Have you been cleaning your plant leaves with olive oil?
Or do you want to clean them with some other oil?
If the answer is yes, you should wait a bit and read the following guide.
In this guide, I have shared some insightful information on whether you should use any oils for cleaning indoor plants.
So, let’s dive right in!
Contents:
5 Things To Know For Cleaning Plant Leaves With Olive Oil
Even though it seems like an interesting substance to bring back the shine to your plant’s leaves, there are a few things you should consider before applying olive oil on the leaves.
So, let’s look at them below.
1. Olive Oil Can Block The Pores
This is the biggest concern for using olive oil on the leaves.
Whether it’s olive oil or any general-purpose oil, it does produce a thin layer on the leaf surface.
And that’s not what you’d want to have on your plant’s leaves.
Once the oily layer forms on the leaf, it automatically blocks the tiny pores.
As you know, these pores are essential in providing oxygen and sunlight to the leaves.
Without these two elements, the plant will not grow efficiently.
2. The Leaves Might Burn And Turn Brown
Another thing that goes against olive oil is its sticky nature.
When you spray olive oil on the leaves, it sticks to the leaf surface for a very long time.
It just doesn’t disappear within a day or two.
And that’s what creates a problem for the plant.
When sunlight drops on such leaves, the surface turns hot.
Eventually, it starts burning the leaf.
Therefore, you might see brown or yellow leaves after a couple of days of spraying.
3. The Leaves Might Shrivel
This is what happens when you apply too much olive oil to the leaves.
Since the oil creates a barrier between the leaf’s mechanism and food supply, it can easily shrivel the leaves in a couple of days due to a lack of essential elements.
Once the leaves start wrinkling, the plant will find it difficult to produce enough food for its survival.
And as you know, it can result in permanent damage to the plant.
4. More Sticky Dust On The Leaves
Dust is one of those things that keeps coming back no matter what you do.
Hence, if you clean the leaves with olive oil once, you will see more dust on their surface after a while.
The reason for this behavior lies in the same sticky property of the oil.
When the surface becomes sticky, it automatically attracts all sorts of elements present in the air.
Therefore, you will always see more sticky dust on such plants.
5. Extra Work After Applying Olive Oil To The Leaves
Since oil sticks to the surface for a longer duration, you may have to clean the plant a few more times.
Otherwise, as you know, it will accumulate sticky dust on the surface, which will be difficult to remove after some time.
So, it becomes essential to get rid of the remaining oil from the leaves.
For that, you will have to clean the leaves with plain or soapy water again.
Note: The worst part of all is you can’t remove all the oil from leaves.
It doesn’t matter how well you clean the surface afterward; there will always be some oil on it that will attract more dust and other such particles.
How To Clean Plant Leaves With Olive Oil
Want to try olive oil on your plant?
Check out the following step by step method –
- Take two tablespoons of olive oil and mix it with 1 ltr of water.
- Take a clean cloth or kitchen towel and dampen it in this mixture.
- Clean the leaves of your plant with this cloth.
- Once all the leaves look clean and shiny, spray the plant with some water.
- Place the plant near a window or airy place for a few hours at least.
And you are done!
That’s all there is to do if you want to get shiny leaves with the help of olive oil.
Note: If you are keeping the plant near the window, make sure it doesn’t receive too much dust from the same window.
If that is the case, you should move it to some other place so that the plant gets dry quickly.
Top 5 Natural Ingredients To Bring Shine To Plant Leaves
Now, let’s look at some of the other alternatives to use for this purpose –
1. Water
Water doesn’t need any introduction when it comes to cleaning the dust off any surface.
It’s a tried and tested medium to serve the purpose.
So, you can definitely use it to clean the leaves and stem of the plant.
However, make sure you don’t spray it in the afternoon or hot & humid conditions.
If you do so, the water will turn warm due to sunlight and instantly burn the leaves.
Also, you shouldn’t perform this cleaning process daily or weekly.
You can perform it twice a month or once a month, depending on the weather conditions at your place.
Note: Once you spray the leaves with water, keep the plant in an airy place.
It will help in drying the plant after a quick shower with water spray.
2. Milk
Milk is another useful ingredient to use for cleaning the dusty leaves of your plant.
Yes, don’t be surprised!
If used in moderate quantities, it can do wonders for the plant.
It not only cleans the leaf surface but also provides some beneficial properties to the entire plant.
As for the application, you can add a couple of tablespoons of milk in 1ltr of water and spray it on the plant once a week or twice a month.
Follow this process for a couple of rounds, and I’m sure you will see some positive results for your plant’s overall growth.
3. Neem Oil
Neem Oil is one of the most recommended products in the gardening world.
It is effective in combating many existing problems of the plant.
Apart from that, it also cleans the surface of the sprayed part.
So, if you use it on the leaves, it will surely bring a much-desired shine to them.
Having said that, it’s always better to use such ingredients in smaller quantities, as they might burn some of the leaves if used vigorously.
So, be careful while using any oils to bring shine to the leaves.
Some gardeners also like to use coconut oil, but the neem oil solution has more benefits than any other oil.
4. Soapy Water
Soapy water is another useful solution to clean the dust off your indoor plant leaves.
Like oil, it should be used in moderate quantity only.
Soapy water generally contains chemical elements, which can easily harm the leaves and stems of the plant.
Therefore, it becomes even more crucial to use it sparingly on your houseplants.
Also, if you observe any soapy water accumulated on the surface of the leaves, you should remove it immediately.
Don’t let it sit on the leaves for a long time, as it can burn the surface and turn the leaves brown in a couple of days.
For the removal, you can make use of normal water spray.
5. Vinegar
Vinegar is the most interesting ingredient in this list of cleaning agents.
As we all know, Vinegar is often used as a cleaning agent for kitchen equipment as well as furniture.
Similarly, you can use it for your houseplants too.
The acids present in this ingredient help in removing tough stains and dust particles from the leaves.
And it also brings back the natural shine to the leaves.
FAQs
As discussed in the guide above, there are many through which you can make your plant leaves look fresh and shiny.
And the best way to do it is by cleaning the leaves regularly with some water.
Of course, you shouldn’t perform this activity each week, as the plant might attract fungus and similar issues due to excess humidity and wet surface.
So, do keep these things in mind while cleaning the leaves for shine.
Apart from water, you can also use some mineral oils in a limited quantity.
And yes, you can also provide fertilizer to the plant on a regular basis, which will eventually keep the leaves fresh for a long time.
As I said earlier, the best thing you can use to clean the plant leaves is water.
Water will remove any dust and other particles that might have accumulated on the surface of the leaves.
Yes, you can put oil on plant leaves.
However, it should be done in moderate quantity.
Otherwise, the leaves might get burnt when they come in contact with sunlight.
Also, the thick layer of oil will block the pores on the leaves, which are quite essential for the plant’s respiration as well as food production mechanism.
You can prepare a mixture of 50% milk and 50% water and spray it on the leaves.
It does a great job in cleaning the leaves and bringing back the shine to their surface.
You can spray the plant every 2-3 weeks for consistent results.
As for the proportion, you can even use a 40-60% or 30-70% milk to water ratio.
And it should do the job for you!
If the plant is small, you can simply wipe off the dust from each leaf.
But if the plant is big or you don’t have time to clean individual leaf, you can use any water spray.
It might not clean the dust completely, but it surely is a time-saving gardening activity.
As for the shine, you can use quite a few things including, soapy water, oil and water combination, etc.
All these mixtures can help you get the desired shine to your rubber plant leaves.
However, make sure you don’t overdo it.
If it’s done regularly, you might damage the plant permanently.
For regular cleaning, water is the best option you have!
Over To You
Well, I hope you understood how to use olive oil and other oils to clean the plant leaves at home.
If you have any more questions, you can ask them in the comments below.
Also, don’t forget to share this guide with your friends and family.
I am sure they will also learn the right way to use oils for this purpose.
Hi,
I have some inside plants, I have noticed that there are a lot of mosquitos in the house, I love my plants, but I don’t know what to do to extinguish the little mosquitos any advice.
Thanks
Hey Nel,
Indoor plants do not attract mosquitos as such, so you will have to look at the external factors.
You can place mosquito nets on all the windows. Also, make sure there are no open ponds or water bodies near your home. If that’s the case, you will have to consider some alternative solutions for this issue.
If you have some space on your balcony or patio, try to plant some marigold plants. These plants deter mosquitos well, and they add to the beauty of your place.