Ever wonder if your artificial plants are making your allergies worse? Believe it or not, artificial plants can accumulate dust, which in turn, can aggravate allergies!
Fortunately, you can avoid a buildup of dust on your plants. Here are a few tips that we think might help you better understand how to keep your plants free from dust buildup and how to protect your plants when storing them.
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Artificial Plants and Allergies
It seems unfair, but even fake plants can aggravate allergies if they are not cared for properly. They can be susceptible to dust buildup, and if you suffer from dust mite allergies, that’s nothing to fool around with!
Fortunately, the solution is relatively simple. Simply spray your fake plants with a mild cleaner and give them a good dusting. This helps reduce dust buildup and truly makes them a great hypoallergenic option for those who can’t tolerate real houseplants.
Artificial plants are ideal for those who are allergic to pollen, especially the pollen that specifically exists in some of the more popular varieties of houseplants. And it’s not just humans who are vulnerable; pets can also be allergic to houseplants.
Keep in mind not all fake plants are created equal. The best plants are made of high-quality materials like silk and are free from preservatives and other harmful substances, which can harm the health of those who are sensitive to them.
Can Artificial Plants Contribute to Allergies When Covered in Dust?
The short answer is, yes! Artificial plants are dust magnets. Most people who struggle with dust allergies know it’s important not to have too much clutter around, and fake plants are no exception.
Maybe you’ve avoided bringing fresh flowers and plants into the house to avoid setting off your pollen allergies, but it defeats the purpose of having artificial plants if you aggravate your dust allergies because you failed to clean your plants regularly.
How To Keep Dust from Accumulating on Artificial Plants
Like anything else in your home, artificial plants can get dirty when left on their own, and therefore need to be dusted on a regular basis. Interestingly enough, this is also true of living houseplants, but they don’t tend to get dirty as quickly as fake ones do. Here are some tips for keeping your plants clean and dust-free:
- Make your plants a part of your weekly dusting routine. As you dust the room with a microfiber or other high-quality duster, be sure to go over your plants as well. In fact, maintaining a regular weekly whole-house dusting routine is one of the most important things you can do to keep environmental allergies at bay.
- In addition to weekly cleaning, fake plants should be deep cleaned at least twice a year. Including them into spring and fall cleaning routines is the best way to ensure that this gets done. There are a few different methods you can use to deep clean your plants.
- Use a trash bag to cover any parts of your plant that you don’t want to get wet, then bring it into the shower or outside near the hose. Before you begin spraying the plant, gently remove any thick dust with a handheld vacuum or small duster so you’re not wiping off a thin layer of mud after your plant gets wet.
- If you don’t want to move your plants, you can deep clean them by simply wiping down each leaf with a damp cloth. This is a bit more labor-intensive, but it gets the job done.
- If plain water doesn’t seem to cut through the dust and grime, make a 50/50 solution of water and white vinegar in a spray bottle and apply it to your plants before wiping them down.
How To Protect Artificial Plants While Storing Them
Unlike real plants, artificial plants do very well in storage. They can even be kept indefinitely in storage units when properly packaged and protected. (Unsurprisingly, real plants are not allowed in storage units.) Just be sure to clean them before packing them away, using one of the deep cleaning methods described above.
Here are a few tips to keep in mind when preparing fake plants for storage:
- Pack your plant in a moving box, especially if it comes in a pot that might break, like a clay or ceramic pot.
- Pack all around your pot with paper or other packing material so your plant won’t move around in the box and break.
- Don’t forget to label your box as fragile and note which side to carry it from.
When choosing a box for plant storage, try to find one that is quite a bit bigger than the plant itself, so you don’t risk crushing any fragile leaves or stems. Just keep in mind that if your box is too large, your plant may collect dust while in storage, so be sure to cover it with a cloth bag or some other type of dust cover.
Artificial plants don’t require climate control for storage, but they will fade if they are exposed to too much light, so if you plan to store one long-term, make sure you leave it in an area with minimal light, like a dark basement, attic or storage unit.
If you follow these simple steps, you will be able to unpack a beautiful, dust-free plant that’s ready for its new home.
Conclusion
I hope you enjoyed reading about how to keep dust from collecting on your fake plants and how to protect your plants when storing them. We would love to hear some of your feedback. What are some of your favorite tips and tricks for cleaning and storing artificial plants? Let us know in the comments below!
