cloth. Very gently, start wiping the tops and bottoms of the leaves. Try holding the leaves flat on your palm to support them while you wipe. Take your time here so you don’t accidentally crack, break, or scratch the leaves.
Once you’ve thoroughly wiped down each leaf, rinse the leaves with a gentle spray from a hose or in the shower.
Note: You might want to tip your plant to the side so the soap and water don’t run off into the soil.
We recommend doing this at least every few months to keep your leaves clean and healthy!
Between baths, we recommend using Leaf Shine to keep your leaves clean, shiny, and protected. In fact, if you start with clean leaves, you can use Leaf Shine exclusively and not have to wash your plant leaves at all!
What Is Leaf Shine?
Leaf Shine is a healthy, all-natural way to clean your plant leaves and restore their natural luster, but also protect them from dirt, dust, insects, fungus, and bacteria. It’s like a gentle cleaning product, polish, and vitamin supplement in one!
Leaf Shine uses an oil-free and chemical-free, all-organic formula of chitosan, yucca, and sea kelp, which contains a precise balance of nutrients to nourish and fortify plant leaves. This gentle solution is mild enough to use every day if you choose and will not leave behind a film or chemical residue, or burn your plant’s leaves.
Leaf Shine comes in an easy-to-use spray bottle or as wipes that you can use to quickly and easily clean your plant’s leaves. You’ll love how these streamline your care routine while bringing out your plant’s natural beauty!
Is Leaf Shine Good For Houseplants?
Absolutely!
When creating Leaf Shine, we wanted a formula that would be nourishing to plants as well as beautifying. After all, harming your plant won’t lead to long-term shine or growth! Temporary solutions that cause damage in the long run just aren’t worth it.
We believe that healthy plants are the most beautiful plants. So we created a nourishing solution that breaks down buildup, promotes natural shine, provides growth-promoting nutrients, and also wards off damaging pathogens and insects.
What Are the Benefits of Using Leaf Shine on Foliage?
When houseplants develop health problems, the first place you’ll notice damage will almost always be on the leaves.
Even indoor environments are full of harmful debris and pests that can wreak havoc on your plant’s gorgeous leaves! It can be heartbreaking to watch your plant’s gorgeous leaves develop spots from fungus, a bacterial infection, or an infestation of household pests like spider mites or mealybugs.
There are ways to prevent these with proper care, but even the most solid care routine can’t stop these factors completely. Leaf Shine provides a layer of protection on the leaves themselves to ward off damage that can impact the health and beauty of the plant.
When leaves are well-nourished, they are much more able to withstand, resist, and recover from contact with fungus, bacteria, insects, and dust.
When to Use Leaf Shine
We recommend using Leaf Shine at least once per week to keep leaves clean and free of dust. This will also provide leaves with a regular boost of nutrients that will keep the leaves healthy, colorful, and strong.
However, Leaf Shine is gentle enough to use every day if you choose! Daily use can promote stronger, larger, and more brightly colored leaves, and will prevent dust from settling on the leaves.
You can also use Leaf Shine to give your plants a deeper cleaning if necessary. We recommend the wipes for this, though you can also use the Leaf Shine spray in lieu of soap water, and follow up with a wipe-down from a soft cloth.
How Do You Use Leaf Shine?
Leaf Shine is currently available in two forms: a ready-to-use spray or even-easier-to-use wipes!
Pick your product and apply at least once per week to keep leaves clean, shiny, and healthy.
How Do You Apply Leaf Shine?
We designed Leaf Shine with convenience and ease of use in mind. Both products are simple to use and are intended to streamline your plant care routine. Pick the one that’s right for you and your houseplants!
Spray
To use the spray, simply unlock the nozzle, and give your plant a good spray-down from top to bottom. You don’t even need to wipe it off to get that healthy shine if your plant is already clean!
If your plant needs a deeper cleaning, spray your plant and let the Leaf Shine sit on the leaves for a few minutes to loosen up the gunk and buildup. Then use a soft cloth to carefully wipe the leaves.
Get Leaf Shine spray on Amazon!
Wipes
Our wipes are made from super-soft, non-abrasive cloth pre-soaked in our Leaf Shine formula. Simply use a wipe to gently rub down your plant leaves, making sure to support the leaves flat in your palm to avoid cracking, tearing, or breaking.
The wipes are an effective, convenient choice for cleaning buildup off your leaves.
Get Leaf Shine wipes on Amazon!
How Often to Use Leaf Shine?
For best results, use Leaf Shine spray or wipes at least once per week.
FAQ: How to Make Plant Leaves Shiny
FAQ Can You Use Leaf Shine on Monstera Plants?
Absolutely! Monstera leaves respond beautifully to Leaf Shine spray and wipes. This is a great way to promote the growth of large, healthy, fenestrated leaves on all species of monstera!
FAQ Can You Use Leaf Shine on Orchids?
You sure can! This organic formula is great for orchid leaves, but avoid getting the spray on the sensitive flowers. You may want to choose the Leaf Shine wipes to make sure the Leaf Shine only goes where you want it to.
FAQ Can You Use Leaf Shine on Fiddle Leaf Figs?
Leaf Shine was actually first designed for and tested on fiddle leaf figs, so it’s the perfect choice for growing healthy, green, shiny fiddle leaves. These massive leaves tend to collect dust quickly, so Leaf Shine is a crucial part of your plant care arsenal!
Fiddles respond well to both the Leaf Shine spray and the wipes. Pick whichever is most convenient!
FAQ Is Leaf Shine Toxic to Humans?
Nope! Our Leaf Shine formula is made of chitosan, yucca, and sea kelp (which may contain shellfish), all of which are completely harmless to people and pets unless you are specifically allergic to them. We do not recommend ingesting Leaf Shine or spraying it into your mouth or eyes.
Grow the Healthiest, Shiniest Houseplants Ever!
Leaf Shine is an indispensable part of your houseplant care routine and your secret weapon for getting the shiniest leaves.
Of course, shiny leaves begin with the best possible care.
Try these resources and products to grow the healthiest plants with the most incredible leaves you’ve ever seen!
Houseplant Resource Facebook Group
The Last Houseplant Book You Will Ever Need
Articles:
7 Ways to Ensure Your Plant Gets the Right Amount of Fertilizer
Choosing the Best Soil for Your Houseplants
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