Silk plants are beautiful, easy-to-care-for additions to many of our homes, but even though they don’t take up much space, they’re notorious for collecting dust, pollen, and animal fur which can lead to allergies or worse — respiratory problems.

Regularly cleaning these decorations is a sure fire way to keep everyone at home breathing comfortably. There are a handful of ways to carefully clean your silk plants, and even if you already paying for a maid service it might be wise to take care of this task yourself.

Items Needed for Cleaning Silk Plants

• Paper Bags
• Table Salt
• Water
• Large Bowl
• Spray Bottle
• Feather Duster
• Micro Fiber Cloths
• Can of Compressed Air
• Simple Dusting

If you are in a rush, just grab a feather duster or microfiber cloth and wipe down the leaves, stems, and petals of your silk plants.

Make sure to dust lightly! Silk plants are notoriously fragile and break easily. Be very careful and deliberate as you dust.

Salt Shake

Sometimes feather dusters or dust cloths won’t do the trick. The salt bath is a little more time consuming, but it does a more thorough job of freeing silk flowers of dust and build-up.

Grab a paper sack, and fill it with a half cup of table salt. Now, place your silk flowers inside the bag and close the top. Shake the bag up-and-down with the salt and flowers inside.

The granules moving up and down clear the pedals, stems, and leaves of any build up and will leave your artificial plants looking brand new.

Quick Misting

Even if you have a maid service on hand, dust loves collecting on silk plants. If you notice a spot or two that are particularly dingy, grab a spray bottle with a little bit of water. Spray the trouble areas and then pat them down with a dry, clean, microfiber cloth. This will prevent water damage and will keep your indoor plants looking presentable.

Soaking

Lastly, if nothing else works and you don’t want to call your maid service for just this chore, you can go ahead and soak your silk flowers. This is the most time consuming option, but it also gives your artificial plants the most thorough cleaning.

Fill the sink or a bucket with warm water and a table spoon of liquid dish detergent. Let your silk plants soak in the water until you see that any build up has eroded and washed away.

Whatever your preferred method, by following these simple tips, the fake plants in your home or office are sure to stay beautiful and clean for years to come.