Adding plants and flowers to your décor can beautify any space. However, plants also require a great deal of time and energy.
If you have more of a brown thumb than a green one, they may also feel like a challenge (and an impossible one at that). Thank goodness for artificial flowers and plants!
The best part of using fake flowers and plants is that they require very little maintenance. In fact, many people invest in artificial plants for this very reason. That said, they do still need a little attention.
A periodic cleaning should be more than enough to keep those fake plants happy, so let’s look at how to clean fake plants and get you some tips to start on the right foot.
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How Often Should I Clean My Fake Plants or Artificial Flowers?
When learning how to clean silk flowers or plastic plants, you may be wondering how often you need to clean them.
Since your fake plants collect dust like every other surface in your home, you’ll want to give them a dusting each time you do a pass through your house. This will keep those surfaces from accumulating dust in thick layers.
You’ll also want to give your plants a regular deep cleaning two times per year. This will collect dirt that escaped your duster or collected in a hard-to-reach space. We’ll discuss a few methods in this article to help deeply clean your plants, and you’ll find that even these deep cleaning recommendations are very easy to do.
How to Clean Fake Plants with a Duster
Let’s take a look at how to clean artificial plants using one of our favorite tools: a duster. This common cleaning tool is one you probably already own, and they do a great job with fake plants.
Remember, you should give your plants a dusting roughly once a week as you take care of your other surfaces. This will help prevent your plants from accumulating a layer of dust.
One of the most significant benefits of fake plants is that they are generally hypoallergenic since they don’t release allergens like real plants do. However, without proper and regular cleaning, they attract dust and and can even become an allergy problem.
Our favorite dusters are the Swiffer dusters. These dusters are so convenient and do a great job trapping that dust away, so you don’t get triggered while cleaning.
However, if you would prefer a washable option, this OXO duster may be exactly what you’re hoping for. This one uses a soft microfiber dusting cover to collect a whole bunch of dust with each swipe.
How to Clean Fake Plants with a Vacuum
If a mild dusting isn’t quite doing the trick, and you’d like to opt for something with a little more power, you can choose to vacuum your plants.
Don’t take out your trusty vacuum just yet, though. You probably shouldn’t use the same vacuum you use for the rest of your house on your artificial plants.
When you select the perfect vacuum for your plants, choose one that is not high-powered. You aren’t going to need a whole lot of suction here, and you don’t want to risk damaging the plant in any way.
We prefer to use a small hand vacuum like, this one from Black & Decker, to clean our fake plants. Every home could benefit from a spot cleaning every now and then, so investing in a low-suction handheld vacuum will pay dividends throughout your home.
How to Clean Fake Plants in the Shower
When you want to deeply clean your artificial plastic plants, we recommend giving them a shower. That’s right, a shower.
This is one of the easiest ways to clean artificial flowers. Giving your plants a shower will help remove some of the more difficult to reach or dense dust that has accumulated over time.
To do this, put your plastic plant or flower in the basin of the shower and let warm water gently wash over it. To get the best results, try to mimic a light rain shower just like the ones real plants enjoy. You may also want to take care to cover the base of your artificial plant with a plastic covering if it would not fare well in the water.
How to Clean Silk Plants without Damaging Them
Many artificial plants are not made of plastic, so they can’t easily take a quick shower for a deep clean. In fact, many fake plants are made of silk and will require some special attention.
We have found that dusting silk plants still works really well to remove any dust before it builds up, but instead of using water or powerful suction for deeper clean, the key is to use a silk plant cleaner designed to capture and remove dust.
Our preferred product is the FloraCraft Silk ‘n Splendor product. We love that this spray doesn’t require you to wipe down your plants. Just spray, let it do its job, and you’re good to go.
Just because you have the right product doesn’t mean you won’t damage your silk flowers. It’s important to clean them correctlly.
First, place your silk plant outside or in the basin of your shower. Then, using your spray of choice, spray down the leaves. Give the spray a little time to capture the dust and drip off.
It may be tempting to rinse your silk plant afterward, but please don’t do this. If you do, you could damage the silk, and your plant won’t look nearly as nice as before the cleaning.
We hope these tips gave you some great points to consider when thinking about how to care for your plastic and silk plants. Artificial flowers are so wonderful for many reasons, but you really must make sure they get a proper occasional cleaning, as well.
What are some of your favorite ways to clean up your artificial plants? We would love to know! To connect with us, drop a comment below. Happy cleaning!
