# Why Do People Put Their Houseplants Outside When It Rains? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 18, 2005, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-put-their-houseplants-outside-when-it-rains/304412 "2005-05-18T14:43:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Surreal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@Surreal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surreal)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2005, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-put-their-houseplants-outside-when-it-rains/304412/1 "2005-05-18T14:43:44Z")
On several occasions, I’ve noticed people who, for some unknown reason, have placed their indoor houseplants outdoors on certain days. In my experience, this activity appears to be correlated with rainfall. Why do people place their houseplants outside when it’s raining? It would appear that the amount of water saved by doing this would be very minute. Is there any evidence that rainwater is better for plants than tap water?? Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2005, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-put-their-houseplants-outside-when-it-rains/304412/2 "2005-05-18T14:45:06Z")
Hey, free water. ---
**Author:** ![Podkayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Podkayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Podkayne)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2005, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-put-their-houseplants-outside-when-it-rains/304412/3 "2005-05-18T14:55:41Z")
Well, tap water has its problems. We have really hard water, and it puts a rime of minerals on my pots. I don’t know if that’s bad for the plants. Also, if you have treated water, you have to let it sit for several hours before watering with it so that the chlorine can escape. Rain will also wash the plants off so you don’t have to wipe the dust off. Also, many plants like a lot of direct sunshine. But because outdoor plants are in the sun so much they need to be watered more. So if you set your plants out on a day you know it will be rainy, you have the best of both worlds: lots of sunshine for them, and nature does the watering. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2005, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-put-their-houseplants-outside-when-it-rains/304412/4 "2005-05-18T16:09:48Z")
Some people do believe that rainwater is better for plants - absence of chlorine/cloramine, fluoride, etc. In \*\*Podkayne’s \*\* situation, the rainwater may be better for the pots, as well. ---
**Author:** ![postcards](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8e8cbc/32.png) [@postcards](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/postcards)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2005, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-put-their-houseplants-outside-when-it-rains/304412/5 "2005-05-18T17:42:22Z")
> [@Podkayne](#): > > So if you set your plants out on a day you know it will be rainy, you have the best of both worlds: lots of sunshine for them, and nature does the watering. …on a day you know it will be rainy…lots of sunshine… 😕 ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2005, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-put-their-houseplants-outside-when-it-rains/304412/6 "2005-05-18T17:54:24Z")
It’s a vacation for my plants. I know, personally, that being cooped up all day in the house is a Bad Thing. So I get outdoors when i can. Why shouldn’t my plants get the same chance? Get out, talk to their friends… 😃 ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2005, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-put-their-houseplants-outside-when-it-rains/304412/7 "2005-05-18T18:16:29Z")
No “evidence” but yes, in my opinion rainwater is much better for my plants than tap. This isn’t just for houseplants or container plants either. I can water 'till I’m blue in the face with the sprinkler but it’s only after a rain that the yard and/or container plants really take off. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2005, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-put-their-houseplants-outside-when-it-rains/304412/8 "2005-05-18T23:25:09Z")
The main benefit for me is that a good shower of rain washes the dust off the leaves - much easier than dusting the whole plant. ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-put-their-houseplants-outside-when-it-rains/304412/9 "2005-05-19T01:10:18Z")
> [@postcards](#): > > …on a day you know it will be rainy…lots of sunshine… > > 😕 That would be full spectrum sun_light_. Window glass filters some of the spectrum that plants like. A plant that lives in the sunniest window in the house, would need to be in partial shade outside, and gradually moved into full sun. Otherwise, they “sunburn.” I found out the hard way, my large leaf schefflera had big white burns last summer. ---
**Author:** ![BarnOwl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e95f7d/32.png) [@BarnOwl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BarnOwl)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-put-their-houseplants-outside-when-it-rains/304412/10 "2005-05-19T02:26:15Z")
We have a water softener in our house, but the kitchen tap isn’t treated. So, if my wife draws softened water (high in potassium or sodium salts) from a bathroom sink, might it be bad for the plants — as opposed to the hard water, directly from the well? Never thought about this until now. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-put-their-houseplants-outside-when-it-rains/304412/11 "2005-05-19T02:27:55Z")
I never put houseplants out in full sun. They spend the summer on the front porch, where I keep watering them with (ew!) tap water (which has been sitting for a week before I use it, to let some of the minerals settle out). They lurve their summer vacation. ---
**Author:** ![Savannah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@Savannah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Savannah)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-put-their-houseplants-outside-when-it-rains/304412/12 "2005-05-19T04:35:25Z")
I have been known to do it for plants with glossy or large leaves which get dusty. I also anthropomorphise and figure they might enjoy the fresh air and change of scene. Right now, our ficus is enjoying a spring holiday by the front door.