Q: How do you get dirt and dust off African Violet leaves?
Opal
A: Opal,
There are three effective ways to clean the leaves of your African Violets. One way is to "sweep" the leaves using a feathered paintbrush, soft babies brush or even a feather duster. No matter which of these tools you decide to try, it's best that you designate it for the exclusive use on your Violet's leaves (e.g. don't use a paint brush previously used for painting even if it has been cleaned). A second way it to use canned air like the type used to clean computer keyboards. Be careful not to spray too close to the leaves or you may "freeze" them with the pressurized air. A third way is to simply use a moist, softly textured cloth (like Terry Cloth) and gently wipe away the dust while supporting the leaves in your other hand. Make sure the water is room temperature and soak up any excess with the head of a Q-tip.
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I have lots of African Violets and it takes forever to clean each individual leaf with a brush. They have become quite dusty since I turned the furnace on for the first time this winter. I am going to try spraying the leaves on one plant as a test. I'll let you know the outcome in about 3 months.
You should never put water on african violet leaves, they do not like that and the leaves will 'rust'. That's why you need to water them from the bottom. Brushing them off is a good idea. I have even taken a lower leaf from the plant and wiped the other leaves with that. One thing with that is, that you can put that leaf in another pot and start another plant.
African violets are a little sensitive to being watered on the leaves, but I have learned over the years that they enjoy a little water in their leaves if you have the water room temp. You can test the water temp on your wrist, it is just right when you can't feel a temperature diffrence on your wrist, kind of like checking a baby bottle. In the summer I put my vioets out side in a shady area where they can get rain and they just love it out there. So back to the cleaning I would set the water temp and gently spay them off.
When dusting off my African Violets,I use a babies hair brush,soft enough for the leaves yet it does a good job, I picked one up at a local goodwill store for 50 cents
When your violets get dusty, get or buy a soft bristle paint brush and dust it lightly. This works good on artificial trees also. (African Violets are very sensitive to being watered on the leaves. Always water them from their saucers.)
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