These $8 houseplant dusting gloves made my plant leaves glossier than ever – and I'm even using them to clean my home

With over 20 types of houseplants in my collection, I'm constantly keeping on top of care for each of them and am often looking for ways to make houseplant care a little bit quicker.

One important task many of us often neglect is keeping houseplant leaves clean. While it may not seem as crucial as watering and feeding your plants, a build-up of dust and debris can make your houseplants more susceptible to pests and diseases. Plus, houseplants that reduce dust by capturing it on their foliage are left looking duller - they’re often large, statement plants, too, and this makes their appearance less than impactful.

Discovering houseplant dusting gloves has been a gamechanger for this reason. They’re easy to use, make dusting leaves a quick task, and they’re a tactile item to add to your plant care kit. I’ve even been using them for cleaning around the home - they are that useful. At less than $8 for two pairs, here's why I think every houseplant owner should - quite literally - get their hands on these gloves.

Do houseplant dusting gloves work?

In short, yes. I found houseplant dusting gloves to be incredibly efficient at picking up every speck of dirt and dust sitting on houseplant leaves. All it takes is a simple swipe of the hand over foliage.

First impressions - are they comfortable to use?

From the minute I opened the package, I knew I was going to be happy with these gloves. It’s clear from sight and feel that houseplant dusting gloves are made from the same material as microfibre cloths (from Walmart), which I had already been using to dust to my houseplant leaves. The difference? You can wear houseplant dusting gloves for convenience.

I opted for two different blue pairs of gloves and personally find them quite attractive. They come in a wide range of colors, so you can choose ones that suit your aesthetic or match the rest of your plant care kit - this pack of three houseplant dusting gloves from Amazon includes blue, green, and pink pairs.

They’re incredibly soft to touch, making them comfortable to wear. With an elasticated wrist, they also have some stretch to accommodate different hand sizes.

Do houseplant dusting gloves clean plants well?

I tested my houseplant dusting gloves on a wide range of plants to see how they fare.

My Monstera deliciosa was an obvious choice, with its large jungle foliage often becoming dusty. I swiped the palm of the glove over the leaves and all the dust was gone in an instant. If I needed any more proof, I could even see the dust that transferred on the glove, so I knew it wasn't just sweeping it off the plant and on the floor.

To see how easy it is to make use of the finger parts of the glove, I tested on my Chinese evergreen and rattlesnake calathea. Both of these plants have more slender foliage than a monstera, often with prominent bends in the middle of the leaves and narrow, curved bases that can be tricky to get into for cleaning.

The fact these gloves are made entirely from dusting material means you can get into these smaller parts of houseplant leaves using your fingers, removing any dirt that has become trapped there - something I have previously struggled to do with a microfibre cloth.

These gloves are also ideal for cleaning more fragile plants because it's easy to control how much pressure is applied. This ensures they don't become damaged by too much force when cleaning.

Another bonus of houseplant dusting gloves is you don’t necessarily need to wet them. I find microfibre cloths do a good job of removing dust when dry, but dampening them allows you to get the shine we all wish our plants have 24/7. Well, the gloves gave me a slight gleam without the need to wet them first. This isn’t to say you can’t wet them for use, but the fluffier material appears to be more effective than a dry microfibre cloth.

Something to note: when new, the houseplant dusting gloves may shed some fluff. Although, I found this minimal and after a few weeks of using and washing the gloves, this issue disappeared.

Other uses for houseplant dusting gloves

It isn’t just houseplants you can clean using these gloves, especially if you find your home gets dusty quickly. You may notice the description of some houseplant dusting gloves mentions using them to dust more generally around the home.

I found them perfect for getting into nooks and corners I usually struggle to reach with other dusting products. The fingers of the gloves are ideal for swiping along skirting boards, light switches, and window panes.

It makes sense that this works, of course, as houseplant dusting gloves are essentially dusting material in the shape of a glove. Being able to wear them is a convenience I didn’t know I needed in my cleaning regime, but now I'm never looking back. Just take care to avoid dusting mistakes when using the gloves for this purpose.

FAQs

Do you need to wash houseplant dusting gloves?

Yes, it's important to wash houseplant dusting gloves after use to ensure you get rid of all the dirt and debris they pick up. Failing to do so may lead to transferring dust to another plant when you use them again. The good news is houseplant dusting gloves are easy to wash. Simply put them in the washing machine with other cloths and towels. Always follow manufacturer washing instructions for the specific gloves you have purchased.

To take your houseplant cleaning game to the next level, try one of these methods to make indoor plant leaves shiny. First use your houseplant dusting gloves to remove any dust and debris, then apply something like natural oils to give the foliage an extra shine.