Hello friends!

As you can see, I have collected several different types and styles of faux plants. By the way…this isn’t all of them.  I love having greenery in every room as it adds a touch of color, a bit of texture, and just makes any room come alive!  It is a great way to bring nature into your home without the added hassle of watering and regular maintenance.  That being said, faux plants do require some regular cleaning.  Keeping them clean will help keep them looking like new.

There are so many different ways you can clean your faux plants.  I am sharing with you how I take care of my faux greenery.  I am not saying the way I clean is the best or right way, I wanted to share with you my cleaning technique.

Let’s get started!

I like to group them in three different categories.

• dusty
• dust build up
• and plain old dirty

Dusty –

If your faux plants are new or just been cleaned, dusting is all you need to do.  I dust mine as I dust my furniture.  I use a soft bristle paint brush to dust my plants.   I found mine at The Dollar Tree it’s a perfect size and softness to dust your plants, lamp shades and canvas prints.

If you don’t want to use a brush you could use a nylon or a swiffer.

I gently sweep the plant with my brush to remove all the dust.  If you do this weekly or when needed, this is all you will have to do.

Dust build up –

If dusting alone doesn’t remove the dust, a light cleaning would be the next step.  I dust the plant and try to remove as much of the loose dust as possible.  I use a damp microfiber cloth (you want to squeeze out as much of the water as you can) and give them a gently wipe with the cloth to clean.

Dirty faux plants –

Let’s face it, we all have dust there is no way around it.  I use to have greenery above my kitchen cabinets.  I only cleaned those once a year and sometimes not even.  You can only imagine the dirt build up on the faux plants up there!

Depending on the type of material your faux plant is will determined what type of cleaning you should do.  I have several different types in my home.

Plastic Plants

This is the easy type to clean.

First, I remove all the dust I can off the leaves.  Filling a sink with warm soapy water and giving it a real good bath.

Dry upside down.

If your plastic faux plant is in a container just dip only the plant in the water giving it a good cleaning.

Anything other than plastic –

You really have to take a close look at your plant before you can start cleaning it.  Here are some things you need to look at.

• Are the leaves made of a fabric (silk or velvet )
• Are the leaves glued with a thin wire or a plastic stem to the branch

You never want to emerge your silk plant in water it can deform the shape of the leaves.  Also, you don’t use water at all on a velvet leaf plant.  The dye will run and the leaf will start to curl.

Silk plant with a plastic stem –

If the bottom of the leaf has plastic stalks you can wash your plant with water but spraying the plant, do not immerse in water, gently remove the dirt and blot.

I dust off as much as I can from the plant. I place mine in the shower wetting the plant thoroughly. Now if your plant is in a planter you will want to use a plastic bag and secure that around your planter so water will not get in.

After it is all wet I take a cloth and gently wipe the leaf and then blot dry.

Thin glued wire leaf –

You can do the same as the silk plastic stem but use cold water.  You want to make sure you do not use warm or hot water because it will dilute the glue that holds the wire to the leaf.

Velvet leaf plant –

Like I said earlier this plant can not take water.

I give the plant a good dusting by using a can of compressed air to remove the stubborn dust.

I take a slightly damp cloth and wipe each leaf to remove any dirt and dust remaining on the leaf.  DO NOT RUB!

Now, stand back and admire your clean faux plants!  I hope you enjoy these tips on how I clean my faux plants.  Just remember dust your plants every week to keep them fresh and real looking.

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Stay Strong and Stay Blessed!

     XO   Terrie