Natural-light-lit indoor plants look great and clean. Whether you’ve been growing plants for years or just started, you need to know how to keep your flowers healthy. Most of the plant parents have a common question how to shine plant leaves naturally. Good news: we’ve made leaf shiner recipes fun and easy. These ingenious DIY tips will make your plants look wonderful and help them grow. In the entire blog we’ve discussed about how to clean plant leaves and make them shine. Try these nutritious, enjoyable dishes!
Are you ready to make your houseplants sparkle with their almost new leaves? Check out our fun guide on making your own Leaf Shiner Recipes for vibrant and shiny houseplants!
Give Your Plants a Radiant Glow: DIY Leaf Shiners You’ll Love!
Want your plants to look brand new? You don’t need expensive items from the shop! You can make natural leaf shiners from a few simple things in your house. These will not only clean your plants but also improve their health. Are you ready to make your plants shine? Let’s try these simple meals that you can make at home!
1. Vinegar Leaf Shiner
The acetic acid content in vinegar will dissolve the dust, dirt, and grease from the leaf surface besides killing harmful bacteria and fungi. It will also leave a healthy shine on your houseplants for the upcoming weeks.
How to Use:
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Mix 4 cups of clean filtered water, 1/4 teaspoon vinegar, 1-2 drops of dish soap, 2 drops of coconut oil together, and soak a soft microfiber cloth in the mixture to wipe off the dust.
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Alternatively, you can pour the mixture into a spray bottle and spread it thoroughly on the leaves. Then, use a clean cotton cloth to wipe off the dusty layer that’ll leave a lustrous appeal on your leaves.
When to Use
1. Weed control
Vinegar’s weed-controlling properties stem from its acetic acid content, disrupting weed growth when applied directly to leaves. An environmentally friendly alternative to synthetic herbicides, vinegar serves as a natural solution for managing unwanted vegetation.
2. Fertilizer booster:
Vinegar can help plants absorb nutrients from fertilizers. Vinegar and fertilizers work together to improve plant growth. Vinegar is acidic and lowers soil pH, thus not all plants can use it.If your soil is alkaline, irrigate these plants with diluted vinegar to acidify them. Water acid-loving plants sparingly using one cup of white vinegar and a gallon of water.Remember that high acidity can kill many plants, so use caution. Test the soil pH and adjust it.
3. Flower preservation
A small amount of vinegar added to the water in cut flower vases, can of flowers. This simple trick helps maintain vibrant and longer-lasting blooms.
4. Fungus treatment
Vinegar’s antifungal properties may assist in treating certain fungal issues on plants. However, caution is advised to prevent potential damage to sensitive plants. Understanding the proper application and concentration is crucial for effective and safe fungus treatment.
5. Deterrent for certain animals
The strong odor of vinegar acts as a repellent for certain animals, providing a natural deterrent against potential damage to plants. This eco-friendly method adds an extra layer of protection in the garden.
2. Milk & Water Leaf Shiner
Milk contains a lactic acid compound, an age-old plant cleaning recipe, and works wonders on the foliage! This DIY plant shine is also effective against powdery mildew and other fungal infections on your houseplants and therefore is a super recipe for any plant parent.
When to Use
Generally, it is recommended to use milk monthly once. And for plants already suffering from blossom end rot problems, along with watering your plants with milk, you can also apply calcium nitrate spray, eggshell powder, bone meal powder, and garden lime to the soil.
Water plants with milk every two months and at the beginning of the growing season for vegetable crops, flowers, or planter beds. When spraying your plants, fill a mister bottle with the milk mix and mist both sides of plant leaves.
How to Use:
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Combine 30% skimmed milk and 70% water in a bowl or spray bottle.
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Dip a clean cloth in the mixture and wipe the foliage. Make sure to wipe beneath the leaves where mildew accumulates.
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If you’re using it as a foliar spray, wipe the leaves thoroughly to improve the shine and luster.
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It is one of the best DIY Leaf Shiner Recipes for Lush & Glossy Houseplants!
3. Homemade Mineral Oil Leaf Shine
Mineral oil can be used as an excellent leaf shine. It will clear off the dust particles leaving behind a healthy glossy texture.
When to Use
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For aphids, two-spotted mites (red spider mites) and whitefly on vegetables, strawberries and ornamental plants, apply two sprays, 3-5 days apart. Repeat again if pests reappear. Don’t use more than 3 sprays on plants over a 4-8 week period.
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For scale on fruit trees, apply two sprays, 7 days apart.
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For citrus leaf miner on citrus trees, begin spraying new summer growth as soon as it emerges, before the leaves reach 10 mm (3/8″) in length, and apply every 5-14 days as new flush growth is produced. Stop spraying when most of the new leaves produced within a flush cycle start to harden, or are more than 40 mm (1.6″) in length. Don’t apply more than 8 times per season.
How to Use:
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Add 2-3 drops of mineral oil on a soft piece of damp cloth to wipe off the dust from leaf tops.
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It works best for large and flat foliage plants such as pothos and ficus.
4. Neem Oil Leaf Shine
Neem oil is a scientifically proven natural remedy to kill several plant pests such as spider mites, mildew, aphids, fungus gnats, and many more. Especially in the winter plants become hard to take care and leaves become damage. Here Neem Oil Leaf shiner can be a great solution for you
When to Use
Now, let’s start discussing how to use neem oil on plants by covering when to use neem oil for plants. As with most insecticides or garden treatments, the best time of day to apply this product is early in the morning, ideally on an overcast day.
There are two reasons for this. Any heat will dry up the product before it has a chance to really put a dent in your issue. Plus, the oil may create a lens on your foliage. Then, when the sun shines through, it could cause burns.
Make sure to use it quickly as the compounds become inactive within a day or so
How to Use:
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Mix 1 teaspoon of concentrated neem oil, 1/2 tablespoon of dish soap, and a gallon of water in a spray bottle.
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Shake well and spritz it on a microfiber cloth; it is now ready to be used as a natural mix for leaf shine and pest infestation.
5. Epsom Salt Leaf Shine
The magnesium and sulfate combined in Epsom salt is an excellent natural fertilizer that boosts lush and vivid leaves and promotes photosynthesis. Also, this magic salt can be used as a DIY plant shine recipe for your houseplants.
When to Use
Knowing when to apply Epsom salt to your plants is essential for optimal growth and health. One sign of nutrient deficiency is the appearance of yellowing leaves or slow growth. If you notice these signs, it’s an excellent time to consider adding Epsom salt to your soil and conducting a soil test to identify any deficiencies before applying any amendments to your garden. Soil tests can tell your soil’s pH levels and nutrient concentrations, letting you know what amount of Epsom salt to use.
Incorporating Epsom salt into the soil mix can provide immediate benefits when applied to newly planted seedlings. Adding the minerals that make up Epsom salt supports strong root growth and helps prevent transplant shock. Watering seedlings with a diluted Epsom salt solution can promote the seedling’s resilience and growth.
How to Use:
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Mix 1 tablespoon of Epsom salt in 2-liter water in a spray bottle.
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Shake well and spray on the foliage. Don’t rub immediately; let the nutrient soak in for a minute or two.
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Now wipe the excess solution from the leaf surface with a microfiber cloth.
6. Homemade Rubbing Alcohol Leaf Shine
This is another leaf shine that you can use on your houseplants to keep them looking as shiny as newly bought from the garden stores. Rubbing alcohol will leave a long-lasting silky texture on the foliage.
You can use rubbing alcohol to get rid of small insects and mites. If the alcohol you’re using strong alcohol, dilute more water (one and a half to a part of alcohol), and if the alcohol is mild, use less water but never directly spray it on the leaves as it can dry out and even burn the leaves. For gardening, grain alcohol is considered the best although rubbing alcohol can be used as well with proper care. – Colin Barker, Co-Founder, Filter Smar
Rubbing alcohol solution can be used once or twice a week as a pesticide or herbicide for plants. If you use it more often than this and do not rinse your plant properly after use, the leaves and stem of the plant can get alcohol burn.
We should never water plants with alcohol, as this contaminates the soil and damages roots, making nutrient and water uptake impossible. Soil that has been contaminated with alcohol should be replaced as soon as possible.
How to Use:
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Add 1 tablespoon of rubbing alcohol and 500 ml water in a spray bottle.
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Shake well before spraying the solution on the foliage and wipe off the dusty layer with a soft cloth.
7. Banana Peels Leaf Shine
This unique method will leave a healthy shine on the foliage besides eliminating the dusty layer. Using banana peels as a leaf shine will also not add any extra cost while leaving a shine like never before.
When to Use
For optimal results, apply banana peel water to your plants once a week. This regularity ensures that your plants receive a steady supply of nutrients without the risk of over-fertilization.
How to Use:
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Rub the inner sides of a freshly removed banana peel on your houseplant foliage.
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Change the peels once they get smudged with dirt and dust. Banana peels have some natural oil that can help you keep the leaves shining and lush.
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It is the safest method; hence can be repeated every often you see a dusty layer on your houseplants.
To use banana peel water effectively, you may also consider the following methods:
Soil Drenching:
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Pour the banana peel water directly at the base of the plant, aiming for the roots.
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Use approximately one cup for small plants and up to 2-3 cups for larger ones.
Foliar Spray:
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Dilution: Dilute the banana peel water with equal parts of clean water.
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Spraying: Lightly mist the plants’ leaves early in the morning or late in the afternoon to avoid burning the leaves under strong sunlight.
8. Mayonnaise Leaf Shine
You can use mayonnaise to add some shine to your leaves. The vinegar and lime juice content will clean off the dust while adding a healthy luster to the foliage. Mayo is also efficient in breaking down and eliminating any built-up gluey gunk-like sap to ensure that the foliage is completely clean.
The question remains: Is the mayonnaise trick safe? In the past, social media has encouraged us to give our plants pasta water and use coffee grounds as fertilizer, but sometimes, we can’t help but question these household hacks.
The bottom line is, that while mayonnaise isn’t likely to cause severe harm to your plants, the long-term benefits are minimal. Using or applying the wrong amount to the wrong plant won’t do your plant any favors either. ‘Using too much mayonnaise can block the pores on your plant meaning your plant will struggle to release excess water,’ says Mo. ‘What’s more, mayo can also attract pests which can cause further harm to the plant.’
I’ll be playing it safe. When it comes to removing dust and helping leaves shine, there’s nothing a spritz of water and buffing with a microfiber cloth can’t do.
How to Use:
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Add a tablespoon of mayonnaise in a bowl and a little lukewarm water to make a smooth consistency.
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Dip a soft cloth and rub off the filthy layer from your houseplant foliage. This method will leave a radiant shine for the next few weeks.
Maintenance Routine:
Clean and polish your plant’s leaves twice a month for optimal results. This simple DIY solution will not only restore the gloss to your plant’s leaves but also contribute to its overall well-being.
A Quick Tip
You can also use just lukewarm water and a cotton cloth to give a quick clean to the foliage for an instant shine. It will take away the dirt, rendering an instant clean look.
Also, after using any of the above recipes, it is essential that you wipe off the leaves properly to ensure there won’t be any coating that hinders photosynthesis in plants.
Note: Do NOT expose your houseplants to direct sunlight right after applying any of these methods to prevent sunburn.
