When it comes to keeping cut flowers fresh and caring for houseplants, you’d be
wise to ditch the aspirin, dump the mayo and start singing.
You’ve probably heard that putting an aspirin or two in the water keeps cut
flowers fresh. If you tried that with the flowers you were fortunate enough to
get on Valentine’s Day, you’ll soon discover there’s no teeth in that often-used
home remedy. Aspirin just doesn’t work. In fact, the medicine cabinet isn’t a
good place to turn for plant-care products.
Take the shine off
Neither is the refrigerator. For years, people have used milk or mayonnaise as
“natural” ways to shine the leaves of houseplants. It turns out that using a
soft cloth dipped in one or the other does make the leaves look shiny. That
glossy surface, however, only holds onto dust and grime, which makes your plants
look dirty even sooner than they would have if you hadn’t shined them at all.
So skip the plant shiners, homemade or commercially manufactured. Instead, wipe
leaf surfaces clean with a cloth dipped in plain old water. (Lukewarm is best.)
If the foliage seems particularly greasy or sticky, dissolve a few drops of mild
dishwashing liquid in the water first, then wipe the leaves gently. But don’t
try to scrub leaves squeaky clean.
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