The Best Trick For Cleaning Fake Plants (And Why You Should Do It More Frequently)

Faux plants can be a great decor option for your home. They add a pop of color to your space, especially if you can't seem to keep real plants alive, and there are lots of tips to help stylize them or make them look real on your home's exterior. However, just like you need to clean dusty live houseplants, faux plants need a good clean, too. Luckily, dunking them in soapy bathwater is sure to make your decor look as good as new.

Cleaning your faux plants is necessary for a number of reasons, and the most important one is to help your health. Having an accumulation of dust in your home isn't good for anyone but especially if you are prone to allergies. Not only can debris on the faux plants lead to extra sneezing, but it can also dampen the color of your plants. Rather than having a beautiful decor piece, the dust leaves you with what looks like a drab afterthought. It can also cause the texture that gives the artificial plants their realistic look to fade.

How often you clean your plants depends on many factors within your living space. To determine this, keep an eye on the dust accumulation. If you notice after two weeks that there is a fair amount of dust, then simply add it to your chore calendar every two weeks. The more often you maintain your artificial plants, the less often you will have to deep clean them.

One of the best tricks for cleaning your fake plants is to draw up some water in a bathtub and add a few drops of dish soap. In the Instagram short above, the creator uses Fairy Liquid, which is just a specific brand of dish soap, but any type of dish soap you have on hand will work just fine. Then, take your faux plant out of its container and gently swish the leaves in the water to remove the dust. If some of the dust is extremely caked on, you may also need to use a soft cloth to help wipe the debris free.

Once the plants are dirt free, you will want to take an extra step to help remove any soap residue from the leaves of the plants. This will help prevent the leaves from becoming sticky, which in turn can help reduce the amount of dust that sticks to the plant. Simply drain the bathtub and fill it with clean water. Then, gently rinse the plants in​ this water, and let them dry completely. Not allowing the plants to properly dry could lead to mold. You will then want to take some extra time to dust off the plant's pots, which you can do with a cloth or some soap and water if extremely dusty.

While this trick is a great way to clean your fake plants, it is not the only way to clean your faux foliage. In fact, you should only use this hack with plastic, non-porous plants. If the artificial plants are a porous, fabric-like material, this is not the most ideal way to clean your plant and can actually ruin the decor piece. And, if your plant is made of silk, consult with a professional.

Instead of using this dish soap bathtub trick, try using a paint brush. The paint brush allows you to easily dust the different nooks and crannies of the faux plant. If you can take your plants outside, you could also try using compressed air. Alternatively, grab a hairdryer, set it to cool, and dust off the plants. Make sure that your foliage is properly secured to the base or hold the stems by hand as you go so you don't lose any leaves. If you live in a home without a bathtub or don't have space for your larger plants, you could try this technique on non-porous plastic plants, too.

No matter what you decide, remember to never use harsh chemicals. Otherwise, the colors and material can deteriorate. Finally, once you are done cleaning your plants, dust off the surface they were sitting on and consider if it is still the right spot for them in your home. There are specific places to put fake plants that help make them worth their while, so decide if there is a better spot to place your favorite foliage.