artificial trees and plants are more and more commonplace thanks to the improvements that have been made in their manufacture and appearance. In the past they were easily distinguishable from the real thing and were often flimsy. Nowadays they are handcrafted by experts who study the exact look of real trees and plants when making artificial trees so they look perfectly lifelike.

Because more and more households have two adults going out to work, many families are opting for artificial trees in the home because there simply isn’t the time to care for real ones. Similarly, they are very popular in offices where there is a need to brighten up the décor without there being time available to devote to them and where the office might be empty for several days in a row during festive seasons. It can seem strange to talk about caring for artificial trees when the single biggest reason they are so popular is the fact that they are low maintenance.

Whilst even the least green-fingered amongst us could successfully keep artificial trees, they still require some care in the form of cleaning. Because most are made with silk, they will very quickly begin to wilt under the weight of any dust on their leaves. Layers of dust will also mean that they are not so bright looking.

Cleaning artificial trees requires care. But luckily their cleaning is not specialist and can therefore be included as part of regular household cleaning. Each week they must simply be lightly dusted with a feather duster to remove dust and cobwebs. Every fortnight or so, a more thorough dust can be completed, with any stubborn patches of dirt gently washed with a damp cloth.

Even though they aren’t alive, artificial trees and plants will last longer if they are cared for. You may therefore wish to use a specialist cleaning product every few months. Specialist cleaners are needed for the silk leaves. Usually, the shop or website which sold you the tree or plant will stock a suitable cleaning product.