How To Clean Snake Plant Leaves

Want to clean Snake plant leaves?

Snake plant is known for its elongated leaves, and they really do look beautiful in indoor places.

But the thing is that these leaves also attract a lot of dirt to them.

Since the surface of the leaves is bigger than most plant leaves, it’s better to clean them frequently.

In today’s guide, I have talked about the whole cleaning process for the Snake plant leaves.

Do check out the guide, as I’m sure you will get to learn a few insights on this topic.

Why Do You Need To Clean Snake Plant Leaves?

Here are some reasons why you should consider cleaning the leaves of your plant –

1. It Removes Dust From The Leaves

As you know, long leaves can attract dust fairly quickly on their surface.

If you live in an airy location or desert-like conditions, it won’t take long to see dust particles settling on the leaves.

Over time, these particles can build up a thick layer on the leaves, which is certainly not good for the looks and growth of the plant.

Therefore, it makes for an excellent idea to clean the surface of the Snake plant leaves frequently, especially if the plant attracts too much dust in a short time.

2. It Removes Sticky And Oily Particles From The Surface

Do you keep your Snake plant in the kitchen?

Many times when we place our indoor plants in the kitchen or an adjacent room, the leaves of the plants become oily and sticky over the period.

On top of that, the dust adds more to the misery.

When all these elements settle on the leaf surface, it becomes quite a challenge to get them off the plant.

Hence, you must think of cleaning the leaves periodically.

If not, the plant will find it difficult to thrive in such an environment.

3. It Clears Essential Pores On The Leaves

This is the main reason why you must perform the cleaning activity on the Snake plant.

Although the leaves of this plant are the main attraction point, they also play a crucial role in soaking up the sunlight, oxygen, and other nutrients from the air.

If the dust and other particles continue to accumulate on the leaves, they will form a thick layer and block the tiny pores on the surface.

This is why cleaning the leaves can make a huge difference to the plant’s growth.

4. Cleaning With Water Helps In Rejuvenating The Plant

Lastly, when you clean it with water, it also gives the plant a refreshing experience.

Generally, we neglect our indoor plants, as they don’t require too much care.

But that’s not the right thing to do.

Cleaning leaves is a part of plant care, so you must perform this activity once in a while.

Now, let’s see what you need to carry out this task.

Things You Can Use For Cleaning Snake Plant Leaves

Here’s a list of things you will need for cleaning purpose –

• Water
• Neem Oil
• Dishwash Soap

Yes, that’s all you need for basic cleaning of the Snake plant leaves.

Don’t use any other ingredients or artificial agents to remove the dirt from the leaves.

All the above-mentioned ingredients are good enough to get the job done.

Note: You can either use them together or separately, depending on the condition of your plant.

If there are bugs on the Snake plant, you should definitely mix some neem oil to the water and soap mixture.

In the next section, you will find detailed information on this topic.

So, let’s learn more about how you can clean the leaves of this indoor plant.

How To Clean Snake Plant Leaves

Here’s a step-by-step guide for you – 

1. Clean The Leaves With Water Spray

As I mentioned earlier, water is the best tool to get rid of dirt from the plant leaves.

So, you don’t have to use anything special here, especially when you only want to clean the surface.

For this step, you can use a garden spray and fill some water in it.

Spray it on both sides of the leaves.

It will help get rid of any bugs that usually hide under the leaves.

Note: When you are performing this step, you can cover the soil with a plastic sheet.

It will help prevent the soil from getting too wet.

2. Wipe Off The Dust Using A Damp Cloth

In the next step, you should use a damp cloth to wipe off the remaining dirt from the leaves.

It’s going to be a time-consuming process, as you will have to wipe one leaf at a time.

But it will be worth it!

It’s also an important step in this process because you won’t be able to remove all the dirt by spraying water or any other cleaning agent on the leaves.

You will need to follow this step if you really want to see shiny leaves on the Snake plant.

Therefore, do not skip this step at all.

Important: If the plant is doing well and the surface looks clean after this step, you don’t have to follow the next steps in this guide.

The steps mentioned below are only helpful if the leaf surface is sticky or the plant suffers from pest attack or fungus issues.

3. Use Neem Oil And Soap Mixture

Now, it’s time to move to the second part of this process.

As you know, neem oil is known for its beneficial properties against several bugs and fungus issues.

Along with neem oil, you should also mix soap and water in it.

Here, you can use insecticidal soap if you want.

The soap water will help clean any residual dirt on the leaf surface, so don’t miss out on this one.

If you only use neem oil and water spray, it won’t serve the purpose.

The oil will stick to the surface and form a thin layer on top of the dust particles.

Here’s a proportion you can use to prepare this mixture – 

1 ltr water + 2 tsp neem oil + 2 tsp soap

Put these ingredients in your garden spray bottle and shake well.

Spray it on the leaves and inner parts of the plant.

Once you are done with spraying, you may wipe it off with a damp cloth.

However, it’s not an essential step for this type of spray.

4. Rubbing Alcohol As An Alternative

If you can’t find neem oil, you can also use rubbing alcohol as an alternative.

It also works great if you want to deal with any issues in your Snake plant.

More importantly, you can find it easily in any online or offline shop.

As for the proportion, you should mix 1 tablespoon of rubbing alcohol with 1 ltr bottle.

It’s an ideal proportion for spraying on the plant, as the slightly concentrated solution may cause leaf burn issues.

5. Let The Leaves Dry Out 

Once you spray these solutions on the plant, the plant needs to dry out quickly.

Otherwise, the surface water and moisture may cause more issues to the plant.

For the drying process, you may keep the planter in an airy place or outdoor place for a few hours.

When the plant dries out completely, you can put it back in its original place.

Note: You don’t have to water your plant at this stage.

You should wait for a couple of days to see the moisture condition in the soil.

If it’s too wet, you may skip watering for a week as well.

6. Add Some Dry Soil To The Plant Container 

It’s an optional step and should only be performed if the soil has turned wet during this process.

If you use a water jet spray, there is a possibility that the plant container will get filled with water.

In such a situation, you must try to remove as much water as possible from the pot.

To make things easier, you can spread some fresh dry soil on top of the existing soil.

This should help balance the moisture content in the pot and will also prevent root rot.

You can also keep the planter in a sunny location so that it will be easier to evaporate excess water from the plant naturally. 

In the following section, I have shared some FAQs and answers on this topic. Let’s check them out below.

FAQs