Finished eating your banana? Don’t compost the peel just yet. As strange as it sounds, it turns out it’s the only tool you need to clean your plant leaves.
Plant leaf cleaners you’ll find on store shelves aren’t just pricey—they’re also bad for your plants. “Plants breathe through their leaves through little pores called stomata, and many leaf shine products end up clogging these stomata with either oil or wax,” says The Sill. Because of that, it’s a good idea to go with a natural option. And according to KB, the low-waste Instagrammer behind @kb.abode, banana peels might just be the best option.
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In an Instagram post, she wrote they’re great at removing dust and adding shine to houseplants. And while a little freshening up makes them look as good as the day you brought them home, it also benefits them. “Dusty leaves don’t absorb sunlight effectively,” she says, which inhibits your plant’s growth. But when you remove the dust on a regular basis, they’ll be healthy, happy, and grow like crazy.
So how exactly do you go about cleaning your plants with banana peels? All you need to do is take the inside of the peel and gently rub it on the leaves, wiping away any dust. It’s that easy. In a few short minutes, you’ll be all done—and your houseplants will look the best they’ve looked in years.