From dull to shiny: Plant enthusiast reveals the unusual ingredient he uses to polish his indoor houseplants
- A plant enthusiast has revealed the secret to shiny indoor houseplants is milk
- Brad Canning uses skim milk to clean plants, leaving them with lustrous leaves
- Milk acts as a natural leaf shiner and contains nutrients to help growth of plant
A plant enthusiast has revealed why spraying milk on indoor houseplants can leave them looking ‘shiny’ for longer.
Brad Canning, from Melbourne, shared a TikTok video showing how his houseplants have perfectly lustrous leaves by polishing them with skim milk and water.
The milk mixture acts as a natural leaf shiner and contains nutrients like calcium and protein that can help the growth of the plant.
‘Did you know that milk can actually help your houseplants? I know it sounds kind of crazy but the reason why we use milk is because the proteins in the milk help break down the residue on the leaves to give it that shine we all love,’ Brad said.
Before and after: A plant enthusiast has revealed why spraying milk on indoor houseplants can leave them looking ‘fresh’ and ‘shiny’ for longer
To make the DIY solution at home, you’ll need to combine 3/4 cup of water with 1/2 a cup of milk in an empty spray bottle.
‘Give it a bit of a mix and it’s ready for your plants,’ the graphic designer said.
‘You just want to spray on the leaves and give them a good wipe down. Then grab a dry cloth and wipe off all the residue.’
Brad said he prefers using skim milk because it mixes better with water.
‘Another good thing about the watered down milk is it actually doesn’t have an odour so it doesn’t smell and it doesn’t attract any bugs so this is perfect,’ he said.
He said it’s important to occasionally wipe down the leaves to keep them dust free as the accumulation can block the plant from absorbing sunlight.
‘So dust on the leaves actually stops the plants from getting what it needs from the sun,’ he explained.
Graphic designer Brad Canning (pictured) shared a TikTok video showing how his houseplants have perfectly lustrous leaves by polishing them with skim milk and water
To make the DIY solution at home, you’ll need to combine 3/4 cup of water with 1/2 a cup of milk in an empty spray bottle
He simply sprayed the leaves and wiped clean with a cloth. It’s important to wipe down the leaves to keep them dust free as the accumulation can block the plant from absorbing sunlight
The milk made a huge difference to the leaves
His video has since been viewed more than 25,000 times with many saying they never knew you could use milk as a leaf shiner.
‘Wow just tried it and it totally works. Thanks for sharing,’ one wrote, while another added: ‘Wow never knew this.’
Others asked whether they could use any type of milk, to which Brad replied: ‘Can’t be plant based unfortunately, skim mixes better with milk.’
Milks like almond and cashew don’t have active cultures that contain the shining benefits like dairy alternatives so it won’t work on plants.
While some said they have been cleaning their houseplants with milk for years, with one woman saying: ‘My grandma taught me this trick years ago.’