Silk Plant Cleaners

Imagine using a dust cloth to polish each individual leaf of your silk plant.  How time consuming!  Luckily, cleaning your silk plants, flowers, and trees is easy and doesn't have to take up a lot of time.  So what's the most best way to clean your artificial plants?  There are many opinions, but here are some of the most popular and effective ways to ensure your plants are radiant day in and day out:

Good 'ole H2O

One of the easiest and quickest ways to clean silk plants is with water. Take plants out of their holding container and run tap water over them in the sink or bathtub.  Bring larger plants and trees outside and use a hose.  Shake water off and allow to air dry.

Add a little soap

You can also use water and a mild soap to clean your silk plants.  Fill up your sink or bathtub with warm soapy water.  Allow the greenery to soak for an hour.  Rinse with cold water and let air dry. 

No chemical spills here

Try a cleaning spray on silk flowers.  Simply spray it on; you won't have to dry or rinse afterwards.  Be careful though!  Some cleaners cover up dust, rather than getting rid of it, and are costly.

The salt shaker

Believe it or not, salt or rice can prove a great cleaner.  Place your silk flowers or plants in a paper bag with a cup of salt (or rice).  Shake the bag thoroughly, which will allow the salt (rice) to take the dust off the leaves.  Just remember to shake extra salt (rice) grains off your plants before putting them back on display!

Flowers, cups, and spoons

Small silk plants or bunches of flowers can fit in your dishwasher.  Set your dishwasher to the economy or short cycle, with a no-heat dry cycle. 

Some additional tips:

Most silk plants need a thorough cleaning every three to six months.

Before using water or other liquids on silk plants, conduct a resiliency test.  Dip a single leaf in water to make sure the silk doesn't become stained.  Your leaf should be shiny and free of dust when it dries.  

Clean all plants in your house at the same time.  That way, you won't let one go uncleaned for a long period of time.

In between more thorough cleanings, use canned air or a feather duster once a week.

More information on silk plants