What should I use to polish my plant leafs at home.?

Question

What should I use to polish my plant leafs at home.?

Answer 1

In a small mist or squirt bottle, mix 1 part mineral oil to 9 parts water.  Keep shaking periodically as you spray.  Wipe leaves with a soft cloth to distribute oil and remove grime.

Answer 2

Ok you are going to think I am sooo weird for this, but here it goes.....Mayonnaise!!! (Or miricle whip).  We always had a few large leafed plants in our house growing up, and we could get a spoon of miricle whip, take a MOIST cloth and dip a little into the mayo, then wipe the leaves, it kept them shiny for a long time!  OK I know this is weird, but it works!  And since you are dipping the moist cloth into a spoon (or a dollop of it on a little plate) you are not making a mess by spraying oil/water all over the place.  (Ok people stop laughing at me, it really does work!)  :P

OK I never said to smear or completely cover the leaves with it, you just lightly wipe it on with a damp cloth, and rub until shiney, and since our plants never "smothered to death" in all these years I still do it, and it was a lady at a flower shop that told us this.  And since they are indoor plants we don't get 'bugs' on them.

Answer 3

It is a home remedy that my Nana used when I was little but it is great and I have had this one plant for 15 years doing this. I wash all the leaves with a cotton ball and milk that's right milk. It cleans them and feeds the leaves and makes them shinny.

Answer 4

spray bottle of water and a soft cloth

Answer 5

Other posters have mentioned a mineral oil solution and a mayonnaise solution.  Both of these work, but as yet another poster mentioned, you can "smother" a plant by blocking the surface of the leaf.  And mayonnaise can attract insects (ask me how I know this).  These methods can also reduce water loss in plant leaves, which can be good or disastrous depending on the type of plant.

There are professional leaf-shine products you might want to try http://www.newprocontainers.com/images/p... http://www.plantertechnology.com/product...  Some of these are formulated not to interrupt with photosynthesis.

I clean my plant leaves with warm water and a soft cloth.

Answer 6

Think about it.....applying oil to a leaf's surface smothers it and keeps it from effectively breathing, aka transpiration.  Yeah, a little mineral oil mixed with water looks great when the plant is on display, like the retired horticulturist mentioned.  But it isn't optimal for the plant's long term health.  So unless you are showing your plants or are having a party, you really shouldn't bother polishing the leaves.  

On the other hand, you should certainly keep the leaves clean from dust, especially if they are are houseplants and not cleaned regularly by natural rain.  Dust build up can also impede the plant's ability to breathe.  A spray bottle of warm (room temp) water and a soft cloth is all you need to do this.