Cleaning leaves

[cupcake]

Ok now you can report me to The Orchid Protection Soc!Not at work this week so FINALLY got round to carefully wiping the leaves of my collection. I was MORTIFIED! I used tepid water on cotton pads, and they were FILTHY! Mea Culpa! Hpoefully they are all breathing a sigh of relief! How often do you guys clean your leaves?

[arleneg]

I clean mine just before taking them to "show & tell" at my local orchid society.

[adespo]

I try to clean mine often enough to keep calcium residue from building up usually about two months. There is a recipe that works pretty well, its half a fresh squeezed lemon a couple drops of dish soap and a two cups of water. There are also wipes that cleans and adds a nice sheen. Green Glo is my favorite. There are spray forms available as well but I usually dilute them a little otherwise its kinda greasy.

[linda_shel]

Will this damage the leaves at all of any orchid?

[adespo]

I'm not really sure it seems to be okay for my orchids but I don't have any that I would consider sensitive.

[kmarch]

Same as arleneg for me, I only clean them when I'm showing a plant.

[MariahK]

I have wiped them down but that was only because they are in the house and tend to goet dusty, so every 3-4 months I take damp paper towels and make a day of it, after they look great