Six common household products that can save your indoor plants this winter including mayonnaise & more

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If your indoor plants are struggling to survive due to the cold weather, here’s six everyday household items that can keep them alive

Cooler temperatures and only a  few hours of sunlight a day can be detrimental to thriving houseplants. Luckily, Fiona Jenkins, Houseplant Expert at MyJobQuote.co.uk has shared six kitchen cupboard essentials that could keep them green all year round.

Aside from adding a bit of vibrancy to any room, there are plenty more positives to keeping houseplants  than people may well know. According to Gardenpals.com, houseplants improve productivity by up to 15%. ​​People with more plants in their workspace take fewer sick days. Houseplants also remove up to 87% of airborne toxins in just 24 hours.

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Research from David Wilson Homes revealed that Aloe Vera is the most popular houseplant in the UK. This could be because they’re one of the easiest houseplants to care for, with Ivy and the Peace Lily completing the top three.

Fiona Jenkins is warning people against making the mistake of over-watering their plants in the winter months “Many houseplants can become dormant in winter due to the less than favourable growing conditions. This means they do not need as much watering as they do in spring and summer.

“If you continue to water your plants in winter as often as you would in warmer months this can do them more harm than good. Instead, there are other hacks you can try to help keep them healthy and strong in the winter months such as using mayonnaise to shine the leaves.”

Six household items to save your indoor houseplants

Mayonnaise

If the leaves of your houseplants are looking dull and you want to restore their natural shine, try using mayonnaise on them. Take a piece of kitchen roll with a small amount of mayonnaise on it and rub this on the leaves, this should have them shining for weeks.

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Cinnamon Powder

Cinnamon is a natural fungicide and has both antifungal and antibacterial benefits for plants, therefore it is great for repairing broken stems. Make a clean cut on the broken stem and sprinkle cinnamon powder on it, this will stop it from becoming infected.

Eggshells

Putting crushed eggshells in the soil of your houseplants is a quick and easy way to provide them with extra calcium. Simply crush the eggshells using a food processor or a pestle and mortar until they’re almost a powder.

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Banana

If you’re making a homemade fertiliser, a banana skin is a must. Once you’ve eaten a banana simply place the skin into a jar of water and leave it for 24 hours. Then use this water to feed your plants.

Unsalted Potato Water

Leftover water from boiling potatoes contains potassium, phosphorus and magnesium which all help houseplants thrive. Let it cool, and make sure it is unsalted as salt will prevent the soil absorbing it.

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A pot of tea

Tea leaves are enriched with nitrogen which helps plants to grow, however as tea can contain tannic acid it should only be used on houseplants that like acidic soil such as spider plants and rubber plants. Let the tea brew overnight so you don’t use boiling water.

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