There are numerous approaches of cleaning Monstera leaves. Here are the top five methods for cleaning Monstera leaves, each of which is efficient despite using a different technique. Some only need a few tools, while others don’t even need any.
Don’t forget that you don’t have to choose just one approach! These plants value frequent cleanings, but they would also enjoy a shower!
Find the option that best suits you after reading the list of available choices (and your plant).
Give Your Monstera a Shower
Make sure the water isn’t excessively hot or cold; rather, it should be at least lukewarm or at room temperature. Run your hands through the Monstera to make sure the undersides of all the leaves are touched.
Make sure the water stream isn’t too harsh by checking twice. This could knock soil out of the pot and will needlessly beat the leaves.
In addition, monsteras prefer a vigorous spray-down to a shower. They’ll be content as long as the water is still lukewarm. This method saves more water and might be more comfortable for certain people.
Give Your Leaves a Wipe Down
The leaves of your Monstera plant can possibly be cleaned by just wiping them off!
Wipe each leaf on both sides carefully using a moist cloth or other utensil (sponges also work nicely!). When not wiping a leaf, be sure to support that side.
The ideal strategy is to work your way down from the stem to the leaf tip. The underside should receive additional attention because dust and insects like to congregate there.
If required, repeatedly wipe each leaf to ensure that all residue is removed. The more dust there is, the more difficult it is to get rid of.
Brush over the Foliage
Utilize a rag, feather duster, or even a cosmetics brush to frequently dust your Monstera. Remember to support each leaf while you wipe it, working from stem to tip, just like when wiping them down.
This technique is ideal for plants with big leaves, which fits the Monstera nicely.
Try a solution of water, vinegar, or lemon juice if you’re having difficulties removing dust and other residues.
No more than two teaspoons of vinegar or lemon juice per gallon of water should be used. Remember that this is only intended to be used when buildup is particularly difficult to remove; it is not intended as part of routine maintenance.
Trim Dying Leaves
Even though it can appear counterintuitive, you must prune and trim this plant to ensure that it flourishes. When it comes to withering leaves, this is especially accurate.
Cut off any leaves that are yellowing, turning brown, or withering as soon as you can. Otherwise, they will rob the healthy leaves of their nutrients.
Make careful you use a set of fresh, accurate shears when trimming. You can also clip older or smaller leaves towards the base of the plant if you’re seeking for larger leaves with those recognizable holes.
Growing and dying leaves are a part of nature. However, a significant number of decaying leaves on your Monstera could signal a more serious issue (most likely root rot).
Reviewing these three factors can help you make sure your plant is flourishing in the best conditions possible: light, soil, and watering.
Clean The Pot
Your Monstera pot will benefit from a thorough deep cleaning at least once every other season.
This gives you the opportunity to rehydrate the soil, examine your plant for root rot or mushy stems, determine the size of any salt deposits, and look for fungus or other disease symptoms.
Debris and deposits should be removed from the pot’s interior and outside using a stiff brush and water. However, if a piece is especially difficult to remove, you can use a pick, scraper, or other hard instruments.
To sanitize pots and guarantee there are no leftover infections or pests, soak them in a heavily diluted bleach solution. The pots should soak for at least 10 minutes in a solution of one part unscented household bleach to nine parts water.
If the pots are made of terracotta or another porous material, soak them for an extra ten minutes in clean water (no bleach).
Simply rinse the pots if you’re using plastic ones and other materials. The pots should air dry.
Wash the Plant With a Spray Nozzle
Moving medium-sized to large houseplants to the kitchen sink, shower, or outside and hosing them off with a sprayer nozzle is the simplest way to clean them. Keep the water pressure low and make sure the water is lukewarm before spraying. The leaves of a plant might be damaged by warmwater that is either too hot or too cold. As you spray, carefully support the leaves or leaf stems with your hand.
Mist With a Spray Bottle
A spray bottle is a fantastic alternative for plants that cannot withstand the force of a spray nozzle. The plants that respond well to a misting from a spray bottle include bonsais, cactus, and succulents.
Dunk the Plant in Water
Holding the plant’s base at soil level, flipping it into a pail of water, and swishing the leaves under the water will help clean smaller plants. Pre-watering the soil will aid in preventing soil loss when the pot is turned upside down. To keep the soil contained while cleaning, you might also wrap plastic wrap over the base of the plant. Once more, only use lukewarm water, and let the plants drip-dry before repositioning them.
Tip
If your plants are very filthy, you can spritz them with diluted soapy water and then hose them out or submerge them in a clean-water-filled sink. For every quart of water, use around 1/4 spoonful of dish soap. Plants that can’t survive being hosed in the sink can have the soap removed by being sprayed with clean, lukewarm water.
Wipe the Leaves
You can simply wipe the leaves off of plants that are too big to move by using a moist towel. Young banana or snake plants, as well as other plants with few leaves, respond nicely to this technique. After the initial cleaning, placing a soft duster on the leaves whenever you dust your furniture or floors will help prevent dust from accumulating on them.
Use a Soft Brush
African violets, for example, don’t enjoy having their leaves wet, whereas some plants have leaves that are sticky or fuzzy and are difficult to clean. In these circumstances, you can very gently coax the dust off the leaves using a soft brush, such as a mushroom brush.
Should I wipe my Monstera’s leaves?
The glossy, dark green leaves of Monstera deliciosa are one of the plant’s main draws, but there are many others. However, with time, Monstera leaves might start to become dusty and drab, much like other surfaces in your house. Cleaning your Monstera’s leaves on a regular basis will maintain the beauty and health of your plant.
How are your Monstera leaves kept glossy? Monstera deliciosa leaves just need to be cleaned frequently because they are naturally shining. While a larger, more difficult-to-move plant can be cleaned by wiping the leaves with a wet towel, a smaller plant can be cleaned by immersing the leaves in water or giving it a shower.
Due to their size and predominant horizontal orientation, the leaves of Monstera deliciosa are particularly prone to accumulating dirt. There is no specific frequency for cleaning a Monstera’s leaves, but you should do it whenever dust is apparent.
How are Monstera leaves kept in good health?
- Balance the sun’s and the shade’s intensity. The leaves of Monstera become yellow when exposed to excessive sunlight. The plant will display a condition known as negative phototropism, in which new leaves develop toward the darkness rather than the light, if kept in the dark. (It’s a really cunning trick: in the jungle, nighttime indicates the presence of a taller tree that Monstera can scale to reach the sun.) Indirect sunlight is preferable because this isn’t attainable in a living room.
- Water Monstera once a week, evenly and moderately. Prior to adding more water, allow the soil to become somewhat dry. Keep in a relatively humid setting.
- Avoid repotting too frequently and trim regularly by pinching off new growth to control excessive growth.
Scientists have proposed the following theories as to why Monstera leaves have holes: The ability to capture sunlight on the rainforest floor is increased, according to one idea, by this puncture. According to the other theory, it allows tropical downpours to pass through the leaves, preventing harm to the plant. This explains Hurricane Plant, another name for Monstera.
Note that some of our favorite indoor plants are native to the tropics. Check out Tropical Plants 101: A Guide to Planting, Care & Design for more information. More ideas for indoor plants can be found at:
How are Monstera leaves made shiny?
Cleaning monstera leaves with distilled or purified water, a little non-detergent soap, and a microfiber cloth is one of the simplest methods.
To clean the leaves, first mist them with distilled water and let them sit for around five minutes. Any trash or other crud on the leaves will become looser as a result.
Use a half-gallon of distilled water and a teaspoon of detergent-free soap (we recommend Dr. Bronner’s pure organic castile soap) to soak your microfiber cloth. Start cleaning the tops and bottoms of the leaves very gently, being careful to hold the opposite side of the leaf in place with your hand. Here, take your time to avoid accidently breaking, cracking, or scratching the leaves.
After thoroughly wiping each leaf, give them a gently rinse in the shower or with a hose spray.
To prevent the soap and water from dripping into the soil, you might wish to tilt your plant to one side.
To keep your leaves clean and healthy, we advise doing this at least once every few months!
What is used to clean plant leaves?
First things first: We do not advise cleaning your indoor plants with leaf-shining treatments. There are various commercial plant shine products available, and many stores utilize them to enhance the appearance of their plants. Nevertheless, leaf shine products sometimes cause more harm than benefit.
Stomata, which are microscopic pores found in plants, are essential for many of the organisms’ processes. Stomata allow oxygen to enter through during respiration. Stomata let carbon dioxide to pass through during photosynthesis. Additionally, stomata let water vapor to flow through during transpiration. Numerous leaf shine items block these apertures with oil or wax, which restricts the critical gas exchanges that stomata are necessary to.
Even while the leaf shine product makes the promise that it is clog-free, its residue might draw in more dust and dirt, giving you a plant that is ultimately not all that shiny. You get caught in a never-ending cycle of cleaning and re-shining as the foliage gets harder to clean.
We all agree that plants are beautiful, but if you want to bring out even more of their beauty, there are safer ways to do it without endangering the health of the plants.
Clean plants’ leaves with a damp cloth.
Wet the towel (or sponge) and squeeze away the extra moisture. Place one hand softly underneath each leaf to support it while the other hand wipes down the top of the leaf while moving away from the stem. Repeat the procedure on the leaf’s underside, where common houseplant pests like to conceal themselves. Use a gentle brush if the leaves are delicate or little.
Shower your houseplants.
All plants, but especially those with numerous leaves, benefit greatly from a light, lukewarm shower. To make sure the water cleanses the undersides of the leaves, carefully run your hands through the vegetation. For ferns, orchids, and palms that enjoy dampness, this technique works well. Just be careful not to overwater your plant while you’re doing it (only water plants in containers with drainage holes) and be sure to shake off any extra water from the leaves afterward.
Clean leaves with a bit of soapy water.
Try combining water and all-natural liquid soap if water alone is insufficient. Either bathe your hands with the mixture and gently apply it to the plant, or you can carefully wipe the leaves with a soft cloth dipped in the soap and water mixture. Clean the plant’s leaves from top to bottom; doing so may assist get rid of any potential pests. When finished, thoroughly rinse the plant to remove all of the soapy liquid, then shake off any extra water.
Or opt for a mixture of vinegar and water or lemon juice and water.
Vinegar and water are also useful for removing residue accumulation on leaves. But be careful not to go overboard. Start by combining a gallon of water and one teaspoon of vinegar. After that, carefully dab the mixture onto the leaves of your plants using a delicate cloth. Bonus: The smell of vinegar works wonders to deter pests and curious animals. Lemon juice is a good substitute for vinegar. Mineral salts can be dissolved with the aid of an acid, such as lemon juice or vinegar. Lemon juice and water, in contrast to vinegar and water, won’t get rid of pests on your plants, but it will dissolve mineral buildup from hard tap water on your leaves.
Help! How can I tell if my Monstera is over or under watered?
- Most frequently, over or underwatering causes yellowing. It usually results from overwatering if a leaf has both yellow and brown coloring. If there are totally yellow leaves and some brown crispy spots on other leaves, the plant may be drowning. To see if the dirt supports your diagnosis, check it out.
RIGHT: A Monstera plant with drooping foliage and pale-colored leaves as a result of the soil’s lack of moisture. RIGHT: A significant amount of dark brown spotting with yellow edges, together with a loss of leaf structure, show that this Monstera has both been overwatered and is also under-lit.
There are leafless brown growths coming off of my Monstera. Is that normal?
- Yes! These roots are aerial, and they are entirely typical. These aid in supporting the plant in nature and enable it to rise and attain higher levels of light. The roots won’t harm surfaces or walls, and if they start to get out of control, you can always cut them.
My Monstera isn’t forming splits or holes on its leaves. What’s the deal?
- The absence of splits and holes in a Monstera leaf, also known as “fenestrations,” can be brought on by a variety of different things, but typically indicates that the plant is not established in an optimal location. Check on how much water and light it is getting and make any necessary adjustments. The aerial roots of your plant can also be pushed deeper into the ground to allow the plant to collect more nutrients. Remember that your plant won’t get holes until its leaves are more mature, so sometimes you just have to be patient.
My Monstera has gotten way too big. What can I do?
- re-prune it Monsteras are quite resilient and can withstand a decent trim. Stakes and ties can also be used to direct the growth of your Monstera in whatever direction you like.
How often should I fertilize my plant?
- Fertilizing indoor plants from spring through fall generally results in their thriving. Use an organic houseplant fertilizer once a month, dilution and application instructions on the container. In order to ensure that your plant doesn’t require fertilizer within the first six months of receiving it, Greenery Unlimited employs an organic potting mix with a slow release fertilizer in the soil.
How often does my plant need to be repotted?
- We advise repotting bigger floor plants every 18 to 24 months. In order to allow for growth, you need often use a potting vessel with a diameter that is 2- 4 bigger. Selecting a pot that is significantly larger than the previous one could drown the plant’s roots. Repot your plant into the same container, add additional soil, and remove some roots and foliage if you’d like to keep it at its current size. Repotting should be done in the spring or summer when the plant is at its healthiest.
ABOVE: Although the plant in the photo above appears to have aerial roots, this is not always a sign that it needs to be repotted. But now that the soil level has dropped to a few inches below the lip, many of the soil’s aeration-related elements have come to the surface. Both of these facts can suggest that the plant needs fresh soil and a somewhat bigger container.